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Chapter 5: Flying Lessons

It's been some time since Alex hatched from his egg and now his wings were large and strong enough to lift himself up that he could start learning how to fly. Of course, his mother would be teaching him how to do so, all mothers having to teach their young how to fly, even thought it was scary should their chicks get hurt or worse.

And Alex was not that excited for once learning how to fly on his own. He has developed a fear of heights ever since his father first took him out to show him the outside world. However he knew the time would eventually come that he would need to learn how to fly, he just hoped nothing bad would happen.

As the morning came and the family was eating their breakfast, Maria noticed her son's expression and worried a bit for him.

"You alright, my son?" Maria asked.

"Mom, do I have to learn how to fly?" Alex asked, hopeful that his mom would say, "no".

"Alex, we all have to learn eventually, we are birds after all." Maria answered Alex. "Are you scared?"

"Yes, but we are all scared for our first time, I was, your father, even your sister." Maria replied, to the annoyance of Liz.

"Hey, I was not scared, I was just off balance." Liz joined the conversation, annoyed.

"Sure you were sweetie." Albert playfully rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, my son, I'll be watching you every step of the way, you'll not get hurt on my watch, okay?" Maria tried to confront her son.

"Alright mom, I'll try." Alex replied, sounding nervous.

When the family finished breakfast, Albert went off for tribe duties and Liz went off for her friends, leaving behind mother and son to start the flying lessons. Maria got Alex on her back and she flew down to the lowest branch of the tree that their hollow was in, Alex still afraid of what he will do. Even with Alex on the lowest branch of the tree, it was still a long way down from a chick's point of view. Alex swallowed and gulped as his mother set him down.

"Okay son, before you start flying, a few things." Maria told Alex. "First, make sure your wings are in good condition, then check your tail feathers.

Alex did as he was told and his wings and tail feathers were all in good condition, giving a nod to his mom when he finished.

"Then, you check your talons to make sure you'll grip whatever ground you touch and then you're all good.

Alex did just that and when he was finished, he was completely cut off guard as his mother suddenly picked him up in her beak and swung him over to the edge of the branch. Alex was frightened and didn't understand what his mother was doing to him.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Alex asked, sounding scared.

"Don't worry about flying son, just glide down to the ground, I'll follow you." Maria told Alex.

And then Maria did it… She dropped her son over the edge. Alex plummeting to the Earth below, his life flashing before his eyes as he fell. Alex knew if he needed to survive, he needed to do what his mother told him. He didn't flap his wings, rather he just opened them and let the air catch the feathers, it worked. His fall became slower and slower, and Alex extended out his talons to prepare for the landing.

Touching down a little rough, but coming out uninjured, Alex breathed out deeply, not believing that he did the impossible for him. Maria came down a couple of seconds later, proud that her son made the first flight.

"Well done son, even better than Liz on her first time, soon enough you will be flying long distances." Maria smiled, Alex giving back a nervous smile.

"Thanks mom, but could warn me next time?" Alex asked, sounding a bit scared, as well as shaking a little.

"Sure, now lets try that again." Maria said and she took her son back up to the branch again, for Alex to drop yet again to the ground.

As the week passed, Alex learned many things about flying and even flew a short distance between two trees. He got better and better at it, even better than his sister sometimes, and what's more, his fear of heights lessened, even thought it still persisted a little. After a week passed, Maria felt it was time to finally have her son fly on his own, without help from anyone. Albert was there to witness the proud moment, eager to see his son flying through the rainforest under his own wings.

"Alright son, ready?" Maria asked.

"As ready as I'll always be, mom." Alex replied, sounding extremely nervous.

"Don't worry son, you'll do great." Albert gave a reassuring smile.

The family stood on top of the highest branch of the tree they lived in, making sure that Alex got the full experience and he could have enough room to fix his flight if he needed to. Alex walked froward under the eyes of his family, mentally telling himself that everything was going to be fine, taking deep breaths and letting them out. Before going through the pre-flight checks, he looked down at the forest floor, the floor being a long way down.

"Okay Alex, you can do this, just remember everything you learned." Alex calmed himself as he opened his wings and prepared for flight, his target, the branch of a tree that was nearby.

Taking one last deep breath, Alex lifted himself off the branch, flapping his wings, slowly at first and then more rapidly as he went off and in a second, was in midair. Alex tried his hardest to not look down at the ground, to see how far up he was, and focused looking straight ahead at his target he would land on. He was steady and tranquil, up in the air, breathing in and out smoothly as he glided on with his wings, flapping them when he felt he needed more attitude.

Alex was doing great and his family looked on with wonder, until… Something in Alex's nerves suddenly told him to look down and he did. Alex immediately regretted that decision and he closed up his wings and he was falling through the air towards the ground.

His family changed their expressions from pride to terror as Albert was ready to dive down and catch his son, but Maria held him back.

"No, he can figure it out fro himself." Maria told her mate.

"Are you crazy?" Albert replied with wide eyes. "He's too young."

"He can do it." Maria said with a face full of determination.

Meanwhile Alex had his eyes closed, fear consuming him as he fell. Eventually that little voice in his head caught him just in time as he opened his eyes. Alex quickly opened his wings back up and slowed down, almost hitting the ground and got back up. Flying up, eyes focused on his target, he got up and making a soft landing, touched down on the branch, sweating and breathing a sigh of relief.

The family cheered in happiness and flew to Alex, Albert picking up his son and hugged him.

"My son did it!" Albert shouted out.

"Okay dad, don't make me to throw up, I been through a lot." Alex said, feeling like throwing up from his father lifting him up and down.

"Sorry son, I just get so happy from these moments." Albert apologized.

"Lets all go back home for a well earned dinner in celebration." Maria spoke up and the family flew back to the hollow, Alex doing it on his own.

And so Alex's flying lessons have come to an end, he learned everything that was necessary to learn and he did it all on his own in the end. Thanks to his mother's teachings and his determination, he tackled the hard challenge every young chick has to face and now is ready to take on whatever he has to learn next.

So… What is next in the life of Alex? I guess you guys have to wait to find out!

And I'm actually afraid of heights… Well… It depends how safe I feel.