The mountain path stretched on behind him. I wondered if he lived up there, closer to the peak? That would explain why he attacked me. I knew smaller birds were territorial, especially if they were protecting their nest. If he was an omega guarding his babies, then I felt bad for stressing the guy out.
"Listen," I said gently. "I'm just passing through. I don't mean you or your family any harm."
Confusion flickered across his face. It was the first expression I'd seen him make that wasn't pure rage. "What are you talking about?"
"Isn't that why you're attacking me?" I asked.
"I don't have a family," the finch said bluntly. His wing beats slowed down. There was a sad edge to his voice, like he hated admitting it.
Even though it was an accident, I realized I had upset him. "Ah, sorry. I shouldn't have assumed anything."
The finch seemed to be in a daze. When he spoke, his voice was deflated, the anger leached out of it. "What do you want?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Like I said, I'm just trying to get up the mountain."
"Why?"
"I'm looking for someone."
His feathers puffed up. "An omega?"
"Uh, no. At least, I don't think so. He's a spirit."
His feathers smoothed down as he exhaled a long, drawn out sigh. He landed on a thin tree branch nearby. I noticed he was careful to pick the branch above my head so that he was sitting higher than me. He clearly didn't trust me.
"Never mind. I thought you were looking for something else," he muttered, sounding embarrassed. I didn't think I would get in apology out of him, not that I really wanted one. He seemed too proud.
Now that he was standing still, I got a better look at him. He was small enough to hold in my hands but his big attitude made him seem larger than life. He had strikingly beautiful feathers, dark on his head and wings with a cream-coloured belly and accents.
Something else caught my eye. A glinting silver band was wrapped around his leg. It didn't jingle so it must've been clipped pretty tightly.
Why was he wearing that? Maybe it was just a fashion accessory. But my gut told me that wasn't the case. There was a defiant aura about him that was strangely magnetic. I wanted to know more about him.
"How about a formal introduction? I'm Quinn," I said, extending a hand in greeting.
I don't know what came over me. This guy wasn't friendly at all, but for some reason I felt the need to introduce myself properly.
There was a long pause as the finch stared at me. My hand remained in the air, a silent peace offering. It was close enough that he could either ignore it or reach out to touch it.
A moment later he slowly extended his wing and brushed the tips of his feathers against my palm. It tickled my skin.
"Farley," he said.
I smiled. Now we were getting somewhere.
Farley withdrew his wing. The action was so smooth and natural. A pang of envy hit me. If only I could do that too.
That reminded me why I was out here in the first place. "Nice to meet you, Farley. I'm looking for the air spirit named Mistral. Know anything about him?"
His brow furrowed. "An air spirit? No, I don't."
I sighed. "Well, that's a dead end. I hoped maybe you were from around here and could give me the lay of the land."
Farley bristled. "No. I'm not from around here."
He was strangely sensitive about that. There was so much about Farley that I didn't understand. Finches were supposed to live in groups, so why was he alone? Why was he wearing a leg band? Why was he so angry? Why did he hate alphas so much?
And most importantly, why was he staring at me like that?
