Twilight Shadows

Chapter 19

It was a boy, about thirteen years old. He had dark, black hair with brown eyes. I realized with a jolt that I knew who this was...

Joshua? I wondered. Is that why he was able to shape-shift and have wings at the same time?

A chill went down my back and through my legs. I still couldn't believe it. Joshua? So many questions, yet I couldn't find someone to answer them. JOSHUA??!!!

I withdrew from the pool of water and looked into Dawnlight's eyes.

"Please..." I said. "I need to know why." Dawnlight stepped towards the pool of water again, and stirred it with her horn. The image of Joshua faded away, and my heart rate slowed down. The water began to glow again.

The image formed a woman about forty years old, with a baby cradled in her arms, who I guessed was Joshua. She had wings, so she must've been a Twilight. 

A man walked into the image. He shape-shifted into an American robin, and the baby reached out to grab it, laughing and giggling. Suddenly I thought of my mother, and how I could probably never see her again... My only family that I knew... I stifled back a sob and blinked away tears.

I thought back to the image. If Joshua's mother was a Twilight, and Joshua's father could shape-shift... Joshua's father must be a Shadow. And, that's technically illegal if a Shadow and a Twilight fall in love, because they most likely will form a half breed. 

I shuddered as I remembered the gruesome scene from the past. The half breed whipping the man on the post. Blood dripping, screams and shouts coming from the gathered crowd. The hot sun beating down on the sand. The whip cracking as it finds its target. The man crying out in pain...

Were half breeds really that cruel? I wondered. Did Adelia finally find her revenge?

I looked away from the pond. I reached out to hug Nightmare.

"Thank you," I said to Dawnlight. "Thank you." Dawnlight bowed her head and the image vanished. She blinked a few times, and turned around to gallop away. 

"Dawnlight," I said. "Be safe." Dawnlight turned her head around and nodded, as if to say, You be safe too. "I will. I promise."

I turned around and made my way into the trees, in the way I thought was camp. Nightmare guided me. Suddenly, I heard a sharp whinny, and I knew something was up.

"DAWNLIGHT!" I screamed as I headed back to the waterfall. "Dawnlight, where are you?"

The whinny came from my left, a little further away from the waterfall. I ran with Nightmare on my heels. Dawnlight brayed again. I saw a flash of silvery white, and I knew that was Dawnlight. I ran with all my might.

I approached the scene. Dawnlight was backed up against a tree, and a midnight-black unicorn was in front of her, tossing his mane and swishing his tail.

"Nightmare, translate please..." I said. Nightmare spat fire, and the words burned on the grass.

"If you do not come with us, then we'll have to do it by force." The message read. I guessed that the midnight-black unicorn said that to Dawnlight.

Nightmare cleared the message with a swish of her tail. She spat fire again.

"Blacksky, you don't understand. Not all half breeds are dangerous. What grudge do you have against them?" Dawnlight's message wrote.

The midnight-black unicorn, Blacksky, charged at Dawnlight, who was against a tree. Dawnlight winced as she created an aurora coloured force field just in time. Blacksky made impact with the force field, and an electrical buzz filled the air. The force field glowed and Dawnlight struggled to keep it intact.

Blacksky's horn was glowing gold, pushing against the force field harshly, trying to get to Dawnlight. I decided that I couldn't stand by anymore. I charged into the heated battle.

Nightmare looked at me in alarm. She ran up to me and I guessed that she also wanted to help. "Good girl.." I said softly. "Go get'em."

Nightmare charged at Blacksky, spitting fire as she went. The fire singed Blacksky's tail, and Blacksky winced but did not retreat from the attack.

I ran and stood beside Dawnlight, summoning my own obsidian like force field. Nightmare was still distracting Blacksky, slowly weakening him. I forced my mind to concentrate on helping Dawnlight defend the impact.

I heard Blacksky mutter, "Half breeds... Always getting in the way of things. So unpredictable." I wondered when Blacksky learned English. I always thought creatures couldn't learn how to speak English, but I guess I was wrong.

Blacksky forced the attack harder. I had to push with all my might to keep the horn from reaching Dawnlight and I. Dawnlight struggled too.

"You... will both... answer to... the... Council..." Blacksky said surely as he weakened. I checked on Nightmare. She was already burning Blacksky's hooves, so he had to keep on jumping to try and put out the flames, which was slowly ebbing away his energy.

After a few more seconds, Blacksky retreated backwards and I lowered my arms. The force field disappeared, and so did Dawnlight's. Dawnlight fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

"So," I said. "You're from this... Council."

"Yes." Blacksky said. "And you clearly are a nauseating little girl." Blacksky's eyes narrowed. "If it weren't for you, I would've completed my job! I WOULD HAVE TAKEN THIS LITTLE TRAITOR TO THE COUNCIL! And then, there will be no more illegal unicorn half breeds..." Blacksky said nastily.

I still couldn't get what it was with half breeds. Why are they so feared?

"Blacksky," I continued. "What's all this fuss about half breeds? Why are they illegal? Why are they banned? Why?"

"You're still young." Blacksky observed. "You won't understand. I assure you."

"I'm already twelve." I defended myself, highly offended. "I can take care of myself." This Blacksky was really making me think of Noah and how annoying elders could be.

"Fine." Blacksky snorted. "It's a long history..."

~💖~   

I took a moment to process all the information Blacksky gave to me. It did seem reasonable to ban the half breeds, but not all of them are bad and crime makers. It was true that they did rule the whole world once, and forced everybody to become slaves, but that wasn't it.

They also would kill creatures and people for fun and entertainment. They would drown people in a huge metal box. They would skin animals alive.

"That's... horrible." I whispered.

"And that's not all..." Blacksky continued. "The most powerful creatures, Twilights and Shadows, have a grudge against each other, and they banned marriage from one side with another. What grudge, I do not know, young one."

All this information was starting to click in place. I paused for a moment to think.

"Thank you Blacksky..." I said. "One more request."

"Anything." Blacksky promised. 

"Please spare Dawnlight. She's harmless. Even though she's a half breed, she's fine. She hasn't done anything to harm anybody." I pleaded. "She's been feeling like an outcast."

Blacksky looked from me to Dawnlight, who shrunk even smaller.

"Agreed." Blacksky said. "I'll take her to her parents..." Dawnlight's ears poked up.

"My... parents?" Dawnlight asked in English. 

Whoa, I thought. These creatures really are surprising me.

"Yes." Blacksky informed. "We'd better get going."

~💖~  

I waved goodbye to Dawnlight and Blacksky, and Dawnlight called back, "I'll never forget you, Stephanie!"

I smiled and lowered my hand, which was sore from waving so long. Dawnlight and Blacksky were now pinpricks in the distant horizon, glowing from the moonlight.

"C'mon Nightmare." I said. "Let's get back to camp. Noah and Joshua are going to be waiting."