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Description
Note: This comes after Keilidh's Surprise, but there is at least one other intermediate scene not released yet.

Story so far:
Keilidh's Surprise [link]
Keilidh Learns to Fly (this deviation)

I sent out my first message on the tablet in the cool predawn hours. With the faint breeze on my fur, I walked to the top of a nearby hill. Gazing eastward at the majesty of the rising sun, I felt immensely grateful for the opportunity to exist in fursona form. As I sat there, I watched the deep violet predawn sky gave rise to the brilliant azure of a cold, clear morning. Reflecting upon my situation, I knew I had much to learn about my capabilities and origin. I also greatly hoped that the tablet would enable me to contact my friends, should they be within range of a similar device. As it was voice controlled, I knew that the designers must have had paws in mind when creating its interface. When the sun had fully risen, I trekked downhill to the tablet.

“Friends.” The tablet’s initial interface screen gave way to the only listed function which I had tested so far. Its many options included “Capabilities” and “Map”, topics that I planned to explore later. Viewing the communication interface, I saw that one voice to text conversation had been started. My words from earlier today appeared next to the predawn time when I had said them. Hours later, no reply had appeared. Undaunted, I decided I would spend time exploring the features of the remarkable tablet.

“Map.” The conversation screen faded away as the map interface appeared. The wide array of features included a digital compass, GPS readout, and vibrantly detailed map focused on my current location. I could see the clearing, the brook, and the hill I had climbed earlier. Beyond these locations, a deciduous forest covered the land. I was becoming more confident in my ability to control the tablet, so I attempted another voice command. “Zoom out.” The map responded immediately, and I began to see the context of my location in the forest and surrounding countryside. “Zoom out more.” The map began to reveal more and more of the landscape until at last the coastline was visible. The map continued to expand the available view until at last I could make out the familiar shape of the United Kingdom. This welcome realization provided me with a sense of security as well as a time zone explanation for why no one had replied yet. I proceeded to spend the next few hours exploring the map through commands such as “zoom in” and “move north”, until at last I had become familiar with my present location.

“Friends.” Having finished my exploration of the Map features, I returned to the conversation window. To my delight, I saw that my open conversation started earlier had received a reply.

“Keilidh, is- is- is it really you? It’s, um, me, Ophelia.” The words appeared next to Ophelia’s name and the time, which was just a few minutes ago. I recognized that she was also using voice to text, so I selected the same option for my reply.

“Yes, Ophelia, this is me, Keilidh. Are you okay?” I waited no longer than a minute before finding her reply.

“I’m just fine! This tablet is w- w- wonderful. Since we both have them, I would expect the others to have them, too. H- H- Have you heard from anyone else?” Ophelia asked.

“Not so far, I’ve just been exploring this tablet to pass the time. The navigation system is seriously epic, have you tried it yet?” I replied.

We entered a discussion of the map system and compared strategies for exploring its many features. Ophelia informed me that she had found how to get directions for exploring various locations in her vicinity. We found out that while we were in the same country, we were quite a long distance away from each other. Suddenly, an unexpected reply appeared on my screen. Next to the name Ronnie, I found the words “Keilio, Cupu! How are you?” along with the time. My spirits rose, for I had just made contact with yet another friend. The option to make a group conversation also appeared, and I selected it. I also noticed the ability to use audio in the conversation, and I chose that option as well.

“I’m fine, Ronnie, just beginning to adjust to being in fursona form,” I replied.

“Everything’s fine with the two of us, but we were w- w- wondering about you,” Ophelia added.

“Well, you need to know first that I evidently have a severe case of Ronitis, fursona type. But, you know, it’s actually going to be pretty useful; at least according to what the capabilities interface on this tablet has to say.”

“So you’ve tried using the capabilities interface? We h- h- haven’t tried that yet- so, um, what does it do?” asked Ophelia.

“I don’t know quite what it would say for Cupu or Keilio powers, because it looks to be customized for each of us. But for me, it had all sorts of epic info about Twi feathers and how I could, well, use them. Through a Twi feather, Silky's DNA allows us to acquire the ability of flight.” Ronnie replied.

“That’s just fantastic! If you can use Twi feathers, I bet I could, too. The only problem is that we would need to actually find some. Do you know anything about how we could find some Twi feathers?” I asked.

“Well, sort of. It gave me the GPS coordinates of a nearby Twi feather left for me to use. I’m not sure how to find it, though. So far I’ve only tried the capabilities and communication functions. So, Cupu, Keilio, have either of you tried out the navigation feature?” Ronnie asked. Ophelia proceeded to explain its many intricate features, including the pathfinder and directions capabilities. When Ronnie realized that she could get directions to the Twi feather using the tablet, she told us of her plans to find and use it. Responding to my curiosity, she explained that touching a Twi feather activated the necessary DNA sequences that gave one the capability to morph wings. While Ronnie was out searching for the Twi feather, I explored the capabilities interface on my tablet and learned even more. My attention returned to the friends interface upon Ronnie’s return to the conversation.

“Hey you guys, guess what? I CAN FLYYY!” Ronnie triumphantly informed us.

“C- C- Congratulations! That’s w- wonderful to hear. I’m, um, glad that the Twi feather worked out for you,” Ophelia said.

“Ronnie, come on, you’ve got to tell me how. As soon as I find my Twi feather, I could use a tutorial from you.” I said. Ronnie agreed, and I left in search of my own Twi feather. I found the feather tied in a cord resting upon a large rock by the brook, a distance downstream from where I had started. I touched the feather gingerly, uncertain of what would take place next. Suddenly, my body rearranged its mass, shifting and growing two wings. I slid the cord holding the Twi feather around my neck and walked back to the tablet. I decided to bypass the instructions in the capabilities interface for a tutorial from Ronnie.

“You've gotta have a little bit of confidence to do it, or you just end up flopping around like a fish. I tried running and jumping the first time, but I wasn't thinking about it, so when I tried lifting off I kinda, uh, flailed around,” Ronnie said.

“How did you manage to pull it off?” I asked.

“You just have to believe in yourself. I thought of the times I had doubted my abilities before and fallen short of my potential. I figured that flying might be kind of the same thing. My art was always better when I reminded myself that I was capable of drawing any scene I cared to,” Ronnie replied.

“Wow, thanks a lot. What else would you add?” I asked.

“Well, it helps if you start by running downhill. From there, you just need to move your wings with all your strength and press down hard against the ground to lift off. I know you can do it, Keilidh. I believe in you,” Ronnie said.

With those words of encouragement, I began my attempt. I first tested my coordination by moving my wings while standing in place. I walked to the top of the hill I had used to watch the sunrise, studying the downward slope of the hill with intense curiosity. I started a distance away from the beginning of the slope and began to charge forward. A tailwind quickly picked up and provided support to my endeavor. As I ran down the slope, I pressed my paws hard against the earth and began to power my wings with great effort. Slowly, the distance between myself and the ground began to increase. The sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind and of the brook below provided a wordless anthem to my newfound freedom. Looking down at the meadow beneath, I knew then and forever that I could fly free.

Artwork and story (C) ~foxstory 2011. Keilidh (C) =Keimagine 2011. Ronnie (C) *AppleMutt 2011. Ophelia (C) *Winterhound 2011. Silky (C) *PirateGirl-Tetra 2011.

Description
Note: This comes after Keilidh's Surprise, but there is at least one other intermediate scene not released yet.

Story so far:
Keilidh's Surprise [link]
Keilidh Learns to Fly (this deviation)

I sent out my first message on the tablet in the cool predawn hours. With the faint breeze on my fur, I walked to the top of a nearby hill. Gazing eastward at the majesty of the rising sun, I felt immensely grateful for the opportunity to exist in fursona form. As I sat there, I watched the deep violet predawn sky gave rise to the brilliant azure of a cold, clear morning. Reflecting upon my situation, I knew I had much to learn about my capabilities and origin. I also greatly hoped that the tablet would enable me to contact my friends, should they be within range of a similar device. As it was voice controlled, I knew that the designers must have had paws in mind when creating its interface. When the sun had fully risen, I trekked downhill to the tablet.

“Friends.” The tablet’s initial interface screen gave way to the only listed function which I had tested so far. Its many options included “Capabilities” and “Map”, topics that I planned to explore later. Viewing the communication interface, I saw that one voice to text conversation had been started. My words from earlier today appeared next to the predawn time when I had said them. Hours later, no reply had appeared. Undaunted, I decided I would spend time exploring the features of the remarkable tablet.

“Map.” The conversation screen faded away as the map interface appeared. The wide array of features included a digital compass, GPS readout, and vibrantly detailed map focused on my current location. I could see the clearing, the brook, and the hill I had climbed earlier. Beyond these locations, a deciduous forest covered the land. I was becoming more confident in my ability to control the tablet, so I attempted another voice command. “Zoom out.” The map responded immediately, and I began to see the context of my location in the forest and surrounding countryside. “Zoom out more.” The map began to reveal more and more of the landscape until at last the coastline was visible. The map continued to expand the available view until at last I could make out the familiar shape of the United Kingdom. This welcome realization provided me with a sense of security as well as a time zone explanation for why no one had replied yet. I proceeded to spend the next few hours exploring the map through commands such as “zoom in” and “move north”, until at last I had become familiar with my present location.

“Friends.” Having finished my exploration of the Map features, I returned to the conversation window. To my delight, I saw that my open conversation started earlier had received a reply.

“Keilidh, is- is- is it really you? It’s, um, me, Ophelia.” The words appeared next to Ophelia’s name and the time, which was just a few minutes ago. I recognized that she was also using voice to text, so I selected the same option for my reply.

“Yes, Ophelia, this is me, Keilidh. Are you okay?” I waited no longer than a minute before finding her reply.

“I’m just fine! This tablet is w- w- wonderful. Since we both have them, I would expect the others to have them, too. H- H- Have you heard from anyone else?” Ophelia asked.

“Not so far, I’ve just been exploring this tablet to pass the time. The navigation system is seriously epic, have you tried it yet?” I replied.

We entered a discussion of the map system and compared strategies for exploring its many features. Ophelia informed me that she had found how to get directions for exploring various locations in her vicinity. We found out that while we were in the same country, we were quite a long distance away from each other. Suddenly, an unexpected reply appeared on my screen. Next to the name Ronnie, I found the words “Keilio, Cupu! How are you?” along with the time. My spirits rose, for I had just made contact with yet another friend. The option to make a group conversation also appeared, and I selected it. I also noticed the ability to use audio in the conversation, and I chose that option as well.

“I’m fine, Ronnie, just beginning to adjust to being in fursona form,” I replied.

“Everything’s fine with the two of us, but we were w- w- wondering about you,” Ophelia added.

“Well, you need to know first that I evidently have a severe case of Ronitis, fursona type. But, you know, it’s actually going to be pretty useful; at least according to what the capabilities interface on this tablet has to say.”

“So you’ve tried using the capabilities interface? We h- h- haven’t tried that yet- so, um, what does it do?” asked Ophelia.

“I don’t know quite what it would say for Cupu or Keilio powers, because it looks to be customized for each of us. But for me, it had all sorts of epic info about Twi feathers and how I could, well, use them. Through a Twi feather, Silky's DNA allows us to acquire the ability of flight.” Ronnie replied.

“That’s just fantastic! If you can use Twi feathers, I bet I could, too. The only problem is that we would need to actually find some. Do you know anything about how we could find some Twi feathers?” I asked.

“Well, sort of. It gave me the GPS coordinates of a nearby Twi feather left for me to use. I’m not sure how to find it, though. So far I’ve only tried the capabilities and communication functions. So, Cupu, Keilio, have either of you tried out the navigation feature?” Ronnie asked. Ophelia proceeded to explain its many intricate features, including the pathfinder and directions capabilities. When Ronnie realized that she could get directions to the Twi feather using the tablet, she told us of her plans to find and use it. Responding to my curiosity, she explained that touching a Twi feather activated the necessary DNA sequences that gave one the capability to morph wings. While Ronnie was out searching for the Twi feather, I explored the capabilities interface on my tablet and learned even more. My attention returned to the friends interface upon Ronnie’s return to the conversation.

“Hey you guys, guess what? I CAN FLYYY!” Ronnie triumphantly informed us.

“C- C- Congratulations! That’s w- wonderful to hear. I’m, um, glad that the Twi feather worked out for you,” Ophelia said.

“Ronnie, come on, you’ve got to tell me how. As soon as I find my Twi feather, I could use a tutorial from you.” I said. Ronnie agreed, and I left in search of my own Twi feather. I found the feather tied in a cord resting upon a large rock by the brook, a distance downstream from where I had started. I touched the feather gingerly, uncertain of what would take place next. Suddenly, my body rearranged its mass, shifting and growing two wings. I slid the cord holding the Twi feather around my neck and walked back to the tablet. I decided to bypass the instructions in the capabilities interface for a tutorial from Ronnie.

“You've gotta have a little bit of confidence to do it, or you just end up flopping around like a fish. I tried running and jumping the first time, but I wasn't thinking about it, so when I tried lifting off I kinda, uh, flailed around,” Ronnie said.

“How did you manage to pull it off?” I asked.

“You just have to believe in yourself. I thought of the times I had doubted my abilities before and fallen short of my potential. I figured that flying might be kind of the same thing. My art was always better when I reminded myself that I was capable of drawing any scene I cared to,” Ronnie replied.

“Wow, thanks a lot. What else would you add?” I asked.

“Well, it helps if you start by running downhill. From there, you just need to move your wings with all your strength and press down hard against the ground to lift off. I know you can do it, Keilidh. I believe in you,” Ronnie said.

With those words of encouragement, I began my attempt. I first tested my coordination by moving my wings while standing in place. I walked to the top of the hill I had used to watch the sunrise, studying the downward slope of the hill with intense curiosity. I started a distance away from the beginning of the slope and began to charge forward. A tailwind quickly picked up and provided support to my endeavor. As I ran down the slope, I pressed my paws hard against the earth and began to power my wings with great effort. Slowly, the distance between myself and the ground began to increase. The sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind and of the brook below provided a wordless anthem to my newfound freedom. Looking down at the meadow beneath, I knew then and forever that I could fly free.

Artwork and story (C) ~foxstory 2011. Keilidh (C) =Keimagine 2011. Ronnie (C) *AppleMutt 2011. Ophelia (C) *Winterhound 2011. Silky (C) *PirateGirl-Tetra 2011.