It’s almost hypnotic listening to the steadily growing buzz of your wings trying to lift you off the ground. Practice does make perfect. According to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule, I’ll need to put another 9,974 hours into trying to fly before I master it. Even this small amount of practice has greatly improved my ability.

Compared to yesterday when I could only flap my wings 1-2 times a second, I’ve reached at least a few dozen times per second now. Which still isn’t enough to lift me off the ground, but it certainly feels like I’m getting close to actually getting off the ground.

Learning how to fly as a bee has caused the opening line from that weird movie to constantly go through my mind. Something about how bees shouldn’t be able to fly because of the known laws of physics or whatever.

However, at the time that observation was made, they didn’t know how bees even flew. Rather than flapping their wings up and down, bees flap their wings front to back. This doesn’t make that much sense initially but I’m no physicist so I’m choosing to not put too much thought into it.

The smell of ginger flowers is extremely overpowering and I happened to be unlucky enough to land on one. It’s the only thing I’ve been able to smell for the past two hours. At first it was difficult to concentrate on flying while my sense of smell was being assaulted, but it turned out to be a hidden boon.

By focusing on the smell rather than my wings, I’ve been able to greatly increase my wing flapping speed in my short two hours of practice today. Without my mind micromanaging my wings’ movements, my body is able to get closer to doing what it’s supposed to be able to do.

Which is fly. Continuing my practice, I soon zone out. There’s something so peaceful about the forest in the early morning during spring. The insects are just starting to come out and so birds and other small creatures are starting to feed on them.

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In a way, it’s relaxing watching the cycle of life in action. Small insects feed off flowers’ nectar and then a gray and brown shrike comes sweeping down and gobbles them up. Poor beetle, it didn’t even see death coming.

Watching the small bird go here and there attacking small creatures with a passion and unmistakable skill is always impressive. I have no choice but to give it a name as a sign of respect to its deadliness. Gray Blur.

A fitting name since its dark color scheme hides it well in the canopy of the trees. Soon the shrike comes to a stop, perching on some type of thorny bush.

Glancing about lazily, Gray Blur, in their majesty, preens their feathers. It’s clear they consider nothing here a threat as shrikes are typically social birds and yet this one is all alone.

Once done, I soon find myself making eye contact with the bird. Once again, the fear of God fills my entire being.

My trance is broken and I find myself actually hovering! Before I can rejoice at my hard work paying off, Gray Blur takes off into the air zooming towards me.

I should’ve realized I’d be on the menu today. But now that I’ve figured out how to fly, it’s time to run away. Maneuvering away from the ginger flower, I’m unable to keep my movement while flying consistent.

Ramming into some of the taller grasses, I almost feel like a yoyo going up and down but without any sort of rhythm. I wouldn’t be surprised if my flying resembles what a drunk be would do.

No matter how hard I try though, I can never shake off Gray Blur. As if on a gentle stroll it toys with me. Barely missing me as it tries to impale my body, I go tumbling into the dirt. My landing despite the short height was much harsher than my previous falls. My wings feel like they might not be able to take another beating like that.

It’d be really unfortunate if they were to get ripped.

Still two thirds of my original distance from the hive, I’ll never be able to make it with the shrike on my tail. Swooping around, the shrike starts making a dive towards me. I lift myself off the ground and fly straight ahead underneath the foliage of a vine on the nearest tree.

When outmatched by your opponent, hide and wait for an opportunity to run away.

Trembling in fear, I’ve never held so much hatred towards my glowing body.