They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
As the stallion’s interest reached a rather sudden pinnacle- ears rocking forward, erect and with a focus she had not yet been witness to; penetrating eyes, shining with interest, fixed upon her; voice lathered with undeniable curiosity, Africa snorted softly with gently flapping nostrils, taken a little by surprise. Perhaps she had been too swift to judge him; to presume him a strange and unsociable. A quietly reflective smile etched through her sparkling creamy eyes as she discovered that finally his interest had been engaged. It did not surprise her overly that Vulture had not come across her Basilisk- or any other for that matter and nodded without complaint as he told her so. Patiently she settled her weight right, tilting to opposite hind-hoof off the ground. The terrible mythical beast that the one-winged mare sought was a habitually elusive creature, and perhaps that was why it held its place among the most famous of fairy-tale animals- it was only spoken of; rarely seen. Africa had seen it though. She had frightened the roaring creature from its quest to recover the egg from the strange talking pigeons.

“They aren’t just myths." The dreamy young mare reassured him, shaking her head slowly at his ignorance. “I have seen the Basilisk who lives in this forest, well you know- I didn’t look right at her obviously, she was very angry." Africa peered with expanding intrigue as the stallion with the white blemish zigzagging below his right eye, queried her experience further- breaking finally into conversation at last. Although she usually preferred to learn about travellers she met, their experiences and legacies, she took great pleasure in sharing the story of the Basilisk and the egg and continued without missing a beat.

“No, I’m not foolish enough to consider endangering my life fun…" “…Anymore…” She thought with an unusually dramatic bitterness towards herself. “I took something from the beast a long while back, an egg, though I don’t have it anymore." Africa hadn’t put two and too together really, she was smart and perceptive yet, but without the experience of watching Silas hatch from the prize egg, she had not realised the connection between the two. From her perspective, the egg had been lost- broken while she had been away from home by pilfering coyotes or snakes; while she had not been there to protect it. Truly, the poor thing had met the end the greedy pigeons had intended for it anyway- a hearty meal. She shuddered at the thought and transferred wandering eyes back to he who was waiting for the proper explanation. “I suppose I wanted to see if she was still lurking somewhere in the shadows here, so I might find out what sort of character it was without rage blistering it’s mind. To learn more about their kind in general." Africa sighed a little, realising the silly ambition that had dragged she and her bonded so far from home. She had assumed Silas would be just as intrigued as she still was, but he sat huddled- uncomfortable and aloof. “I think we might try another time." The dappled mare smiled gently, shrugged her shoulders and restoring equal weight across each of her long, sturdy legs. Maybe they would just collect the local mushrooms and lichen that clothed the dank rocks far in the forest’s depths- a tasty treat for those back home.


For @[Vulture]