Page 179 of To Free a Soul
His initial reaction had been panic. Not at his death, but that his twin, Ingram, wasn’t with him. Aleron didn’t mind that he’d died; he’d just expected Ingram to be with him if he did.
He was slowly accepting it.
However, Weldir couldn’t conjure his viewing discs near him, as Aleron would want to stare at Ingram for hours on end. It was unhealthy, and it made him even more stagnant than he should be. He’d also whimper as he did, and Weldir didn’t want him to be sad within his realm if he could prevent it.
With regard to another sibling, Aleron couldn’t figure out Nathair.
That was due to Nathair being a bully. He’d sign at Aleron, who had no idea what he was doing, and then the serpent Mavka would chortle and snicker when it bothered him. He was having fun teasing his sibling, and he’d personally asked Weldir not to revealwhyhe was silent until he was ready to have the conversation with him.
Nathair made up for it by not only allowing Aleron to lie next to him, but he would curl his tail around him so he could feel secure. Then, he’d pet his bat skull silently, so long as he wasn’t deep within a trance – Nathair would always be a little grumpy afterwards otherwise. He’d often retreat into his lake to hide away his anguish.
It was also his way of hiding from Aleron when he found his playfulness too much.
Weldir’s current attempt at a flying lesson was halted when Aleron managed to clamp his hands around the base of a tree. Weldir jerked back and turned. As soon as he let go, Aleron tried to sprint away. Weldir wrapped Aleron up in tendrils and forced his offspring to his side. He then proceeded to flip him onto his back, pick him up until he was in the air above his head, and walk to the cliff edge.
Aleron roared when he tossed him, and Weldir leaned over the edge to see how he fared. He kicked and shoved his hands downwards as he fell.
Weldir changed the pressure of the air so it was thicker, and his wings started to spread on their own. He tried to emulate wind, and after a few intermittent flaps, Aleron spread his wings. He began to glide, and his yelling ceased.
“Ha! I knew he’d get it this time.”
He glided downwards, rushing with intense speed.
“Alright, Aleron. Flap,” he whispered.
He didn’t; he just kept his wings wide.
“Flap your wings,” he whispered again, yet he still didn’t, even as he rushed towards the tops of trees. “Shit.”
Weldir teleported to the bottom of the cliff, at the start of the forest, and began to grow his size. It was too late. Rather than acting like a stone wall, he caught Aleron, and they went rolling back to soften his fall. Except Aleron, the uncoordinated goofball, didn’t bring his wings in. He gave a sharp yelp when one snapped as it hit the trunk of a tree.
Weldir healed him when they stopped rolling, then sat on the ground with him as Aleron wheezed. After a moment, he bounced up onto all fours and jumped excitedly.
“I flew! I did it.”
Weldir chuckled. “I wouldn’t say you flew. More like glided down to the trees and crashed.”
“No. I flew!”He ran in a circle and then continued to jump, his wings twitching.“Again. Again!”
Well, at least this is a start. And he no longer seemed to be afraid, despite getting hurt. Weldir placed his hand on his bat skull, rubbed it, and teleported them back to the top of the mountain. Aleron spun, sprinted for the edge himself, and leapt with his wings wide.
This time, Weldir formed his own wings from nothing, and teleported to his side. He fell with him, then glided when he did.
“Flap your wings. Like this.” Weldir shot in front to demonstrate what he meant, and he turned his back to the ground to make sure Aleron followed his instructions.
When the process was about to fail again, he teleported them both back to the starting point where they’d begun to fall. He did it repeatedly, keeping his back to the ground while inverting his false wings to demonstrate, until Aleron eventually figured it out.
The moment he did, Aleron took off into the sky, and Weldir flew with him.
For the first time since his offspring arrived in Tenebris, he laughed while dipping to the side so he could bank left over his realm.
It was obvious he didn’t know what to do with his legs and arms as they flapped around, so Weldir came closer to show him how he thought they’d be best tucked up and in. Aleron followed the silent instructions, and it looked more comfortable.
There, he has learned to fly.
Aleron was a winged being. This should be freeing for him and give him an independence that had no emotional tie to his twin. Something entirely new that he could do on his own.
Maybe now he’ll stop being cheeky and picking off my souls one by one.Or maybe Weldir had just made the problem worse.
