Hikari was currently walking through the swamp, his children sitting upon his back as he looked for a high place.

The cycles had passed blindingly quickly, and both he and the chicks had grown. He had become ever more beautiful, pristine white feathers replacing the soft brown down of his childhood. At the moment, the tips of his wing and head feathers had been tinted a brilliant blue, courtesy of the berries he had found a bit back.

He had long since felt the urge in his wings to fly, ever since he had begun to grow larger than the chicks. However, Hikari had ignored it--there was no room in his life to learn to fly, not when he was exploring the swamp and taking care of the chicks.

Now, however, things were different. Although it was merely a guess, he thought that the chicks were beginning to feel that urge, too. They needed to learn to fly; and so did he.

There, in the trees--a broken stump, a tree destroyed by some unknown thing. It was not low enough that one of the chicks' size couldn't take off from it, but not high enough that Hikari could not reach it. It was perfect.

@Game Master Dark
(doubt this is how it works lmao)

The babies had been awkward, ungainly, with spiky half-grown feathers jutting out here and there. They had very quickly grown out of that. Now they were jet black, sleek and graceful, each with the single crimson eye atop their head.

They'd started off as fledglings, and fledglings they were still, in the sense that they were ready to fly. Beyond it, in fact. All three had been taking little leaps, driven by instinct but not able to take off without some sort of practice.

They perched atop Hikari's back, watching the way forward in silence--none of them giving the long and haunting calls that they sometimes sang out when bored, or lonely. They seemed to understand that while travelling, it was too dangerous; instinct, too, kept them silent for now.

@Hikari

Hikari hesitated, thinking, before moving forwards, towards the stump. He lowered his head as he got closer to it, examining it for anything odd, before deeming it appropriate for the chicks.

The peacock turned, pressing his body against the stump. “It’s time to get off,” he said quietly to the chicks. “You’re going to learn how to fly today.”

He turned his head, keeping a watchful eye on the chicks to see what they would do.

@Game Master Dark

They stayed put, for a few moments. Bar the occasional rustle or shuffling of position, they remained on Hikari's back.

Finally, they grew restless. One eventually scrambled up onto the stump; another tumbled down onto the ground, where it attempted to snuggle beneath its "father." The third eventually followed suit.

There were now two on the ground--both half-beneath Hikari, one settled on the ground, one looking about. The third perched hesitantly on the lip of the stump, peering warily around itself.

@Hikari