The eyes on him do not inspire nervousness, rather they make him bold and surer than he was before. Nasreen's open appreciation of his frame was misunderstood for the practicalities of flight, and he turned and smiled at her winsomely as his wings dropped, knees bending to absorb the shock of reconnecting with the earth. She was everything of Quilyan that he appreciated, and at times it hurt to gaze upon her beautiful caricature, as it made him ever more aware of the fact that his brother was lost to him. Disappeared once more. Kaj made a mental note to pull Nasreen aside later, to ensure she was okay. He felt like a failure for not thinking to do so sooner, too involved in his own jobs, his own grief over losing one of the few people he could shamelessly confess to. But that would have to be later, as Ilios needed their full attention.

He was eager, perhaps overly bold and reckless with how he wordlessly declared his stance on Kaj's warning with a harsh snort. Kaj leveled a stare at the boy, mildly patronizing, and far too paternal for his own good. The boy's father may not be present, but that did not give the king the right to step in, no matter how his heart yearned for the possibility. "Do not be so flippant about the matter, Ilios." It was stern, but not in a severe, uncaring way. Fear was a normal, healthy emotion. Young foals often thought themselves invincible, and Kaj would not see Ilios breaking his legs because of his foolhardy desire to be fearless.

Nasreen chimed in softly, and Kaj turned his mighty head to smile upon her words, knowing well why she was warning Ilios against looking down. It was a sensation that disappeared with time, but looking down at such a low altitude was disturbing even for Kaj. It was far easier when he was higher in the skies, and why patrols were such a simple process for most pegasi. Not that there weren't disadvantages, but Ilios would not have to learn those for quite some time, when he was old enough to be assigned to a mentor and he would experience the tasks firsthand.

Together with Nasreen, Kaj watched as Ilios prepared himself, exploding off the hillside and catching the wind with ease. Kaj could not help but to beam proudly, though he knew it was a dangerous emotion to partake in. He was magnificent, no matter how awkward and fumbling his movements, and Kaj wanted to bellow out like he would have in his homeland. A cry that shook the mountains, that all the elders participated in, when such a passage was completed. He felt odd and empty without it, but his grin could not falter. Ilios landed and whinnied to the skies, and Kaj answered with his own call, forelegs lifting off the ground and wings flaring wide. He cast himself up and out, wings catching and rippling as he coasted easily down to the young flyer, grin as bright as the sun.

"Magnificent!" he cried as he landed gracefully, jogging up to Ilios and reaching a wing to nudge at him in delight, unable to contain his excitement. "You did very well, Ilios," he assured, a little more contained despite the light that flickered in his eyes. It was not an experience he would soon forget, teaching the colt to fly. Perhaps someday he could do the same for his own foal. Ilios had given him a great gift.

@[Nasreen]