In the gathering darkness many a shadow stirred beneath the forest canopy. A musky scent of animals, earth and evergreen mixed and mingled with the chilling nip of frozen water, of ice and wintry air. The strong breeze was cold and carried a promise of more snow sometime soon, but as of yet the sky was simply clouded and blushing after the kiss of the last rays of sun. Darkness fell earlier for each day now and the light retreated more hurriedly, as if chased away by something that might taint it.

The weather suited her just fine. None of the cold managed to find its way in beneath the thick blanket of fur that coated her body, and between moving the wings to a steady beat and shuffling through deep snow, the only danger to her well being would be the risk of working up a sweat. It was tempting to just keep on going, to veer off and fly blindly towards the disappearing horizon until her wings could carry her no longer... But she was too experienced a flier to challenge a snowstorm at night, in a landscape she didn't know. She'd heard too many stories of horses getting their wings snapped clean off as they flew blindly into mountainsides - had too many bouts against violent storms when she in youthful ignorance believed herself to be faster, stronger and more skilled than her parents - to take such a risk.

Reluctantly Shadow allowed her pace to drop. As the altitude decreased the black mare adjusted the angle of her wings and fell into large, lazy spirals as she began to scout the landscape below in search of a place to land. It was easier said than done. She'd been flying over the same green ocean of trees for hours now, an endless mass of snow covered branches that didn't allow access to the ground for someone of her size. Before nightfall she'd thought she'd seen some change towards the horizon, a brightening of the dull green tones that could indicate an end to the forest. Now, however, she only had the faint grayish patches of snowy ground to go by as she fell down to glide just above the pines, and it was a precarious task to navigate in the deepening darkness. With increasing impatience she searched the ground, wings beating the air heavily to keep her airborne and on course. It grew increasingly difficult as the towering clouds approached from the north. Crosswinds and sudden changes in air pressure sent her bouncing through the sky like a rabbit on weed, making her stomach lurch and turn over each time the hooves brushed against prickly pine needles. She had to hurry, had to find a place to land before the weather grew worse, had to touch down in a good spot that wouldn't break her legs, snap the wings or pull out feathers, a landing that wouldn't kill her. Amethyst eyes darted back and forth, then brightened as a clearing came in sight. The little mare swirled around, inky wings raising and sinking rapidly to build up enough momentum to battle the wind, cut through the barrage of gusts that tried to bring her down...

Suddenly the air simply disappeared from underneath her wings. Shock and a sense of mild annoyance passed through her thoughts as she began to fall, barely registering her own fear and panic as the ground came rushing towards her. All she could think about as her body slammed into trees and cracked branches on its descent was how ironic it was. That she would fall to the ground because of her decision to land. It was almost amusing. Interesting like the burning of the skin as it raked across scaly cortex, the stabbing as splinters poked through the skin of the legs and tapped from her veins. Funny like the feeling of having her eyes pricked by dust and debris, and like the final thud as she slammed into the ground with a painful whoosh of snow and feathers and air that rushed from her lungs. Then everything went black.