there are no brakes!

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Malibu quipped, staring down the snowy slope with a snowboard slung over her shoulder. “Oh, yeah. Totally.” Illux replied, sticking a finger into the snow. “It’s gotta be just like surfing, right dude? I mean, you stand on a board sideways and try to keep your balance. If we can do it on the waves, we should totally be able to do it on a mountainside. I mean, like, snow and water are like…. the same thing, man. Just different states of being, y’know?”

In actuality, Illux had no idea if either of them could snowboard. Neither him nor Malibu had ever given it a shot. Both of them had equated snowboarding with ‘colder surfing,’ and now the two of them were on the top of a mountain with only way down- snowboarding, lest they walk. In Illux’s mind, snow was just ‘harder’ water. If he could surf, he was totally capable of snowboarding, right?

“Huh.” Malibu shifted, digging the end of her snowboard into the snow. “Yeah, I mean, that makes sense to me. This’ll be a piece of cake, Luxie.”

Illux laughed, standing up with a confidence very misplaced for a guy who had never once attempted to do any sort of winter sport before today. “Hell yeah, Malibu! That’s the spirit. Now let’s strap these bad boys on and get to it, my man.” Mimicking the other Terras he’d seen on the slopes that day, Illux plopped himself onto the ground and began to strap his feet into the holders on the snowboard. Malibu laughed and followed suit, though she did so far more fluently.

Immediately, Illux realized that perhaps snowboarding wasn’t like surfing after all.

“You okay there, Illux?” Malibu looked over at the other as she rose to a standing position, noting that Illux certainly didn’t look as confident as he had a mere minute ago. “Uh, yeah. Yeah totally.” He replied, standing up slowly akin to a fawn who was learning how to walk for the first time. “This doesn’t feel like a surfboard, Malibu.”

“Well, yeah.” She placed her hands on her hips, “Probably because it isn’t a surfboard, blockhead. We’re on a mountain, not at a pool-party. Now quit being a baby. This was your idea, and I’m definitely not moving until you do. So.” She huffed, watching Illux wobble with the snowboard strapped to his feet. Oh, this would be comedy gold.

“Oi, oi! I’m goin’ okay, dude? Just give me a minute to orient myself with the feeling of nature beneath my feet.” Illux waved a paw with a groan, very slowly turning himself to face the slope dead-on. As one does when snowboarding, he began to slide down the incline. Slowly at first, but then picking up speed with a surprised yelp.

“Malibu! Malibu! Man, how do I pump the brakes on this thing?” Illux called out, struggling to keep himself upright as he plummeted down the mountain far faster than he could handle. “Brakes?” Malibu yelled, taking off after him. “Dude, there are no brakes! We’re on snowboards, Lux! Turn to the side to slow down!”

Illux, in a very rare moment of panic, did as Malibu instructed. He carved into the snow hard at an angle, an unceremonious yelp leaving his body as he immediately tipped over and flipped tail over head. He kicked up a small flurry of snow as his body plowed into a snowbank head-first, a loud groan leaving him as he laid face-down in the glorious trainwreck of his fall.

“Oh, ouch. You okay, man?” Malibu skidded to a stop near him, leaning down to poke at Illux with a cautious claw. The reptile groaned even louder as she did so, making no move to get up from the snowbank in the slightest.

“Man, this is so not like surfing.”

𐙚 𓏵𓏵𓏵𓏵𐙚
word count: 645
featured characters: malibu & illux
happy birthday xil!