The Enchanted Path (Book 1 of the Dreamfarers' tales)

Act 3 ·The Bluebird· Chapter 30 - On the Other Shore

Do you remember that time on the ridge

When the sun was going down and every creature to sleep?

There was a Bluebird, still.

I remember you asking me why did it sing,

"There's no one to hear him,

It's getting dark, and his hollow chant is

Bound to bring him woe;

So, why does the Bluebird sing?"

Why does the bluebird sing?

The question hammered in Dianthus' head since his awakening that morning, and he couldn't explain why. He, Cassidy and Birch had waved goodbye to the hippocampi the day before and spent that same day recovering from the journey. The crossing of the channel was comfortable enough, given the fact that none of them had ever left the mainland, but nonetheless a little bit stressful, especially for the young stag.

Dianthus and Cassidy explored around the shore as they waited for Birch to stir. However, the unicorn paid only minor attention to his surroundings; the coast appeared safe and solitary. No reason to tense up yet.

I've never seen a bluebird, either. I suppose they're blue...but how did this question pop up in my head, just like that? I don't remember dreaming anything this night...

"Pondering life again?" a playful voice rang behind him. Dianthus turned, and Cassidy greeted him with a smile, which Dianthus somewhat returned.

"Not quite. To be honest, I was wondering what bluebirds look like."

Cassidy looked at him as if that was the last thing she would've expected to hear.

"Now? Among all times, you're thinking about that now?" she asked.

Dianthus gave a shrug and flicked his tail. "I know, it's...weird, to say the least. I just woke up with this question."

"Well, bluebirds are blue..." Cassidy said, uncertain.

Dianthus half smiled. "Yeah, I kinda guessed that. How do they sound, then? When they sing, I mean," he added.

Cassidy pondered about it for a few moments. Pegasi weren't known for imitating voices, even if they did have a wide range of vocalizations of their own, each one of them to be used in different contexts. Just like birds, they whistled, chirped, cried, screeched and hissed; and just like ordinary horses, they whinnied, harrumphed, neighed and huffed to express their mood. Still, they could not copy another creature's voice very well for some reason.

The pegasus filly looked at her unicorn friend, who was staring back at her with the slightest of frowns in concentration, looking so much like his father at that moment.

"Well, it's kind of difficult to explain..." Cassidy said at last. "If I heard a bluebird, I could recognize it among one hundred other songbirds, but if you are searching for a precise answer, I can't describe their singing properly by words."

"I understand," Dianthus nodded, concealing his mild disappointment. Why did he feel that the bluebird was important somehow? Important for what?

"Why a bluebird, though?" Dianthus asked, looking up again. "Does it happen to have any particular meaning that you know?"

"Now that you mention it..."

Suddenly, Dianthus saw Cassidy tense up and perk her ears. "What's up?" he asked, alarmed by her reaction. He gazed around but saw nothing coming in their direction, nor could he hear anything suspicious. A few jackalope leaps away, Birch was still sleeping undisturbed.