Adrien opened his wings and dove into the sky. Within twenty minutes of hovering around, he was exhausted. Although only air could keep him from falling, he had trouble with his wings. Like yesterday, nothing had been interesting. Though, in his mind, each day was better than the last. Whenever he looked forward, his beak opened wide, his face contorted into pure happiness. Well, until he swallowed a bug.

Not bad. A bird had been flying next to him and it was the most beautiful one he had ever seen. As if trying to communicate with him, she flapped her wings. Red and chunky like a strawberry, her beak was light orange, barely visible in between her feathers. Adrien did converse with her, if only for a moment. It had been like conversing with someone who speaks another language, but in the end, he realized how much she could understand him. Therefore, he was impressed.  

The wind picked up faster than it did yesterday. Towards the end of the afternoon, she left him. Adrien had only realized he hadn’t asked for her name when he saw her hovering through the sky, higher and higher until not even one of her feathers was visible from where he flew. 

Even though she had given him butterflies, Adrien tried not to care. But he knew she would never be interested in him. Not when his feathers were a dirty yellow, and his eyes were the color of the mud pigs swim in. Not when he was as thin as a human fork and not when he could barely speak without stammering. It has not been long since he left the nest, but not even his mom’s image was fresh in his head. He daydreamed for days, paying no attention to anything around him except the blue sky. Adrien noticed how the seasons changed and how the solstices came and went. In the distance, he had watched as the leaves of his favorite tree slowly fell to the ground, and then, as if the water had frozen, he saw small, white sparkles falling from the sky. Adrien had heard humans call it: snow. What a beautiful name!

What a beautiful day! Even though he didn't have teeth, he couldn't stop smiling. As his wings ached, he flew for two more hours before stopping at a tree trunk. From where he stood, the sun was just about to set, and the view was stunning. Adrien had stopped closest to the beach. There were several trees, and people packing their things as their kids completely ignored them and continued playing. Play as if there is no tomorrow. 

Adrien closed his small eyes as he listened to other birds singing. That evening, he wouldn't answer them. Not when he had so much to feel for. Adrien shook his head with ecstasy as he heard the waves crashing toward the shore. 

Then he fell off the tree. As he did, he realized that something had smashed into his feathered body, and he was now falling by the force of gravity. He had been experiencing throbbing in his wings, and now they were nowhere near functioning. Adrien braced himself until he hit the sand. Oh, the sand! Adrien hated sand! 

He had a blurred vision and the incessant sound of excited voices was all he could hear. Despite opening his eyes wider, it took him a while to see clearly through his blurry vision. His body was useless, and he feared he might never be able to fly again. Nevertheless, he was so young and was once again occupied with daydreaming. In a similar manner to forgetting his mother, he had easily fallen to the ground.

The voice of a little girl echoed in his ears. “Michael! You hurt him!” 

“It was an accident, Lily!” The boy shouted out. Adrien opened his eyes a little bit seeing a young boy picking up his soccer ball on the sand and placing it under his right arm. He was standing next to a little girl with beautiful blond hair. With the strength of the wind, her red dress floated. She gazed at the boy next to her and countless others who seemed to be about the boy’s age. 

“This bird is so ugly! Look at him!” One of the boys said, and the others laughed. “I guess he is about to die now. If you can hit a bird, Michael, I bet you can certainly find the goal!”

More boys laughed again, and Michael’s face was now a mask of anger. “Shut up, Peter! I can beat you at any sport!”

The boy named Peter rolled his eyes and fixed them on Adrien who was still laying down on the sand. He lacked the courage to stand up or try to fly. Kids would make fun of him even more if they saw Adrien fail. “Let’s do something to it.”

Lily pushed over the boys. “You’re not touching this bird! He is mine to take care of. Get out of here with your ugly face, Peter!” She crouched down, touching Adrien with her hands to see if he was to beak her. When he didn't, she cupped her hands around him. “Go play your silly game!” 

“You are really going to let your sister talk to me this way, Michael?” Peter asked.

Michael shrugged. “You’re a big boy. You can fend for yourself. Come on, people. Let’s finish the game.” With that said, all of the boys left, leaving Peter no other choice but to go after them.  

With Adrien in her hands, Lily walked along the beach. He hadn’t dared to move, and she would’ve started thinking he hadn’t survived, if not for his dark eyes fixed on her the whole way. Crossing her legs over the sand, she sat closer to the water. Her blond hair fell over her shoulders. Then she placed Adrien on her lap. 

“You know, they call me ugly too.” She started it. Adrien did not stop staring at her. “But it is not my fault that I have been born with this ugly, dirty, blond hair.”

His attention was captivated by her and her red dress. It looked just like the female bird he had seen earlier in the day, and Lily's blond hair looked much like the color of his feathers.

“But trust me, you got to believe you are beautiful because you are. I’m sorry for Michael. He is very small-minded and we do not mind those types of people.” Adrien’s eyes gleamed as he stood on his own two feet. Lily’s lips grew into a big smile as Adrien slowly flapped his wings. “See? You are incredible!” 

Adrien hated being sentimental, but he could very much start crying at that point. However, he didn't do it. He only flapped his wings faster and chirped. So, they talked for what looked like long over lasting minutes, until he saw her. The female bird flew and dived to where he was. Squinting, she stopped over Lily's knee. A sigh escaped Lily's lips; her eyes widened.

“Wow! How incredible you are! I’m wearing the same color as you are, small friend!” She said. The female bird looked at Adrien on her lap. “I might as well consider this day the best day of my life!”

In fact, she did, and so did Adrien. An hour later, the female bird and Adrien flew over the horizon.