Koen was three meters off the ground now and already feeling dizzy. He gave the rope another pull and rose another half-meter. The talons on his scalp tightened.

"Ow!" he said.

"I hurt you. I am content."

Koen reminded himself how different Pick psychology was from human.

Mark, back on the ground, thought about how all birds were assholes.

"General Graa, why did you turn on gestural translation?" Koen asked.

"I am surprised. You only figured that out recently? Yes, there is the danger of appearing to be a jerk, but I wanted you to understand me as well as I understand you. Of course I already have an excellent grasp of hominin emotion. For example, at the moment you are annoyed and frightened."

This was true.

"And yet you continue to obey," Graa observed. "You climb to a height at which a fall would kill you, all for me. I am proud."

That didn't make Koen's task easier. He was worried about Laura, and the important work she was doing, and what would happen when they made their announcement about Mr. Grumbles, and whether Mr. Grumbles himself was okay back in the Embassy. But, claws digging into his scalp and the smell of Graa's preen oil in his nose, he hauled himself onto the tight rope and stood.

"I am happy," the Pick Ambassador said. "Now walk across the rope to the next tree. Hold out your arms for balance and spread your fingers. Yes! It looks as though you're trying to fly, but you can't fly. I am amused. If you lose your balance, you'll fall."

Koen looked past the rope and the ground below it, and every muscle in his body pulled back toward the tree.

Graa shifted irritably on top of Koen's head. "Go!"

"I can't."

Pain in his ear. "Ow!" He swatted at the bird and instantly regretted it. Koen's center of gravity swayed out, back. "I'll fall!"

"You will not fall dangerously. You know that. Do not be stupid, Human Koen!"

"This is stupid! I don't care about the ropes. Why are we even up here? It would be easier to climb down, walk to the other tree, and climb back up. This is suffering for the point of suffering."

Graa made his amused noise. "I am delighted. You cleverly rationalize your cowardice. Be brave, Human Koen! Remember how you risked poisoning my guest? Now walk into the air with me."

"That's why you're doing this? Revenge for last night?"

"Only partly. This is a much-needed lesson in humility."

Koen couldn't figure out what that meant. He could barely hear Graa over the blood rushing in his ears. His heart pounded against the inside of his chest as if trying to escape. Was this how it happened with his father? You see something that scares you and pop?

Graa pecked his scalp. "Stop that. You're breathing incorrectly. You have no air sacks."

Koen blinked. "What?"

"To calm a nervous steed, train it to breathe properly. Human Koen, you must breathe like a young calf. A filly. A kid."

"A baby. Humans have babies."

"Good." Graa's head snaked down past Koen's ear and gave his cheek a jab. "Breathe like a baby. Obey!"

Koen took a shuddering breath in. His fingertips tingled. "I still can't do it." He could actually feel himself groping for more justifications. "The fear." He swallowed bitter spit. "The stress. It's bad for me. You know. You know, my father died of a heart attack."

On the forest floor, Mark's ears pricked.

"You have a congenital defect?" asked Graa.

"I don't know for certain." Koen kept his eyes closed. "But I don't want to find out. We don't have a hospital here. I'd have to be flown back the Accelerator, and how much — "

"Wheel your thoughts away from that flight path. Answer my questions! How did this condition manifest?"

"He had a heart attack," said Koen. "It was right after the pandemic."

"A disease? So your worrying is pointless. His death was not caused by anything you share." The beak jabbed again. "Take a step. Like a baby, you must breathe in your belly. Imagine a baby lying on its back. Watch its belly go up and down. Take another step."

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The rope under his feet wobbled. The straps of Koen's harness tightened around his belly and crotch.

"My father," he said. "He always tested negative. He got vaccinated, but he had something that looked an awful lot like Covid. Maybe it weakened his heart."

Graa shifted his weight on Koen's head. "Yes, that would be the best scenario for you."

"My father died, Graa!"

"And your chance of dying the same way is small. Be happy!" Another beak-jab. "Step!"

"Take another step. Keep those arms out." There was some shifting of weight up on Koen's head. "You are not breathing like a baby. Visualize a baby!"

"I haven't seen a baby since I don't even know."

"I'm curious. A good tribe should have members of all ages, from babies to the old. They spend a great deal of time patting and holding each other. I haven't noticed that for humans, though. Maybe you're different."

"Maybe," said Koen thinking, probably not. Probably I'm just drastically under-cuddled. He thought about Laura. Then he wondered about Mr. Grumbles's tribe. Then he remembered that he was walking on a tightrope nine meters off the ground.

"Take another step. Keep those arms out." There was some shifting of weight up on Koen's head.

Koen tried to distract himself. "Did Mr. Grumbles have a tribe?"

"Here on Quotidia? I am energetic. No. Housing all those big mammals would have been an unsupportable expense. Just him and Smoke Detector were an extravagance."

"But what about his health?"

"My pet's health is very important to me, but not as important as my job. Another step, Human Koen. Human Mark, take our picture! 'Caption: UN/Pick relations soar to new heights.' I am sarcastic and greatly amused!"

Mark took out his phone and pointed it at Koen, who didn't look down. He didn't look down!

The rope swayed, and he swayed with it. His vision vibrated with frantic heartbeats. He tried to remind himself that he was in a safety harness attached to a line above him. When that didn't work, he tried to imagine that the ground was only a few inches under the rope. Yes, that's right. I'm not three meters up after all. I'm just walking along a rope on a pretty sunny day and if I fell, it wouldn't—

Graa pulled out one of Koen's hairs. "Look up! Answer my questions: have you tested your genetic predispositions?"

Koen looked desperately upward at leaves and black feathers. "I've been to lots of doctors, and they've never said anything."

"Have you asked them? Have you demanded tests?"

"No."

"Take another step. Why not? Doctors can be obstreperous and must be disciplined."

"What good would it do? I don't want to know."

"Because then you would lose your excuse. Walk!"

Another peck. Koen slapped his hand onto the side of his head even as his foot rose.

"Stop – " The foot came down on nothing.

The rope shimmied. His arms flailed. He fought for balance. Found it.

"I am mimicking a hominid," screamed Graa. "Look at me fall!" He launched himself from Koen's head.

Koen shrieked, stumbled backward, and fell off the rope.

Outward.

The harness line swung him back toward the tight rope.

"Grab it!" Wings battered his face. Talons dug into his shoulder. Graa was trying to land on him! "Grab the rope!"

Koen's arms and legs snapped open as his stomach lurched. The rope was right there!

He seized it and the forest turned upside down.

Wind and bird stink spun around his head. Koen opened his eyes to find himself under the rope, all four limbs wrapped around it. Tetrapod, his brain told him uselessly.

"Right yourself!" Graa demanded from the vicinity of Koen's right shoulder. "Get up."

"No!" said Koen. "Why did you do that?"

On the ground, Mark frowned upward. First that insulting conversation, and now this taunting. Did Graa know?

"It was a pratfall." General Graa hopped back onto Koen's head, claws scrabbling painfully. "I was greatly entertained by the humiliation of the monkey falling from the tree." He jabbed his beak at Koen's eye. "But now get up."

Koen tried to breathe. "No."

"Just let go," called Mark from below. "Use the descender. You made it halfway across. That's enough." And after enough of a pause to indicate he didn't want to. "Or should I come up there and get you?"

"Never!" shrieked Graa. "I am proud. I will not descend like a lazy spider. I will reach my destination."

"You can fly," said Koen.

"I refuse to abandon you. I told you, Human Koen, this is a lesson in humility. Now rise and resume the march!"

"You can just let go and glide down." Koen had been working to hard holding onto his temper to understand that last bit. "You don't have to hold on to me."

"You didn't have to climb this tree." Graa croaked. "I am here. Human Mark may judge like a Tensor, but he and you and I do not fall endlessly. We may always strike the ground."

Koen stared, shocked into curiosity. "Are birds afraid of heights?"

"I am afraid, Human Koen, of flightlessness. That is why I clutched you and shared your plummet."

Koen felt tears come to his eyes. It was ridiculous. Certainly, it was more dangerous than anything he might do in this tree with a harness strapped to him. But for a moment, he loved General Graa.

"Now haul yourself back onto that rope."

Koen strained and heaved and breathed. Like a treed cat, he inched his way along the rope with Graa riding his back.

"Good enough." The Pick gave his wings a flap and erected his ear feathers. "I declare this team built!"

On the ground, Mark stared at the two of them, flabbergasted and…successful? This changed everything.