Diver

Cold air stung her face as she looked out across her beloved city, cherishing the twinkling lights nestled in the frozen wasteland of the winter-washed valley. Neffydd took a deep breath and enjoyed the pain of icy air in her feverish lungs. Her legs hung over the edge of the tall building, feet swinging and hitting the wall below her in a steady rhythm.

She toyed with the idea of falling, even though she knew that she couldn't do it. She spread her wings then closed them tight against her body to shield her core from the cold. Her whole body ached... her whole being was in pain. The cold didn't really matter to her; she couldn't die from it. Nothing could kill her. Not even the enduring pain.

She let out her breath in a giant white puff that froze into a cloud of tiny ice crystals and she watched it dissipate as it fell toward the hard ground. She wished she were her breath and not the breather.

She took in another fridged breath and shoved off the ledge. She kept her wings folded and enjoyed the feeling of death rushing close; then, when her instincts could bear it no longer, her wings opened.

She flung her arms wide to support her wings as they caught the air that had been whizzing past her body. The thrum of air hitting the membranes was deafening and the pain almost unbearable. Almost. She redirected her kinetic energy and twisted just so, turning her fall into a tumble then swooped out of her fall a mere ten lengths from the ground.

She could see faces a couple lengths below her flushed with fear and concern, a few accompanied by hands out-stretched as if to catch her. She felt a sad smile crawl across her face as she pumped her wings to gain altitude again. She twisted again and barrel-rolled before pumping furiously toward home.

Not today.

Sky High

A pervasive hissing sound invaded Neffydd's long, pointed ears, ruining her calm.

She and her friend Jatos Cobode were floating above were the city sat nestled in a lush green valley, sending urban tendrils into the wilderness like a brick and technology zucchini plant, (with a secret evil plan.) The air was warm, the breeze light and the sun was sparkling gayly off the small lake casting splotches of light and Shadow on the skin of Jatos' dirigible.

She opened her large blue eyes, then squinted up at the ovoid, cloth covered framework.

"FUCK!" She cursed, "The dirigible has sprung a leak again!"

Her Encantado companion glanced up at the floatation device. The vehicle wasn't actually that big, being a pleasure craft and not a commercial carrier. It could comfortably hold eight people.

Jatos shook his head and bent down to rummage through the repair kit. He handed Neffydd a patch for the inner gas envelopes, a container of cleaning wipes and some rubber glue, then went to the controls to control their decent.

Neffydd grabbed a satchel out of a bench cupboard and stuffed the patching materials into it along with a knife and extra lacing for the access flap.

"I told you not to name the damn thing Titanya," She grumbled at Jatos as she leaned over the rail and spread her wings to hoist herself aloft. "But Nooooo..."

She threw her leg over the edge and pushed off the air craft, pumping her wings firmly downward a few times to gain altitude before matching the decent of the over-grown balloon.

She heard Jatos chuckling as she grabbed hold of the guy wires strung along the framework, folded her wings and swung onto the dirigible.

"You're lucky I'm here!" She screamed at him.

"Why do you think I always ask you!?" He yelled back, still laughing.