Wearied, but not wasted by the thrill of both her own tale and that of the appaloosa Pegasus’s, Africa fought back a hefty yawn. Had her ashen tapering nose not been so long, the smile which grew across her dainty expression could easily have reached from one black-rimmed ear to the other. Although she remained caught in reflective silence, a scramble of thoughts and questions bubbled across her impatiently lolling tongue. The young grey was fascinated by her well-travelled friend, and could not rip her focus; her brightly sparkling gaze, from Tesande’s waiting face.

For now flowers and such beauty was forgotten as excitement built curiously around the prospect of Africa’s hidden treasure. She was both trusting and gullible, and both qualities frothed like river rapids throughout her young feminine demeanour. She never imagined for a second that another soul might hunger for the gem, and her new friend certainly did not emit any such latent cunningness. “You ready lassy?” Tesande asked with sudden courtesy that caused Africa’s easy mirth to waver. She felt as she watched, that the other mare was shrouded in marvellous mystery, she was exotic and she was seasoned; the grey was childishly attracted to the strange, almost alien grace which hovered as an untouchable aura about them.

“Yessss!” Africa replied, beaming, her long lean legs bounced playfully where she still stood. “It should take no time at all, because we can both ride the wind,” she mentioned quietly, though aloud as a personal afterthought. Tesande’s wings were already spreading, extensively; they were enormous she thought taken aback, but was not unsettled at all. There were a few whose glorious wing-span took her breath away, and Africa would always lust adoringly over them, because her own adornment was not nearly so luxurious- only well proportioned.

“Ok, let’s go!” She called out cheerfully to her company as she too unfurled the mass of her black tipped, dreary grey feathers. The breeze billowed softly around them, but created enough of an updraft to collect beneath and lift her open wings, striding only a feet forward, Africa clenched across her burly hindquarters and launched herself upwards. Between powerful thrusts, the young mare leaned left until she was guiding them as directly south as possible.