Flying closer, I followed one of the humans as they entered, keeping far enough away from them. As quietly as I could, I found the nearest perch high up, resting on some wood. It smelt almost similar to freshly broken branches. Perhaps the elders had been right, and humans split trees too.

  Below, one human spoke to another who rested on the ground. This human was smaller in frame, and I guessed this was a female. She preened the one who rested on the ground and after a few moments, left the human castle. I took my chance to flit down to explore more, hopping around and brushing my beak against new textures.

“You’re sprightly.”

The human made a noise just like Tsukuyomi. It didn’t come out like the sing-song of other birds, but a deeper rasp. It reminded me of the wind when angry.

“But you might want to leave soon, or my wife will shoo you away,” he continued. “Though what harm can a sparrow do to a dying man?”

I paused. He didn’t sing like a suzaku but I could understand him easily enough. Mostly. I had no idea what a wife was, or a shoo. Could he understand me like Tsukuyomi? Or would that be another of the god’s powers?

I hopped a little closer, trying not to fly away in fear. Humans were much bigger this close.

“Hello,” I sang to him.

“Konnichiwa, sparrow-san.”

I jumped back. He replied to me! They could understand me!

“You can understand me?” I asked with wary excitement.

“I can,” he said again. “Which, I realise, isn’t something I have been able to do before. Huh, how strange. Have I truly lost my mind that I can now understand birds?”

The human turned to his side, facing me fully. I never thought I would see a human this close up! And he was so large! Although of course I would feel that way as a sparrow. If I was my true self I’d dwarf him.

“What’s your name, sparrow-san?”

My name? I had one of those long ago, when I was a hatchling. I’d spent so much time alone since then, I’d forgotten.

“I don’t have one. What’s yours?”

“Hotaka Wada. I’d bow to you, sparrow-san, but my body barely listens to me now. That’s why I lay here on my futon, watching the days go by.” What was bowing? And a futon? He did seem to be perching on something soft. “Excuse me, I’ve never spoken to a bird before. What can you tell me about the outside? I haven’t been strong enough to go out there for a while.”

“What is outside?”

Hotaka made an airy sound, and I could sense amusement from him. “Where the trees are, sparrow-san. And the rivers, and the mountains... Anywhere but in here.”

Truthfully, I couldn’t tell him much about the trees, or the other things he spoke of. I wasn’t even sure if I should speak of my home so far up in the sky. So instead, I spoke of what I knew best.

“The sky is bright today, and a chill rides along the wind. It coats my feathers and tries to sink deeply, however I keep it away.”

“Is that so,” he said, moving his head up and down slightly. “The nurse told me it will snow today. She can feel it in the air. Make sure you have somewhere warm to go.”

Snow. It fell up in the sky also, the flakes drifting down from the clouds in soft patterns. Sometimes I dipped through the clouds so the frost lined my feathers.

“Do you like the snow?”

Hotaka was quiet before he answered me. “I used to, as a child. I loved playing in it, throwing it around. It was magical back then. Now, though, the cold seeps into my bones. The flesh on them is wasting away. I can’t keep warm any more.”

I thought to the elder suzaku, the ones with duller feathers who couldn’t fly as long. Was this what happened to humans when they grew older? I wasn’t sure.

“Hotaka, you seem to have a new visitor.”

I looked up as the other human neared, from down here I could see her round face and in her carrying something in her non-wings Tsukuyomi had called hands.

“Sorry, you need to leave now, little sparrow. My husband needs to eat.”

“Don’t shoo it away,” Hotaka said to her, annoyed. “At least let it stay up in the rafters.”

“Not today,” she replied. “The room needs to be clean. What if it’s droppings end up in your rice?”

He grumbled. “Come back, sparrow-san. I want to hear more of the outside.”

Before I could reply to him, the female waved her hands at me, and I hurried back out the opening I’d entered from. She didn’t stop until I was back out into the open air and I was left confused. Was that the shoo? I didn’t understand. I wanted to go back to Hotaka.

I knew she would wave again if I tried to go near again so I flew back to the safety of the trees. Hotaka had wanted to know more about this outside, so before I went back to him, I’d learn more. And maybe then the other human wouldn’t send me away again. Even suzaku didn’t force others away when new information was shared.

The sky was darker now, with thick clouds blanketing the view above. It was harder to see now but with beating wings I soared up higher, rising far above the trees. Yamato was so different from my home, the sounds, the smells, I was excited to explore it all, to experience so much more than the skies I’d grown bored of. How long had Tsukuyomi been watching me? Had he truly known what I yearned for and sought me out?

His words had been confusing, and I wasn’t sure what kind of threats he had to watch for. What if they came for me before he told me who or what they were? Here in the sky I saw other birds, but they certainly were no threat to a god. And the humans… Maybe they weren’t to be trusted after all. But, I was intrigued by Hotaka. He didn’t seem like a threat, and surely it would be safe to see him again. And if it came to it, I’d use Tsukuyomi’s gift and return to my true form.

By the time night fell, I’d flown the whole area, mapping out the lands. I was far too excited to rest and had to see everything I could. Like Hotaka’s small castle, other humans had their own all grouped together. They each smelt different, aromas I’d never encountered before tickling my insides. Up in my home, the cold muted the few smells clinging to the sky trees, but down here in the warmth they filled me, and I almost couldn’t stand their power. I wanted to ask Hotaka about it.

I’d managed to find where he was again, Hotaka’s castle smelt strong of something I couldn’t place. I’d make sure to ask him about that too.

It’d been hard to navigate in the dusky twilight and I knew I couldn’t fly for much longer in the dark. In fact, I counted on it. The female surely wouldn’t push me away if I couldn’t go far. My stomach dropped as I returned to the opening. The female was there, kneeling on the ground and beside her was a small sun. They’d caught it from the sky and trapped it in something. Hopping down, I stared at it in awe. Humans were powerful.

“Oh! You’re back. Hotaka will be pleased. Do you like the light?” The female said, watching me. “I suppose lanterns must be confusing for little birds. Stay and keep warm.”

I stared at the lantern for a long time, even after the female left, enjoying the warmth and the feel of the light on my wings. I felt my energy returning, growing even stronger than I’d had before.

Eventually I wandered away from it, heading for Hotaka. He still lay in the futon, although hadn’t stirred, even when the female spoke to me.

“Hotaka?” I tweeted.

Breath came from him steadily and I hopped closer, inspecting him. His eyes were closed and I knew he had to be sleeping. Suzaku roosted in trees when it was too dark to see any more, falling into a soft sleep. Sometimes the younger ones woke up by falling from their branches, unused to getting the right spot to nestle into. Sleeping on the ground was clever too, as the wingless humans would just fall from trees.

Cautiously, I flitted even closer, landing on his hand to inspect it. Beneath my feet was softness and no feathers to be seen at all. No wonder humans couldn’t fly.

I jumped up higher and higher until my feet were planted on the top tuft above his face. There weren’t feathers here either, just a softness. I’d never seen anything like it. Even their faces were so different to suzaku, no beaks at all; in fact their whole face was much flatter and his eyes were right there together.

Hotaka stirred, a low grumble coming from inside. “Wha… goin… on…” His eyes popped open and I stared down at them. “Sparrow-san?”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing on my head?”

“Watching you.” He blinked a few times and made a strange amused rumble again. “I have never seen a human this close before.”

He shifted, moving back to his side, and I jumped back down.

“I’m glad you came back. Please don’t mind my wife Aimi, she is only trying to do what is best.”

I bobbed my head in agreement. I was glad to be back too. “I didn’t want to leave before. But I found many things on my travels, however. You asked to know about it.”

“I did,” Hotaka said, reaching out with his hand, brushing it gently against my feathers.

Hey hey! What was he doing? Just touching me like that! How could he just… but… Admittedly it did feel kind of nice. The brushing motion was soothing and I relaxed.

“So what did you learn?” he asked, still amused.

“It didn’t snow, not yet. But it will soon. There aren’t many birds around and I spotted other beings than humans I’ve never seen before. I didn’t understand so much and my mind is so full of questions.”

“You speak as if you’ve not lived in the forest your whole life.”

I ruffled my feathers, uncomfortable. What was I supposed to say to that? Was there any real point in lying?

“I… haven’t.”

“Huh?” Hotaka looked at me in confusion now. “Did you fly far from your home? Where are you from?”

“I come from the sky. Up higher than anyone can see. Up so high I watch the sun dip past the horizon and into the sea every night. I’m… not really a sparrow. I mean, I am right now, but that’s because I was given a gift. I’m a suzaku.”

Hotaka made another noise, drawing in the air around him. “A suzaku? But… Who gave you the gift?”

“His name is Tsukuyomi. I wanted to see humans, as I can’t see them from up where I live, and I’ve always been curious. He gave me a gift and I can use it how I want.”

“I knew you were special, sparrow-san, but to be blessed by a god… And now you are here.”

“I have learnt so much already, but there is so much I don’t understand.”

“Well then,” he said, nodding. “How about this, sparrow-san. If you tell me all about outside, all about what you’ve seen high in the sky, I’ll teach you about anything you want to know.”

“Really?” I hopped up and down with excitement. “I’d like that.”

“Tomorrow, though. It’s late now, and I’m tired. Sparrow-san, roost high where it’s warmest. Aimi won’t spot you there.”

I bobbed my head again. I didn’t think she’d shoo me away again, but I would, just in case. “Yes, I’ll do that.”

“Goodnight, sparrow-san.”

Flitting upwards, I found a cosy place to settle down and I ran through all I’d learnt so far.