Glacia and Guinevere exchanged an uncertain glance upon hearing the one-year-old hybrid’s emergence day goal.

“Flight comes more naturally to some dragon types than others,” the pale blue fairy dragoness softly stated, sitting down beside him. “For example, wind dragons can use their ability to create gales that they can easily glide on. However, their bodies are lightweight. When it comes to heavier winged types, like fire dragons, their flight is limited, even though their wings are fully functional.”

“Are you saying I’ll never be able to fly because I'm heavyweight…?” Gadalik asked quietly, and the pink glow of her wings faded to purple, then blue, and she averted her light yellow eyes without answering.

“N-No! Earth dragons can't swim, but you can. You put in the work, and you succeeded. There's no telling what you're capable of!” Glacia spoke up encouragingly. “But I know how much energy and precision it takes for you to stay afloat–and water is denser than air. All we're saying is that if you do learn to fly, it might be even harder than it is for you to swim. Is that something you're prepared to put yourself through?”

He considered it. “There's no harm in trying, right? It's not like there's a chance I'll drown in the air.”

“In that case, we'll be with you every step of the way. Right, Guinevere?”

She nodded, her blue wings slowly returning to their neutral pink.

He smiled slightly at the two. “Thanks for giving me a chance. I've tried on my own and failed, but this time I have someone who can teach me.”

“Like I said, flight is different for every type, so I'm not sure how effective my teachings will be for an earth dragon hybrid,” Guinevere admitted. “But, rest assured, I will show you everything I know.”

The next few days, the winged dragoness had started their lessons with her hypnotism ability, allowing Gadalik to get a physical feel of flight’s sensations. Each session added in new factors such as more of his weight, wind turbulence, and the difference his wings’ movements made.

After that, Guinevere moved their training to the real world to put what he had learned into practice. She brought him to one of the smaller boulders near the northern edge of the forest, and instructed him through various exercises so that he wouldn't strain himself. “I want you to start by gliding."

Gadalik nodded, staring down with determination. He spread his small wings and leapt, trying to match the feeling to that of the scenes he had experienced through her hypnotism. His dark green paws launched him far from his natural strength alone, but his wings didn't catch air, and he landed a bit awkwardly.

Guinevere supervised his attempt. “Remember to align your wings and body with the wind, and don't be afraid to adjust their angles if the wind changes.”

He tried again.

And again.

And again.

Each time, the young green dragon pushed harder and leapt farther, but that's all he was doing: leaping.

“Focus less on your paws, and more on your wings,” she tried to correct him.

At this point he was growing too frustrated to listen. He was wearing himself out, and when he tried to climb back up the rock, he was too exhausted to make it to the top.

“That's enough for the day,” she decided. “I shall take you back to your den.”

Gadalik opened his mouth to protest, but sighed instead, and reluctantly followed her to his home where Glacia had been waiting for him with the food she had hunted while they were out. The water dragoness offered prey to Guinevere, who politely declined it before taking flight to her tree hollow.

The following days weren't much better, except Gadalik took her advice to focus less on jumping and more on keeping his wings at the right angles. Although his instincts told him to fly, it was like they were missing the part that made flying natural. He had to remain completely aware of the wind's direction, too, which was harder to catch and less predictable than the slow waves of the lake.

Guinevere stayed with him patiently each time, but she was running out of advice to give him.

It eventually reached the point where his form was perfect but he still landed much too soon instead of gliding. He looked back at the fairy dragoness, seeing her wings were that sorrowful blue again. She knows this isn't going to work…doesn't she…? he figured, and the hope he had been clinging to was starting to fade.

“It's getting late,” the fairy type murmured, and when he finally agreed, she began leading the way back to his den. Once there, she made sure he went in safely before turning her back to leave.

“Wait,” he stopped her. To his surprise, she did, giving him her full attention. “You've been working hard, too. If it's easier on you, you can stay in the den with us, so you don't have to keep going back and forth…”

Her wings flashed yellow, then orange. “Would Glacia allow me to…?”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Would I allow you to do what?” the light blue water dragoness yawned as she stepped out to greet them, stretching the purple-and-teal fins on her back.

“Stay with us,” Gadalik answered for her when her glow darkened to purple. "At least until our training is over."

“Oh? I mean… There isn't really room–”

“Then I'll make room," he shrugged, going in to do just that.

When he finally finished, his adoptive mother was still iffy about sharing her space, but ultimately said nothing about it after she went in with him. "Woah, you outdid yourself this time, big guy!"

Gadalik felt warmed by the praise. Guinevere hesitated, standing stoically in the flowering grass, but her wing color was alternating between green and purple.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” Glacia called to her.

The furred dragon’s wings flashed yellow, then orange as she entered the now-spacious den and instantly lied down.

As they ate, Gadalik noticed her watching them with her antennae slightly raised and her wings a subtle mixture of orange and purple. He could tell she was happy to be there, but also cautious, as if expecting Glacia to chase her out when least expected. When the finned dragoness plopped herself down and began snoring faintly, the purple of Guinevere’s wings slowly eased back into orange, and she visibly relaxed, resting her head on the ground and shutting her eyes.

The fairy dragoness had napped in her tree hollow while Gadalik had sheltered there from last season’s blizzards, and back then, she had appeared to be alert and disturbed by every little sound, in a sort of doze while they had waited out the storm.

This time, she allowed herself to rest fully. Gadalik could tell from her change in breathing and from how deadly-still her body was besides it that she had had too many sleepless nights, and it finally caught up to her.

The seer-earth dragon hybrid also settled down, but froze when he heard a voice in the distance. He looked at the adults with him in hopes that they'd know what to do, but Glacia was naturally a heavy sleeper, and Guinevere had completely passed out.

The voice sounded again–a female’s higher-pitched laughter. He could tell it was hushed, so he assumed whoever it was didn't intend to draw attention to herself. That's a good thing… That means she isn't a threat. Still, curiosity got the better of him, and he quietly slipped out of the den to inspect it.

It came from the northern edge of the forest where he had practiced his gliding just hours ago. He crouched in the grass, hoping his green body would camouflage when he spotted a white juvenile wind dragoness with light purple stripes running up the rock and over its ledge, giggling as she twirled and spun effortlessly in the air with her eyes closed. She landed lightly right in front of him, a pulse of air created from the collision of her paws with the ground. The tips of her wings then folded up from the backs of her forelimbs.

Her hot-pink eyes opened and caught sight of his immediately while he stared to gauge her intentions. “What?” she pouted. “You were on it for da-a-ays. It's only fair that I get a turn, too!”

“Huh?” Gadalik was completely confused and scrambled to his feet. He was barely taller than her if you didn't count the single horn between her eye ridges at the back of her head; they must be close in age. “How did you know that? Were you watching me?”

“Well, yeah,” she casually admitted.

Guinevere didn't detect her? “Why? How?”

“Because I saw you keep jumping off the boulder,” she answered impatiently. “It was so distracting! At first I was like…what is he doing? But then I was like…that does look kinda fun. So-o-o…I wanted to try it, too.”

He blinked, then caught on to the impression she was under. “N-No, I wasn't playing on it… I was training.”

“Training?” She slowly moved closer, her eyes shining with interest as the spade-shaped tip of her tail swayed behind her. “For what?”

“To…fly,” he answered, too nervous by how near she was to think of a cover story.

“Pffft! Earth dragons can't fly, silly,” she laughed genuinely, then back-flipped away from him, flapping her wings just once to bounce wind off the ground and up to keep her suspended in the air.

He gaped, both indignant from her words yet captivated by her actions; she was levitating, carried by the gale she’d stirred up from that single, simple motion. Gadalik shook his head. “I'm not a full earth dragon… I'm a seer hybrid. Maybe it's different for me.”

She let herself float down when the air petered out, her pink eyes widened slightly at the realization that he was serious. “Want to find out?”

“Find out…what?” he dared himself to ask. The way she had suddenly gone from carefree to truly concerned really baffled him.

“If you can fly,” she huffed, as if somewhat annoyed that she had to spell it out for him. Without awaiting his answer, she headed back for the rock. “Come on–I'll help.”

What on earth is happening? Is this some senseless dream? Gadalik wondered, but he found himself following her anyway. She sat under the ledge and gestured with her arm for him to go on top of it, the motion bringing her purple-striped wing up since the folded tips of them extended from her wrist.

“Read-y-y-y?” she sang when he had gotten in position, and he tensed. “Jump!”

He did, his short wings spread the way he'd been taught. His new friend sent a strong gust up against him, forcing his wings to catch the wind. For the first time, he had achieved the same sensations from his hypnotism sessions. But instead of lifting him, his wings almost instantly buckled backward under the stress of his weight and he was falling.

She squeaked and rolled out of the way as his body audibly smacked the ground in spite of her wind. “Oh no–are you okay?!”

It hurt. He felt his eyes water from the pain, but also from the confirmation that she was right: flight was impossible for him.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” she panicked, looking around wildly. “Where are your friends? I'll get them to help–”

“I'm fine,” Gadalik interrupted her quietly. He forced himself to sit up.

The young wyvern closed her mouth but was still breathing fast as her pink eyes studied him. Then she took a breath and sighed. “If you say so.”

“Just who are you…?” he finally asked.

“Hm? Oh! I'm Gretel. I’m new here.”

“Here…to the forest?”

“No-o, just…here. To this whole land.”

He opened his mouth to ask more, but wasn't sure what to say.

She caught on that he was still confused. “I travel,” she clarified.

“...Alone?” Gadalik was shocked.

“Duh.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

Are wind dragons solitary types…? he wondered. Then he realized she was staring at him expectantly. “Uh…can I help you…?”

The wyvern snorted, as if offended by how clueless he was. “You haven't told me your name.”

“...Oh.”

“Well?” Gretel prompted. “What is it?”

“I'm…Gadalik.”

She grinned. “Nice to meet you! I'm gonna go to sleep, now, but I'll come back to play tomorrow! Okay?”

“Oh--uh… Okay…” the hybrid stammered. Then her words registered. “Wait–what? Play? Tomorrow? But I… You… We–”

“Bye-e-e!” she sang as she took to the sky without a second glance back.

He stared after her, dumbfounded, until she vanished into the night.