Bucephalus the Morningstar

They came on the heels of the night, the fire of sunset blazing in their eyes. Azeeza was hard-pressed to outfly her beloved, four pairs of dark wings heralding in the night even as they tried to outrace it's shade. "Home!" The cry of Azeeza's delight trilled through the air in screech and the dark stallion's thoughts in words, and with a surge of feathers and power, Bucephalus surged higher, spirit and soul light, burden of darkness forgotten and abandoned in the wake of homecoming.

He climbed, spiraling over the sands of the Throat, dancing with the wind and with the small raptor who shared his tainted soul and judged him not. Together they wheeled, ascending into the sky on thermals from the land below, and higher they flew, delight unrestrained.

They knew not the welcome they would recieve

They knew not what waited, what would happen

They did not care.

As one, bird and pegasus folded their wings, surrendering to the brutal grip of gravity as it cast them down from the heavens. Closer came the windblown sands, reaching to crush and shatter the delicate bones of the winged beings as they fell.

Bucephalus felt the tightness in his throat, and a wild laugh was snatched from the wind before he snapped open his wings, drag jerking him, straining the pinions that kept him aloft. Azeeza pulled up beside him, fluttering away with the swiftness of a striking snake as the dark stallion descended at a much less breakneck pace, hooves pawing at air until solid earth greeted him.

Cantering, he circled, wings fanning the air, itching to take once more to the sky and hurtle himself across the land, to the tree that served as his bed, to the herd that he could not bring himself to harm. Azeeza dove, landing with ease on her beloved's withers, shifting in place until the stallion folded his wings. Refined features lifted, ears pricked as he looked to the south, tension and dread beginning to replace the freedom and joy that had occupied him so completely merely moments prior. They did not know who would greet themm, who had seen their aerial display, did not know whether or not the sands would truly become their home once more.

Now, they cared.

Now, they worried.

"Speech."
"Azeeza"