She shuffled her weight from one foot to the other, craned her neck and peered into the distance. Nothing. Her twin brother had gone. He did not turn to look back. Her parents had called, coaxed screamed at her to leave . She remained ignoring their pleas. They too had gone .They had to. She knew she had to.
She moved her feet again and stared down into the valley and across to the hills .Nothing. The last of her food had long since been eaten. Every morsel she had scavanged. The last crumb she had eaten several days ago. Her only sustenance since then was the water that oozed from the vegetation hanging from the rocks. Even that had dried up two days ago. Feasts of lamb, of rabbit, of pigeon now memories which made her stomach ache for more.
She had to leave. She shuffled her feet closer to the edge of the cliff and looked down into the void. One deep breath filled her lungs and she jumped from the ledge.
The air rushed past her quicker ever quicker. Head first she plummeted legs tight together. "Wait" she thought "Not yet, not yet. Feel the force! YOU WILL FEEL THE FORCE!" she screamed.
She felt it .Sensed it "NOW NOW!" She tensed her shoulders flexed her muscles and opened her wings. She rose in the thermal, up above the nest, above the cliff .She was flying at last.