#Chapter 196: Father and Son

DEREK "Higher!" Aiden shouted, his arms stretched wide. "I can go higher!" I stood at the edge of the Silverclaw training yard, watching my son attempt to scale the lowest climbing wall with the fearless determination of someone who had no concept of gravity's consequences. He was halfway up, his small fingers white-knuckled on the wooden holds, his sneakers scrabbling for purchase on the textured surface. "Easy," I called. "Use your legs, not just your arms." "I am using my legs!" He wasn't. He was dangling like a wet towel on a clothesline, his body swinging as he tried to muscle his way up with arms alone. He fell, landed on the padded mat below, got up without a word, and tried again. The second time he made it one hold higher before his grip gave out. The third time, something clicked—he braced his foot against a hold, pushed with his legs, and reached for the top edge with a grunt of effort that was entirely too large for his body. He made it. Both hands on the top, f