A Test Of Pride 〈Windows〉

Elias stepped up first. He didn’t check the wind vanes; he didn't need to. He was the Great Elias. He released a shot that looked perfect, but a sudden downdraft caught the fletching, pulling the arrow an inch from the gold. The crowd gasped. It was a winning shot for anyone else, but for Elias, the sight of his arrow in the red ring was a puncture to his soul.

Elias walked over, his face a mask of cold fury. "You got lucky." A Test of Pride

"I didn't win because I'm better than you, Elias," Kaelen said quietly, turning to walk away without the prize. "I won because I was willing to lose. You’re still at the line, even though the match is over." Elias stepped up first

The final round was "The Gale’s Breath," a shot across a canyon where the winds shifted like a restless beast. He released a shot that looked perfect, but

Kaelen left the silver behind. He had entered the trial to save his name, but he left having saved himself from the pride that had nearly swallowed him whole.

"Shoot, boy," Elias hissed, his face flushed with the rare sting of imperfection. "Or are you waiting for the wind to apologize for your lack of talent?"

The arrow soared, caught the thermal, and slammed into the dead center of the bullseye, splitting the air with a definitive thwack . The silence was absolute. Kaelen had won.