Wings of Fire: Nighthawk

Chapter 2: Learning to Fly

It had been a week. He figured out how to properly walk with four legs. His wound had healed tremendously and he sat up, sipping some coconut milk. He considered Aloe a friend now, as she helped him with everything so far. "Hm..thank you, Aloe." He said. "What are we working on today?"
"Flying. You need to learn. It's not hard once you get it. Come on big guy." She stood up and pat his shoulder as she walked out, which got a small snort from the Nightwing. He got up and followed her outside.
"Alright, I'm sure that I am ready." He walked with her. "These wings feel so clunky and heavy." He fluttered and stretched them out. "I'm surprised you can maneuver so well with them."
"My wings are different, lighter. Meant for long flights across the desert. I've also got a more agile frame." Aloe commented as she brushed her wing against his lightly. "But you will be fine."
"..Right." He responded. They walked out to an oasis and he reached his head down to take a few sips of water. It was hot out but he was getting used to the dry heat of the desert. "We doing it here?"
"Yes." She said as she spread her wings. "Follow my lead." Then she flapped them a few times to get some air underneath her. She lifted off and flapped continuously to hover. "You got that?"
"I think so." He followed her demonstration, spreading his wings and flapping. However, when he got into the air he lost balance and tumbled down into the sand. "..Ow.." he said, shaking some sand off himself. The wound on his stomach didn't help either. It was still sore and tender. "Bah."
"It's okay. You're trying, you can do it. Get up and try again." Aloe said with a hint of hopefulness. She led down and stood beside. She bent down and helped him up, smiling. Then she stood back and watched as he tried to take off again. "Just take it slow and steady. You got this."
"Noted." He said blankly as he tried again, spreading his wings and flapping them up and down. Soon he was aloft, and he took a deep breath as he tried to focus on hovering. "Alright..not bad." He chuckled a tiny bit. He tried to get a little more air while staying steady. "There we go.." He looked down and saw Aloe was slowly getting farther away, but she had a proud smile on her face. He slowed his flapping to lower himself little by little until he was back down. "That wasn't too bad."
"Yeah! Great job." She smiled and pat his shoulder. "You're a fast learner." she beamed at him. "Do you want to keep going?"
"Yeah why not?" He shrugged and spread his wings, lifting back into the sky. "Why don't you show me how to move around?" He suggested with a little grin. "Got a feeling that may be vital."
"Of course." She lifted up into the air before getting to the same height. "Gonna show you how to glide down to the surface and land. Got it? Watch me." She angled her wings downwards before stabilizing. She glided down towards the sand, it was swift but she landed gracefully in the dunes. "Not to hard for you I hope."
"Nope." He copied her movements. Gliding down and landing beside her, but not nearly as grand. He slid and crashed into the dunes, grunting. Then he lifted his head and spat out some sand. "Bleh..moons." he snorted.
"Let's try that again." The two spent the rest of the afternoon practicing flying, Aloe teaching him the basics and fundamentals of it. By sundown, he was able to fly home somewhat. His landing still needed work, other than that he got the hang of it. His wings tucked close. "That wasn't too terrible." He said.
"Good job. Let's get something to eat, and then some rest. You must be hungry after all that."
"A tad." He walked inside towards her little cooking area. "Gonna cook a little meat." He said. He still preferred his meat cooked, having most of his human mindset. He got used to being around dragons, less fearful of getting captured and eaten like most humans did. "It's so quiet out at night here." He said. "I like it. Much different from my old home."
"What was it like there?"
"It was always.. noisy, everywhere. People fighting, doing who knows what, talking. Occasional dragons flying overhead. That always stirred up a panic. We had to hide in our homes until they went away." He let out a small chuckle. "Dove always admired them, never feared them. Of course..until they got a hold of her.."
"Oh..right.." Aloe sighed a little. "You really miss them don't you. I'm sorry, I wish there was more I could do.." she walked over and placed her talon on his. This caused the dragon to flinch a little, pulling his talon back.
"It's.. there's nothing we can do.. they're gone.." His wings went down, as well as his ears, and his eyes started to water but he held back his tears. He didn't cry, he wasn't the type to cry. He just bit his tongue a little as he took a deep breath. "Gah.."
"Nighthawk.." Aloe said, trying to comfort him with a small wing hug. "I'm gonna be here for you, I promise." She said with a small smile.
"How do I repay you for all you've down for me.?" He asked, leaning against her warmth a tiny bit. He shivered and went quiet. "What do I owe you?"
"I don't want anything, yet. Maybe. You needed help, and I wanted to help you. Here we are, you know? It's what I do."
"Right.." He said with a small sigh. He took some meat and lit a small fire, roasting it slowly on a spit. He just looked down at the ground, unsure and insecure of what to do now. "I'll..think of something for you. Okay?" He continued to cook, eventually finishing it up.
"Of course. I'm going to bed. Goodnight." Aloe walked past him and brushed her wing on his one finally time before heading to her bed to get some sleep. The Nightwing are his meal, then he glanced outside before going over to the bed he was given. He led down and tried to get some rest.