Flying Colours
an excerpt

Mauvry woke with the oddest sensation.

She had been tightly surrounded by a huge flock of birds in her dream. Like swimming in a lake of feathers. It was a good dream and when she arose to consciousness, before opening her eyes, she felt as if she were a bird. As if she stood and stretched, that it would be wings, not arms attached to her shoulders and that if she lowered her feathered arms, they would automatically lift her into the air and onto the currents above Fevra.

She shivered with delight at the sensation. I feel so warm and plush as if I’m covered in——. Her eyes popped open as she realized she was not alone. There was something snoring nearby. Something up against her back. She squealed and sat up.

Mauvry was atop a giant, old lauchrus tree——the tallest trees in all of Jinexia——in a secure and comfortable nest built for her by the Avis. It had been dark by the time Calli escorted her here. Exhausted from her travels, she was only happy for a place to curl up and sleep. That her bed was soft , warm and dry with a gently stirring, warm breeze was all bonus.

As she sat up, there was an immediate eruption of noise and activity. Mauvry couldn’t take it all in. Here she was on top of the world! The view itself would have taken her breath away, but she couldn’t begin to see it because there were at least three animals squeaking and darting and jumping around her.

Then she realized what these animals were. Blitterlings! She squealed again, this time with pure delight. Her noise however couldn’t begin to compete with the vocalizations of these creatures. She had only seen drawings of them, and those not in colour. What wonders! Blitterlings here in her nest! To catch a glimpse of a blitterling from afar would have been a memory to treasure but to have them so nearby——well, Mauvry couldn’t believe her good luck!

Now she sat quietly, trying to take it in.

They were about the length of her arm, twice that if you took in their marvelous bushy tails! They had sweet, animated faces with large black eyes. Their bodies were covered in a bristly, shiny fur coat of deep reddish-brown fading to a pale red on their faces. But their most astounding trait was the cape of feathers that wrapped around their necks, down their sides lying in folds and then over their arms, if that is what they were properly called. The feathers were small and varied from white to pale blue-green. Her nest and clothes were covered in them!

The blitterlings had stopped squealing and jumping but they were still buzzing around her like large insects. She followed them with her eyes, laughing at their exuberance.

“Hello?” she said tentatively.

Two kept up their chattering, but the one in front of her stopped and bowed, quite formally. Mauvry broke into a giggle. The creature seemed to be greeting her.

“B-b-bit-v-bat,” it said.

“Oh,” Mauvry replied, unable to stop grinning. “Good circuit morn to you.”

The other two blitterlings stopped chattering, flittering around until they too were in front of her. “Ba-blix-ur-ba-bua-tix?” one said, right to Mauvry.

“Oh my,” she answered. “I am sorry. I don’t know what you are saying to me.”

The creature smiled!

It so startled Mauvry that if she hadn’t been in the deep well of the well-built nest, she might have fallen out. He was truly communicating with her. Oh how lovely they are! she thought, not believing her good fortune.

Suddenly one of them, the one who hadn’t yet spoken to her, jumped to the side of the nest and leapt off. Maurvy gasped. They were at least a hundred manlengths up! She scrambled to the side and looked over. The blitterling had spread his arm/wings and the feathered cape caught the air and billowed in the wind. He was sailing through the air in perfect control, or so it seemed.

“Ba-brit-re,” said one who was left.

“Bu-bit-re?” repeated Mauvry.

The two blitterlings looked at each other and grinned.

They’re laughing at me, she realized, not at all offended.

The one who had spoken, pointed a tiny finger (at the end of which was a very sharp-looking nail) toward itself and said, “B-blarja.”

“You are B-blarja?” Maurvy asked, attempting to perfectly repeat what he’d said.

The creature nodded. “B-blarja.” It pointed to the other. “B-bwa.”

Mauvry smiled and said, “B-bwa. It is good to meet you both.” She pointed toward her own chest and said, “Mauvry. I am Mauvry.”

The two looked at each other again. They didn’t try to repeat her words, but they nodded as if they understood. The speaker for the two then pointed at the space where the third had been. “Blarla,” it said. “Blarla bo-b-b-jarxli-b-voxa b-re-ta. B-avis-b-calli-b.”

Mauvry didn’t have a clue. “Blarla,” she repeated, pretty sure that was the name of the one who’d sailed off into the sky. She looked down at where it had been but could not see any trace of the sailing creature.

She didn’t know what to do next. She needed to relieve herself after sleeping but that was impossible. Not only did she have an audience, but she had no place to go! What was she to do? How would she get down? Where was Calli?

“Pardon me, but do you know Calli?” she asked.

There was a frank look of impatience on the blitterling’s face. “Blarla!” it pointed in the direction of the flying creature. “Blarla, b-avis-b-CALLI-b.”

“Oh!” Mauvry exclaimed. She was understanding now. Blarla had gone to get Calli. She nodded her head up and down so they would know she understood.

It was only then that she saw a flap of fabric on the floor of her nest. She excused herself from the attentions of the blitterlings and tugged on it. A cleverly woven, fabric-covered door opened in the floor. The blitterlings chattered happily. She looked down the opening and saw that it led to another level, this one with a flat surface and short fence around the sides. She was amazed. This was a house built for visiting people? The only way down to the other level was a twisted vine. It looked very sturdy.

Then she saw that there was a bench and small table on which had been placed fresh food. Her stomach grumbled. Oh she was hungry!

“Would you please excuse me? I think my morning meal is waiting!”

The creatures chattered even more cheerfully as if they had been waiting for her to do just this.

She lowered herself through the opening, holding on tightly and lowering herself round and round the thick, twisted vine. It was well secured on both ends and soon her feet reached the floor of the lower level.

It was only then that she took in the magnificence of the view, the early circuit light, the vista laid out before her.

Fevra in all its glory. Every colour of every hue was in evidence. The variety of greens alone was beyond belief. The sky washed from white at the Core to black at the Edge but in-between was a gradation of colour from pink to purple to indigo to pale blue. The nearsky was dotted with hundreds of Avis, eating from the trees and soaring, seemingly enjoying the Fair morn. Many of the trees were in bloom. She saw ones covered in tiny white flowers, other’s with pink, red, purple and the brightest yellow she had ever seen.

There was a sudden woosh of wind and before she could turn around, she heard, “I trrrrust you have slept well.”

Mauvry turned to see Calli on a nearby branch. It’s bark was worn off as if this was a common landing spot for the Avis.

“Oh yes, Calli! I’m so thrilled by everything.”

“You should eat. And there is a pot for the purpose of your private routines behind the gate there at the end. You see?” She nodded with her beak and Mauvry——for the first time——saw a privacy screen.

“I can’t thank you enough! I didn’t know there would be blitterlings here! They have told me their names.”

Calli didn’t respond directly. “Yesss, they gatherrr with anyone who comesss. Blarla told me you were awake.”

“You understand them?”

The bird seemed surprised by the question. “Of course. They live here with us. We have developed common words; ones we can both manage because their vocalizations are more limited than ours.”

“I see,” she said. But she didn’t at all. All the people in Fevra spoke one language. Accents were slightly different, especially the rural Dnemez people and there were words in Jine that people in Dnemz or Sprul didn’t know and vice versa, but that was because the worlds were separated for many years. Mauvry felt that it wouldn’t be long before everyone in Fevra spoke exactly the same. Understanding a different language was an idea that had never occurred to her. “How did you learn to speak with them?” she asked.

“We have always known how,” Calli replied. “They are excitable creatures but quite intelligent. They are part of the reason I invited you here.”

“Really?” Mauvry was very intrigued.

But Calli seemed to realize that she had more pressing needs for the moment. “Take care of yourself for now, Mauvrrry. I will return after you have had time to refresh yourself.”

The bird lifted off the branch like a cloud from the sun, and Mauvry was left alone to enjoy her treetop hideaway.