Look down, the ground below is crumbling
Look up, the stars are all exploding
The first thing she noticed as she emerged from the shadowy sanctuary below the rocky crust of cliff, was that the vast frothy ocean reaching out to the soft blue horizon, was much the same as it had always been. Well, that was of course prior to the light’s surrender to the formidable night. A quietly curious glance was passed across to Silas the little star-speckled Zephyr, as he stretched the restless idleness from his long, glossy black wings. "Strange?" Africa mumbled against the gentle mid-morning breeze as it twirled her long mottled forelock away from her pretty amber eyes. The small creature retuned her look with compassion, but having dwelt by her side as the seasons shifted and curses mended above, he could solve none of the questions that he could feel bubbling through her roused soul. "It's almost as though we have woken from a dream; a terrible nightmare."

Minutes passed by the duo who remained paused in reflection on the narrow rubble shelf above the waves. It was Silas who began up the steep, perilous path first, picking carefully his passage between the loose stones and slippery salt-mist algae. The danger did not haunt him as it did Africa though, his wings while weak and unfit, still offered balance and the gift of a second chance should he stumble and teeter across the edge. The dappled mare however remained without one, having been robbed of her birthright- flight, many, many moons ago. Her hooves scuffed and clunked gracelessly as she scrambled up behind her soul mate, but each step was filled with inexplicable confidence and calm.
As they slipped beyond the jagged wall of rock, high above the fracture through which they had crept out from darkness, Africa sucked a lengthy breath through eager nostrils, tasting the warm sweet breath of Tallsun. "It's summer already!"she could not help but declare and bucked lightly on the spot, unable to contain her delight. True enough, the sun towered above them, shedding heat- and what she imagined to be affection, all across the lush carpet of plateau grass. Not so thrilled with the blinding brightness was Silas. The little Zephyr was a mythical creature of the night, though while he did not share the bliss of his companion, he found delight in her happiness- because for so long, misery and torment had blemished her gentle heart.

A chirp, sharp and loud peeled through the air, and he bounced forward twice upon blunted claws before spreading his great feathered wings against the mellow wind. Sensitive to his soul mate’s gravity, he did not relish in the glory of that maiden flight, instead swooped to flutter by the knobbles of Africa’s protruding spine and perch across her withers.
It had been so long since she had felt the security of his grasp there- the cave had always closed so snugly in and around them. The intricate, tender bond between Zephyr and horse began to course through both of their veins, and contentedly Africa set off in a loose south-easterly direction, her mind clear and fresh; ready to face a new destiny.