Disclaimer: I don't own them. Joss Whedon has that curse/honor. I probably would've given up with cancellation, so let's all be glad he DOES own them ;-D

Spoilers: None, but... well, I've seen the movie and I don't know how much of my brain was tainted by what happened in it. So... be warned.

Time: Pre-series

The sparrows danced among the garden, moving from one weak branch to another. Derrial Book sat on one of the stone benches, neck craned to watch the tiny birds playfully dart back and forth. His hand was resting on his open testimonial, fingers marking the verse where he'd left off. The yellow sparrow seemed aware of his audience, making wide arcs and spinning in flight as an acrobatic display of his abilities. It took all of his willpower - which was plentiful - to keep from applauding the small bird's performance.

A blue and a red sparrow alighted on a thin branch that was reaching out from the rose bush like a bony finger. The branch sagged a bit but bounced back, taking the additional weight in stride. Book smile, wondering how the birds had achieved such balance. A human being attempting such a feat would have caused the branch to snap, the tree to buckle. Perhaps finding that balance was precisely what gave these small birds the ability to fly so carelessly, so free. They knew their place in the universe and, more importantly, the universe bowed to their presence.

Such a small thing, a sparrow on a branch. And yet, it spoke to him so deeply that he closed his testimonial on his thumb to watch them as they performed their magnificent shows.

The wide wooden door opened slightly, admitting a young monk named Tebaya. His bald head shone in the sunlight, his bushy eyebrows covering the rat-like eyes Book knew lay beneath. "Shepherd," the young man whispered gently. "Guests."

Book nodded and Tebaya returned to the darkness of the corridor.

Marking his place in the testimonial with a thin strip of red ribbon, Book stood and clutched the leather-bound edition to his chest. He turned