The Ascension

The pace of my heart began to pick up as beams of light crept into the cavern.

"We can do this Tempest," I whispered to my falcon, attempting to convince myself more than anything.

Now that the sun was beginning to rise, I knew that they would come to fetch me. Today was the day I took the final test. My years of learning and training all led up to this point. If I failed I would be assigned to be a simple foot soldier, just like my father was. I let out a shaky sigh as I continued to stroke Tempest's feathers.

Ever since I was little kid I knew I wanted to be a Falcon Rider. I was entranced as I watched them soar through the skies. I wanted to feel the air rushing past my ears and the soft, silky feathers under my hands. The thought of being an archer bored me, although my mother encouraged me to pursue that path. She told me it was the safest occupation one could have in our military. Almost no one failed the tests to become an archer. It meant I wouldn't become a foot solider, a fear everyone in our country shared. Being assigned as infantry was like the fire being lit under a funeral pyre. Everyone knew death would take you before your ten years of service were done.

I felt Tempest's large head nuzzled on my shoulder, trying to calm me. In the past few years since I started training with Tempest, she had been witness to many times where I was ill from worrying. Ever since I was very young, I constantly second guessed every move I made. Even now, at sixteen years old, I always doubted if the decisions I made were the right ones. I was constantly afraid that I would do something, anything wrong. I was terrified I would let those closest to me down and fail them.

This was one of the reasons I loved soaring on Tempest's back. Whenever I was flying, I never hesitated. I would do whatever I deemed appropriate and have no reservations. When I was sky-high, I had no cares in the world. I wasn't worried about myself, my mother, or even the war. All that mattered in those moments was the sky and Tempest.

This is why I couldn't fail today.

"Are you ready, Merek?" a man asked as he entered the cavern.

I nodded, knowing it was time, and began to move towards the exit. The man handed me a blunt spear. The final test today was simple. Scattered around the mountains were a set of three flags. I was to fetch them and bring all three of them to the highest peak where our capital rested. The catch was that four other trainees had the same task. Only one of us could pass this test and become a Falcon Rider. The strategies were simple. You either had to be the swiftest and gather all the flags first or the strongest and knock out all of the competition. Both were good traits for a Falcon Rider.

I stepped out of the cavern and the sun blinded me momentarily. Once my eyes adjusted, I gazed at the familiar territory. The people of my country were of the highlands. Our villages were scattered all along the peaks and hills of this mountain range, which gave us a very good defensive position in this war. I gazed at the light clouds that swirled nearby and spotted the people lined along different peaks. The final test to become a Falcon Rider only happened twice a year, at most, since so many didn't make it this far in their training.

"The test is about to start. I suggest you mount your falcon," the man declared.

My breath hitched and I could hear my heart pounding even louder. I shakily scrambled on top of Tempest. I inhaled the crisp, frigid air in an attempt to calm my breathing. The fear and uncertainty were weighing heavily in the bottom of my gut. It wasn't a matter of if I could do this. I had to do this. There was no other option but success.

I heard the hollow sound of a bell and took flight. The test had started.

During the initial take off, I glanced all around us to see if any of our competition was in sight. I could see a big, burly male with a large, dulled axe riding a black falcon. His sights were set on another trainee in the distance. A rush of relief ran through me, thankful that he hadn't noticed me yet. I directed Tempest between two peaks and scouted for any of the flags. I spotted a crowd watching and saw a little girl looking at me in admiration. I wondered if she would follow in my same footsteps…

I continued to soar forward, trying to stay low and out of sight. Both Tempest and I were small and lithe. Brute strength was not our forte. We raced in between peaks, keeping a keen eye out for the flags. Suddenly, a splash of bright red popped into my vision. We plummeted towards the ground and I reached out my arm. I ripped the flag from its pole and we shot upwards. I could hear the cheer of a nearby group of spectators.

A warm, tingling feeling spread through my stomach and down my legs. As we ascended higher, I heard a high-pitched shriek. In the distance, a girl was spiraling downwards as a black falcon sailed away with a blue flag. The girl's falcon swiftly scooped her up in its talons before she hit the ground. I watched as they flew away to a nearby mountaintop where the other trainee I had seen earlier was sitting, looking dejected. Two of my competitors had already failed since they were dismounted from their falcons. It was safe to assume that the man riding the black falcon had taken them both out.

An idea popped into my head and I immediately began to fly higher. As I ascended, my confidence rose as well. I rose as high as I could and brandished my red flag. Knowing that everyone, including the man with the black falcon, could see me, I circled overhead. I waited, listening intently for the loud beating of wings. As soon as the sound reached my ears, I plunged downwards. The wind ripped across my face and tears started to form in my eyes.

I curved around one of the peaks and dove straight down. I steered Tempest into the shadow of the mountain and we hovered there patiently. Within a couple of seconds, a blur of black sped above us and I moved Tempest forward. We chased after them, picking up speed quickly. The man noticed us, but it was too late. I drove my spear into his back and yanked the blue flag away from him. He desperately held onto his falcon but the momentum was too much. I turned around and watched as he plummeted downwards.

I let out a laugh and spurred Tempest higher. We outplayed the biggest competition! Victory was right in our reach. As I soared, I saw a glimmer of yellow and smiled. On top of one of the peaks sat the last flag. We rushed towards it, our hearts full of light and joy.

If I hadn't been so excited, I would have realized that the flag wouldn't have been put in such an obvious spot.

Right before I was about to reach it, a sudden pain surged through my side. I looked to my right and saw a small girl smiling at me as I began to slip. Just like the man, I had been dismounted. I desperately clawed at my falcon. However, the momentum was too much and I flew off of Tempest.

I immediately realized the girl's strategy. She had waited for the rest of us to fight it out. Once that had happened, she swooped in for the win. It was simple and brilliant.

As I fell, I watched her glide away. She had won and I had lost. My fears and doubts… They had finally come true. Tears began to form in my eyes as Tempest plunged to save me. This was the last time I would feel what it was like to fly. It was the last time I would feel all my worries slip away. It was the last time I would truly feel invincible. The only option for me was failure.

Just an original short story idea that I whipped up for my weekly (ish) update. If you're reading this, wondering where my update is for my Hunger Games fic, I will tell you it is coming up next week. Reasons being I was out of town for five days, I'm behind on schoolwork, my computer is being worked on for a couple of days, and I have a lot of family responsibilities to take care of because of the passing of a loved one. Thank you for reading and, hopefully, dropping a review.

See you later

Europa