Chapter 40
FORTY
“So the fencing is all fixed, and the donkeys can come home as soon as next week.” Trevor smiles back at me as he leads us along the path behind his house, heading towards the water.
Neville clings to my back as his small paws grab at my hair, and I chuckle. He walked with us most of the way, and it’s not a far hike, but… he’s slow and lazy. So I don’t mind carrying him the rest of the way so we can make it to the water before the sun goes down, as Trevor carries the birdcage.
“And the barn will be ready soon, now that this little one doesn’t need her flight cage anymore,” Trevor says, glancing down at the Pine Grosbeak nestled inside the cage.
I smile back at him, and my heart swells with love, happiness, and excitement. He’s finally getting his donkeys, and making his house the home he’s always dreamed of. Or, I guess… we are. Because I’m moving in soon too.
But today, we’re saying goodbye to this little bird that brought us together. This past month has been purely focused on rehab and flight conditioning, and now she’s ready to return to the wild. It’s the moment we’ve been working towards, and the one we always knew would come. And even though it’s the end of something special, it feels like the beginning of something even better. We’re setting her free on this land that has become ours, in the quiet forest behind the house… Trevor’s favourite spot. Now our favourite spot.
Just like us, she found her way home.
Neville climbs higher onto my shoulders, reaching for the tree branches that sway above us. I chuckle softly as I reach up to keep him from falling, and Trevor glances back at us with a smile.
But as we round the final corner of the path, and the rocky cliffs open up before us, my breath catches. No matter how many times I see this view, it still gets me every time.
The waves crash against the rocks below the steep cliff, the wild call of the ocean immediately causing me to breathe in its salty air. The blue stretches endlessly into a soft haze where the horizon blurs, so far and distant that it’s impossible to tell where the water meets the sky. And just above, the sun hangs low, like it’s waiting for us. Its golden rays bathe us in its soft glow and casts a shimmering light across the rippled surface of the ocean, like a gentle dance.
I set Neville down and secure his leash to keep him close, then stand next to Trevor, and stare out at the view. The breeze brushes over the skin of my arms and softly ruffles my hair, and I hear him take a deep breath beside me.
His fingers slip between mine, and I turn to look at him. His soft smile, the warmth in his amber eyes, and his dark hair gently blowing in the breeze… it’s all so familiar now, yet every time I see him like this, I’m reminded of how deeply I love him.
This is the most beautiful view.
“Ready, Firefox?” he asks softly.
I take a deep breath and nod .
Trevor squeezes my hand before he releases it, then kneels to set the cage on the grass. His fingers hover over the latch as he hesitates, his eyes locked on the little bird inside.
“Thanks for everything, little one,” he murmurs.
My eyes blur as tears sting the back of them. And not only because I’m going to miss this little bird. But because she did so much for us. She helped me find Trevor, and taught me so much about life, resilience, and healing. She’s been a silent witness to the changes in both of our lives, as we’ve learned to let go of old fears and embrace something new. She helped me see that it’s ok to be scared, to take risks, and to step off the path I thought I was meant to follow. She was a force that pushed me towards something I didn’t know I needed.
She helped me come home.
Trevor looks up at me, and I lift my hands to my camera hanging around my neck with a nod.
He opens the cage door slowly, and the bird takes a tentative hop forward. She pauses for a second, and then with a burst of energy, she spreads her wings and takes flight. I raise my camera, snapping photo after photo as she soars into the air, her small form silhouetted against the vibrant green of the trees, with her wings stretched wide as she finds her freedom.
As she disappears into the branches, her joyful chirps echoing in the distance, I release a breath and lower my camera with a smile. As sad as I am to see her go… she’s where she belongs.
I turn to Trevor to see he’s not even watching the bird…
He’s watching me.
I lift my camera again to capture his beautiful smile… a picture of everything that’s right in my world. The light from the setting sun wraps around him, highlighting the crinkle at the corners of his eyes, and the gentle curve of his lips.
Perfect .
As I lower the camera again, he steps forward and threads his fingers through my hair. “You ok?”
I glance towards the trees where the bird disappeared, and nod. “Yeah,” I say softly. “She did what she needed to… Now she needs to fly on her own path.”
As my gaze shifts back to him, he looks into my eyes with a soft smile. “I love how you see the world.”
Sparks rush through me as I step into him. “I love how you see me.”
His lips meet mine as he holds me tight against him, and our kiss is full of everything we’ve become. The breeze swirls around us as it gently tugs at our clothes, and the waves crash against the rocks below, while Neville quietly sits at our feet. We’re surrounded by the wild and unexpected beauty of this world… but it’s more than just what’s around us. It’s everything we are, everything we’ve dreamed of, and everything we’ll continue to create, together.
I was dark and empty before he found me in the shadows and brought me out of hiding. He’s filled me with light, showed me the colours I didn’t know I had, and helped me send my fire out into the world, like a trail of flickering sparks across the night sky.
With him, every part of me is now burning… bright and free.
He’s perfect. We’re perfect.
And we will always stay wild.