Colerc looked over the edge. The drop was anything but comforting. *you sure? I mean this seems like a long drop* he signed. Sap looked at him like him like he was stupid. He wrote something down on his notepad. The scratching of tiny pencil on paper barely heard over the roaring winds. 'Of course I'm sure This is the best place to jump from'. That did nothing for Colerc's fear. *Yeah, that isn't encouraging in the slightest*. If Sap was capable of it, Colerc was certain, he would be rolling his eyes. 'Just go. It's perfect weather for this'. Colerc inched forward once again unnerved at the thought of a fall. He took a deep breath and... he fell.

The cliff wasn't the most stable and with that any form of rationality left Colerc's mind. His screams lost to the gales yelling right back at him. Something hit his face. He looked up to see Sap looking just as bored as ever, though Colerc thought for a moment he could see a little concern in his eyes but it vanished just as quick as it came. Sap moved under Colerc using the wind resistance to keep him steady and held up his pad. 'Open your wings dummy'. That snapped him out of it. He had wings! The entire reason they came out here in the first place was to test them! He felt so dumb. He opened his membraned wings struggling to force them forward to catch the wind. The result is almost instantaneous. He caught whiplash from it. The air seemed to calm down to a whisper in his ears. He was flying! Well not flying. He was gliding, like Sap. Sap. Colerc looked up to where his little buddy had been clinging to him only to realise he wasn't there. He started looking around frantically for him, almost losing his gliding position several times in the process. Ok. Sap was missing. This... was not fine but he couldn't find him in this huge sky. Just then something hit his head. Colerc scrambled around just avoiding letting it fall down into the canopy far below. Colerc's heart stopped. It was a notepad. He looked up scanning the sky carefully, he didn't want to look past Sap's location, just to be safe.

About two heads above him was a silhouette that looked, reassuringly, like it belonged to Sap. It tucked, dived and was closing in the gap quickly. Sap, yep that was Sap, dove past him and continued gliding pulling tricks and loops as he went. Colerc took a breath and tilted forward beginning to pick up speed. Diving down he started to pick up speed as the wind grasped at him scraping his sides with its clawed hands. Colerc watched the canopy grow closer, still so far away, he turned to the horizon and, wasn't that a beautiful view. The sight put his mind at ease and he pulled up, letting the wind carry him up to a nearby cloud. The refreshing mist felt cold against him as the cloud seemed to part just for him spreading his wings in the cool vapour. The sky was desolate of life but rather than feeling lonely it felt as though it belonged to Colerc and him alone. The moment seemed to last for an eternity, though not unwanted, before gravity started to pull him back down.

Colerc closed his eyes as he felt the chill of the nightly air follow his descent, unwilling to leave him on his lonesome. The air was his company. He opened his eyes and glided parallel to the canopy, birds fled as he flew, wind trailing wherever he went. He landed on a tree branch that bowed under his weight. Sap landed on his head, his eyes said 'took you long enough'.

637 words

Written (Sometime around 23-27/11/2021)-8/1/2022 

Greatly procrastinated 

Published 8/1/2022