The sound of the storm around her was a chaotic symphony; an orchestra without a conductor, or perhaps it had a conductor; but if so it was one who had gone mad. 

Rei had attempted to out race the storm's reach but its staccato rhythm brought the heavy rain upon the pair quickly. Before the thunder had entered at a forte Anka had enjoyed splashing about in the ever growing puddles.  

The shriek of a dragon spun Rei on her hindquarters. In the storm around her it was hard to pinpoint where the sound came from. The mare was on edge due to the weather keeping her from being capable of truly taking to the sky.

"Hide. To the bush. Stay." Rei repeated the request several times hoping that it would travel through their bond. The pegasus and otter were certainly bonded but Anka still was not capable of mind speech. Rei knew it was due to her bonded's young age but she still wished Anka could confirm that she understood in a more definite manner.

Rei's eyes widened at the voice of another. The pegasus' sire had been a general and he had not skipped past teaching his own daughter. Rei's eyes widened as she recognized the call for battle. It was more of a demand than a call; or perhaps it was a plea for a fight. The leopard pegasus' muscles tensed once her eyes finally found the one who had been capable of shouting over the crashing thunder.

Warily Rei eyed the ground where the mare stood. She was further out in the clearing away from the rim of the forest where Rei was. Her throat clenched, almost unwilling to reply, but she did return the call of the stranger. 

The mare was several body lengths away, it was enough distance for Rei to take to flight. Getting herself airborne was more difficult in the weather and it made her nervous with lightning flashing. Rei made her plan quickly and acted upon it, eager to get out of the air.

The pegasus gave her warning while in the air. Flying low she attempted to graze the back of the mare. 

Angling her flight pat Rei gained some altitude before pulling her wings in close to her sides to go into a quick dive. At the last moment Rei extended her wings further to soften her landing at the left side of the darker mare. She did her best to avoid landing near the other mare's head doing her best to keep from being bitten, and tried to refrain from landing behind her to avoid being kicked. Rei aimed to approach from the mare's middle. Her instincts urged her to bite the other mare's ear but Rei was much shorter than her opponent. Instead of the vulnerable ear the pegasus had to instead barrel towards the dark mare's right side with her teeth bared. 
 
Her hoofbeats never faltered; they were the drumming that competed with the crashing thunder. Rei's heartbeat was different though, it was unsteady, her heart beat in separate directions in two differing rhythms. She felt guilt for attacking a stranger who on other circumstances she would have greeted as warmly as a friend; and she felt a thrill one could only feel from a spar.

Rain dripped into her eyes and on the side of her face where her droplet charm sweated out its own water. The heavy rain seemed to excite the charm and it put out more moisture than usual. Just before reaching the mare Rei tossed her head to throw her forelock and the charm behind her ear. The pegasus used the momentum from the movement to rear up slightly to try to bite the dark neck of her opponent.

Her only hesitation came whenever Rei's own eyes briefly glimpsed those of the other mare. She knew nothing about this equine yet she was prepared to fight her.