The flock of ravens didn't miss a beat despite their missing member, however; they merely swooped around in another loop and came back straight towards where Kevin stood in the bare patch of mulch. His heart pounded in his chest as the black shapes came closer and closer.

He wasn't just ready, though; he was filled with adrenaline and confidence from that bird he'd already taken out, so once they were within reach Kevin leapt up once more into the air and, with a flail of a foreleg, made contact with another two which fell off course to either side. He spared no time once landing to burst straight up into the air again to take out another two, three, four ravens, letting out loud squawks as his hooves hit them in their feathery appendages. Only three more of the ravens remained flying in formation and although they were already beginning to loop back, Kevin grinned as he knew he could take 'em out easily.

That was when more birds rose from the writhing feathery sea of blackness below. First, it was one more V formation. Annoying, but that he could deal with. But this was followed by another, and another... until Kevin was surrounded on all sides by airborne ravens, beaks and claws trained in his direction. He gulped, and glanced down. The layer of birds on the path didn't even seem to have thinned whatsoever.

Kevin looked back up and he could make out the form of the star-stickered raven up above, far beyond the edges of the birds who were ready to attack. That head raven just cackled squeakily.

"You looked so confident... it's a shame you let that confidence go to waste, Kay. My offer from last time still stands."

Kevin spat at the ground in front of him; a bird on the edge flinched away in order to not get slathered in his saliva. "And my answer is the same as last time."

"So be it. Get her!"

Kevin had barely a moment to brace himself before all of the birds that surrounded him shot inwards, sharp protrusions at the ready.

Luckily, he had enough wits about himself to duck. He could hear the birds above, slicing through the air. He let out a sigh of relief as he crouched down, but he jumped back to action as the birds lowered their trajectory and one raven in particular got close enough to graze its claws along his back. Kevin winced in pain. "Augh! Dang it!"

The smell of blood re-energised the colt and he, instead of trying to duck further and evade like his whole body was urging him, decided to jump back up. He thrust his body into the mass of ravens that were now flying around unorganised in messy patches. This left them vulnerable; Kevin punched upward into one spot with his right hoof and the solid appendage whacked several birds out of the way with loud screeches.

The hole, while getting several of his attackers out of the way, left an open spot that the other birds could converge around, and that they did. Before Kevin could realise what was going on, he was already stuck in a repeat of what had just happened and the birds soared forward. He jumped up to meet them midair, hooves at the ready.

The colt was able to get a good few thwacks in before he landed, but his landing left him vulnerable. He felt a sharp stabbing pain on the back of his neck; quickly he turned around to find himself muzzle-to-beak with a raven, which he batted out of the way as if it were a spiderweb. But his neck still frickin' hurt.

He jumped up again, ready to attack, when he felt like he bumped into something above. Confused, Kevin thought nothing of it as he hit another few birds aside and they screeched. He fell back down to the ground. As he was about to jump again, he noticed another detail: blood was trickling down his forehead, onto his face. Kevin blinked and raised a foreleg to his head, momentarily ignoring the birds flapping above.

What he found on his head was not what he was expecting. A limp form was impaled on his horn and it was bleeding out. He pulled it off and held it in front of his face. The bird coughed and sputtered as it bled out in his hooves. He wanted to do more for it, care for it even, but he had no time. The rest of the birds were about to converge on where he stood. So, with a regretful sigh, he cast the dying body aside into the mass of feathers around him. Then, once more, he jumped. This was going to take a while.