The child does not know much, but that is why he is a child. Kaj laments the circumstances that kept him from Aeolus, the seasons that went by where he could not help the colt to learn and grow. A new, bitter note of hatred for Note festers in his heart. What man would ever give up a family this beautiful? What kind of lowly being could gaze upon their love and their shy smiles and decide to leave instead of staying to cherish them every moment he had? Kaj's heart aches with want, directionless - or so he says to himself. There is nothing he can do about the past, about the absence of Aeolus' father. What he can do in that moment...those possibilities are far more endless, and so as the gilded boy speaks, Kaj smiles kindly and realizes that lengthy metaphors are unbefitting one his age. He will remedy that.

"Because they have mothers and fathers to teach them how, young one. Your mother has no wings, she does not understand, and so you have not had the proper introduction to flight." He dares not mention Note, afraid that it will set some sort of emotional response off in Aeolus. Kaj did not want him to linger on such dark thoughts, not on a day where he could finally teach the youth the wonders and gifts of his species. No, today was a day for excitement and tutelage.

Except...Aeolus' face falls, and Kaj does in turn, moving forward and gently dipping his muzzle towards the boy's in a motion of solidarity and familial comfort. "It is not the job of the child to bear the grief of the parent," he murmured, eyes sad as they gazed down at this poor colt, lost and fatherless and suffering from it. "Your mother knows that, as almost all parents do. She doesn't want to worry you, I presume. It is a brave, terrible thing, to keep something locked inside so as not to burden others." Would Brisa disapprove of his assumptions? Would she even approve of him teaching Aeolus how to fly, or would she find it as some sort of failure on her part once more? He wished she'd stop antagonizing herself, but his words never seemed to make much of a difference.

Though the idea that he made Brisa happy...it did not correlate with that train of thought. Did he? "I am glad that your mother finds joy in my company. Perhaps I can help the both of you, in what little ways I can." Pondering on that matter, Kaj vowed to himself that he would search out Brisa, and soon. They had much to speak about, it seemed. For now, at least, Kaj had Aeolus to focus on. And the errant, naive things that popped almost sordidly from his mouth. Were Kaj capable of blushing visually, his face would be quite reminiscent of the evening sun. Even still, his ears were hot with the idea that exploded rather inappropriately inside his head. Such assumptions should not formulate inside his thoughts!

"Foals..." Kaj coughed uncomfortably, wondering if this was his place to say. Gods, how could he be placed in the shoes of the father without foals of his own to draw experience from? "Aeolus, foals are born out of love. You cannot simply find a sibling for your mother, they must be born from her. If she finds a stallion that she loves and who loves her in return, then perhaps you may have another sibling in time. But you cannot rush such things, I'm afraid," he consoled, aware that Aeolus was hopeful - clearly - for the event to come to pass.

Luckily, the colt's thoughts were as shifty as the summer winds, and Kaj breathed a sigh of relief to move away from the matter. Gods, please don't make me explain the birds and the bees. "Well then what are we waiting for?" he asked gleefully, eyes twinkling with mirth. "Let's get you flying!" Head cocked to the side, asking Aeolus to follow him and setting off at a steady jog, wings held loose and comfortable at his sides.

"Until you build up muscle in your shoulders, you will need elevation to get off the ground at first. So, we need a hill." Muzzle pointed towards one in the distance, near one of their waterfalls. It would be suitable for their purposes, and Kaj thanked the fact that the snow was thick to land in but the winds still and relatively calm for a first flight. Truly perfect conditions for a fledgling. Kaj led Aeolus purposefully up the incline, to the summit where he gazed down towards the unmarked snow on the other side. Perfect.

"Now, there are three important things you need to know for the base of your flight knowledge. Lift, thrust, and glide." Massive wings draped in pale sunlight rose from his sides, spreading and shaking out in preparation for the demonstrations. "Lift is when you leave the earth, and is best achieved at a run with a nice jump at the end. It is followed immediately by the second, thrust, which is when you push your wings down hard after they fill with air. That is what pushes you into the sky." The Aurelight turned, shaking out his shoulders a little before charging through the snow, wings snaking out horizontally to fill with the current of air around them, and once satisfied he kicked off the ground with the coiled burst of his hindquarters and simultaneously pumped his wings until the tips grazed each other beneath his hooves. Banking early he returned promptly to the earth, trotting back towards Aeolus with a smile.

"You will be doing that maneuver off this hill. And then we reach the third part, glide. This is when your wings are still and horizontal, keeping you aloft without moving any higher or lower, letting the winds carry you." His appendages rose to demonstrate, perfectly even at his sides. With a warm, almost excited smile, Kaj could not help but remember Ilios' first attempts. And his own, of course, childish and embarrassing though they had been at the time. Nobody like to crash and burn, but it took time and diligence.

"After your initial thrust when you jump off the hill, try and glide. You're not going to get it down perfectly on the first try," Kaj made sure to point out, eyes calm and patient. "Nobody does. And you're going to be sore and bruised when you land funny, but the snow will break your fall. Now, let me show you how it looks when put together, and how I want you to do it during your practice." Turning to face the decline, he gave a few quick perfunctory strides and kicked off, thrusting his wings hard and then leveling out, gliding down and landing amid the snow. Hardly a far drop, all things considered, but there were sure to be a few tumbles.

Turning to glance back up the hill he smiled, wingtips curling with pleasure and excitement. "Come on! You can do it!"

OOC here