//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: The Adventures of Us. // by Wind of the Skies //------------------------------// As the crickets chirp quietly through the dark night, I glance back through the trees towards the mountaintop and flit my wings idly. Ever so slowly the moon peeks over the needle tip of the mountain and its imperious face looks down at us. The eye of the Mare stares plaintively at us and bats fly overhead. “It’s gonna get kinda chilly soonish Wind.” Aegis speaks up again causing me to look up from my very important task of weaving a flower crown. “I know. You didn’t have to stay Aegis. Thanks for staying as long as you have though.” I put the finishing touches on it and toss it onto Aegis’s head. It lands crookedly and he gives a bemused snort. An errant gust of wind flips it off his head and lands properly back onto his head, somehow he manages to make it look regal. He’s a pony I’m blessed to have met, a wonderful friend who stands by no matter the silliness. He’s a pony I feel like I’ve known for a long time. I flit off the stone and pat it fondly. “I’ll see you next week?” A cold shiver runs through my foreleg and I nod. “Yeah, next week then.” “What exactly was that? Some old habit of yours?” Aegis speaks up while fiddling with the flowery crown. It subtly shifts and grows together, shifting to regally while thorns curve upwards at a snails pace. A moss coloured deer walks into the clearing, his antlers wide and elegantly arching to seemingly contain a lambently glowing wisp. “Wind was speaking to an old friend, one who he hasn’t seen in some time now. As is the price we often see. This is the resting place of Mint Julep, and a place sacred to those of Wind.” He speaks grandly as I roll my eyes. “Really Forest? You’re going that route? Fine then, do what you want.” He huffs and glares at me, the wisp flaring brightly afore fading. I smirk lopsidely and Aegis looks confused. “Is this a friend Wind? This Forest fellow? What’s going on?” Aegis nudges me and I glance over to see the crown in it’s final stretches of growing, the flowers blooming and the points of the thorns shining brilliantly. “Yeah he’s a friend. He was visiting too. Not much else to say other than he has a weird sense of humour.” I flick my tail and keeps grinning at the odd looking deer. “You blend in too well Wind. It’s getting harder and harder to find you.” Forest huffs at me again and I shrug, my feathery wings amplifying the motion. The rustling of leaves above us hushes briefly. “I do my job well enough.” I yawn at Aegis and flap into the air to lazily fly circles around the two before Forest jumps up to land daintily on a narrow tree branch, lazily picking his way from branch to branch. Aegis pretends not to notice as he too jumps into the air to fly next to me. “You’re an inconsistent pegasus Wind.” He grumbles as I move lower for different airspace. Because flying in woods with more than one in a row is hard. My ears perk as Aegis yawns above me. “It’s kinda late.” I suppose it is later than ponies normally stay up but I feel fine. Nevertheless I quicken my wingstrokes and soon we arrive back at my shack, Aegis giving a lazy wave and flying to his home for the night. The moss green deer bows his head and motions to the door. I nod back and walk in, motioning for him to follow. “Thank you Wind. How have things been?” He settles down on my couch and I toss the spare pillow to him. “Thank you.” “Mhmm. I’m sleeping now, you’d probably do good to follow in my path.” I snort tiredly and trot to my bed to collapse on it. Lazily I crawl under the sheets and kick my hindlegs free of the warmth before relaxing. The elder deer tosses and turns with little dissatisfied sighs before getting up and trotting briefly, though to where was a mystery until I feel a flop next to me on the bed. Immediately I roll slightly so he has space to be comfortable. “Thank you...” Forest murmurs quietly before sleeping himself. Soon I too drift off to the land of dreams. The sands swirl around in the moonlight and I force myself up, staggering weakly across the desert, wind twisting and throwing the sand abrasively through my feathers causing me to let out a low whine of pain as it rubs against my skin. I squint against the sand and trot on, slowly, painfully, hoping beyond all hope to find an oasis or the edge. Hooffall after stumbling hooffall slowly takes me further away from my home, deeper into the storm. Tears drip from my squinted eyes and I try to stop them, with no water except a canteen I’ll need all the moisture I can get. The storm slowly dies down and I raise my head timidly, searching for my home. But somehow, in the midst of that storm I travelled in I walked so far. But perhaps this is good, perhaps the storm left them and followed me. After all, it’s my fault the storm began. My fault it had persisted so long. And it was my fault the village exiled me. Though I do think being the only pegasus to be born there in a century made them view me with a bit more suspicion than they would have viewed a unicorn. I sigh and continue trudging up the dune. Eventually, after what seems like forever, I can see across the dune. More dunes, stretching on for what seems like forever. I sigh hopelessly and wander on, towards anything I thought would save me. Suddenly my world turns to antlers and thrashing as I gasp and flounder helplessly. After a few panic riddled moments the blanket gets flung across the room and I see Forest doing his thing. Which is apparently fighting in his sleep. Go figure.