Walking through the trees of the Edge, I was very uncomfortable. There was one thing that I truly loved about my desert home, and that was the endless expanse of the sky. Long ago, in the beginning of my journeys here in Helovia, I had spoken of the ties of the land. The land could be broken and separated, filtered by ties and treaties, alliances, and guarded by warriors. The only kingdom that was not ruled by any was that of the sky. Unbreakable, endless, and free, the sky reigned above the world with quiet superiority. As a creature of the wind, I am the follower of the sky. My feathers itch for its soft embrace, which holds you securely let allows you the freedom of movement that the ground would restrain you in. The limbs of the trees which stretch over my head as we walk make me feel confined, trapped, and it is a god send when the mists clear, the darkness dissipates, and I am able to see forward, into the clear expanse of the blue sky decorated lovingly with clouds.

The sun above shines down with the ethereal light, softly in this day, blessing us with a beautiful summer day instead of one that was brutally warm. I smile with bliss as the wind touches my face. I am barely aware of the presence of Vikram until he speaks, and my dark eyes snap open to look at him. Instead of the serene mask that was worn on my face, now it is replaced with a fiery light of passion. Known for my temper, perhaps, but I think a better word to describe my behavior is passionate. I threw my entire being into my feelings, and I would not allow others to put forth half the heart and scoff at my behavior because I believe more strongly in myself than they do in any one thing on this earth. It is unfair, and more realistically, it is saddening.

The fire in my eyes burns as I smile at him now, a dangerous look taking over my face as I move without much hesitation forward. "I would save your thanks for after the battle, if you still appreciate my help," I say, a smirk on my lips now. Vikram is large, well defended with his many scales and natural armor, but I am not afraid. Just as I had faced the Steadfast with his hellbeast of a dragon without fear, I would face this ally without any more thought than I would give a shetland pony. An opponent is an opponent, and any opponent can be defeated if you are able to overcome your hesitations and doubt long enough to figure out the correct strategy.

I am not hesitant, nor am I ever doubtful about my own ability. This dragon is going to lose, or I am going to make him work his little bronze hiney off trying to win. If he wanted to be a Captain, he would have to prove it.

My muscles bunch and unfurl, my body moving forward in a fast charge, my smaller frame coming after the giant with enthusiasm, my neck curling to tuck my head close to my chest, swerving toward the left, weight hurdling toward the right shoulder joint of the massive hybrid, the differences in our heights being one of large consequence I had never before experienced. Despite the fact that I was small, Vikram might find that my small compact body would make a rather forceful impact from the beginning, a warning that while he could rest on his natural gifts of strength, I had trained it into my small frame. In anticipation of teeth stretching out after me, my long tail whips up from behind, racing up and left toward the face of the dragon, my body moving forward, aiming to slide past him after the possible blow of my shoulder, a cowkick swinging out toward his right front leg or shoulder as I dart by, the wind rushing behind me as my wings open in a beautiful array of soft chocolate feathers.

With a powerful beat of my wings, my hooves begin to lift from the clearing, attempting to break from this area of the skirmish and sail out toward the open air that follows the drop of the cliff. I am more comfortable in the air, with the wind at my back.
""

[ WC: 766; 1/4?; 0/2 magic

edit; Forgot to specify Kri will be using BULK and DANCE as her buffs. :P ]

The force of a shoulder pounding into my side came sooner than expected, and my body lurches slightly off target from my intended path. I am pushed farther left, my hooves skidding upon the ground awkwardly and I nearly trip, barely finding a grip upon the loam of the forest in my hurry; the flair of my left wing also helps steady my frame as I continue forward. Most importantly, it is my resolve which keeps me afloat in this dangerous company, and I move as if the slip of footing had been all intentional, nothing but a hiccup in my movements. It is in my focus to keep upright and in my attacks that I do not notice the initial pain. The slow growth of it is strange, like a blush of the cheeks, radiating out from my shoulder where we had collided, one that I feel with stronger intensity with each cycle of my legs.

Pain eventually plateaus, though, and as soon as I am lifted from this earth, my shoulder will only feel the pulse from the occasional strain of my wings. Tomorrow, I would deal with the bruise, but for today, I would strictly ignore it by gritting my teeth and swallowing my weakness. There was no time for it today.

I am quite confused by my opponents tactics, for before I lift my legs from the earth to kick out at his right side, I can see his leg stick out awkwardly, far from my path now that I have been moved by his bulk further toward the left, the tips of my wing brushing uncomfortably against the copse of trees which surrounds us on my left side, but also his massive tail, as if he is giving me a prelude to his plans before I am even within a position for them to be effective. I do not mind much for his foolishness will be my gain. Instead, I just smile to myself, using my body's momentum as my hooves hit the dirt after their meeting with the flesh of my opponent to propel myself up and onward, robbed of the luxury of a gentle take off with these new hurdles. I force my figure into the air, leaping upward and flapping my wings harshly, accompanied by a surge of fresh winds tied to me with invisible strings, to force my body swiftly upward in altitude folding my front legs sharply underneath me, tucking them in tight for the squeeze over the tail of the dragon.

In my launch, it was quite possible the right wing of my body could batter the side or wing of the great dragon, but I could not tell. All I was aware of was that my body cleared its obstacle, free from the pointed edge of the spiked tail. Bunching my back legs close to my stomach, I punch backward with them, toward that same meaty tail, perhaps using it as an additional launchpad for faster acceleration, but more trying to keep that damned dagger from my belly. The last thing I wanted was my entrails spewed across the floor as my skeleton floated away from them on brilliantly crafted wings. While I need not fear this creature, for he is my ally at heart, I still may not rest. This fight was not one born for practice, this was a challenge. There was no room for mistakes made commonly, nor any leeway for errors I had made when I was younger.

I was not the same foolish mare who faced the Crimson Cliffs alone. I had grown. I had become stronger. I am a creature worth respect, and I will not yield to Vikram so easily. I will teach him the strength required of a protector.

I continue to rise in altitude, bringing my figure closer to the sun with a strong wing beats and the wind rushing behind me, sailing outward toward the drop off of the World's Edge. The beast could stay on the ground if he wanted, but I would not. There was no easier target for a pegasus than one on the ground, and, besides, I have much more fun in the air, when I am not caged to the ground like some pathetic animal.
""

[ WC: 738; 2/4; 0/2 magic ]

I feel the weight of his tail under my hooves and I smirk, pushing off and sailing further into the air. My wings claw hungrily as I tear forward and passed the range of his legs, not happy until I am well out of his reach, settling in my currents with ease and gliding out past the cliff face of the World's Edge. I let out a joyous laugh past my lips, glancing back toward the little area of cleared forest, seeing his massive body begin to twist, turn and rumble forward on massive hooves. I cut back on my speed, allowing my pace to slow into a near crawl, as far as flight is concerned. I would let Goliath catch up. After all, I am far from afraid.

Vikram might be larger and physically stronger, but I am more determined; I'd stake my life on it.

His lumbering body makes its way into the air. I am amazed by the strength of his wings. To be able to lift his mass into the air like that, they are certainly a limb to be avoided. The flap of air as it smacks against the leathery surface, it is a different sound than the whistle that rushes through my wings. I am reminded, once more, that my opponent is vastly different than me. We are winged brethren, but our heritage is traced in different directions. He is large, armored naturally, and I would dare believe houses some sort of nasty abilities I cannot imagine. I remember that dragons are infamous for breathing fire. Is this half-blood capable of such things? I prayed not. Even if we are not enemies but friends, rookies often tapped the easy way to a victory.

I allow myself to face forward, flying easily. An ear cocks back to listen to the sound of skin and air, flapping with a sound that makes me strangely uneasy. I am not entirely certain where he is in the air, but I can estimate his general distance. As the sound grows larger, I glance toward the left, tilting my face slightly up to catch sight of him closing in. A smile grows on my lips; time to have fun. While I was not afraid to take hits, I knew with our size comparison that Vikram's blows would hit heavier upon me than a regular opponent. I was strong, stubborn, and brave, but I was not, have never been, invincible. In another fight, against another opponent, I might have found my next tactic to be cowardly. Instead, I would view it as cunning.

I angle my body slightly off kilter, my left side dropping toward the earth at an acute angle, my wings flapping once powerfully as wind rushes underneath them to push me speedily out of the way from Vikram's attack, though not entirely. His left hoof still manages to graze my right hip and down, tearing a small cut which stings when the wind blows against it, but it is minor. I smile as I am free, my dark eyes taking on the fiery light of excitement. The dance of battle, strong and true, had begun in the air. In this kingdom, Vikram might find that his mass was a disadvantage. I would be able to move with the confidence and speed of tried practice in aerial combat, aided by the speed of the wind. Let us hope that dragon-boy has a few tricks to make up for the disparity.

My evasion has brought me slight up and toward the left of Vikram's original aim, and so I turn my front end, tucking my wings close to my side as I push downward, diving toward his left barrel with my front hooves extended, aiming for an area a good distance from his wing joint. I did not want to cripple a friend, nor did I want to send him sailing back toward the world below. While his mass might be able to support me should I fall, I am definitely not lifting his fatass back to safety. As my hooves would aim to strike his flesh, my teeth aim to catch onto the middle of his nape.
""

[ WC: 735; 3/4; 0/2 magic ]

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 ]

The look of concern almost vaporized the anger floating around in my skull as I think of the brilliant flash of fire, the outline of which still dots my vision. I believe, however, that I am unable to forgive one who would used fire against a friend, especially when he regains composure and bellows at me with a cutting baritone. My ears slick back immediately, disappearing in a mess of twirling blonde locks. Turning my face downward, I sneer at the dragon who dares yell at me. I am not certain why I am being blamed for blowing things up when I am not the one who brought fire to this party.

In chiding tones, my voice reaches down with all the softness of a banshee and just as loud as an ogre. "You are not the only creature in this realm with magic on their side, idiot." Emphasis on the idiot. I glare down with eyes hard as nails before regaining the composure behind my tongue. "Do not blindly use such violent magic against a friend when you are blatantly ignorant of their capabilities," I say, my face serious. "All I would have done is halt in the air and you would have burned me severely. Have you not fucking brain in that thick skull of yours?"

Apparently not.

Pulling the wind behind me, I zoom forward, leaving the hybrid to contemplate my words in the sky while putting as much distance between me and the fire-hailing mouth of his.
""

[ WC: 251; Closing defense; 1/2 magic ]