The Ruler and The Hunter //Original Countryhumans Au

Chapter 11: His Curious Highness

Kazakhstan breathed in the cold, thin air with a frown as he shot through the clouds, his beautiful wings arching and beating against the winds powerfully.
He soared and maneuvered around flawlessly as if he owned nothing but his own peace and the sky itself.

It had been his playground all his life, and he flew through it with not even a hint of fear. Knowing where to soar, where to dive down to the earth, where to swoop in, and what to avoid.

The feeling of the wind against his skin and wings, the wonderous cold touch and tingles it sent through his body. Nothing but the howling of the wind and the sunlight which beamed down on him from overhead. No chaos, no trouble, no deafening sounds; nothing to irritate him or ruin his flight.
Just peace and tranquillity for no one but himself.

He looked around, enjoying the view before he pulled his goggles over his eyes, gliding a thumb over the smooth glass as he began to drift higher and higher. His wings pounded against the powers of nature, thrusting himself as high as he could before the air became too thin for him to bear.
And when he was finally comfortable, he let his wings fold tightly against his back, arching over the clouds and letting himself shoot down through the sky. Allowing the forces to drag him back down through the gentle atmosphere.

The fall was wonderful to him. A chance for him to really feel things. Where the shadows and demons and dark souls who talked to him couldn't reach him.
Where he could truly be alone.

He had no idea how long he fell for, but he slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the sky and watching the clouds shoot by as he fell. A smile grew over his face and he turned his head to be met with the sight of the pine and fir forest beneath him. The trees and distant mountains growing in size as he neared the earth.
The smell of pine and pollen hit him and he exhaled contently, getting ready as he got closer and closer to a clearing in the forest. The trees arching over and swaying in the wind as Kazakhstan neared them.
And before he hit the ground, mere inches from the damp soil, his body twisted and his wings snapped out and around him. Stretching to their full wingspan and causing him to immediately shoot back up into the sky, laughing and grinning at the feeling of the adrenaline and the happiness that ran through his veins.

The hybrid flew on for a few more hours in the early morning, eventually landing on a strong tree branch to rest and tend to his wings.
Kazakhstan pulled off his goggles and the mask that he had been wearing over his mouth, letting them hang around his neck, beginning to stretch his arms over his head and yawn. He leaned against a tree and began to look around the surrounding forest, his wings hanging from his back and over the branch, the weathers flicking and swaying subtly in the cold breeze.
This time, he wasn't wearing his uniform. Wearing it would have been dangerous and generally idiotic, especially with the strong winds which could have tossed him around.
Instead, he wore dark and tight black leathers all over his body, his usual strong boots and a belt that was fastened around his waist. Buckles and straps covered his arms and back, securing the gaps which had been left to provide space for his wings to fall free.
He never took a sword. Just daggers that had been slipped into small pre-made discreet pockets in the leathers, and a bandolier of the blades which hung over his belt. Shining and glinting like the teeth of a dangerous animal. Nothing like the usual daggers that we carried around by soldiers and assassins alike.
These didn't have a handle or any sort of pommel. All arched like wild metal. Sharp on every corner and edge.

Dragging his fingers through his hair he slowly pushed himself up, wings dragging themselves up too. Kazakhstan winced a little, reaching over and gripping onto the branch as his wings stretched over him, struggling very slightly to balance in such a small area with his massive wings and the extra weight they held.

It could have been so much easier for him... Kazakhstan frowned, looked over his shoulder quietly and staring at the empty space behind him.

But he shook his head and stood up, pulling his mask over his face and walking along the branch confidently before leaping off into the depths of the forest.