Some young mages have familiars like dragons or gryphons, ones that are large enough to ride. Some adore their familiars a great deal but still struggle to imagine flying on one, so this is where I step in, as a gentle tutor to the nervous passenger.

I can recall my own mage’s first flight. We were both much younger, and I much smaller, and he far less brave. My small wings could barely lift him across the treetops and we crash-landed into a barn just outside of town, and our efforts were halted for a few more months until I had grown some more. Even then we were both anxious and clumsy, but I look back on those memories fondly.

These two still have a long way to go, of course, but I shall be extra careful with this young one. We’ve not even stood up and he’s already panicking. Perhaps we shall leave it here for now.