OOC: As opposed to its transphobic counterpart

There was change in the stagnant air. A shame, really; Gaheris had found himself wasting most of the season doing things other than harnessing his magick. The energy of this cycle was shifting fast - better late than never?

The hot wind whipped her fins around in a frenzy, but she stood stoic against the eternal storm. Perhaps the winds would weaken in the coming days. It would be challenging to organise much of anything in this weather, much less a contest.

He stretched out his wings, feeling the air catch on the webbing, threatening to pull him upwards as he attempted to release some of that built-up tension, to refocus it.

We'll start small. He spotted a pebble to throw.

Horizon had visited Monoceros a handful of times. It was relatively close to Orion, the cave they considered home. And some part of it- mainly the part that called itself Skyward- was fascinated by it's perpetual twister. Maybe it was the way that it resonated with their pressure element. Or maybe it was their fascination with the seemingly impossible and unexplained. In any case, they found themself coming back time and time again.

However. Horizon was a precariously balanced creature, at least with its current adolescent proportions. And Monocero's raging windstorm certainly didn't help. They had a branch to use as makeshift walking stick, but it was a slow and irritating journey that left half of them wondering why they had come here of all places.

And then, insult to injury, a random pebble went flying at one of their faces.

A spark of magicka tried and failed to make a shield. "Ow." Earthbound mumbled, rubbing at the spot on their cheek where the pebble hit. "Why didn't you just block it?"

"I did!" Skyward retorted, defensively, "I mean, I tried! Magic's kinda hard, okay?"

"...We have hands." Earthbound deadpanned.

"Then why didn't YOU block it?"

Distracted by their sibling arguement, they didn't seem very aware of Gaheris's presence.
@Gaheris

She'd hoped that forcing herself to traverse the harsher, hotter landscape of Monoceros would improve her resilience, but what she'd really wanted was time alone to practice. She assumed the other would-be magicians were all clustered somewhere in the Core - here she could settle peacefully on a ledge and watch the racers from below.

But maybe he wasn't as smart as he assumed, because it seemed this random baby had come to the same conclusion.

He stared at the odd, upright calf as they quarreled with themselves. It took him a while to realise that he should probably apologise. "Sorry. Wasn't aiming for you."

@Horizon

They'd whip around- nearly toppling- at the sound of another's voice. Looming above them was a massive, incredibly intimidating dragon. Both of their heads would squeak in alarm, magicka sparking as they prepared to flee from the gigantic beast. Wind lightened their steps as they scrambled back, but rather quickly they'd pause.

The dragon didn't seem be actually dangerous. In fact, he was apologizing?

"Uhm.." One head spoke, after a moment, "Its alright." They hadn't even realized someone else had thrown it- they had just assumed it was tossed by the wind.

They'd shift from foot to foot with a restless, vaguely nervous energy amplified by their spell. Another awkward silence developed, which they decided to break with a greeting. "...I'm Horizon. Whats your name?"

With Horizon's immediate panic came a rush of guilt - for what, Gaheris could not yet place. It wasn't like he could shrink down to their size. He retracted anyways, reverting to an anxious crouch against the cracked earth.

She settled some when Horizon did, though the awkward tension had not yet dissipated. The calf seemed undecided on whether Gaheris was friend or foe. She knew she was the former, but it'd take some reassurance on her side.

"Gaheris. I am training for a contest by The Spire. What brings you here?" He was forward with his purpose and intentions. He was not here too... eat this Gembound, or whatever had Horizon expected of him. He didn't know.

@Horizon