Having wings doesn't necessarily mean I have an instinctive ability to fly, no more than having my paw glow one morning mean I am an automatic master of magic. There's a lot to learn about basic flying.

First, there are many ways to fly, even using magic...the approach to simply "get me off the ground" isn't simply cut and dry. Let's look at my flight group that day...

First, there's the "bioarticulate" wing approach. These are wings with a skeleton, like bird or dragon wings. Faolan has those...there's a structure and a strength, and these wings are made for soaring, distance, and speed.

Next, there's the "materodynamic" wing approach. Faerie wings use this, much like insects do. While the wings don't have a skeleton, they have intricate musculature and robust and efficient tissues. It's how an anthro-scale fae can fly...the wings are just highly aerodynamically efficient because they can change shape enough. Mommy said that some fae work for some big aerospace firms as engineers. Fae wings are extremely agile and maneuverable.

Now just because one wing type is better in certain regards doesn't restrict them. With training in maneuvering and strength, articulated wings can be highly agile and materodynamic wings can be fast and speedy over distance.

Another one is simply "arcanophysical." Terry has a ring that's kind of like the one from the Green Lantern comics. Maybe there's some carry-over between the world I left and the one I'm in now, but he can use it to fly. As long as the ring is in contact with him, it interacts with him and he can use it. Mommy says it may be a "focus," like a wand or her staff, but she also says there's other kinds of ways of manipulating the world.

Anyway, fluttering out of my crib doesn't give me mastery of my wings. Simply having the spell "wings of the faerie-kin," or being fae-touched, isn't enough. No kidding.

So, Aidanna casts her own spell, summons her wings...beautiful ones, and she flutters off the balcony outside my room and into a hover. Terry's there, he floats up from the ground, showing he can at least safely do it. Faolan's perched on the railing, balancing with his own wings. Mommy already has an ambient enchantment to prevent us all from severe injury.

And I'm grabbing the railing for dear life. If I was my full size I could probably hit and roll on the ground. But now...well, just like with needles in the doctor's office, everything seems scaled up.

But mommy is there to catch me, and I have friends there too. So I flutter my wings, and as I feel myself get lighter, I let go...and I can fly!

And then...well, I learn how maneuverable fae wings can be as I start rolling over, and end up turning upside down.

At that point I learn two things...one, that even scared, I at least had enough control to keep flying, so as petrified as I was, I at least kept from dropping to the ground and activating one of mommy's enchantments.

Two, did you know that Happytails gained the contract with this world's space program because it not only handled wetting, but messing at any angle?

After a diaper change and some help I did better the second time, and started to get the hang of it!

***

With me are  faolan_wolf-wings and  emeritus_terciel.