The sun had climbed to the peak of the sky—it was already midday. Since the moment he'd woken up, Nair hadn't stopped training, only pausing when his body could no longer move. He lay down briefly to catch his breath, watching the sky through the palm fronds, letting his muscles rest.
And now… after that short break, he rose again, feeling that this would be his final attempt for the day—the attempt that would reveal the fruit of all the hours he'd spent falling and rising, balancing and experimenting.
'Alright… let's try one last time.'
Nair adjusted his posture, careful to make sure the spot he was training on was as level as possible.
Then he began to move with intense focus, counting his steps silently, as if conducting a delicate scientific experiment.
'One… two… three…'
He counted each step he took, observing his sense of balance, testing how his new body interacted with the ground, and forcing himself not to rush.
'Four… five… six…'
With each new step, Nair's concentration deepened. He was almost holding his breath, as though a single misstep could undo all his progress.
'Seven… eight… nine…'
He continued to extend his right foot, followed smoothly by the left. After so much falling and trial-and-error, Nair now felt more comfortable distributing his weight and adjusting his balance as he walked.
Had the ground not been covered in soft, uneven straw, walking might have been much easier.
'Ten… eleven… twelve…'
At this moment, his entire focus was on his feet. His eyes didn't stray from the ground ahead, and his head didn't move a single bit. Every muscle in his small body was on high alert.
'Thirteen…'
With that step, Nair had reached the longest distance he'd ever walked.
And despite the break he'd taken earlier, his body had reached its limit. After all, he was still just a small, fragile chick—never meant to spend this much time in such grueling effort.
He was exhausted, worn out—but not disappointed. On the contrary, that exhaustion stood as proof of his progress, of a determination more vivid than ever before.
'Fourteen…'
Despite the intense fatigue, Nair pushed himself and took the fourteenth step—breaking his previous record.
But he had to stop—not because his body gave out, but because something else brought him to a halt.
'It's the end of the road…'
Nair thought, as he looked toward the edge of the nest.
If his body weren't so small and his steps so tiny, he wouldn't have reached this many steps. After all, this wasn't a racetrack—it was a nest. And honestly? It was a large enough nest to take all those steps, but he wasn't alone in it. He shared the space with its original "owner": the hen, who took up most of the straw with her sleeping, calm body.
Though the road had ended, Nair didn't want to end his training just yet. Sure, he had succeeded, broken his record, but he was certain he could do more.
If only the ground were flat…
If only he weren't so tired…
Still, he smiled inwardly.
He could walk now.
And unlike his previous steps, where he moved one foot in front of the other, this time he brought his other foot beside the last and turned slightly.
He had decided to continue… but this time, in the opposite direction.
The return.
'We did it… now, it's time to go back.'
Nair thought, deciding to seize the moment and walk back the way he came. He wouldn't leave this achievement unfinished.
'It's hard… but it's still a step.'
Nair wasn't the type to settle easily. Now that he had succeeded in this training, he had to move on to the next—immediately.
That's how he was, and how he would always be.
But the problem now wasn't walking.
He figured he could make it back—since he had mastered the first steps, it could be said that he'd learned the basics of walking.
What remained were the finer details… and some repetition.
But the real challenge at this moment wasn't walking—it was turning around.
He had to turn completely in the opposite direction, not just glance sideways.
This required control not just over his legs, but his entire body—from base to head.
'It's now or never. There's nothing to lose.'
He said it in his mind as he took a deep breath, then slowly lifted his right foot, shifting his weight onto the left. With full concentration, he moved his right leg in a short arc, guiding the rest of his body in a half-circle.
He felt his balance shift, the tiny muscles of his body coordinating with the motion.
And suddenly… the starting point appeared before him.
The spot of his very first step.
'Did I… succeed?!'
He couldn't believe his eyes.
'Yes!'
He exclaimed inwardly, filled with pride.
But he didn't know he was about to learn one of the most important lessons of his life.
'Wait… why is the hen over there?!'
His mind snapped out of celebration, focusing on the mother hen—who was supposed to be behind or beside him—but was now in front of him!
It took a moment before he realized the truth:
She hadn't moved at all. He had simply turned more than he should have.
His left leg, which bore all his weight, lost its balance. His body over-rotated—and the result… he found himself staring at the hen from an angle he never intended.
And of course, he fell. Onto his side.
'Lesson learned… don't celebrate too early.'
Nair lay there, not even trying to move. He had reached the limit of what he could endure—physically and mentally.
And for the first time, the fall wasn't discouraging. It was just… funny. And comforting.
Since hatching, Nair had made a habit of using this time—right before sunset—to review the day's events, and try to imagine what the next day might hold, as much as his current state allowed.
There were still many chaotic thoughts on his mind…
Questions without answers, emotions he had no names for, and ideas that had no place amid the daily battles for balance and the next step.
So, all he could do was set them aside—for now… until their time came.
And as the sun began to sink toward the horizon, he crawled slowly across the scattered straw, heading to his usual place beneath the mother hen's wing.
He nestled there quietly, as if the warmth of her wing was the last thing he needed to soothe his worn-out body.
'It was a productive day.'
Nair said to himself, closing his eyes with a hint of satisfaction.
Each passing day brought him better control over his new body. He could now take a few steps—even if it was still very difficult—move his head at will, and flap his wings, albeit still uncoordinated.
That was significant progress… but it wasn't enough.
'If I'm not mistaken… tomorrow will be the fourth day…'
As the thought came to him, unease crept into his heart.
Tomorrow might be a turning point… or the end.
There was a looming problem—one that could be the deciding factor in his survival.
He tried to hold onto a sliver of optimism, but it didn't work.
Over the past three days, no clear solution had appeared, as he'd hoped. On the contrary, the signs of that problem had begun to emerge the moment he finished today's training.
'Well… worrying won't change anything. Let tomorrow's problems wait for tomorrow.'
He told himself in an attempt to calm down, before closing his eyes slowly beneath the wing that had become his refuge.
And just before he drifted off completely, a fleeting thought crossed his mind…
"Tomorrow… will be a different day."
Then he fell into a deep sleep, not knowing whether it was peaceful… or merely the calm before the storm.