Several nights later, Aerial was weaving between the clouds behind the Academy after Windwalker. Both knew by now that the fastest way to learn from each other was to watch each motion closely, and the imitate it themselves. During these training sessions, they took turns with one of them in front while the other watched, then they repeated each other’s techniques until the other had mastered it.
Aerial had just taught Windwalker how to read crosscurrents, and now he was teaching her another flanking move. She saw him fly sharply around a mid-sized cloud to the left, and followed quickly after only to find that he’d apparently vanished. Aerial felt the air stirring against her back and her wings, and angled them accordingly.
Windwalker smacked into her back, but with a few deft flaps, she flipped his tackle against him, sending them both into a tumbling descent for a soft cloud below. For every twist and turn he made to try to put her below him, she had an answering twist, leaving her on top just before they hit the cloud laughing.
* * *
Three days later, while she was pulling the same move, Aerial wasn’t laughing, but she still was grinning as she gained the advantage over Lightning Strike. The Captain almost wiggled free before Windwalker came sweeping back in across them, using his wings and an aileron roll to stun her long enough for Aerial to finish the dive.
“Thanks,” Aerial said, leaping back into the air.
“Happy to return the favour,” Windwalker said. Sun Squadron was in a wargame against Blitz and Storm Squadrons. In the first encounter against Storm, they’d split into flights as they flew through Storm’s formation to minimize their own losses. To make things more interesting, all three squadrons were armed only with their own hooves. The degree of Sun’s coordination had caught Storm by surprise, costing them a third their strength in that one pass, so Thunder had retreated to regroup.
Blitz had tried engaging Sun immediately afterward to take advantage of their loss of Gale Force and Whiplash. Windwalker responded by having Sun regroup, Aerial now on his wing as Sun Two to take advantage of their great team sense -- only to have them immediately break into pairs. As duos, Sun proved too agile to counter right away, and Lightning lost nearly half her squadron in that one dogfight.
Several quick engagements later, and only Thunder’s flight remained, while Windwalker had only lost Wave Chill and Surprise. Aerial grinned as Windwalker calmly analyzed the situation. She gave a slight nod over to their left, where she spotted a swirling current. He nodded back: that was where they’d finish it.
* * *
“That worked beautifully,” Windwalker said, minutes later as they landed back at the barracks.
“I still can’t wrap my head around it,” Aerial said. She couldn’t get the smile off her face either.
“We won! We won!” Windwalker picked her up in his forehooves and twirled around with her. The others broke out laughing, but she didn’t care.
“It was awesome how you –“
“Oh, but you –“ Windwalker put Aerial solidly back on the cloud, but she still felt like she was floating.
“D’you think we got the most?”
“Maybe, but we do make the perfect team.”
Aerial felt her cheeks grow hot. She hoped she wasn’t blushing.
“Hey,” Windwalker stepped close, and Aerial couldn’t help gazing deeply into his blue eyes. “Would you like to date?”
“Ooh,” the others chorused, led by Spitfire and Hasty, who had made Aerial aware of the rumour between her and Windwalker in the first place.
Aerial didn’t care. She had never felt this happy before, with the wind flowing around and through her, and Windwalker so close. Just like against Blitz and Storm, it was like they were still dancing. “I’d like that,” she said coyly.
And Sun cheered. The sound roused Aerial back to the present. She stared at Windwalker, and blushed deeply.
But regretted not a word or truth.
* * *
“You wanted to see us, sir?” Windwalker asked as he led Aerial into the captains’ office. Thunder Strike was present, his twin out with another group.
“Thank you both for coming,” Thunder said.
“Is this about our…” Aerial started. It had been two months since she and Windwalker started dating, although not much had changed besides them going on more solo flights together. They were still training at the Academy, after all. Their time together had blurred by, nearly all of that time in happy bliss. Even scouting and overwatch missions had been great times in Aerial’s mind.
“If we didn’t want you dating, we would have stepped in. No,” Thunder looked at Windwalker, then pushed a letter across his desk. “It’s time.”
“’Time?’” Aerial blinked as Windwalker read the letter.
“My tour’s already over? I have to go back.”
“Don’t you have any choice?” Aerial’s joy vanished, leaving only desperation. She loved being surrounded by the wind, but she loved being with Windwalker more. Thunder tactfully left the office.
“I can’t deny the Wing Commander’s summons, Ari. It’s not forever, though. We can see each other. But we should probably send messages so we don’t miss each other.”
“The Skybolts’re about merit, right? Not a blood thing?”
“Right. So if you’re hoping to catch my Old Stallion’s eye, you’d best finish your training here.” Windwalker smiled.
“I’ll finish before you do!”
“I’m betting on it.” Windwalker wrapped Aerial in a hug. Later he drew back and kissed her chastely on the forehead, and left. She fought back tears, and focused on her new ambition: She was going to be a Skybolt!