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Maybe I was fool to think so, but I hoped the sky was crying for the end of Kri’s reign, just as she thought it symbolized the foolishness of my challenge. I felt, I felt… I might actually stand a chance against her. Perhaps it would be close. But so long as I had the ember of hope, surely I might. You never know, maybe, just maybe, I could pull it off.
Her body streamed past me in a flurry of damp flaxen mane and wet body, the sting of water hitting my face. It stung, maybe, but there was always something to pay for victory and battle. If I was lucky, or if I kept my wits about, hopefully some water running in my eyes would be the worst of it, and she would come out of it worse off. May the gods be on my side.
It is unfortunate then, when I turn to come down triumphantly upon her, that there is a pressure building up in front of me, like- like—a monumental wall formed of air that stops my descent from hitting her full on, that squeezes me and makes me feel… desperately trapped as the flow of time seems to turn to a thick liquid that oozes. It doesn’t flow swiftly, it trickles by agonizingly slow for a few moments, even though I know it is not time but the air stopping my fall upon her. As it is, my hooves scrape her hind, leaving two furrows on her copper hide. I hope it hurts, I hope it stings, just as her blows to me leave my wing and shoulder sore all over.
Then she moves with a stroke of her wings, and I cannot help but feel a budding, grudging, admiration for the quick, stocky mare. Clearly she knows what she is doing, at least with the use for her magic. Today, in this early morning day, I feel more like a hopeless blundering fool now, that flower of pride that had blossomed in me long gone. It was shredded by a late winter snow in the spring, I think.
It is at that point I turn to ascend, but her sorcery, as I have come to think of it, still pushes at me, makes my muscles ever more weary, filled with lactic acid that is as relentless as the rain, and unlike the rain, it only grows in its thickness and weight, not retreats. The thunder booms and cracks again, and I continue my climb.
It is sudden, then, when the magic retreats back home, and the Sultana climbs by me. It is a petty, rather stupid thing of me, but I admit to my jealousy and annoyance at her being faster than me; I prided myself on my speed of flight. But perhaps she forgets the thermals that can be found, even in this twisting playground of cold wet rain pouring over our bodies. I do find my thermal, weak as it is, and with the warmer cycle of air at my back, go and rise to the height of the world.
Only once have I ever been higher than this in flight. It was when I had flown so high I could see the curve of the world, and my breath had stopped a while ago, and my brain had become muddled and confused. Then, I had dropped out of the sky like a stone, until I began to function again and threw everything I had into stopping before I hit the ground, and hard. I can still remember that sight, the sight of different countries, of Loorien. It was amazing.
Here, the air is so very lacking in air to breathe and sustains. The sun is hot on my coat, but the air is frigid. Below me, there is an ugly storm, but up here, I admire its curls and twists, watch it for its crazed beauty. My eyes are also searching, searching for Kri, who I had lost track of in the midst of that storm.
Distracted as I am by searching below, not above, it is not until I hear the whistle of air coming off high-speed wings that I note her coming down swift. For a moment I am stunned- it must have been so very difficult to breathe up there. My head is thrown up to see her, my wings come back to back-stroke. The whistle builds in strength as it passes over her airfoils- before there is a sudden, abrupt silence as she curves away, her hooves coming across swift.
I drop down, furling my wings to sides, and I plunge down five, six meters before pulling open my wings. I am below her now, and immediately go upwards, nipping at her forelegs.
WC: 800
Other: 3/4
sometimes i wonder what i'm trying to do in this life.
but mostly i just want to fly.
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Nothing to Lose [Kri Challenge]
