"Just keep your talon under the ball while it's in the air and try to move along with it." Dawn chirped, throwing his tennis ball again.

 "I'm trying!" Wandering Spirit whined. She stuck her talon out and took a step forward, keeping her gaze locked on the ball.

 Her talon felt like it wouldn't move properly the way she wanted it to, and she felt like if she focussed too hard on moving it then she wouldn't be able to pay enough attention to the ball and she would still miss.

 It happened again, the ball flew right over her talon, landing behind her. Spirit ran to catch it before it could roll too far and wind up in the forested part of the park.

 She planted her paws and other front talon firmly where she had been standing before and threw the ball as hard as she could in Dawn's direction. Throwing the ball was her favourite part of playing catch once she got the hang of it. She could never get it to go where she wanted but the feeling as she let it go and watched it soar over her friend's head was so satisfying.

 Dawn packed his ball away once he'd grabbed it off the ground. "I've gotta go meet up with my siblings at the lake now. See you next time!"

 Spirit followed behind him as he left, worrying that if she stayed in the park once he was gone she'd never be able to find the entrance again and she'd be lost in the woods forever.

 Once out of the park, Dawn flew off and Spirit watched after him. His golden feathers shimmering in the sunlight was soon the only thing visible of him, and then he was gone.

 Spirit preferred to walk places. The scenery was so beautiful and she loved listening to the sounds of the animals as she followed the old overgrown trails. Only families with young hatchlings usually followed the paths since their kids couldn't fly yet, so it was always either very loud or very serene.

 All the songs she knew about nature got stuck in her head. Spirit selected her favourite and forced the others to fade into the background. She wondered for a moment whether anyone else could do that with the music in their heads. She knew almost everyone got music in their heads from time to time, but did they have it all the time? Could they select songs sometimes?

 Sometimes a song Spirit hated would get stuck in her head and she couldn't get it out of her head. She'd just silently scream at her mind to shut up and try to think of a different song to replace it. And if she didn't know the ending to a song, it'd just loop the part that she did know until she either remembered the end or thought of something else for long enough.

 Before she knew it, she had been lost in thought long enough that she was on the path leading up to her house. Music played from inside, one of her mom's favourite records.

 Spirit hesitated for a moment. She didn't know why, but knocking was scary. She always felt so awkward and scared. And she never knocked loud enough to be heard anyway, so why bother? Would her mom even hear the knock over her music?

 She leaned her head against the door and stared down at her talons. Half hoping her mom would hear the soft thud and come to the door.

 "Having trouble knocking again?" Squawked a voice from behind her.

 Spirit spun around, suddenly anxious about being watched every time she hesitated at the door. It was one of the black-feathered griffins... Given the ruffled, uneven feathers and the voice, Spirit guessed it was her friend Bright Star.

 The younger griffin walked casually up to the door, knocked three times, and ran off before she could be seen

 Talon and pawsteps approached and Spirit's mom opened the door. "Spirit," She chirped. "How was your trip to the park with Dawn?"

 Spirit was about to answer for a moment as she stepped inside but her mom continued talking. "One of your friends dropped by to invite you to an activity they're planning. They wrote all the information down on a piece of paper they left on the table for you."

 "Okay." Spirit replied. "I hope it's swimming again." She loved swimming, she could float, and she could move, but she couldn't do both at the same time. Luckily, they made life jackets in her size. She kept it in her room just in case she was ever invited on a trip to the lake and didn't have time to pack her stuff before the event started.

 She grabbed the note off the table and took it to her room. Taking off the green bag she kept things in and setting it gently on the floor, she sat down and began to read.

 "Spirit, meet us at the edge of the forest by the lake when you get home. Pack some food, we'll bring extras just in case, we know how hungry you get when you have food with you that you're not allowed to eat yet. Could you also list any allergies you have on the back of this paper? Not just food, plants too. Thanks! - Cheetah."

 Quiet Cheetah was another of Spirit's friends. She was the best at writing out of the group and often acted as a scribe for the others. By the looks of this note she had been asked to write all those things, but still signed her name and left the others out.

 That sounded like a picnic. Spirit had always wanted to go on a picnic. And a picnic by the lake was sure to be fun, even if the food got soggy. She hurriedly packed her things and headed back out the door.