[PRP]. A Meeting of Fur and Feathers- (Aika & Redondo)

[[+Katch+]]

Aika still hadn't gotten used to her new size, having grown up without realizing it, she was as awkward as a diapered duck in her own skin, and yet she was enthralled by all of the new feelings and the power that ran through her.
Yet there was still one thing she had not attempted yet...she eyed her little wings and fluttered them a bit, sighing. " I need to fly...my wings are so much different than others i've seen~" she pulled a face and shook her mane, her jewelry jangling. "I'm definitely flying today~!!" she called to the birds up in the sky, chirping and twittering, Asking for the best take off point for her.

She had traveled to a lovely clear area, with many hills full of spring green grass, if she stood very still, she could almost blend in with her surroundings. But today wasn't the day for standing still~!! She spotted a hill that she surmised would make a good take off point and took off towards it, galloping as fast as her rosy hooves would take her~ fluttering her little wings faster and faster until-~!!

She jumped and hovered, one second, two...~!! and then suddenly dropped the couple feet to the ground below, cursing a blue streak...This was definitely going to take some doing.  

[elfstar89]

Redondo flew lazily over the hills, having caught a nice gust closer to the gargantuan tree where he often saw his Butterfly. He hadn't seen her lately, but didn't mind, as he was spending some time around other mares, which was fair, since she was looking for that perfect flutter stallion she wanted as a mate....

He snapped his tiger tail and shook his head, trying to drive away the surge of jealousy and his attempts to deny the jealousy and his response to the jealousy, which was to date other mares. Looking around, he noticed a young mare that almost blended in with the hills fall after a few seconds of flight. A filly learning to fly? Now this was interesting.

Backwinging in to land, he touched down gracefully next to a tall oak that was beginning to show foliage and grinned. "Stronger wing beats and running full-tilt helps, young miss," he called out helpfully. "I don't suggest jumping, that can sap the energy you need to get airborne and stay airborne."  

[[+Katch+]]

Aika cheeped in surprise and turned on her heel, shaking her pelt of the dirt from falling. She was met with a very unusual sight, a winged stallion stood under a large tree, she raised one eyebrow, there was definitely something unusual about this one, he had big fluffy ears like that of a cat and a tail to match, and yet he had large wings and some rather vibrant coloring...
What was he exactly?

She tilted one ear back a little and smiled " oh, haha...you saw that...she looked embarrassed. Flying was becoming a chore for her, maybe her tiny wings worked differently than others. She fluttered her little wings and chuckled " i'll try that next time, thanks~" blinks at him " soooo, hi~ i'm Aika~ what's your name?"

She hoped she wasn't being that awkward, she hadn't met many other stallions other than her childhood friend Dusk, And recently she had been feeling odd around them since she had grown, she wondered why, but she would get to that matter later.  

[elfstar89]

This filly was certainly an energetic one, and Redondo definitely liked energetic Soquili. "I'm Redondo. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Aika," he added with a smile, stepping forward in such a way that the sun reflected off his golden eyes and darkly iridescent tiger stripes and that his purple mane swung forward to catch and stream in the wind. "Would you like a flying lesson or two, since you seem to be working on it on your own?" he offered. Learning to fly was never easy, but learning with someone to teach you generally made the process easier. He hadn't gotten anywhere on his own, really, until his mother had had a moment free to teach him how to fly.  

[[+Katch+]]

She blinked and watched him come out into the sun, getting a better look at this unusual fellow. She blinked, hearing his name and nodding, her jewelry jangling as she tilted her head politely " nice to meet you Redondo~ nice name~"
She smiled happily, glad that he offered and that she was spared more embarrassment by asking if he could teach her, not knowing if it was really possible with her little wings, but she would most definitely try! She fluttered her wings and let out a happy tweet, just like a bird " i would be honored if you would help, i'm kind of...helpless at the moment..." she giggled, full of unsure feelings " i think maybe they work different than yours though...i can't carry myself by flapping them up and down...i can move them really fast though~!" she demonstrated by flapping her wings up and down until they practically were a buzzing blur, she felt her hooves lift off the ground for an instant before she got tired and touched back down. " Whew...ye see?" she glanced at him curiously, wondering if he had any input, or if he'd just think the girl with the funny wings was out of it.  

[elfstar89]

Redondo laughed a little. "You can get off the ground from a standstill, which is a good thing, a good start." He turned so that his back was to the wind and inhaled deeply. "OK, I'm going to fly low to the ground, and to get airborne, I'm going to start by running. Run with me and do as I do, OK, Aika?" he offered, looking back at her. Smiling, he turned and bunched his muscles to start running, spreading his great wings to start flapping as he ran to pick up sufficient momentum to leap into the wind. The good breeze today should help Aika build up momentum.  

[[+Katch+]]

Aika furrowed her brow in concentration as she watched Redondo begin his run, she set her hooves in and huffed " i can do this~" As he took off she set her jaw and started to run, which quickly turned in to a gallop, she spread her little wings as wide as they would go just as a good gust of wind hit her from behind, propelling her into the air. But something was different from the way he was doing it, his wings were bigger, they could hold him up like that~ she squeezed her eyes shut and flapped her little wings faster and faster till they they hummed, wanting so much to stay airborne. It was then that she noticed something, she opened one eye tentatively, than the other. She WAS flying~!! though not that high up and not like he was, she slowly moved herself forward, very awkward in the air. She was flying like one of those hummer birds~!!

" Look Look~!!!" she called at Redondo, her expression wide and happy like a kid in a candy store " i'm flying~!!"

She was getting the idea, now she needed to work with it.  

[elfstar89]

Redondo laughed as he continued skimming the ground, looping back to glide beside her. "Yes, you're definitely got the idea, though I'm going to suggest you practice a lot and use your wings as much as possible. They're not very strong yet, but practicing will make them stronger and help you fly higher and faster with time and practice." The wind was indeed helpful, but he should remind her to never take off into the wind if possible. He remembered doing that as a colt and it hadn't worked out so well.

"The wind's a very helpful thing to have when learning to fly, but sometimes the wind can be unhelpful. Whenever you're flying, try not to take off heading into the wind. You could get turned around if you do get off the ground and be sent tumbling dangerously through the air, OK?"  

[[+Katch+]]

Aika cheeped happilly, glad she was able to at least get this high off the ground without a dirt bath. But her little wings were getting tired with all of the energy it took to move them~ " oh, oh i see~ ok" she decided to do something differently, and awkwardly fanned out the feathers and moved the joints a bit, suddenly making her fly at an angle, something normal birds couldn't pull off that easy~ after a bit she was hovering, her wings still a constant buzz.

" Wind, Wind~~" she singsonged the word while she listened to him, excited to learn more so that she may fly more often. " Ok, wind can be good OR bad~" she beamed at him " i think i got it~ she felt a little updraft and buzzed upward a little, enjoying the feel of the wind in her little pinions. " this IS going to take some getting used to~" she looked a little worried " so how do i get down without plummeting?"  

[elfstar89]

Redondo pondered this for a moment. The easiest way to land without falling.... "Slow down, but don't stop flapping your wings or running. Losing momentum should help, but don't lose it too fast, or you might go careening into a tree." He hoped this worked, since he wasn't sure how else to explain how to land, feeling like he had forgotten something.

Oh, that was what he had forgotten. Redondo was backwinging, flapping his wings so that he could slow his descent and land easily. "Change the angle of your wings so they're as vertical as possible and continue flapping. The force will slow you down as you land and allow you to land how you like."  

[[+Katch+]]

Aika wiggled her nose nervously and then very carefully slowed the beat of her wings. She suddenly felt the weight of her own body on her wings and she flailed a bit. "Ehhhh~~~~~" She turned and looked at him, trying to focus on what he was saying instead of her shoddy flight. " Change...my wings, ok..." she squeezed her eyes shut and flipped her wings around, finding the joints surprisingly apt to moving this way~ " wha~" she was hovering and flying backwards a little as she changed direction " wooAOOH this is weird~" however, the fact was, she WAS slowing. She saw the ground in sight and whinied happily, her rosy hooves touching back, -safely- on to the grass below. She let out a shaky sigh and shook her pelt. " That, was scary~!!..." she smiled a little "but fun~ i think i'm getting the hang of this...a little" She had barely gotten the words out of her mouth when her stomach complained QUITE loudly...her purple cheeks became scarlet rather quickly..." er...i guess that takes a lot of energy...heh"  

[elfstar89]

Redondo laughed at the young mare's grumbling stomach. "Yes, flying does take a lot of energy, because you're working your wings and legs hard, and even your heart and lungs are getting some exercise, so it's good to feed yourself well when you do eat." He glanced around for a few moments and spotted what he'd hoped he'd find: a patch of particularly succulent and sweet grass. "Shall we graze?" he offered, swishing his tiger tail as he moved toward the patch of grass and the tasty treat that awaited them.  

[[+Katch+]]

Aika smiled happily up at Redondo, her jewelry tinkling gently against her neck in the breeze. " Ahhh, and i know well...i fly differently from most..." she wiggled her nose in thought " i may require more food for what i can do~" she perked up as she spied the same patch of grass and barely kept her mouth from watering. " I believe i'll take you up on that offer sir~" she chirped and trilled like a songbird as she trotted towards the grass, eager for the cool, sweet crunch of that grass. She wasn't rude of course, she didn't want to hog all the grass so she picked one side, flush with tasty new spring shoots and began to graze, letting Redondo have a lovely patch, some with new flowers, all to himself. She got sidetracked as she munched, her lavender hued eyes wandered to his tail, such a curious cat like tail~ he was a mystery, in all her young life, never had she seen such a thing on a horse, although it suited him quite well. Though it mattered not what he was or what he looked like, he had taught her one of the most important things in her young life...the joy of flight, no matter the manner.  

[elfstar89]

Redondo smiled as he settled in to graze, not minding the few insects he caught as he went. Valuable source of protein, bugs; and he was one of the Cheshire cat tribe. He flicked his tiger's tail as he grazed, occasionally twitching the skin on his withers and resettling his great bird wings at his sides. "Each person flies in their own way," he said between mouthfuls. "And I'm sure your way of flying is lovely in a way that mine isn't."