It wasn't that he wanted Deimos to crash into him, so much as he trusted the General's physical prowess in being able to avoid such a collision.
That, and he still wasn't used to just how fast the golden eagle was in a dive, underestimating his opponent and thinking he had more time than he truly did to arrange an evasion. Feathers slid past one another, silver and gold, as bodies nearly brushed and wings actually did. The General's close passage sent the smaller raven tumbling, control lost as he was swept away in the eagle's wake, and at one point he felt a slight tug on his leg that was a minor complaint to the frantic pumping of wings as he scrambled to right himself before he made the intimate acquaintance of the training field dirt.
Luck and sheer brute strength brought him up before he fell into the danger zone, and he panted as he tried to regain lost altitude, feeling lighter and freer for the exhilaration and adrenaline still racing through him--
Which was about the point he realized that an empty string dangled from his leg. Sharp blue eyes sought out his opponent, dismayed to see that at some point in their dogfight - whether by luck or skill - the General's talons had closed on his sun, capturing it for a moment or a season or a year - however long the Fae spell was supposed to last.
But one sun caught meant one sun still to go. Deimos had won the round on the attack, but now it was his turn to defend as the raven attempted to complete the ritual - and the game. No croak to warn the other man; this time Jigano launched himself with all his speed on the ascent before the eagle could get high enough above him again for another dive, aiming to catch the dangling sun in his beak with deftly wicked aim.
That, and he still wasn't used to just how fast the golden eagle was in a dive, underestimating his opponent and thinking he had more time than he truly did to arrange an evasion. Feathers slid past one another, silver and gold, as bodies nearly brushed and wings actually did. The General's close passage sent the smaller raven tumbling, control lost as he was swept away in the eagle's wake, and at one point he felt a slight tug on his leg that was a minor complaint to the frantic pumping of wings as he scrambled to right himself before he made the intimate acquaintance of the training field dirt.
Luck and sheer brute strength brought him up before he fell into the danger zone, and he panted as he tried to regain lost altitude, feeling lighter and freer for the exhilaration and adrenaline still racing through him--
Which was about the point he realized that an empty string dangled from his leg. Sharp blue eyes sought out his opponent, dismayed to see that at some point in their dogfight - whether by luck or skill - the General's talons had closed on his sun, capturing it for a moment or a season or a year - however long the Fae spell was supposed to last.
But one sun caught meant one sun still to go. Deimos had won the round on the attack, but now it was his turn to defend as the raven attempted to complete the ritual - and the game. No croak to warn the other man; this time Jigano launched himself with all his speed on the ascent before the eagle could get high enough above him again for another dive, aiming to catch the dangling sun in his beak with deftly wicked aim.
