Flight of the Five Swans
Feathered Chapter 20

The Swan Princesses

It is light.

It is light and there is pain.

There is pain in our wings and ourfeet and our bones and our feathers there is pain in our eyes and our beak andour minds there is pain and pain and nothing but pain.

And then it is over.

The day begins and the flock iswalking once again, walking through the forest where owls call. The flock longs to spread our wings, to riseup and out of the forest, and to soar over the trees and above the clouds inthe clear blue sky. The flock is likelightning in the sky—swift and graceful and free. But on the ground, the flock is slow andclumsy when walking, and the path is hard and rocky underneath our feet. The flock was not meant to walk all daylong. The flock was meant to fly.

But the flock cannot fly, for tofly is to be seen by Bad Others or the Dark Other. To fly is to be caught, to be captured, to becaged. And to fly is to leave Raia OurOther behind. For Raia Our Other is OurOther, but she is still Other, and her wings cannot fly. Raia Our Other is grounded.

But she will not be grounded alone,for the flock will remain together. Theflock is strong together.

The flock moves ever west, awayfrom the sun that rises and towards the sun that sets. It is through this way that they will reachGood Others, who will help the flock and help Raia Our Other to reach theHomeland again. And so they walk onunder the trees and through the forest where the owl calls. Slow and clumsy the flock may be on theground, but still they continue on their way to reach help and safety and theGood Others.

Raia Our Other’s eyes and wings arebusy as they walk, making the important clothing for the flock. And so the flock takes care to care for herwhile she works, to make her work easy and to help her make the importantgarment. Cliodne Who Leads chooses thebest paths for Others—the paths that are easy for Raia Our Other to walkon. She chooses the clearest paths withtall trees and firm footing. The groundis hard and tough and hurts the flock’s feet, but the flock is strong. It is more important that Raia Our Other willnot stumble and will not fall while she is making the important garment.

Raia Our Other has no need to lookfor food, for the flock provides in that as well. Callia Who Knows forages for plants that aregood for Others to eat. She rememberslearning these plants, and the book, and the game with Raia Our Other and twoKind Others. For a moment, Callia WhoKnows is sad to remember the two Kind Others and their game. Then she sees more food for Raia Our Other,and has no time for sadness. She goes tofetch the plant.

Petra Who Steals is not sad, forshe has found Other dwellings just outside the forest where the owls call. Other dwellings are easy to replace and easy toreach, though she must fly a little to get there. But Petra Who Steals is alone, and no Otherwill see her—and there is lots of food for Raia Our Other to eat. There is bread in the window, and a gardennear the dwelling with carrots and beans and beets and more. Petra Who Steals does not feel guilty, forthe Other dwelling has much to spare, and Raia Our Other has none at all. Raia Our Other needs the food more.

Eurielle Who Honks walks besideRaia Our Other. She watches her hands,which are always busy, always busy. Shekeeps close to Raia Our Other to get comfort and to give comfort. Raia Our Other cannot fly, cannot speak,cannot communicate with the flock at all. And so Eurielle Who Honks walks with Raia Our Other so that she will notbe alone. So that Raia Our Other would never be alone.

Thaleia Who Fights searches theforest where owls call for possible danger. She sees many small beasts and isunafraid, for they are no threat to the flock. A fox approaches Eurielle Who Honks, but Thaleia Who Fights hisses, andthe fox is gone. Above all, Thaleia Who Fights looks out for Others who wouldcapture Raia Our Other or harm the flock. She looks out for Bad Others who would bring Raia Our Other to the DarkOther. But she sees none. The forest is quiet, and so far the flock hasbeen safe and alone. Yet still ThaleiaWho Fights looks for the danger. Sheknows that it will come soon while they walk or while they rest or maybe whilethey sleep.

The sun starts to fall, and theflock feels the pull deep in the bones, an ache to return to the Dark Other’slake and to become Other once more. Itis hard to push against the pull, but not so hard as before. Raia Our Other needs the flock, so the flockwill not leave her alone. The pull of RaiaOur Other is stronger than the pull of the Dark Other’s magic.

The pull also shows that is time tostop and sleep for the night. The flockstops to makes our nest, sometimes in a safe cave like the first night, orsometimes on the soft grass off the forest path. There is always a rock or a log near the nestfor Raia Our Other to sit and work. Theflock eats and then gathers around Raia Our Other, to lie our heads down on herlegs or lap or feet, and to watch her hands, always busy, always busy.

And then it is dark.

It is dark and there is pain.

There is pain in our wings and ourfeet and our bones and our feathers there is pain in our eyes and our beak andour minds there is pain and pain and nothing but pain.

And then it is over. The pain has stopped and the flock remains.