Wingbeats

5: Nature's Not My Thing

It had been four weeks since our escape and we were on the run, or rather, on the fly. Because we're pegasi, get it?

And I just realized that that rhymed.

Anyways, wherever we had been to wherever we were now was a long flight and my wings burned heavily as I searched the greenery below me for a spot to crash and rest.

And I say crash because I still hadn't figured out the whole landing concept. Like, was I supposed to just throw myself at the ground and hope I didn't break anything or was there supposed to be a more graceful method? I was guessing there was.

"Yo, Nox, we need to-"

"Head down, I know!" Nox answered for me.

Without another word, we both plummeted down, spreading our wings wider as we neared the ground in hopes that we would crash land gracefully.

We didn't.

I landed horridly and fell into a creek nearby with a splash, narrowly missing a deadly looking rock. I sat there for a moment, gasping for air and contemplating how that rock had nearly become one with my skull.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

SPLAGOOOOOSH!

Nox followed my lead and splashed down amongst the water plants. Lucky for him, they were softer than my new friend the rock.

After we had climbed out of the river, we sat down on a springy moss bed nearby to dry. I looked around; we had landed somewhere in the great outdoors, a spot full of leafy trees, moss, and, wait for it- Nature!

I hadn't been able to study geography while living the dream- if you hadn't noticed. But everything seemed like it should have been to me and after deciding all was well I stuck my head down, letting sleep overwhelm me.

...

"Angel! Angel, wake up! Something's watching us." Nox's urgent whisper woke me up immediately. Well, as immediately as one can get when they're running off of three weeks of jet lag that is.

Nox made a motion with his head and we both got up.

"Who's there?" I called out in a voice braver than I felt.

To my immediate horror, another voice answered.

"Not someone you know, but a friend all the same. I kept watch over you while you slept." The voice was gentle and brief, a shadow moving somewhere to my right.

"I don't know about you, but most people find being watched creepy." I retorted, flaring out my wings defensively.

The voice chuckled and morphed out of the shadows into a bright, graceful, and deadly looking unicorn. She dropped the delicate voice.

"Close your mouth young stallion; you're both coming with me." Her words were a blur, but she looked me dead in the eyes, "The name's Zorro, and you're Angel."

Ah kidnapping, the only interesting thing to have happened in my life consistently. I could've been a world class jumper, but noooo, I had to end up with the only gig involving insane mythical horses! And I wasn't even going to ask how in heck she knew my name; I was that ready to just accept how weird everything was.

Letting out a deep breath, I scrambled to my feet.

And perhaps you're all wondering why Nox and I didn't just take to the sky and book it for less unicorn infested lands. Here's the thing; we were absolutely exhausted, and if you've ever tried running when you haven't properly rested from a marathon the day before, then you'll know it really doesn't work. If I had tried to fly away, I wouldn't have gotten far at all. So with that in mind, we decided, in a series of short head nods, to go with Zorro.

Yeah, I had a great feeling about Zorro and her mysterious summoning- sarcasm!

I had a horrible feeling about it.