She is upon him before long. Before he has had time to wheeze his last breath, before he has had time to speed the last circuit of his blood, before he has had time to grow cold.

Even a corpse would grow cold in this land of the sun. Death has a way of sapping everything away into nothing.

The falcon above shouts down at the girl below, uncertain of her intentions and too lost to hysteria to be rational about anything. With a defensive screech the red-footed bird dives down, pulling up sharply before striking the painted horse. Golden eyes shimmer with madness as the raptor pulls up, turning swiftly to swoop down once more to harry this would be foe. It's not until the ball of feathers extends communication that the fury of the falcon simmers to some semblance of calm. Yet the bird will not depart to assist, too learned in the art of killing and not of healing and too distraught by the fading bond pulsing like a bloated slug in the core of his soul.

The protective companion alights to the ground beside Onni. His eyes are large, wrinkled with worry while his feathers are awry with fear. The loyalty of the bird would bring a fond smile to the stallion's face, that for so long felt the falcon might abandon him, especially during frostfall when not even the smallest of sensations were felt by another. The comradeship between them has certainly grown as the seasons wear on, though they are not as tightly wound as other pairs; they both reserve too much their previous antisocial natures to become that. Yet they are friends, allies, companions. In life or death they are linked, and that's what frightens the bird so. In some part he fears for his own demise come the fall of his partner, but more than that, he grieves for the possible ending of Coris, of them. It would not be the end of the bond that would kill Venati, it would be the shattering heartache of Coris' absence that would drive him to ultimately end his existence.

Venati's beak gaps wide, tongue a pink worm, as he murmurs constantly with his worry. Amber eyes swirl with mixed feelings as he shifts his gaze between the unicorn and the pegasus. She begins to glow like a mortal sun. The magic startles the bird as it extends from her to Coris, the light exceedingly bright and seeming to give off a heat. Feathers swim in dust as Venati is back in the sky, screaming down avian curses as the healer as she magicks some semblance of life back into the dying horse.

---

On the ground, eyelids begin to flicker and a heavy breathing steadies. Coris feels himself being tugged from the edges of his fate. Dutifully he shrugs the mortal coil back upon his shoulders.

[UM, SO THIS IS NOT MUCH TO GO OFF YET I AM SORRY. It felt unrealistic to be like omg Coris is awake and coherent now, considering his condition. But next post will be better ;-;]