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it was a terrible day to go flying.
obviously blossom knew this. the sky was overcast, clouds heavy and dark with rain and the the wind was starting to pick up, ruffling their feathers and throwing wayward raindrops into their eyes. the sun hadn't shown its face in at least a week, and even though there were no winters, they were waiting patiently for spring.
they shivered. it was really cold up here. their clothes were still tattered from fighting their league match with ruby, letting even more freezing air whip at their skin. now more than ever they could use that spark of fire that used to be in their chest, but since all their suns and sparks were gone, they were freezing up. blossom was so cold.
now there was nobody to fly through caves with. the warm mesa caves were far away, in another time. just thinking about them wouldn't change the fact that blossom was back on top of a freezing mountain, the only difference being that they were the oldest. and that they were alone.
if it was rainy and cold and frankly the opposite of anything comforting, then they could only find comfort in their memories. even if those memories whip at their skin like the frozen wind and lash them like pouring rain.
as if they jinxed it, the clouds above them opened up and pelted them with raindrops. their hair instantly became a sodden mat flipping around behind their head like a dying fish, loose strands flicking into their eyes and mouth. blossom's hands and feet and tail were beginning to go numb from the cold, and it took effort to wiggle their toes and scrunch their fingers into a fist. they lashed their tail against the now speeding wind, throwing off their balance and sending them into a tumble.
blossom flailed around, beating their drenched wings to right themself. they had dropped several metres and were losing height quicky. the rain weighed heavy on their feathered wings. it wasnt going to be long before they hit the ground in a broken mess of bones and feathers. in a last-ditch effort, blossom shifted their wings to be scaled instead. a huge amount of water cascaded down to the ground, throwing them off even further. the ground came up to meet them and with full force they careened through the branches of one of straw's cherry trees, the twigs tearing through their skin in anger. leaves and flowers splattered against them, seeping parasites into the sharp stinging cuts all over. a particularly gnarled branch hooked around blossom's right wing, biting into the bone and viciously snapping it. they were forcefully flung by gravity and momentum to the cold, hard ground below. with a sodden smack they hit the rocks, their arm twisting painfully beneath them and breaking with a loud crack. the rest of their body followed, all ripping skin and splintered bone. their ribs crushed under them, sharp bone tearing into their lungs and their heart and their head hit the ground with a final sickening crack-
--+--
blossom groggily woke, slowly being pulled from the dark pits of slumber by their mind, thoughts rapidly getting faster as they paced about. small flecks of blood still clung to their cheek. they let out a short breath. their whole body ached, and although not a lot, that meant it had been a really bad death. the pain had already faded.
their surroundings shifted into view around them, the steady mumbling of the creek, the cool, moist air. they were lying in the afk cave, above their soft woollen sheets was a lightly textured ceiling and walls. the candles next to the bed weren't lit. for once, ruby's birds were silent, as if in a sleep themselves.
blossom eased themself upwards into a sitting position, realising their hands were subtly shaking. they barely remembered what had happened. coming as a shock, they realised they had shifted back to default. no wings, no tail, no antlers. that death must've been bad.
naturally, blossom's first thought after this was their grave. with a start of fear they tuned their ears to the sounds outside, hearing only the soft patter of rain. no wind whistling through the yet to be patched up walls and free-standing scaffolding. the storm had passed. they could have been knocked out for ages.
they reached for their communicator, throwing off their sheets and standing up, grazing their head on the low ceiling. they quickly typed in the command and disappeared in a flash of ender particles.
blossom stumbled out the other side of the teleportation, tripping over their own feet. without a tail they were so unbalanced. they were back under the tree, rain softly dripping from the leaves above them.
it made blossom a bit uneasy, their subconscious recoiling slightly. they glanced around. no grave. so they were out for more than three hours. they were going to have to contact john to get their stuff back. great.
a shiver went across blossom's back. the wind was starting to pick up again. the rain fell a little harder. they sighed, and teleported back to their home again. blossom would have to wait out the storm there.