6. Wind is Friend

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Alex was lying down on a cloud, face-up.

He did not want to be lying on a cloud, face-up. He wanted to be in his bed.

However, that was not to be done. He was lying on a cloud, and he was going to have to accept it. He rose slowly, giving a quick yawn. He looked around him, and there was nothing but clouds below him and blue sky above him. He heard a loud rushing sound at his back, and turned around slowly. The others had told him about "Windigo" coming in his dreams to train him. Could the thing behind him be Windigo?

Standing behind him was a horse made of wind. It was easily more than fifty percent larger than a normal horse, and it had wings--making it a pegasus. "Good morning--or evening, Alex," the pegasus greeted, Alex tallying another for people and things that knew his name. "You need to learn about the power of the sky."

"Well, yeah, I mean, that's what I assumed would be happening. You know, I'm in the sky, talking to a..."

"YOU WILL BE SILENT!" Windigo(Because he couldn't be any other pegasus, obviously) had a voice like thunder, as if he was born a hero. Knowing this, Alex wondered what the other lords sounded like. "Now, get on my back," the pegasus continued. Alex, seriously considering his life choices, hopped on with trepidation. 

"You will see the power of the wind," Windigo explained vaguely. Before Alex could ask what that meant, They were flying. Alex held on tight to Windigo, not wanting to risk falling off. For all he knew, this was one of those dreams where if you died in the dream, you died in real life. Dying was not on Alex's immediate agenda. 

Windigo and Alex rocketed through the dream sky. Clouds zipped past, the world seemed to bend around them, and Alex was feeling the power of the wind--the speed of it was nearly making him fall off. 

Windigo stopped, landing softly on a cloud. Alex dismounted, falling on his back. "Do you see now?" Windigo asked. Alex nodded, catching his breath. He got up on his elbows, still panting. "What...does this...have to do...with my powers?" he asked. Windigo nodded, as if he was just about to get to that, but he was going to stop himself from getting annoyed.

"Tell me, have you ever flown as fast as that?" the pegasus asked. Alex thought for barely a moment when he answered no. Windigo snorted, and Alex felt mildly ashamed of himself. "Get up," Windigo commanded. With one more breath, Alex stood. 

"Feel the wind around you." Alex took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Wind came from his back and swirled around him. 

"Let yourself free from your ground." Alex breathed again, letting his feet "let go" of the cloud. He felt himself lift slightly, and did his best to maintain concentration. 

"Let the wind carry you, then fly with the wind." One more breath, and Alex felt himself slowly move forward. He then pushed forward, flying with the wind rather than trying to control it. He dashed forward unexpectedly quickly, startling himself. He began to drop.

A great wind came from below and pushed him back onto the cloud. Windigo had saved him. "Thanks," he gratified. Windigo nodded, then gestured with his head to try again. Alex, taking deep breaths, did the exact same thing. He flew forward, this time expecting it. He opened his eyes and went into a horizontal position.

He zipped across the sky with greater speed than ever. Now that he was flying with the wind rather than trying to make it go to his will, it complied much more. He tried to turn, knowing that it would require trying to change the wind around him. It worked beautifully. The wind seemed to acknowledge him, and helped him along his way.

Alex turned around, and the wind changed direction with him. He didn't even have to try. He flew back to Windigo and landed like a true hero. He looked up at his pegasus mentor. "The wind is your friend," Windigo said to him. "Treat it like one, and it will give you the power you need. Allow it to help you, for that is what it wants."

Alex pondered this. He was to treat the wind like it was a living thing? Was the wind a living thing? What was going on that brought him to the point where he talked to a pegasus in his dream about how the wind may or may not be a living thing? Alex sighed, then nodded.

"About your wind shield," Windigo continued. "And just about everything else. Your power comes from the wind, and the wind will help you when it wants. If your power does not work, the wind does not think you need it. Of course, the wind is not all-knowing, so you must speak to it, rather than forcibly try to control it without warning." Alex nodded, taking mental notes. A normal person would think that this was insane and absurd, but Alex was born with the wind as his friend.

"Do you understand the things I have told you?" Windigo asked. Alex nodded, and Windigo began to hover above the ground. With a sweep of the wings, Alex was knocked off the cloud and was falling to his doom. "SAVE YOURSELF!" Windigo shouted.

How about ask the wind to help save me? Alex asked in his mind, referencing what Windigo had just been teaching him. Alright, Wind, Alex thought, giving Wind a capital letter to make it seem alive, I need your help. He felt a powerful gust come from below, and rode the wind. Without hesitation, he rocketed towards Windigo and landed on the cloud. 

"One more thing," Windigo said. "Remember when you lost to Portcullis, how your wind was useless?" Alex remembered. It hadn't even slowed him down.

"Well, the closer a master of the sky is to the stratosphere, the more powerful they become. The opposite is true for a master of earth. They are more powerful when closer to the core. Do you understand?"

"Yup," Alex answered. "Wind is my friend, treat it like one, stay close to the sky. Got it."

"Wonderful. We shall cover more training in your next dream. Wake up."

Alex woke up.

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