I just got back from the barn after some hard riding, so I'm tired and a little brain dead. (At least I know my horse can really jump!) Luckily I had written down some notes early, so I had that to work with. See what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

Chapter 3: The Dream

Every day now after school, Piper would go to meet Aerrow and Radarr at Mr. Baker's shop, always remembering to have at least a little snack for them. Aerrow and Radarr would be finishing up their chores, having started not long after the school day began. They'd stop to eat before anything else. Piper's snacks, along with whatever Aerrow was buying with the money he made, seemed to put a little bit of meat on their ribs.

After eating, the three of them would head for the hills to enjoy themselves. Those were some of the most fun, carefree days Piper had ever experienced! They'd swim, climb trees, go on adventures, or perhaps just lie in the sun and do nothing. Much to Piper's delight, Aerrow and Radarr were even tolerated Piper's crystal expeditions. In fact, they even seemed to enjoy them, although Piper was sure Radarr delighted in it because he could find all the best lizards to chase all over the cliff. Another thing Piper really liked was drawing. Sometimes she'd bring her sketchbook and draw whatever came to mind, or maybe find something she could observe as a model for a still life. Aerrow would watch her patiently, having nothing but compliments for her work.

Piper's school friends began to notice Piper's daily disappearances. And to make things even stranger, Piper seemed happier than usual. Something was going on, they knew, but most contented themselves for the moment to know that whatever it was happened for the better.

Thatcher was less than amused by Piper's disappearances. He didn't link them to her new blissfulness. He just knew she wasn't staying within the village often enough for his approval.

"Where have you been all day, young lady?" he asked her one afternoon.

"What does it matter to you?" Piper retorted. "You never pay attention to me anyway."

"I don't want you getting into trouble . . ." Thatcher began.

"I'm not getting into trouble!" Piper insisted. She left the room after that. She knew she shouldn't have responded so tartly to his first question, but she was just so annoyed.

Little did she know her father not only did not forget, but somewhere in the back of his head, he wouldn't let it rest.

During this time, Piper and Aerrow came to know a lot about each other. They'd share everything. Yet there was still something they both avoided: Aerrow's shadowy past. As much as Piper wanted to know, she had decided long ago she was going to let him tell her in his own time. That time hadn't come yet.

But even though Aerrow didn't talk about his past, he wasn't shy about the future. That was one of the many things Piper loved about talking with him. He didn't dwell on the past or let reality strangle his dreams.

It was one of those days when they were both tired and just decided to lay in the grass and watch the clouds. Radarr, still boundless with energy, was off a distance chasing grasshoppers, leaving Piper and Aerrow by themselves.

"Oh look!" Piper exclaimed, pointing at one of the clouds. "That one's a Wallabeast. You can see its three horns. There's a Torka Beast. And look, a wurlygig!"

"They all look like sheep to me," Aerrow admitted, squinting to try and see the clouds the way Piper saw them.

"What about that one?" Piper asked, pointing to a thin, elongated cloud with a point on it. "What's that one look like to you? It's not fat enough to be a sheep."

Aerrow squinted again before his face lit up with a large smile. "It's a sword."

"A sword?" Piper asked.

"Yeah. Look again. Maybe you can see the Sky Knight who bares it."

Piper studied the cloud. "I can see his hand," she answered. "He's grasping the hilt." At that moment, the cloud floated in front of the sun, causing its light to travel through the cloud's wispy depths on its way down to Atmos. It made the cloud seem to glow. Piper smiled. "And he just ignited it with yellow striker crystal."

"Why a yellow striker crystal?" Aerrow asked.

"Striker crystals are what Sky Knights normally use, and the light's yellow," she answered. Then she asked, "Why a sword?"

Aerrow sat up and gave her a small, thoughtful grin. Piper knew that look. It meant he was going to tell her something significant. "One day," Aerrow said, "I'm going to wield a sword like that."

Piper sat up so that she was eye-level with him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Aerrow said, "one day, I'll be a Sky Knight."

This concerned Piper. "Aerrow, do have any idea how hard that will be?" Especially for you, she thought silently.

"I know," Aerrow said. "I know it'll be hard and a lot of work. But I have to try."

"Why?" Piper questioned.

His smile faded and he looked very solemn. His eyes no longer reflected the idols of a young boy. Now they seemed to belong to someone much older than him. "Piper," he began, as though it were hard for him to explain, "I've seen many things on my travels and . . ." He paused, his hand running through his hair. "Many of them . . . many them I never want to see again. I couldn't do anything about it, either." He turned his eyes on the cloud again. "But Sky Knights, they have that ability. They don't have to turn the other way. They can help people." He looked back at Piper. "And that's what I want to do."

Piper knew, as soon as he told her this, that if anyone could accomplish that dream from this starting point, it was Aerrow. She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "And you will," she promised. "I'm sure of it."

"So we got why," Finn said, "but I'm not seeing a how."

"You know, Finn," Piper rebuked, "practicing a little patience wouldn't hurt. As I was saying . . ."

The next time Piper met Aerrow and Radarr, she had with her some books.

"Of course," Finn grumbled under his breath. "She always has books when she can."

Unfortunately for him, Piper had heard him. "Finn!" she scowled before she continued.

Radarr, as always, was the first to notice that she had brought something new. "Quit, Radarr!" Piper scolded as Radarr nuzzled her hand to see what she was holding.

Seeing Radarr's action, Aerrow asked, "What do you have there?"

"Just something you might like," she said. "Hey!"

Radarr had finally managed to pry the books out of her hands. He looked as if he was going to scurry away with them when he heard Piper's irritated voice. "Radarr!" Aerrow called disapprovingly. Radarr turned around and, looking a bit sheepish, he slunk toward Aerrow and placed the books in his outstretched hand. Piper was always amazed at how well Radarr responded to Aerrow . . . most of the time, anyway. Sometimes the creature just felt mischievous and there was nothing they could do about it.

Aerrow studied the first book. "'Terra Mesa's Protectors'," he read aloud.

Piper's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know Aerrow could read. She had been expecting to read the books out loud to him.

Aerrow glanced at her before looking over the book again. Piper got the feeling he could read her as well as he could a book when he said, "I learned to read at a young level at the orphanage. I've always enjoyed it, so I've kept reading when I can. Amazing how much you can teach yourself if you just know the basics." His eyes traveled along the book's binder fondly. "What's this book about?" he asked.

"That is all about the Interceptors Sky Knight squadron," Piper told him. "I think it's a bit of a memoir. All of them were killed quite recently except for Starling, the Sky Knight. She's really cool!" she finished fondly.

He was looking at the next book now. "'Legends of the Sky'," he read.

"That one I think you'll really like," Piper said. "It's all about the Storm Hawks, considered to be the greatest Sky Knight squadron of all time!"

Aerrow smiled. "I heard of them," he said. "Aren't they the reason Cyclonia was first fought back? They died in that battle, didn't they?"

"Hey, that's them," Piper answered. "A really sad ending. They did so much good, but it one of their own that finally did them in. They're pretty famous."

"Have you read these?" he asked.

"I've read 'Terra Mesa's Protectors', but not 'Legends of the Sky'."

Aerrow smiled. "Then we'll just have to read it together!"

"Cool," Finn said. "A hobo who can read."

"Drifter," Junko correct.

"Whatever."

"He does have pretty neat handwriting for a street kid," Stork commented.

"Come on!" Junko begged. "When does he tell you about his past?"

But Piper was already replaying it in her head before he even asked, thinking of what to say.

Yeah, I was thinking about the pilot episode when Aerrow told Starling, "I've read about you!" I needed an explanation for that, considering how that could have flawed the story if I didn't. You would think someone like the Aerrow I portray wouldn't know how to read. This explanation fits into the original plot very well. In fact, it made the plot even better. Even so, I'm not sure the chapter turned out as good as the last two.

I promise you'll find some satisfaction to your curiosity in the next chapter.

Please review! And then vote, if you haven't already.