Falling can feel like Flying

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.'