fly so high that i need to come down for oxygen

Every moment out on the rocky ledge felt like an eternity, but Zephyr could not gather the courage to move while his father was still somewhere down below. He had no way of knowing if the man had seen him before he fell, knew where to find him, or knew where they could together find safety. The seconds ticked by and the raptor remained pressed tight against the wall, shivering against the fear and the cold until the familiar, waterlogged form of his Aegis appeared. Artorias drug himself up the rock, shoving the shell-shocked bird gently to usher him inside. Zephyr allowed the movement to push him, waddling cautiously along toward the cavern entrance. Ducking his head beneath the low hanging stone, he entered the cave and the roar of the storm began to dull.

His father's words were muted, and Zephyr struggled to lift his sore wing to bat at his fluid filled ears. He had never been so wet in his entire life, and this encounter was making him fast rethink the swimming lessons Artorias had once offered. The wolf added another layer of wetness to his feathers as he shook and dried himself, and Zephyr half-outstretched his own soggy wings and flicked them to dislodge what he could. "It doesn't storm like this at home." The bird complained, a sudden lurch of homesickness setting in. Boreas sucked. Spring sucked. Rain sucked. Artorias moved deeper into the cave and Zeph followed as he was beckoned, holding his wings out off from his body to avoid soggying himself further.

Artorias' apology brought from him a frown, and he tipped his beak to stare down at his talons in shame. It wasn't his father's fault that he couldn't fly well enough in the severe weather, it was his own. If he ever wanted to be a high ranking member of the Hallows, he had to be strong and skilled enough to handle anything that was thrown at him. "I wanted to help. I'm sorry I didn't do better, it was so hard." Artorias' limping had not gone past his notice, it added to his slow drip of shame. "Are you hurt?" How were they going to walk home afterwards if something was wrong with his leg? Zephyr sure as hell couldn't carry him, especially not after his performance in that storm.