The moment felt heavy with sadness and meaning, and Pinion found itself touched by the stork's introspective mood. It dropped its own wings so that it no longer looked threatening. "Are you okay?" it asked, keen to build upon the connection they had made.

That snapped the stork out of it. "Oh, piss off!" it grumbled, folded its wings clumsily, and stalked away.

Pinion watched it go and folded its wings, its mood a strange whirl of the jarring sensation of anticipation of a fight, and empathy for a fellow trapped bird. And yet, what more could it say or do? After a moment it turned its back on the stork cage and looked around the flamingo enclosure for a spot to rest and think.

And that's that little conversation over. Now it's time for Pinion to think about its options.