Wylan was practising his jumping. He was getting the feel for the way his wings dragged at the air when they were outstretched. He almost couldn’t feel it at all when he was jumping on the ground. A little from the rock that was about a quarter of his height, but the best so far was from the fallen tree that rested like a ramp across the ground. That gave him a running start, and he felt himself suspended in air for a few moments after he jumped. He could almost feel like he could get it. But so far, he had only landed in a laughing heap on the forest floor. He was just setting himself back into position to go again when he heard a wolf walking through the woods, chatting to one of his companions. Was that one of his Uncles? He thought it might be, but he wasn’t sure. Either way, he already knew what he was going to do. Racing up the tree as quietly as he could, he leopard off the end. His wings extended either side of him. He felt the wind rush through them, and then let out a puppy battle cry before he landed on the back of the much larger adult wolf. "Speech"

The morning patrol had been calm, but Charlie wasn’t finished with the day yet. He could feel his paws tingling as he took each step into the woods. He had fond memories of this place, of his first lessons here with his father, of times when his mother was still alive. Those were happier times… but that did not mean that the yearling was unhappy with his life now. He was becoming a young adult, already having survived his first year of life. Even with the test his father put him through, Charlie felt stronger and more confident in his place within the Armada than ever. He might not have been as strong or as bold as some of his siblings, but so what? He was himself, and there was still that drive to be the best he could be, to keep aiming higher and not settle.

The key to that was to get more experience as a fighter. He was sure part of his dad still worried for him, and more than anything the yearling wanted to prove to Sirius he would be alright. He was sure that worry was why his father had him stay behind instead of helping out with the raid too. Charlie had every intention of keeping the borders safe while the other Armadans were away. When they returned he would go back to the smithy. He wanted to continue to work with weapons, figure out how to mend and repair weapons rather than just make them. It seemed as though the position would need someone to fill it… and even if he wasn’t always on the front lines, he could still do his part to make sure the Armada remained battle ready and safe.

“You’ve been doing well, Charlie.” Yorrick told him, the fisher keeping a steady pace beside him. Perched on Charlie’s shoulders the shrike gave a trill of agreement. She had been kept separated from them for a few weeks, but true to his word his father returned her. Charlie had been so relieved that she was safe, vowing to take his father’s lesson to heart so he would never risk or lose her. He also wanted to work with her for evasive maneuvers, to avoid her from becoming an easy target. She was small, so she should be fast, right? “Yeah… I’m just glad dad thought so too… We gotta stick together, don’t we?” A small smile formed on his lips. “If we keep at it, maybe we can go on the next raid together. But we definitely need to come up with a new strategy while fighting. I thin– ack!”

The sudden cry of Silveris was missed as Charlie continued speaking, the tiny bird narrowly avoiding being squished as a tiny pup leaped from above onto the back of her companion. Charlie let out a startled yelp, ducking to roll forward, not sure which way whatever had landed on him would go. Fur bristled as he hit the earth, trying to spin towards the puppy as Yorrick, who had dodged off to the side, burst into laughter at seeing the winged child. Well, now they had even more company!

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Wylan felt his paws land on Charlie’s fur, and already his wings were flaring every which way to try and get his balance on the curved back - and then the curved back was moving. He let out a shriek of surprise as the tawny wolf started to move into a roll. Wylan decided to abandon ship, leaping off the back and falling in a messy pile on the floor as the other wolf hit the earth and turned back towards him. Shaking leaves and twigs from his coat, Wylan looked up at Charlie and grinned widely. Unhurt from his tumble off the other wolf's back. “I got you good, didn’t I!” He said a laughter building up inside his chest. “Bam! Ambushed, I’m a mighty hunter, you didn’t see me coming!” The pup said, delighted as he got wobbly back to his paws. "Speech"

Charlie had been expecting an enemy, maybe even some other small predator that had hoped to make his companion a snack. What he hadn’t been expecting was the shriek of a child. He blinked his bright blue eyes and tilted his head curiously as he looked at his nephew. He had not met Mortis and Halo’s pups yet, but looking at the little one there was little doubt as to who his parents were. Just like his brother the youngling bore a pair of feathered appengages from his back. Those of the pup were smaller, with softer feathers that resembled the down of hatchlings. The yearling was surprised; he’d always figured his brother was a unique case, but seeing one of his children also bearing such a defining mutation, he couldn’t help but wonder if more of the kids had inherited those wings.

His fur lay flat as the kid grinned up at him. At least it seemed his nephew was unhurt! He looked up, seeing Silveris puffed up at the child as she beat her wings above him, but she too was unharmed. Charlie chuckled, lowering his front half to the ground so that he was more on eye level with the kid. “Sure didn’t! I thought you were going to gobble me up!” He’d play along with the youngster, tail starting to wag back and forth behind him. He was glad he wasn’t wearing his brace today; poor thing could have gotten hurt if he landed on that!

“If I had to guess, this mighty hunter is the son of my big brother Mortis, eh?” Charlie tilted his head back and forth. Yorrick had started to circle around the pup, chuckling. “Nah Charlie, couldn’t be! I don’t see the resemblance!” The fisher was teasing of course, a contrast to the small shrike as she landed on Charlie again, warily eying the pup that had almost landed on her.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Wylan wiggled his wings in the direction of the bird, curious about her as she flapped her wings above him. But his attention span being what it was, he turned back to Charlie only moments later, his expression wide and open and friendly. The tawny wolf lowered himself down, and Wylan was quick to wiggle closer, reaching out a paw to bat at the other wolf's cheek. Wondering if this wolf would play with him. “I could gobble you up, if I wanted to!” he agreed readily. He opened his mouth to agree about his dad, but then the funny creature with him started to speak. “Nuh-uh, I am too!” he said “Halo and Mortis are my parents, Halo grows all sorts of fun herbs, and my dad is a warrior. My dad is your brother? That makes you my Uncle, right?” He asked "Speech"

His attempts to make his nephew feel comfortable with him worked well enough. The boy went from being distracted by Silveris, likely for being a small winged being, to paying more attention to him. Charlie would only continue to grin as the boy reached out and batted at him, wiggling in response. Maybe the rest of the day could wait… he hadn’t been able to meet any of his potential nieces or nephews and seeing this little one before him now… well… how could he ignore the opportunity to build some bonds? Family was everything. His ears twitched and he cast a glance at Yorrick, sticking his tongue out at his fisher playfully. “You're just jealous my brother has a cool kid.” He knew the fisher meant well, but Charlie was truthfully proud of his family and thought the boy was already perfect for a pup. Had he been that small at one point? It seemed impossible, yet he had.

His attention shifted back to the boy then, and Charlie gave a sure nod. “Of course they are! You are a Fatalis and that makes you really cool too!” He shifted a little, letting Silveris shift to the ground. She was still eying the kid but she seemed to relax a little. “...and that’s right! I’m your uncle Charlie.” Uncle… kind of a weird title. He glanced at Yorrick as the fisher chuckled. “Well uncle Charlie… I’m going to continue the patrol while you hang out with this little scamp. Have fun!” Well, that was probably just as well. Just because he wanted to spend time with his nephew didn’t mean borders shouldn’t be checked. But that meant he was free to spend as much time with the boy as he wanted!

With a grin Charlie looked back at the boy. “Guess with Yorrick being the responsible one we get to play~” He winked at his nephew. “So what’s your name? Or do I have to win your game to get you to give me your name?” An invite to let his nephew decide the game, unless the kid flipped it back around on him and Silveris. The bird hopped toward the pup and flapped her wings, chittering something so fast in her own tongue that Charlie couldn't make hands or tails of it. At least she seemed curious about his nephew.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Wylan watched with wide-eyed interest as Charlie interacted with his companions. If his mom let him keep the injured bear-cub, would it be like this for him one day too? He wondered if he would find more companions down the track, too. Armada seemed fill of companions, from his grandad, to his parents, and his Uncles! That was because this was a warrior pack, and warrior friends helped, right? “I’m Wylan!” He said, before Charlie’s words really caught up with him. Oh, he could have made the other wolf play for that information? Or maybe he could get Charlie to play for something else. He trotted proudly around his Uncle, his lofty wings held high as he pranced. “Uncle Charlie, are you a warrior? Can you teach me to fight?” He asked, bright eyes shining. "Speech"

Wylan - it was a neat name, and Charlie was sure that it would be a name he’d be hearing a lot around the Armada as the boy and his siblings grew older. The child had missed the opportunity to make him play for the information, but he was sure his nephew would come up with something fun for the two of them to do. Wyl would prance around him, wings held high as he asked the tawny wolf if he was a warrior. Charlie winked at him, rising back to his paws. “I am.” Hmm, but was it too soon for him to be learning? He was just a kid… but his dad had started teaching them the basics of things when they had started leaving the den. The first lessons with his dad… they felt like ages ago. But he could feel the joy of passing such lessons onto the next generation.

“I don’t think it could hurt, we all have to start learning at some point.” Silveris would take to the air, flying up to settle herself on Charlie’s shoulder. She would grip at his fur, spreading her wings as she chittered and chattered, causing Charlie to chuckle. “Silveris seems to agree! I can’t quite understand her, not the way we talk, but we still communicate. She’s an important ally when I fight.” Charlie would turn so that he was sideways in view to his nephew now, spreading his legs an equal distance apart, letting his weight find its center as he evenly distributed it across his limbs. He would let his tail raise to align with his spine.

“The first and most important part of fighting is knowing how to defend yourself. Knowing what defenses you can apply, and learning to apply them in motion, in the heat of battle, helps bring you home in one piece.” He turned his gaze toward Wylan. “You need a good foundation for defenses though, and it all starts with your legs, and, in your case, your wings. Look at how I’ve spread my legs apart. They are directly below my shoulders and hips, spread equally apart. By doing this, and allowing your weight to sit across all of the limbs you will keep a solid stance. When standing like this, I think you’d want to keep your wings close to your body, not spread out. Silver is able to keep her balance best when they are close to her body and she is still…. So uh… maybe it’ll work the same for you?”

Would bird logic work on a wolf? He felt he was already talking a lot, so rather than going into more details of additional defenses Charlie decided to slow it down. “...and the best way to get a feel for what I mean is by practicing it yourself. Try to mimic my stance, Wylan, and I’ll help guide you.”

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Wylan was very excited when Charlie and Silveris agreed. He watched with bright eyes as the tawny wolf positioned himself. His body falling into an odd pose in front of him. Although, come to think of it, he’d seen that pose before. It was one of the resting post his father settled in. he just hadn’t realised there was significance to it! He was quick to attempt to follow Charlie’s pose. Listening as he spoke about balance, and explained how to settle his wings. He was grateful when Charlie included the wings in his lesson. Even as young as he was, he understood that it wasn’t something everyone understood about. He brought his wings in close, but not fully tucked. At the same time, he moved his legs out for balance. “Like this, Uncle?” He asked, looking up at the older wolf with bright, adoring eyes. "Speech"

His nephew was quick to mimic his stance, mirroring it pretty much perfectly for a puppy. Pride swelled in Charlie’s chest. Of course his dear nephew would get it right off the bat; he was a Fatalis! Charlie gave a nod, unable to hide the delighted smile on his maw. “Exactly like that. We’re going to get you trained up in no time if you’re catching on that fast, Wylan!” He winked at the pup. He was excited as well, feeling the delight of the pup and his energy. “That is a great standing pose, and an important first step. You can further improve on these defenses with some additional ones.

First and foremost, you want to move your head down so that it aligns with your spine. If you get as big, or bigger than me, you’ll want to ensure your chin is tipped slightly toward your chest as well. Your throat is a very, very vulnerable area, and leaving it unprotected can be costly, especially fighting a smaller opponent. Never underestimate an opponent based on their size. Smaller opponents don’t hit as hard, but they are faster and can dodge more easily, leaving you with small yet quick wounds that will sap your energy as they bleed.” He would show his nephew what he meant before continuing.

“You also want to remember your tail. When aligned with your spine and held out it can aid in balance and direction. However, if your opponent gets behind you it can easily become a target. Should that happen, tuck your tail up under you to help protect it. Likewise, your ears are much the same. Keep them close to your head, and keep your eyes narrowed. This will help protect them from bites to the face or unsavory attacks like someone trying to toss dirt in your eyes to blind you.” It was quite a bit. There were still some others he could bring up, but he paused again.

“Do these defenses make sense? The ones with your ears, eyes, tail, and balance are extremely important whether you are standing or moving, especially your balance. Losing your balance will put you into a vulnerable spot for an enemy to attack. But, if it makes sense, I can also explain a counter that can help shoulder that ever happen.” He explained, watching the pup to make sure what he was saying was sinking in.

"Speech," 'Thought.'