Eythan mourned the absence of magically enhanced winds, flapping his wings to adjust to its petering out. He said nothing on it, though, nor did he to the cobalt gryphon's hopes for his companion. Instead, he focused more on keeping himself in the air and not getting too enthralled with conversation. But, at least Amras seemed excited about the prospect of a race. Ears pricking forth, a smirk formed on Eythan's face. "Sounds good!"

Just to make things fair, he put on a swift burst of speed so that he was side to side with his new opponent. As soon as that was done, he turned with a rather surprised look, quipping: "small fuckin' world, eh?" Carmine eyes flickered toward the wall he was meant to race to before he continued, "I hope she's doing great. And her, uh, brother, I think? Those two weren't ever around for fuckin' long enough for me to figure out that situation. He doesn't have wings."

Finished with his babbling, the smirk rose on his face again as he looked eagerly to Amras. "Count us down, homes!"

@Amras
/it's really no problem! <3 sorry for the rather short post, ahah

No further comments were made on the black gryphon from the past. She might show up again one day or she might be among the many who slept in silence until an unknown time. For now it didn't really matter, they were here and alive and he had a contest to win.

Not being able to use magic would be a bit tricky though- even in his sparring matches that had never been a stipulation so having a contest of pure physical might would be a serious change of pace. Neither of them seemed to have any distinct advantage over the other so it could very well be anyone's match.

"Fifty... forty-nine..." he began to count down aloud, a wry smile on his face as his eyes focused on the wall ahead.

"Three... two... one..." he continued lest the jest drag on too long and turn the race into an aerial dogfight.

"Go!"

The gryphon flared his wings and pushed forward with all his might... right into a powerful crosswind that knocked his trajectory completely off. Rather than flying straight he found himself veering up to the right, completely sideways, then flying at a downward angle in the wrong direction with wings perpendicular to the ground.

This isn't a good start at all
he thought as the river below approached rapidly from the right side of his vision.

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Eythan
notes: None

Eythan whirled his head around for the briefest of seconds, beak cracking open to fire off some confused and impatient obscenities. It snapped shut with a click! as the gryphon focused and began to count --- properly, this time. Then, as soon as the last breath of "go!" had been uttered, the hybrid sped up minutely in his flight, trying to go for consistency over raw speed. He'd let Amras tire himself out.

And, already, Eythan was off to a great start, carmine eyes trailing after the cobalt gryphon. "Oh, shit!" The hybrid knew better than anyone how much it fucking sucked to be a creature with wings and unable to even walk. Plus, the race wouldn't be that fair if his opponent was smashed on the ground. Adjusting his path, Eythan dove toward Amras's falling form.

As he felt the trailing winds of the cobalt gryphon, Eythan threw himself forward and up with a swell of his wings, hopefully throwing Amras up and to the side just enough to steady himself again. "You alright?"

@Amras

Quite unexpectedly Amras felt a force under him knocking his downward spin in a completely different direction. Even if he was slightly larger than Eythan still seemed to command a greater mass, making the slight nudge more than enough to correct his flight. No wonder the other gryphon had such wide wings!

Amras's own wings puffed out as he leaned into the wind and stabilized himself, not daring to move forward again until he was certain of the current's flow.

"I owe you one!" he called with gratitude. "Obviously it's been a while since I've flown without the winds in my favor"

The race was still on though, and out of respect and general good sportsmanship the gryphon held in the air for his opponent to recover from their own detour. Hopefully this would be the last trip-up of the competition.

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Eythan
notes: None

As soon as he was liberated of Amras's weight, Eythan dipped lower and trailed behind a little, trying to stabilize himself in the air. Naturally feeling out the flow of air around him and beneath his wings, the gryphon balanced out and drifted back to his companion's left side. "Ah, it's no biggie! Shit happens!"

With an appreciative grin, the hybrid ascended so that he was perfectly even with Amras. Unsure of exactly how old the blue gryphon was, Eythan tossed a cackle his way, "don't get too damn excited, Blue! Just because you can fly faster doesn't mean you fuckin' should." With another laugh, Eythan narrowed his eyes and faced the wind again. He barely flapped his wings, taking on a rather casual gliding pace, conserving his energy and considering every obstacle in the way.

Slow and steady does win the race, after all.

@Amras

With that little stumble out of the way Amras set his sights on the wall in the distance. Eythan had a good point- just because this was a race didn't mean that speed was the most important factor. These caves were absolutely massive and with no access to his magic he couldn't rely on currents this time for getting where he needed to.

Even so something deep within the gryphon tugged at him. A spark of being buried deep within that hadn't had opportunity to arise in many cycles. This was a competition! Not only that but it was a competition of equal footing versus someone who could very possibly outmatch him. That should have sent him into cautious planning but instead there was a kind of freedom in the situation. He could win and not hurt someone; he could lose without the caves being in danger! Why not, then, give it his all?

The great blue gryphon took a deep breath and held it, almost as though he were about to use his pressure element. No glow saturated his gem though and no actual magic was being shaped.

Exhale.

The gryphon's wings extended to their full length- longer than any creature in the cave he had encountered- and pushed forward to capture as much air as feasible. He might not need to fly fast constantly but who said he couldn't set the pace?

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Eythan
notes: None

Eythan half-expected the other gryphon to put on a burst of speed, a neat flight maneuver—something to get ahead. Instead, "Blue" seemed to keep steady and set the pace at something rather gentle and ambling. The spotted one of the duo was content to let that just happen, but he clearly would get bored within a few seconds. He held quite a bit of faith in his own aerobatics and agility. So... that meant he would take this chance to get ahead a little and perhaps show off. Maybe that would, somehow, spur Amras on to show off a little bit himself and waste some energy. Yes! Psychological warfare!

As soon as the spotted gryphon made to spin in the air, an unexpected gust of wind threw him sideways and nearly into a stalactite. He managed to throw his talons out at the last moment, bracing himself against it and throwing himself off of it with a spray of rubble. Eythan laughed breathily, nervously. Then, with a nonchalant flick of his ear, he played it off as intentional. "Sick stunts, y'know?" Hell yeah, saving face.

@Amras

As expected Eythan was keeping up with the brisk but steady pace Amras had set. Already though the other gryphon's much more fiery personality was showing through. This was no battle of physical might but a test of judgement as much as anything. Had the race been a short distance then full speed would have been the most important factor. Similarly had the race been to a different room entirely it might have been a test of restraint and endurance. A race of only a couple miles through the air toward the wall however- that one would require precise timing on when to expend more effort so that they were exhausted right at but not a moment before hitting the goal.

That said, this was also a race with no stakes- thus its main goal not in winning but in the thrill of the competition itself. To that end Amras simply chuckled at the other contestant’s antics as they sped along.

"Trying to win with style points I see?" he ribbed back playfully, fighting against the current that Eythan had rode along. Though he had planned on slowly increasing his speed as they continued on the caves were just not cooperating with him. His pace remained unchanged and even as the wall approached he was still only barely ahead of his opponent.

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Eythan
notes: None

As soon as he was able to steady himself again --- feeling out the air's flow with his wings before settling back into it --- Eythan smirked derisively, "yep!" The 'p' was accented by a click from his beak, the equivalent of the pop of one's lips. "And it'll be with more style points than you!" The wall loomed in the distance, and the gryphon prepared to put on a burst of speed for the last stretch. He relaxed for a moment, going slack in the air as he let the current carry him along. Bright, carmine eyes glanced upward, and then the rest of him would. With a swell of his wings, he ascended toward Polaris's roof. The motion would slow Eythan down, but hopefully there would be a warm thermal up there to carry him in the right direction; as always, warm air rose and cool air settled. Even something to throw him a little forward and give him a head start would be good.

As his head nearly scraped the ceiling and his wings found no relief from the current they worked against, the gryphon clenched his beak, holding in what was most certainly a frustrated FUCK! Eythan tucked his wings and dove, hoping that the momentum would give him enough speed to outpace his opponent.

@Amras

The blue gryphon's gaze tilted more and more upward as his opponent struggled to gain altitude. What were they doing? From the look of things it was almost as though they were trying to climb all the way to the ceiling a couple miles above. Sure that would give them some serious style points to dive bomb all the way to the end but how much energy were they planning on investing in such a maneuver?

Despite the nagging urge to ascend as well Amras decided to hold the course, gradually increasing his speed as had been the plan all along until he was going at a rather sprint-like clip near the end as the wall approached. Lungs burned and wings ached as he propelled himself through the air toward the wall.

The end was approaching fast, only time would tell whose strategy would win out.

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Eythan
notes: If I remember correctly the caves have been described as stupidly huge, like hollowed out mountains. Given that they are expansive enough to host weather systems and low lying clouds form a little over a mile up I'm extrapolating a bit on known lore.