Ember and Aurelia

Lore

Miso and Mochi named the cardinals Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal. The birds had managed perfectly well without a naming committee, but they accepted the introduction.

Ember brings red wings, a tall crest, and an urgent opinion about sunrise. Aurelia brings warm buff feathers, reddish edges, and the useful habit of checking what his opinion is about. Together, they watch the garden borders.

When a squirrel tries to charge rent for the morning light, their answer travels branch to branch. Small creatures hear the warning. Miso looks up. Mochi forgets, briefly, to pretend she was not watching birds. The dawn proceeds without paying.

The sky is enormous. These two occupy very little of it. Still, a pair of wings can carry news across the whole garden before a large important creature has finished standing up. They return to their branch. Ember begins the next announcement. Aurelia checks the garden first.