The Rowan (Winged Shance)

Chapter Two

"Are you sure about this?" Lance asked sweating heavily. He looked over the tall cliff, down at the barely visible ground beneath them. They had dragged Lance out of the Castle and found the highest point on the planet. He looked distrustfully back at his friends and hunched his shoulders slightly. He imagined they were just going to toss him off the cliff and decide that was that.

"First, let's see your wingspan," Shiro said stepping closer behind Lance. With a sigh, he obeyed and spread his wings out as far as he could. There were some gasps from the others when they saw the newly groomed feathers in the sunlight. At this everyone spread out their wings. Hunk had the largest wings, followed by Shiro, and now Lance, Keith, than Pidge. Keith sent a pout Lance's way, making him laugh and give him a wide grin.

"Are you sore anywhere?" Shiro asked smoothing his hands down the tops of his first set of wings. He blushed and looked over the tops of them to watch the leader. Shiro glanced up and raised a brow waiting for an answer. He cleared his throat and looked over the horizon.

"No, they feel pretty good just being out again," he admitted flexing them slightly. Shiro hummed and kept grooming the wings absentmindedly.

"How was your flying before you stopped?" He asked this time. Lance's feathers immediately puffed up in pride and he put his hands on his hips.

"Best flyer out of everyone in my family," he said proudly with a grin, "and some of them went on to become aerial performers," he bragged. Shiro looked back at Hunk, Keith, and Pidge with a little smile and gestured to his back and then the cliff. He got nods and thumbs up in response and he turned back to Lance. He clapped a hand down on his shoulder grabbing Lance's attention.

"Well, it seems like you'll be fine," he said with a smile. Lance raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked behind himself to see the other three standing trying to look innocent.

"What do you me-ACK!" he started only to be cut off by Shiro grabbing him by the waist in the crook of his arm and jumping off the side of the cliff. With a cheer Hunk, Keith, and Pidge dove off the side of the cliff after them. Lance clawed at Shiro's arm with a scream and felt tears falling from his eyes as the wind rushed passed them.

"I'm going to let you go now," Shiro yelled calmly over the sound of air. Lance shook his head frantically and dug his fingernails into Shiro's arm.

"SHIRO I SWEAR TO GOD!" He screamed. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU IF YOU LET GO, I WASN'T READY!" With a deadpanned face, Shiro took his arm away from the blue paladin.

"Oops, she wasn't ready," he muttered snapping his wings open and leaving Lance to flail through the air.

"SHIRO YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" He shrieked. He looked down at the ground ignoring the tears that were flowing up his cheeks into his ears. He closed his eyes and tried to remember before he left home and was immediately greeted with memories of his family and flying with them. He peeked his eyes open and looked to the side, seeing his friends diving alongside him. It was time that he flew with his new family. He didn't have anything to fear anymore, they were his family and he could trust them. He opened his wings open wide, the air immediately caught on them and his fall came to a stop leaving the other paladins to shoot past him. He laughed and flapped his wings to climb higher up.

"Lance you did it!" Pidge said happily as she flew up to meet him. Lance gave her a little pout and crossed his arms.

"You doubted me?" He asked. Pidge rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm. He yelped and pretended to fall again, gaining a startled yelp from her. She fell after him with her arms open as if to catch him. He grinned and shot up again, grabbing her in his arms and falling to Hunk, Keith, and Shiro. When they got there, she batted his arms away from him and clawed her way out of his arms.