(Gentle, intricate fingerstyle acoustic guitar begins. A soft, steady tapping starts.)

Little shadow, sharp and quick

Building defenses, thorn and stick

They see the midnight in your eye

Reflecting back a hostile sky

Quick to talon, fast to bite

Guarding edges in the light

You wear the armor 'cause you must

To keep the inner sheen from rust.

Oh, the wind blows cold and strange

Through the wires, demanding change

But the ink-dark feather holds the line

A complicated, fierce design

Flying where the others won't

You bear the burdens that they don't.

No white knight on a steady steed

You cultivate your own defiant seed

You'd rather breathe the dragon's flame

Than play a quiet, easy game

You own the scars, you know the score

And stand your ground, demanding more

You bleed in iron, write in ink

And rarely care what others think.

Oh, the wind blows cold and fast

The digital die is quickly cast

But the ink-dark feather rides the gale

Beyond the judgment, past the pale

Flying where the others cease

You search for your own kind of peace.

(The fingerstyle pattern becomes slightly more complex, mirroring the melody before softening again.)

It's easy loving gentle doves

The ones who fit like tailored gloves

But the melody that breaks and bends

Is where the realest art transcends

They call you wicked, quick to scorn

But I have seen the way you mourn

You've chosen chaos, it is true

But that’s not all there is to you.

The storm may rage, the static hiss

There’s rugged loyalty in this

And if you need a quiet void

To scream the truths you can't avoid

I'll watch the canopy with you

Until the morning breaks anew.

Oh, the wind blows cold and high

But you have learned to read the sky

The ink-dark feather, strong and true

The morning light belongs to you

Flying past the noise and scorn

A different kind of grace is born.

Little shadow, taking flight

Carry on into the light.

Hmm hmm.

Carry on.

(Guitar and tapping fade out slowly.)