Shane stared at the enormous Thunderbird in front of him, his hand still resting against its massive beak.
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel somewhat emotional.
It had been a very long time since he had seen Sparky.
Not because they had become estranged or because Sparky had left him, but because the Thunderbird had gradually become busy with its own life.
After growing stronger through its training in the Fairy Realm, Sparky had begun accompanying Survivors from the various shelters on missions outside their territories. The Thunderbird was particularly useful when dealing with dangerous Zombies or even Vampires, and its ability to fly made it an excellent scout.
Whenever a shelter needed assistance, Sparky would occasionally join them.
Sometimes it would spend weeks away from Shane.
Then months would pass.
And eventually, Shane had simply become accustomed to hearing reports about Sparky from other people instead of seeing the Thunderbird himself.
