(T) Learning to Fly

Kira was continuing his training since the day was still young, and the weather was pleasant too. There was a small cliff overlooking a sizable pond in Shiroi Monastery that served one purpose - training to fly. Kira had no success so far, it was something that felt quite awkward to him. It was difficult to maintain the chakra required to do so and at the same time utilize the aerodynamics and 'chakra muscles' that are used to make the wings push air away.

He had begun making his way over to the training area. He had a lot on his mind today. His training was progressing steadily, but he was worried about his father. It was quite unusual for a Torikami to be gone for more than a few days on a mission, and he couldn't help but be curious - curiosity which was leading him to worry about the possibilities. Every moment in the field is a life risking endeavor.

Kira's shoes kicked down the loose gravel as he walked up the dirt path to the top of the cliff, having just passed the green water of the pond. He was eventually standing over the edge of a cliff overlooking the pond. This was where he would be learning to fly. Kira knew that to fly he had to maintain a substantial chakra flow to his feather mane to create the wings. It was something only a few people in this world could do, and do to his blood this was a walk in the park to most with his gift. However, he hadn't mastered it yet - that is where training comes into play.

Kira brought his hands together, creating the hand seal of the bird. He closed his eyes, and began to concentrate on his feathers to try and direct chakra to them. It was slow at first, but it became gradually faster and faster as his focus improved. Eventually there was an open conduit between his feathers and his chakra, a conduit which he exploited to circulate the chakra from his feathers into his back.

This was supposed to draw the natural element of his feathers into his shoulderblades where the wings are formed. This was a bit easy to most Shiroi, but Kira had practiced flight very little until now and he wasn't very good at the basics yet. His reasoning for not practicing it is simple - he's flimsy and he worries about getting hurt should he not be able to fly properly.

It was a reasonable concern, but something that you can't justify when there is a training ground prepared for this very purpose. Regardless, he continued. There were far more dangerous things out there, he had better learn to fly to get the jump on them, or to get out of a situation that proves to be too difficult for him to handle.

The chakra conduit fed more and more of his chakra into his back. Soon, the tips of bright white chakra wings began to emerge from his back. Kira could only smile as he felt them emerge. They continued to get bigger and bigger until they stopped growing altogether. Kira opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder, then turned his head to look over his other shoulder. They were big, glowing white wings that were each substantially larger than his torso.

Kira focused on maintaining a trickle of chakra into them to keep them strong - if he stopped the flow altogether, he knew they would vanish. Facing forward, he began the process of getting accustomed to feeling his wings and getting used to the new limbs he could control. It was something of a surreal experience, like a part of you that you had never discovered before but had always been there, waiting for you to find it.

As he twitched and fidgeted with his wings, he began to move them deliberately a large amount, trying to get that characteristic flapping motion down. The wind seemed to be pushed away by them, the cool breeze he was creating washing over his skin. He continued these motions, trying to get comfortable with them. They would be important in the coming minutes.

He recalled how other Shiroi flew. They faced forward and blew the wind below them or behind them with their wings to sustain their flight. Kira took a step forward, beating his wings again to make sure he was familiar with them and making sure to maintain his chakra flow to the wings to keep them from giving out on him. He was ready for take off.

One step turned into two, then three. His foot steps tapped along the ground as he leaped off the cliff. To him, this was still ludicrous. He had to justify these actions. You only live once! He beat his wings, hard. Wind blew beneath him as he jumped, making him rise a little, but he could feel himself plummeting as he brought his wings back into position. By the time he was able to do his second wing beat, he was already just above the water. A moment later he crashed into the freezing depths, the shock of cold overwhelming his senses as he floundered in the water.

The wings were dragged behind him in the water as he swam towards shore, surprised at how could the water was. He maintained his chakra flow, it would be quick to get back up the cliff and try again. Kira hadn't anticipated the water being so cold. When he reached the shore, he jumped up and down to get his blood flowing, then he ran up the cliff, trailing wet footprints as he did.

Kira noticed his feathers were surprisingly dry, and he was thankful for this. What use would his wings be if they coul be waterlogged like clothes? That reminded him though, that he had forgotten to take his gi off. There was lacing down the back for putting it over the wings, but that didn't change the fact that it would be difficult to take it off with his wings out. He didn't want to waste the energy, even if he was dripping wet.

Not wanting to waste his chakra any longer, he sprinted once more, running toward the edge of the cliff wher he leaped off, beating his wings behind him as he did to get more momentum and height to his flight. This kept him going a bit more, and he exploited his momentum to beat down hard with his wings, forcing a subtantial amount of air beneath them to keep him propelled through the air.

Be brought his wings back up and pushed again. He was maintaining his height now. I'm doing it. I'm actually flying. Giddy excitement at his accomplishment overwhelmed him and broke his concentration, causing him to miss a beat. "No!" He yelled as he struggled to stay above the water, but he fell foot by foot into the cold water once more. I'll get better with practice..

Making his way to the shore, he was beginning to feel the exhaustion piling up in his body. He had never used this much chakra before, and it was pretty overwhelming for him. Regardless, he knew he should push onwards. He crawled onto shore and stood, the cold breeze assaulting him as he began to make his way up the path to the cliff precipice once more, beating his wings as he did to give him some momentum as he sprinted with a hop to his step.

He beat his wings a few times before he rushed forward and soared off the cliff one final time, beating downwards with his wings to keep him afloat in the air. It was easier now, he needed a lot less effort to exert more and more power. Power needed to keep him afloat. Every beat caused him to rise, and he found himself getting higher and higher into the air.

He didn't look down, he was worried he would get frightened, but he knew he was pretty high up now. He began to test maintaining altitude, and after a few moments of doing that he tried moving forward, practicing leaning and pushing the air in different directions. Forward, back, and to either side. It was pretty easy.

Perhaps something more dangerous, he tried for a swoop. He tucked his wings inwards and began to fall as he leaned forward, unfurling them just before he reached the water. The dive gave him a lot of momentum, and as his wings opened they caught the wind and carried him upwards sharply. He was starting to get the hang of this.

He was very absorbed in the moment, perhaps too absorbed to realize the mounting exhaustion that had been rising with every moment. It was becoming difficult to fly, and he was losing altitude again. He simply didn't have enough chakra and he was beginning to get tired. He decided he would try to land on land this time, so with his last reserves of chakra he pushed himself along through the air toward shore.

Descending, he hit the ground a little tough and dropped to one knee to dissipate the impact somewhat. With his mind, he broke the chakra flow into his wings and they dissipated just as he stood, tired from all the hard work. He looked up, a smart grin across his face. He was gazing up at the sky. I'll be unequal at flight someday. I'll fly high enough so that noone can catch me. And it'll be easy for me too. Satisfied with his personal reassurances, he began to make his way back to Shiroi Monastery to get a dry change of clothes, and maybe get some rest to replenish his chakra reserves.

1,500/1,500 Torikami Basic
+8 to Chakra Stat

The WC total is 1632, I'll start listing the total WC. Can I still get the 8 Chakra?