Chapter 6

"And today, we fly!" Karish chirped.

Kludd was so distracted by the fact that she sounded happy that he nearly missed the words. But he blinked as they sank in. "Our First Flight!" He said excitedly to Lyka, whom was standing just next to him with an excited gleam in her eyes.

Each day, Kludd and Lyka spent more and more time together, thanks to Karish. They were allowed to practice flight with another of their team, so long as someone was supervising them. They worked quite well together, and after just one day of not having to pretend around Kludd anymore, Lyka was herself and shared how she had been captured. She'd been branching for the first time, and in swooped St. Aggies, right in front of her watchful parents, who weren't able to keep up.

It must have been so hard for her, Kludd thought, To know that her parents could have saved her from all this... And now, she might never see them again. But at least now we may have a chance!

Lyka brushed her wing with his, jolting him from his thoughts. "I know! It is exciting. I can't wait!"

Kludd nodded and turned his gaze back to Karish, who was getting ready to assign them to their positions. "24-3, you here. And you, 14-31, right after him, then 18-36, and so on. You can figure it out yourselves after that, I'm sure," Although her posture showed that she did think they could figure it out themselves, she did watch and make sure everyone got it correctly. "Alright, and I'll fly lead. Everyone ready for your first flight?"

Karish looked back to see all of their faces, their beaks open at hearing her ask a question. "Oh, stop being so surprised and answer me! I suppose I should make it clear that questions, for today, are allowed," She snapped mildly.

After a few moments, they all nodded. Karish smiled and turned to face forward again. "Okay, here we go! Follow my lead until you get the hang of it, then I'll supervise as you all have fun and goof off, which I'm sure you'll all love to do." With that she stepped to the ledge, lifted her wings, and dropped into the wind, which carried the Snowy instructor right above the owlet's heads. Kludd watched as the first owlet, 24-3, hesitated, then dropped off of the ledge, following Karish's lead. There was a pause, then 24-3 soared up on a wind as had Karish. After watching the owl for a moment, Kludd stepped to the ledge and looked down. Woah. That fall wouldn't be pleasant. But he wouldn't fall. He'd fly. Kludd spread his wings and dove off the ledge.

The feeling of rushing air by his face and in his ear slits was most noticable. But he felt how his wings could shape the air, could bend it to his will and allow him flight passage as he hadn't before. Tilting his wings upward, and he was soaring on the air current just behind 24-3 and Karish, who was hovering and watching each of them closely on their first real flight. Kludd wobbled a bit as a wind pulled on his left wing, unbalancing him for a second. Karish's gaze snapped from Lyka to him in an instant. "Everything okay, 14-31?"

Kludd adjusted himself and nodded. "Everything's okay."

Karish nodded and her gaze returned to Lyka, behind Kludd. Kludd neared Karish and tilted his wings so he was treading the air and could hover. He turned his head and saw that Lyka hadn't even jumped off the ledge yet. Her gaze was fixed on him. Kludd nodded a bit, and he watched as she took a deep breath, then plunged, soaring back up just as everyone else had. It took her a few moments, but she reached them with a little difficulty. Karish swooped around her, and Lyka's flight pattern steadied. She slowly figured out how to hover, and Karish stopped circling her and faced the group. "Everyone alright? Need a break, or help?"

Kludd looked around. He certainly felt fine. In fact, he felt elevated. He was flying- in a secluded area, under the watchful eye of some owl who wasn't his parent, but still, truthfully flying. No one else seemed ready to complain, either, not even Lyka, who had seemed to have grown comfortable.

Karish nodded. "Okay. You can all go and experience your first flight. Just be careful, and don't push yourself too hard. It'd be a nasty fall, and I don't think you'd ever get up again." With that she turned and flew off towards the cliff face, landing on it and turning her gaze back to the young owlets.

Not really owlets anymore, Kludd thought. We've all just graduated.

Lyka started churring as she looked around her. She folded her wings and dove, coming up just on the other side of Kludd. "Look! Look! We're flying, Kludd! Actually flying!"

"Finally flying!" Kludd replied, watching as a mischievous smile crept onto Lyka's face.

"You're 'it!'" She shreed, flying up to him and tapping him lightly on one of his wings with her talon before darting away again.

"Hey, no fair!" Kludd churred as he started to follow her. "You had a head start!"

Lyka laughed and flew faster. Kludd flew highed, then made sure he was directly above her and folded his wings in. The wind again hit him int he face, but he merely used his transparent eyelid to protect his eyes and see that he was about ten seconds away from her. He reached out his talons, making sure that he wouldn't be able to injure her, and adjusted himself.

Lyka looked up last second and saw him. She shrieked happily and lifted her own talons, locking them with his, and they circled for a second before Kludd let go and sped off, cooing, "You're 'it!'"

Kludd turned his head away from her so he could see where he was going, then sharply turned his head when she shrieked, this time not happily. He saw that another owl, a Great Horned, was rushing at her, his talons gleaming and extended. Lyka dove just in time to avoid him, but he was circling back and Lyka didn't seem to have enough time to see where he would be coming from next.

Kludd took a sharp banking turn and saw that the owl was about to dive towards her again. He pumped his wings, but he knew he'd have to go faster. The Great Horned dove, but didn't extend his talons again. He went just underneath and behind her, so she could tell where exactly he was. He began to creep up on the wind currents towards her. Kludd had gained height. He dove towards the Great Horned at an angle. As he neared, he raised his talons and let out a screech. He felt his claws rake against the Great Horned's stomach, and saw out of the corner of his eye that he had knocked him away from Lyka. The Barn Owl was shaking as she was flying, and Kludd didn't glance at the Great Horned, instead flew right next to Lyka. "Are you okay?"

She nodded a bit, then gasped. "Kludd! Your talons! Are you hurt?"

Kludd looked down, confused. "What? No, I-" He saw that his talons had blood on them. Not a whole lot, but it looked like he'd caused that Great Horned a pretty bad wound. "It's not mine, Lyka. I'm fine."

Lyka nodded, then lowered her voice. "Shh. Karish is coming." She nodded towards the Snowy Owl and slowed herself down to a hover, Kludd following.

"Are you both okay?" Karish asked urgently.

"Yes, we're fine," Kludd answered. "I'd be more worried about the Great Horned... This is his blood." He held out his talons for Karish to see.

Karish smiled. "Well done! He'll be fine, don't you worry about it. But come now, little ones. You must be tired."

Kludd was confused, but followed. Lyka glanced at him, confusion also in her gaze, but Kludd shrugged and continued on. He landed with a grunt on the canyon side, tucking his wings in and giving his talons a few shakes to get rid of any still-wet blood.

Lyka landed with a small grunt next to him, tucking her wings in neatly. "Uh.. Karish, with all due respect, but... why was there an owl attacking me?"

Karish turned to them and churred. "Oh, it was a test."

"A test...?" Kludd asked, still confused.

"Yes. every now and then you'll have surprise tests on your flight skills, as well as your fighting skills. Clearly you both together could outsmart quite a few owls; if there were more than the Great Horned, I'm sure you'd have had no trouble at all." Karish cooed happily.

"Okay... So you won't give us any warning when this happens? We'll just randomly be attacked?"

Karish nodded. "Yes. Why would I tell you? It ruins the factoid of you being ambushed and having to fight to survive!"

Kludd shrugged a bit. "I guess that makes sense..."

Karish nodded. The Great Horned owl appeared and lighted down next to her, the claw marks on his belly that Kludd had given him visible and bleeding, but not badly. The two other owls lighted down next to him. They both had one or two cuts and scrapes here and there, but no serious wounds.

Karish smiled and turned to the Great Horned. "Ishmen, thank you kindly for your services. How did they do on your end?"

The Great Horned, Ishmen, turned and nodded to Kludd. "That one's got a lot of bravery, a lot of potential. So does the girl next to him."

Karish nodded and churred a bit. "So I saw. And of the other two?"

Ishmen glanced at the two owls standing next to him. "Sadly, not great results. Trouble detecting, trouble reacting and dodging, trouble fighting back at all. They'd need more training in order to be Flyers. Of course, I am not the Flight Instructor here." He added, dipping his head to Karish, whom was looking at the two owls with a sad look in her eyes.

"Thank you again, Ishmen. You can go now." Ishmen nodded and took flight, circling overhead once before heading West.

One of the two owls murmured, "What's going to happen to us, Karish?"

Karish stepped forward and held them both in her wings. "It's alright. Sometimes owls just aren't cut out for certain things. I, however, believe in second chances, so I'll send you down a level and you can try again after you've passed it, okay?"

The other owl nodded. "That sounds fair."

Karish smiled again, letting them go. "It's that way," She pointed with her wing. "Tell them You were sent by me, being sent down a level in Flight Instruction."

They nodded and headed off. Once they were out of her line of sight, Karish turned to Kludd and Lyka. "Now then, time for your first assignment!"

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top