Falling can feel like Flying

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.'