Redhawk Caldera you can make me whole again

Shrike spat out a mouthful of feathers as he looked back to see Eljay delay slightly before leaping into the air. He was sure the boy could leap higher if he wanted to, but he looked uncomfortable and unsure of himself. The last thing he wanted to do was bash the boy's spirits, especially since they'd failed at catching the birds, so Shrike shrugged casually at Eljay's apology and grinned wolfishly. "S'ok," He said, and coughed once, before he spat out the last feathed he'd plucked from the bird he'd nearly caught. "'Em's tricky buggers." He chirped, looking up into the sky. The birds were long gone, but spying a few dead leaves clinging to a branch above his head, he came up with a better idea. 

There was no way he could have reached those leaves even if he'd had a good run to make the jump. He turned his gaze to Eljay, sizing the boy up. "New strategy." He said, pacing in a circle and turning his head to look up at the leaves again. "Them leaves." He said, gesturing up. "Too high for either of us to get." He said, and backed up a step so they were no longer directly above him, but a couple feet ahead of him as well. "Want you to back up- 'bout as much as we were when we sprinted." He said. "Want you to try jumping off my shoulders, see if you can get them leaves." He said, squaring his feet. If he could work as a launching pad, they'd be able to catch a bird even if it made it a few more feet off the ground. "Wanna try?" He said, eyes twinkling.