Noctisardor Bypass High unicorn tolerance

Goldfinch could never hold a grudge against Rowyn for long. He would speak those strange words, foreign words, things she was only beginning to pick up the meaning of, and all over again her irritation would melt away. Sharp-edged girl that she was, he alone could soften her this way. He alone had been allowed near enough to manage it.

She nodded, eyes already on the tree-tops. Her first steps forward were hesitant, slow with pain and stiffness, but she quickly gained pace. The bird had never abandoned her before. Goldfinch feared the worst, though she would never say it.

She lifted her muzzle toward the trees and sang out a high, trilling note: a near-perfect mimicry of the bird's own song.