I watch Vikram the Large fall like a stone in the air, but I commit to my path, unable to stop the force which drives me down, my hooves sliding past the flesh of his haunch. We graze past each other, so close yet so far from hitting. No shudder from impact. No wracking of my body. Nothing. Damn it, I think to myself, my mass of brown wings flaring to keep myself from plummeting further in the air, wind driving up from underneath and catching me. The sudden force is like a slap across my body, jerking me upward before I stabilize in the air, dark blue eyes already scanning from the target I had missed.

How could I possibly miss such a large, shining dragon horse for fuck's sake?

The whistle of leathery skin in the air like a mast in the wind, snapping and capturing my attention as I see the massive sails of Vikram open, his body taking upward with a growl. I smirk, not taking a moment to hover in the air, also lifting my frame to fly upward, dark eyes flashing between tendrils of pale gold as I glance over my shoulder, the wind lifting me up and up. Vikram may have strength, but I have speed. If his intent is to race me, I have no doubt that he will lose. However, just before a gleeful laugh perks up from my lips, I see the glint of his golden eyes as a small beacon of light is my only warning for the fire that soon awaits it.

Life holds moments of pure clarity of thought. Perhaps the prickle of fear in my chest drove my thought. Perhaps my encounter with Azzaron and his fire magic. Perhaps even back to Adalwulf and his hellbeast of a dragon. Whatever the reason, my mind went blank, but my body began to push.

The air around me decreases in pressure rapidly. The bulk of the air around me is pushed outward in an instant, whipping away from my body and leaving my wings struggling to make use of the vacuum surrounding my entire body. The increased pressure surrounding the bubble of my airless world alights in a brilliant flash of fire, likely bursting flames back into Vikram's own face by following the stream of fire from his own jaws. I begin to sink in the air, unable to hold my altitude in this empty world, the breath being forced from my lungs as I exhale. The world around me is on fire, but I feel fine.

With one last drive of my magic, I force the pressure back, assuming that the stream of fire had ended. Desperate, trying to regain my composure in the air, my chocolate wings gracelessly flapping, but it is of no use. I still fall, back hooves lashing out blindly, defensively in case Vikram's teeth were in range of my delicate limbs. Panic growing in my chest as I realize I am falling. I have never fallen from the sky. Never. Somewhere within me, the loyalty of the wind is remembered, and a push from below captures my wings with a billow, reorienting myself in the sky after a moment of clumsy blustering. My heart beats like a drum in my ears. Fire. I glare behind me, my face tugged into a look of stern disapproval.

I don't care if that ass burned his entire face off. A fight with friends is not a fight for flames. Maybe, I should consider the possibility this is no longer a friendly fight.
""

[ WC: 597; 4/4; 1/2 magic ]