All the while, Netra remained in Oli's shadow, stretching over the buildings below. And she was a bit shocked.
Netra could tell that the drake was weaker than her. She wasn't sure whether the drake was a mid-elder or a high-elder, though Netra assumed the latter. But that made it all the more shocking to the fox girl when she realized that the drake, with his streamlined body and wings, was marginally faster than her. And that was without taking into account the drake's ability to fly and avoid the buildings blocking his path.
With her studious mind, Netra committed that subtle lesson to heart. *There are all sorts of beasts out there. I can't assume I'm at the top until I've definitively clawed my way there.*
The palace guards were also focused on the incoming drake. Only, with terrorized hearts and soiled undergarments.