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.
Kaelen shifted his stance. He didn't aim for the gold. He aimed for the very top of the target frame—a nearly impossible correction for the wind he felt coming. He released. A Test of Pride
Kaelen stepped to the line. He felt the weight of his father’s old bow, scarred and unpolished. He watched the grass. He waited. Elias stepped up first
The silver trophy stood between Kaelen and Elias, not just as a prize, but as a mirror reflecting two very different kinds of hunger. He released a shot that looked perfect, but