The stars. They called to her. Ever since she could remember, she had been fascinated by the twinkling points of light in the night sky. She would spend hours each night gazing up into the night sky, noticing the different patterns. The only trouble with the stars was that they were so very far away. When she was little, she thought that being a member of the Mouse Wing would allow her to fly between the stars. It’s what she dreamed of.
She was not so little anymore. She knew from experience that the birds the Mouse Wing rode could not reach the stars, but it had not affected her desire to join their ranks. The day she first flew with Popkin had been both the most exciting and terrifying in her life. Over time, the terror faded, but the thrill remained. Older members of the Wing confirmed that they never lost that feeling of exhilaration.
She was still a junior member of the Wing; a greenie. That meant that she was partnered with a senior Winger, a blue, whenever she flew, which was not nearly often enough for her. Most of her time was spent taking care of the Wing’s bird steeds.
Most of the birds were of the Wild. They had been tamed by the members of the Wing and lived in symbiosis with them. The mice took care of the birds and in exchange, the birds let the mice ride them. Birds naturally like to fly so it was a good deal. Some birds, like Popkin, were enlightened. They called themselves the Avian and they joined the Mouse Wing for the same reasons the mice did…to help their fellows.
Popkin was talkative, even for an avian. He especially liked Zoë because she actually listened to him. She found him exasperating at times, but no more than her little brother had been when he was three.
“So when are we going out on patrol, Zo? Do you think it will rain? I’m hungry. Are there any more of those little pickles left? I really liked those. They were tasty. That reminds me, I’m hungry.”
Zoë listened patiently as she brushed Popkin’s back to smooth his feathers. “I’m hoping we can go out on patrol today. I don’t think it will rain. I think I gave you the last of the pickles yesterday, but I’ll ask if there are more on the way.”
Popkin nattered on happily as Sam entered the stables. Noting the serious look on her mentor’s face, Zoë set her paw on Popkin’s beak to silence him. “What is it, Sam?”
“A group of younglings has gone missing, possibly within the Forlorn Forest. We’re scrambling the Wing to search!”
Zoë was stunned. “The whole Wing?” She had not been a member for very long, but this was the first time she’d heard of such a wide call to fly.
Sam nodded, “Get Popkin saddled up, you’re going up as soon as you’re ready!”
Zoë nodded, “Who am I flying with this time? You, Sam?”
Sam smiled a half-smile, “Not me. You’re flying solo this time, greenie.”
“By myself?” Zoë said, both worried and excited.
The elder mouse recognized the tone of her voice. He’d sounded the same way when his blue gave him his first flight plan. “That’s what solo means, yeah. We need every mouse in the air searching.”
“Don’t worry, Zo,” Popkin said, unable to keep quiet anymore, “I’ll take good care of you.”
All of a sudden a thought occurred to Zoë. She bolted towards the stable door. Sam called out to her, “Where are you going? I told you to get Popkin saddled up!”
“I need my scope!” Zoë called back to the bewildered elder Wing member.