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// Chapter the Second: Breaking Free 
// Story: Not Out Of The Woods Yet 
// by Kiernan 
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The next two days passed slowly for the boys. They sat in their cell, not doing much of anything, just waiting for the evening when their meals would be tossed at them. While Perry knew this kind of life intimately, being locked away was wearing down on Venny's mind. He'd never known this kind of life before. He was beginning to break down, Perry could see it in his eyes.

On the fourth day, Perry had concocted his plan, and sprung into action. The mare that delivered their food didn't believe that she was in any danger. In a rather hefty gamble, when she came in to deliver their daily meal, he latched onto her foreleg and dragged her closer to the bars. Locking his jaw, he hoped this would be enough to distract her as he used his magic to snatch the keyring from her vest pocket, and toss them in the direction of the opposite cell. She couldn't be allowed to see this.

She managed to break his grip by bashing his head against the iron bars to the cell. As she limped away, both of them took a piece of the other with them. Perry had torn off a hefty chunk of skin, and part of one of his teeth had broken off inside of her wrist. She quickly left the room and turned off the light.

Venny carefully approached Perry. "What was that all about?" he asked, frightened by his brother's outburst. "Why did you do that? We're going to be punished for what you did."

Perry spat out the clump of yellow skin and turned to Venny. Tilting his head to the side, he motioned for Venny to look out into the opposite cell, where the keys had fallen. Unfortunately, Venny couldn't see anything, as the room was too dark. 

"What are you trying to point out to me?" asked Venny, trembling. "What are you trying to say?"

Perry's horn took in a soft blue glow, which quickly faded. He was out of energy. Luckily, it was enough to tip off Venny. With a bit of magic, he lifted the keys out of the opposite cell and brought them over into theirs. Lifting the key ring and trying the first key in the lock, he found that it wouldn't turn. Nor would the second. Not until the fifth key did he find one that undid the latch on their door. When the door was opened, they crept out of the cell and moved to the doorway the mare had disappeared through. They peered out, seeing the two stallions that had captured them, and a black one with a white mane that they'd never interacted with before. They were all turned away, sitting at a table, focusing on their card game. Unfortunately, leaving this way meant walking right past them, and that wasn't an option. Perry directed Venny's attention to the nearby wall, where Red Line's knife hung in its scabbard. Climbing on his brother's back, Perry was able to unlatch it and pull it down, just as the mare came out to rejoin the card game.

"You weren't kidding about that little one," she said, favoring her rather severely injured wrist, which was now all bandaged up. "He's a violent one. We should have asked for more money. At this point, the ransom's barely going to cover our medical bills. There won't be anything left over when we're done."

"You let me worry about that," chuckled the black stallion. "Remember, I'm the brains of this outfit. When Kai shows up, I'll triple the asking price. That tiny colt is a biological jackpot. We wouldn't want rumours about him plotting to take over the world spreading around, would we?"

Red Line laughed. "You're a mad genius, Dark Flash. Just brilliant."

Venny swallowed hard. He didn't know what the asking price was, but he knew his father only had a limited amount of power. He looked back down at where Perry had been, but Perry had already left. He'd gone to the wooden back door, and was trying to cut a hole in it. The jagged edge on the back of the knife made a very good saw, and the wooden door was fairly old. It didn't take long to cut a hole big enough to squeeze through. Grabbing the loaf of bread and milk cartons from the cell, Venny squeezed through the gap first, and Perry followed after. They were in a wooded area, and it was after sunset. 

"Any ideas where we are, Perry?" Perry shook his head in response. "Any clues as to which way home is?" Again, the answer was no. "Is there anything you are sure of?" 

This time, there was a nod. Perry set off into the dark of the woods, strapping the knife he'd stolen around his shoulder in the same way that Red Line had worn it. He had no idea where he was headed, but the voice in his head told him to just pick a direction and go that way. Eventually, they would find a river, or something, and that would lead them back to civilization. From there, they could find out how to go home. The direction he picked was exactly the opposite direction of the foal-nappers.

Venny followed close behind, illuminating the way as best he could with the light from his horn. He hadn't stopped to wonder why they hadn't nullified his magic, but now that he was actively using it, he wanted to know why they had skipped such a crucial step. His best guess was that they'd forgotten, or perhaps they were unaware that he could use advanced magic. He was only six years of age, after all. Regardless, he wasn't about to go back and ask them.

They walked for several hours, eventually stopping when Perry held up a hoof. He was exhausted, having expended much of his stored energy breaking them out. It was after midnight, not that they could tell, so it was as good a time as any to consider going to bed for the night. There was a freshly fallen tree nearby, its branches still covered in green, coniferous needles providing a good cover to keep them hidden for the night, just in case their foal-nappers caught up with them. Using the knife as a spade, he dug a small hole underneath the trunk, big enough to keep them safe from wild animals.

They split the bread Venny had carried with them all this way, and drank their milk. Until they found a water source, and some way of finding food, this was to be their final sustenance. They had to make it count. They fell asleep shortly thereafter, not to wake again until the sun was already in the sky above.