i am a leaf on the wind

Alysanne seems happier than she had when Lyanna first stumbled into this impromptu flying lesson. She’s glad for it, as well. And glad she happened to find Aly here. Because in truth, starting over was a lonely thing. When she’d first set off in Helovia, she’d assumed Adelene would follow. Perhaps not to the Edge, or even into a herd. But somewhere in Helovia. They’d entered the Threshold together, after all, but Adelene disappeared after that. 
 
Perhaps Lyanna should have stayed with her little sister, gone to live wherever Adelene had chosen. But she’d wanted to give her sister a chance to pick her own life, to live without Lyanna constantly hovering over her. But was it Lyanna’s fault now that Adelene had gone? Would her sister have been better able to cope if Lyanna stayed?
 
She tried not to think about those questions, but of course, they always snuck in. She tried not to think about a lot of things, but like a thief in the night, the thoughts came anyway.
 
But now, with Alysanne smiling beside her, offering information about her life so casually, Lyanna can almost believe she might have friends here. Might have a life here. Alysanne is the closest thing she’s got, at this point. But perhaps, after this, they would actually be friends. Partners in crime, at any rate. Not that learning to fly is a crime, but it’s secretive, and that seems like a close enough parallel.
 
“Well, I had some extra help when I learned to fly. I used to be able to control the wind. It makes it easier to learn, and easier to look graceful. Also, there was no way my brother would ever let me skip a lesson in anything. So there was also that.” She chuckles slightly, thinking of Corbin, finding the memory sad but not as painful as it so often is. “But practice makes perfect.” Because eventually, if Alysanne flew enough, she’d look as natural in the sky as Lyanna felt. But then again, the sky has always been home to the tri-colored mare. And it always would be.
 
It’s all she has left, really.
 
“Well, learning about plants and trees seems to have benefitted you well. But now we’ll teach you to fly so you don’t have to swim to the isles to collect said plants.” She says with a chuckle, remembering a rather wet Tilney from their brief journey there. Wings were handy, after all.
 
Alysanne takes to the sky again, and Lyanna watches, letting the other mare figure it out for herself mostly. Sometimes, talking only helps so much. It’s also just a feeling. A beautiful, free, impossible feeling with the wind in your hair and beneath your wings. Horse’s weren’t meant to fly, probably, and yet here they were. Born with wings and all. Lyanna takes off after Alysanne is above the trees, coming to join her friend before tipping her wings slightly, veering to the right. Another powerful pump and she jumps up in the sky a bit more, switching her wings and veering to the left now.
 
“Just let the feeling of the wind guide you. There’s some level of instinct to it, I think. You just kind of figure it out.” She slows, leveling herself and hovering not too far from Aly, but far enough to give the mare space to move. 

watch how i soar.

lyanna