"What?" I asked, for the hundredth time, staring at a complicated scroll Zara had checked out for me. It was covered in varied techniques on how to get yourself off the ground. But I didn't understand many of them.

"Okay, this isn't working," Zara paced back in forth, I felt like doing the same thing.

"I told you!" Boasted Jay, who was sprawled out on a rock. She had invited him too.

So this was harder than simply flapping your wings. If this were math, than you would would have to add in variables such as wind speed, balance, and feather control. It made my head spin.

We were currently located somewhere near the top of this gigantic mound of dirt. Zara had showered my up this tunnel that was made from a hollow tree root. The tree itself was old and empty too, so you could go right to the top, but they didn't want me falling off a branch when I wasn't ready. Hence, the cliff.

I paced over to the edge, staring at the earth that cascaded down the mountains back. It was a long ways down, even if we weren't in a tree.

"Well if you can do it, than so can Zach," Zara huffed.

"So do they just, push you guys off something high when you're young, like what's the normal way?" I asked.

"Great Glamora no, most learn just by jumping off stuff, you don't technically 'fly' till you're six, and the right feathers grow in." Zara answered.

"Oh," I spread out one wing. "Do I have the right feathers?"

"Yeah, you're thirteen right?"

"Yes."

She looked at me thoughtfully, either considering how to get to fly, or the best way to tell me I couldn't.

"We should just shove him off something, either he'll fly, or he'll go splat." Jay puffed, rolling over to show his white belly at the sun.

My ears flew back. That had stung, he reminded of the bullies back at my school. I wish I had a string of retorts at the ready. But I didn't, and a bitter, hopeless feeling welled up inside my chest. Like I was falling.

"Maybe I should, we're running out of options," I sighed.

He sat up abruptly. "No, dude, I was kidding, don't hurt yourself."

"Like you care," I hissed, instantly regretting my words. Part of me knew he didn't mean it either. But I was sick of being pushed around.

"I'm sorry all right!" He yelled, then hoped off his rock. Then ran at the cliff, I watched as he jumped off the edge, and flawlessly spread his wings. Disappearing into the nearly cloudless sky.

We watched him for a few seconds before Zara turned back to me. "Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm fine, it's just frustrating."

Her eyes glimmered, as if she was realizing something among her memories. Then she broke my gaze suddenly, and almost without reason.

"I mean it can't be that hard," I tried.

"That's what you're doing wrong, flying doesn't come from up here," she tapped her head. "It's comes from in here," Zara put a paw over her heart.

I thought about what she said, and something occurred to me, of course, this whole time I had been attacking the situation from a mathematical point of view. Yes it did require math to start, but the rest was also instinct and gut reaction. I bet, if I really did just jump off...

i stood up, and eyed the cliff warily. Zara gave a look that said 'what are you up to?' Then I started running, and flapping my wings like a rabid hummingbird.

"Zach No! You can't just-"

I leaped, soared for about two seconds, then I droppped like a fish out of water. I panicked and froze, my whole body seemed to be covered in ice.

"Flap your wings Zach!"Zara screamed from above.

I couldn't, they seemed to be stuck closed. There was a sharp tug on the back of my neck, the ground was approaching very fast. Then it wasn't, it was moving under me. It was still coming at me, but much slower. I realized with shock, my wings were open. I was gliding, The claw who had tugged on my scruff was Jay.

I was saved from was seem shock after shock when I crashed into a tree. Snow, leaves, and small bits of twig was all I tasted, then the tree, in annoyance, dumped me onto the snow covered ground. I shivered, slightly damp and cold, as a familiar blue face swerved around to meet me.

He ran into some leaves, and tripped on the initial landing, but it was better than mine had been. And Jay wasn't covered in snow. I grinning like a boy who'd just found a puppy though. I was still alive, and for a moment I glided, which was almost flying.

I momentarily interrupted from my thoughts as Jay slammed my face back into the snow.

"Are you crazy!" He screamed.

I spat snow and dirt from my mouth again. And the silly smile was back on face.

"I think so," I replied.

"You could have been killed! You could have died!" He spat.

"But I didn't."

"Yeah, you're welcome," he huffed.

I spotted Zara as she flew over and landed on the ground, making a few small jumps to slow the momentum. Then I found my face in the snow for the third time in a minute.

"Seriously?" I spit snow again, it tasted nasty to be honest.

"What were you thinking!"She screeched.

My happy feeling wore off as I saw how angry she was. It was disturbing, I didn't know why, I had only met her a couple of days ago.

"If you died, how do you think that would have made me feel? I become your friend and you repay me with recklessness that could have gotten you killed. And you didn't stop once to think what would happen to the rest of us, you selfish jerk!" She yelled into my face.

Both Jay and I froze. My insides felt like they'ed been ripped and, frozen, and replaced with little care. Guilt. It was true, I didn't think, and now I felt horrible. I forgot how sensitive she was under all her walls of anger and violence.

"I'm sorry," I croaked.

"Whatever," and she left. Leaving me with the quiet sound of her soft wingbeats.

"You don't get it do you," Jay whispered.

I stayed silent. Perfectly aware anything I said would only make my situation worse.

"She misses her brother, worse than she lets anyone know."

I wanted to say something. Explain how I knew and had seen the whole story play out before my eyes. The anger, betrayal, grief, pain, loss. My breath caught in my throat.

"I know, she took me to the trees, I saw everything." That was all I could manage.

He stopped, realizing, then truly, I did know everything. About Zara, his parents, how he used to be able to see. With a shrug he started up the hill.

"Why don't you just fly? No sense in staying with me.

"I don't know if you've noticed this, but I'm blind, you're gonna have to find an entrance for us, then soon as we get back, you're apologizing to Zara."

The made me quiet. And I woefully trudged on ahead, the only sure direction was up. Maybe we would stumble upon a tunnel.

"Jay?"

"What?"

"Why did you save me? I was falling, and how did you even know I was there?"

He hesitated. "I don't know, I guess since Zara liked you, then technically we're friends..." his voice trailed off. "And anyone could have found you by the screaming alone."

I chuckled, somewhat touched that he considered me a friend.

"Though if tell anyone I said that i'll deny it, you here me, I have a reputation to uphold." He puffed out his chest, then tripped on a rock and fell face first into the snow.

I couldn't but laugh, then stop, as the ground beneath me disappeared, I yelped, the sensation of falling coming back to me. Then fond myself in an old tunnel, with several twigs and leaves, not to mention snow, on me yet again. I was starting to get sick of snow.

"Zach?" Jay called out worriedly.

"Over here, collapsed tunnel," I said.

His head appeared over the edge. "Well good job, you're better at this than I thought, how far till the bottom?"

"Uh, about a foot,"

He gave me a confused look. "A foot? You're seriously paw deep?"

Oops, human measurements. "No, what I meant to say was, about one wing-lenght," I hope that's what they used.

He hopped down, nearly on top of me, but I moved out of the way.

"I can't see a thing, all the moss has died," I said, squinting in the darkness.

"Well I haven't been able to see a thing for thirteen years, so this is where I take the lead." Then he just started off in a random direction. The tunnel went both ways.

I followed his lead tentatively. "What makes you so sure it's this way?"

"Air currents, use your whiskers."

I did, but I could just barely feel a slight breeze. And it was only when I stood still as a pole. And so on we went, hoping to find the Hill again, then I would make it up to Zara.

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So I dunno if any of you have noticed, but I have released excerpts and prologues for future book, probably not to be expected until late 2016. A little heads up of whats to come. And would appreciate if somebody checked them out, thank you.