The setting sun was slowly sinking, and the boundary between the sky and the surface of the Black Lake had grown less distinct, weaving together a wash of gold and crimson light and shadow.
The afterglow spilled across the lake. As a light breeze brushed past, soft ripples spread out over the water, making it shimmer at once with flecks of color like broken gold.
The Baby Thunderbird not only hopped about on the bow, but also climbed down into the small boat and looked left and right, as though rocking along with the boat was, to it, a very novel experience.
It was having the time of its life. When it discovered that its claws made a "tap-tap" sound against the hull as it walked, it lowered its head too and began pecking with little "tok-tok-tok" sounds.
The small boat drifted lazily across the lake. Vizet and Luna sat facing each other, breathing quietly.
A trace of overflowing contentment lingered on both their faces, though whether it came from the joy of boating across the lake, or from the fact that each could see their own reflection in the other's eyes, no one could say.
All the noise of the world had been dyed soft by the setting sun. Amid the interlacing light and shadow, they both felt, in that moment, as though there were only the two of them beneath heaven and earth, and this quiet stretch of lake.
The "tok-tok-tok" sound suddenly stopped. The Baby Thunderbird seemed to have found something. It called out first, then lifted its head high.
Vizet and Luna looked at the Baby Thunderbird at the same time, and saw that, astonishingly, it had picked up a length of shoelace in its beak.
The small boat had been Transfigured by Luna, so