Page 29 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter
Sparky bobbed his head enthusiastically. “I want a picture of me on the rhino’s back. For bragging rights.”
“Bragging to whom?” Tynan laughed. “Who are you planning to tell about this?”
“I have feathered friends who know how to keep their beaks shut,” Sparky snapped.
“He means the crows at the park in the main part of town who steal his peanuts,” Tynan fake-whispered to Malik.
“I don’t eat peanuts and they’re my frenemies,” Sparky corrected. “They’d be very impressed.”
Malik chuckled. “Well, we can’t disappoint Sparky’s frenemies, can we?”
The transformation was no less impressive in daylight. Tynan watched in awe as Malik’s body shifted and grew, his skin darkening and thickening, until the massive rhino stood before them.
“Amazing,” Tynan breathed. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of seeing you like this.”
“Yeah, yeah, very impressive, blah, blah, blah.” Sparky fluttered around excitedly. “Now, get your phone, Tynan. I need documentation!”
Tynan pulled out his phone, approaching the rhino. “You sure about this, Malik?”
The rhino nodded, lowering himself slightly to make it easier for Sparky to hop onto his broad back.
“This is the best day of my life,” Sparky declared, settling between Malik’s shoulders and puffing out his chest. “Take the picture! Fill your phone with pictures!”
Tynan obliged, snapping photo after photo of an admittedly unusual sight. A large black raven preening atop a rhinoceros, striking various poses that Tynan could only describe as avian modeling.
“Get one with me pointing dramatically with my wing,” Sparky instructed. “Now one where I look pensively into the distance. Now one where I…”
“You’ve been learning too much about influencer content from Ian,” Tynan laughed. “I think we’ve got enough. Let Malik run for a bit.”
“Fine,” Sparky conceded, hopping back to Tynan’s shoulder. “But those are definitely going to be my profile pictures if I ever get social media.”
The rhino made a rumbling sound that Tynan recognized as Malik’s laugh.
“Your turn,” Sparky nudged Tynan’s ear. “Show off those fancy wings.”
Tynan hesitated only briefly before removing his shirt. He knew Malik loved his wings, but it had been years since he’d let them be seen outside of his bedroom. His wings unfurled from his back, shimmering with iridescent colors in the sunlight - blues and purples that seemed to shift and change with every movement.
The rhino made a sound of appreciation, moving closer to examine the wings with gentle curiosity.
“They’re sensitive,” Tynan explained as Malik’s breath tickled the edges of them. “Having to keep them hidden, just like your sweet rhino - I know it’s easier that way. But here…”
He extended them fully, feeling muscles that had been confined for too long flex and strengthen. With a powerful downward stroke, he lifted off the ground, hovering a few feet above the grass.
“I love this!” he called down to Malik, purple sparkles trailing from his wingtips as he flew in a small circle.
The rhino pawed at the ground, then took off running across the meadow.
“I think that’s an invitation,” Sparky observed. “I’ll race you. First one to that huge pine. Three, two, one, I’m gone.” He flew off.
Tynan grinned and soared higher, feeling the rush of wind against his face as he followed Malik’s powerful form below. His magic responded to his joy, leaving trails of sparkling light behind him as he dipped and swooped through the air.
They were outside for hours - Malik running the perimeter of his property while Tynan flew above, occasionally diving low enough to brush his fingertips against Malik’s back before shooting skyward again. Sparky joined them for a while before finding a sunny branch to nap on, claiming their “excessive enthusiasm for exercise” was exhausting to watch.
By midday, they collapsed together in the soft grass beside a small stream, Malik having shifted back to human form. Tynan’s wings stretched out behind him as he lay on his stomach, watching minnows dart through the clear water.
“That was…” Tynan searched for words.
“Freedom,” Malik finished for him, running a hand along Tynan’s wing. “That’s what it feels like. Total and absolute freedom.”
