To him only the minnows mattered. The tiny silver fish darted about in the water. The smaller ones stayed closer to their little cavern where the current wasn’t as bad. He watched as one of the larger ones herded the ones caught up in the pull back to where they could swim back on their own. Then a defiant fish reminded him why he was even there.

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“That stupid, insufferable, self-centered girl!” he yelled hurling a stone down-stream.

The man sat heavily on a rock in the middle of the creek. He folded his long legs and took a swipe at the dark auburn hair that fell in his silvery eyes. He almost screamed in frustration when he found he didn’t have enough power left to hide the enormous black and silver wings that protruded from just below his should blades.

He scowled at his reflection in the water. “All I do is everything she needs to do herself! I’m not a servant! I was created for her inspiration and sometimes to be a teacher! And always a guardian! Not her butler!” The last words echoed in the overgrown stone bridge. As the echo faded he scattered the reflection with a slap of his hand.

He sat there for hours. The sun had been high in the sky when he fled the house and now it was just a thin layer of red on the horizon. All he had done was stare at the water and try to keep his wings from getting wet.

No-one bothered him. The few people that were actually in town were home lighting grills on their back porches. No-one came. No-one went. All day it was just him and the water. But then the minnows came.

He watched the silver fish dart here and there. The smaller ones swam out of their little cove first then disappeared. Another group appeared and the first group seemed to ambush their friends. The first shadow of a smile graced the man’s face.

A third group darted from under the rock. There were only a few larger minnows. They corralled all the younger fish that couldn’t fish the current. One swam between the smaller fish and seemed to just be causing problems.

Once that one disappeared into the cavern the earlier games continued. Hide and seek, tag, and teasing ensued until they seemed to tire. They moved back toward their cave. But he didn’t want them to leave just yet.

The silvery tip of a long feather dipped into the water. He chuckled when softly when they swam back to investigate. The first genuine smile curved the corners of his lips when the small fish nibbled at the feather.

Every time he current shifted the feather the fish would chase after it. A few of the younger ones tugged at it until he moved it again. It kept going like that until the minnows disappeared back into their cavern. By that time the remaining light had died and left a blanket of darkness behind.

The only company he had now was the screams in his head. The girl’s voice rang through his mind. He wanted nothing to do with her. Not now.

“Sterling!” Her voice was an octave higher with desperation.

The voice died down after an hour or so and this time it stayed quiet. She had been calling for him all day. The more she called the more desperate she got. The man had blocked her out most of the day but now she stopped and was silence was louder than the bubbling water.

The man stayed on his self declared throne until the crescent moon was high overhead. The last of the stars had appeared by the time he unfurled his wings and took to the sky.

When he landed on the window ledge the lights had long been off. The makeshift curtains fluttered in the chilly late night wind. He could see the girl’s sleeping form curled up on the bed.

She was curled clutching a pillow on top of her comforter. She hadn’t bothered to change in to pajamas. She was sound asleep in her shorts and tee shirt from earlier that day. She shivered in the chilly breeze that came through the window.

He slipped into the room and stood over the bed. Finally he crawled in next to her and draped the raven black and silver wings over the sleeping girl. He buried his nose in her hair when she snuggled down into the warm feathers.