A beat passes.

A pause long enough

for ice crystals to form

along the bridle of

his irryss.

An eternity trapped

in the glow of

sunlight on the snow

smothered path.

I can feel each

breath as it passes

through my nose,

cold enough to bite,

as it flows through my lungs,

warms,

and escapes

back to the frozen beyond.

My pulse should be racing -

Gwen's would be -

but it isn't.

Sonora is calm. Cool. Assessing.

I tilt my head, just slightly,

Goading him into a response.

Xander Boreas's pretty face

- with cheekbones sharp enough

to cut through the mountain snow -

remains frozen.

I wonder what he will say.

Whether he will send me away -

my flying yesterday forgotten.

He might make my trial harder,

or attempt to force the mask from my face.

He might just scowl and turn away,

as I have seen him do so often.

Instead, his face thaws,

breaking into

a smile I hadn't seen in years.

"Not bad," Rema Loris,

team captain,

steps forward,

her dark skin stark against the

fresh snow.

"You've shut him up on the ground,

but can you do the same in the air?"