The Island

In a dense and snowy wood, an Owl perched itself on an old oak. The tree was unique and historic but the Owl knew nothing of this. It only mattered that this particular tree was sheltered from the wind and camouflaged by the tree’s mottled bark. Past a gnarled branch was the only break in the dense forest; a frozen oasis with a fresh ripple of a spring that thawed the corner of the ice. He sat and waited in a timeless state provided by the winter haze. He felt little purpose as his dense armor of feathers collected snow.

The sun peeked through and a fog lifted from the warming snow. The Owl was slow to spread his wings as an ache spread through his hollow bones from his beak to talons. There was movement near the water and he was glad the frost only allowed him precise motions. Through the mist, the Owl saw a singular black spot. Framed by the morning light, he saw an outline of a Fox as she camouflaged itself into the surroundings. She moved with graceful intention around the slick rocks until she stopped with her paws on the ice’s edge and they locked eyes. The Owl realized he was shaking but it was neither the cold or his hunger that caused the movement. It was the shock of realizing that while he'd seen a fox before he'd never truly seen one. He’d never noticed such distinguished  details in any other creature in his travels. 

The Fox called him out and invited him to join her at the water's edge. It wasn't a decision he contemplated, he needed to know more about the Fox. They exchanged pleasantries and discussed the bleakness of their environs. They shared benign and general animalistic conversation about the scarcity of food and how difficult it was to be a predator in this season. They parted ways after they had a drink and as the Owl took to the sky his desire to see the fox hit him stronger than the winter wind. A small but significant moment. 

As it is the way of the universe, time passed and seasons changed and this went unnoticed by the Owl. It was winter again and as he flew over a ravine he caught sight of the Fox hovering over the edge of the cliff. He circled several times calling out to her but received no response. Her position stayed the same with each call until she finally looked up as he landed next to her. She wasn't one to inconvenience another animal but wondered if he could help her. She'd killed a vole but it had run off the edge of the cliff into the ravine below. He of course was more than willing to help. It was an unspoken mutual agreement between two self-sufficient creatures. She resented having to ask but the Owl only requested that they share the meal.

The Owl and the Fox found the intersection of their orbits had become more frequent. The Fox would enter a field to hunt and find him flying overhead. The Owl from his roost would often see her tracking through the reeds. This turned to playful taunting of each other as they hunted. He’d keep an eye on anything that moved from the sky above, while her paws were on the ground tracking until the sun came up. They communicated silently through the air between them, able to acknowledge food or danger ahead. On occasion they were seen by other animals or farmers as they shared a meal or sat and watched the sun rise or set but it was only happenstance. If they fell asleep feather to fur, he'd always make sure the Fox woke up before danger approached. As they hunted and existed they would discuss the world, sharing every new detail they found with each other. Both animals had a vision for a new world. They discussed a time and place in which they wouldn't walk and fly to exhaustion to find a meal or the ever-lasting winters they’d grown accustomed to. Everything was shared between the two and despite their natural mode of movement all four eyes pointed forward. 

And pointed forward they did, the two animals spent most waking minutes connected as they ventured to new territories. Across mountain ridges and through fertile valleys, they honed their strengths in the air and on the ground to help each navigate obstacles of terrain and natural threat. They continued to keep each other safe from Hunter's snares and larger predators but also kept each other company in the cold world as they sought out their vision. Even with the distance their proximity allowed them to find a way to take comfort and enjoyment from the around the otherwise routine banality of their existence. 

The Fox caught the scent of it before the Owl saw it. A fresh air that neither had smelled before but had imagined in their collective dream. It was the salt of the ocean and as they reached a cliff the Owl felt the wind change. They sat together on the rocky precipice and absorbed the vastness of the Ocean, acknowledging the journey they'd embarked on. They'd seen so much and shared so many moments in their travels together in what could have been all of eternity yet mere moments. The two watched giant white-maned horses ride in on the back of waves as they crashed into the sand in between glances at each other. The fog lifted and a not too distant island revealed itself off-shore. 

Just like that the Owl flew off the cliff and over the waves and the wind brought him out across the sea. In his years of riding air streams he'd never felt anything like it. Knowing such a perfect companion as the Fox was there with him made it all the more glorious. The wind was exhausting and ruffled his feathers but the Owl knew the Fox’s path wouldn’t be as simple. He could see clearly from his vantage point how rocky it was down to the sandy patch below. The beach below her with it’s gnarled jetties and waves slapping against them was a different type of spring in a different time and place than where they’d met . It was a new and dangerous middle ground to the island before them. The Owl knew he could offer support and guidance but each step would have to be her own. 

The two animals sat on the precipice under the moonlight at the edge of the cliff. The cool glow of a heavenly figure that acknowledged their existence with it’s own routine. The only other entity that was aware of how different their paths would be. She watched him as he dipped and tossed his wings into the mist above the waves and contemplated the journey. From her vantage point she continued her guidance to the Owl on how to reach the island. He brought her fish and shells and rested when the wind was too strong. The Fox would return to the woods and the Owl continued to fly, learning the new patterns of the wind. Often he would sit and reflect on the view that was that much sweeter when she was there. 

He knew he could make the flight to the island on his own but the island existed for them and only them. The food already tasted that much sweeter at the sea’s edge and he was more content there than he’d ever been. They both knew the island would be that much better than anything they’d experienced. They wouldn’t be isolated or alone together but rather just shift their perspective on what the world before them was. The Owl and Fox would see it from the other side of the sea. 

As the Owl sat on the cliff and awaited her return from the woods, often with gifts and food for them, he contemplated the risks of her path. It wouldn’t be a long swim for her but there were also the numerous hazards down to the beach and he didn’t want her to be so injured she couldn’t make the swim. He had made note of every tidal shift but knew he was quick to forget she would need time to rest in between the cliff and the island. To enjoy and recuperate on the shifting sands before swimming to an oasis. There was always the possibility that she’d chosen to stay on the beach and he could not fault the Fox for choosing that path. Even if she stayed in the forest occasionally visiting the cliff would be more than anything he could ask for. He knew her presence and infinite beauty was more than the Ocean alone. He was exactly where he wanted to be with who he wanted to be and was thankful for what they shared and continued to share.