.:Time Skip:.
"Just like that Max!" Jeb praised her as she flapped her hardest. Max hovered a few feet off the ground with her hardest effort and panted slightly from exhaustion. She dropped lower. He suddenly frowned. "No dropping, Max! You have to go higher!"
"I-I'm trying!" Max let out in a strangled breath. She clenched her fists and focused all her last bits of strength on her wings. She regained her altitude slightly earning more praise from Jeb.
They had been practicing for an hour now but he would not let up. Max was already tired and sore but didn't want to show any weakness to him. He just punished her later by sometimes taking away her food or making her run the maze again. Max was sweating and was afraid she was going to black out if she kept pushing herself like this.
"Alright," he finally concluded his work. "You may rest now but we'll resume this later."
Max managed a feeble, "Yes, sir."