Undaunted

Flight

The next few days were a blur. Because of the freedom of summer, I had a lot of spare time to kill, so I kept Leona company for most of the day. It had to suck being cooped up in a forest and hoping no one would notice that there was a mythical creature hiding out in its boundaries, but I tried to at least keep her as occupied as I could. I brought over some new clothes (which I had stolen from my mom), board games, dice, even a soccer ball, a frisbee, and a volleyball.  But things like that could only go so far.

Whenever we weren't playing games, she was running around. She always seemed more at ease when she was prancing about. Sometimes I joined her to watch, other times I left her alone. She needed her space.

While it was clear that she had gotten used to me, she still wasn't fully at peace with the whole ordeal. Sometimes she'd get a faraway look and get all mopey or she'd jolt when I surprised her. While there wasn't anything I could do to resolve the situation, I couldn't help but feel guilty that it was my fault.

When we returned to the clearing five days after the circus had left, she hesitated, staying near me instead of taking off. She fixed me with a stare.

I looked around awkwardly. "What?"

"Do you want to ride with me?" she offered.

I coughed, shocked by the question. "What?" I repeated dumbly.

"Do you want to go for a ride?"

"With you."

"No, with that other centaur over there. Yes, with me," she snapped. But I knew she wasn't angry.

I hadn't really thought that she might ask me. It kind of seemed like an intrusion of her time, but yet here she was asking the question and looking at me hopefully. It would be mean to refuse.

"Are you okay with that?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't." She had a point.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?" I stepped up to her side, her hand held out. Accepting it, I pulled myself up, far easier than the first time I had tried.

"Hang on," she advised. I wrapped my arms around her flannel shirt and grabbed at my wrists with the intensity of the Ouroboros snake. She took off like gun fire, picking up speed quickly. She circled the glade a few times before jumping over a rock and dashing into the forest.

"H-hey, do you have any idea where you're going?" I asked fearfully.

She grinned. "Not a clue! You'll help me find our way back."

I groaned as she zipped in between the trees, zigzagging all over. We passed by a few places I recalled, but for the most part this was new for me. I wasn't really worried about getting lost, though. I was too caught up in the excitement.

I was starting to relax when I noticed a sheer drop-off just ahead. "Um, Leona? You might want to slow down." No response. "Leona? Can you hear me?" I tugged with my arms, but she still stayed silent. I opened my mouth again, but she beat me to it.

"I'm gonna jump it."

My legs squeezed into her sides. "Oh, no, you're not. If you're jumping that cliff, I'm jumping off you and going back."

"Would you really?"

I struggled to say yes, but I couldn't get myself to. "No, I wouldn't," I sighed.

"Good to know you trust me, even just a little."

"Not after this stunt."

"We'll see about that, Drew." The edge was racing towards us. I squeezed my eyes shut, just wanting it to be over quickly. I felt her legs tense beneath us as she pushed off the rock. Butterflies assaulted my stomach and the wind tugged at my hair. Part of me wanted to take a peek, but I kept them stubbornly shut. We stayed airborne for a few seconds before we landed with a clatter.

I opened one eye. "We made it, thank goodness!" I cried out dramatically, throwing my hands up.

Leona glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, please," she muttered and began moving again, causing me to scramble to get my arms back in place. We toured this new side, slower than before, mostly because we were too busy looking around.

In the distance, I could hear a faint hissing sound. "You hear that?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"That's the sound of the wind outside the trees. There's something up ahead."

It sure was something. The tree line broke away completely, replaced by a field of tall, yellowing grass that swayed and billowed in the wind gusts. Small shrubs dotted the expanse, which stretched on far into the distance.

Leona let out a shrill squeak. She was speechless as she walked forward, the coarse grass brushing against her legs.

The only words that escaped my mouth were, "Plains. Lots and lots of plains." Leona nodded slowly.

We stared out for a long time, as if trying to avoid disturbing the peace. I reached down and ran my palm over the tops of the grasses. They bit into my hand, but I didn't really notice. "Does this... does this remind you of home?" I asked quietly.

"It looks just like it," she whispered back.