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For a moment Africa hesitated, white knee buckling as the tanned hoof below swivelled around through the thick mat of old pine needles and litter. "There is more to this land than meets the eye... We’ll talk again in the oasis." Still the grin lingered; not only curling the dappled mare’s thin grey lips, but also playfully etched throughout her gently crafted expression. Impishly she winked one eye towards her speckled company. As her face turned again towards the direction they would be travelling (south, beyond the distant column of black smoke), long black lashes tightened together and her face pinched with growing concentration.

Her body began at once to twist and contort, mist swirling forward to cloak the transformation. Bones began to contract and skin to shrivel; feathers began to spread rapidly all over. Her hind legs shrank, the thin red-dusted fur lining dissolved to reveal patterned grey skin; and those to the front changed into wings, much smaller than the one she usually sported. The act of shape shifting was gruelling and painful, and her mind screamed silently the agony which radiated through her contorting core- by the end (perhaps thirty seconds later), the surreal mist surrounding just Africa began to disperse into that which still slowly faded with the dawn. From its midst fluttered an ordinary looking parrot, mottled-grey with a white face and creamy-yellow eyes; behind it flared a short, blunt red tail.

The parrot squawked crudely, rising through an open gap in the canopy nearby to where the mares had been chatting, dipping and swinging precariously (and playfully), as it went. Silas watched patiently for a moment longer, eye balling the other Pegasus carefully before cawing plainly at her and skipping along the bough he’d been resting upon. He was quite used to Africa’s magical ability these days, though it was uncommon (because of its excruciating affect) that she used it without good reason- a swift route home with one so engaging was apparently just that. He cawed again before spreading open his own glossy black (purple-sheen) wings and in the soft light the stars embellishing them glistened still merrily. Swooping down towards Africa’s interest briefly, the zephyr circled her and swept upwards through the same space towards the dull blue morning sky. His beloved was not as agile or swift in her parrot form, and he caught her easily, rushing by to fly ahead and scout their path (a task he rather enjoyed).

Africa guided them south and a little east as quickly as her short wings and stocky body could travel. It was a considerable distance to cover and she could not gain nearly enough altitude to ride the thermals like once she had as a perfectly fit two-winged Pegasus. Parrots were built primarily to forage through forests and jungles, and covering vast distances was quite exhausting. She passed gradually over the long stretch of meadowland, its winding blue river, and the oak scattered length beyond. Bodies were infrequently strewn throughout; brown blurs or black shadows in motion also, performing whatever duty they saw fit. Her path never faltered however, they were well clear of those primitive souls bound down to the earth by gravity’s cruel shackles. The parrot mourned for their inability, all too aware of such entrapment.

Soon they were gliding towards the smoke tower that had been; as unassuming as it had seemed from such a distance as atmosphere above the Threshold had been. Africa deviated a little so as not to plunge them into its choking centre- below she could see the molten lava lake, crimson and red; as furious as wildfire, and nearly as beautiful as He who was its creator. All across the parched clay surrounding it, the shining faces of gemstones shimmered, though she knew they were quite untouchable. Rumour suggested that those greedy hearts, who tried to claim the treasures as their own, fell upon grave misfortune- though the Starry-Eyed held not a covetous bone in her body. Never had she thought to pry them from their burnt, rust-tinged bed.

Once beyond Helovia’s Heart, the bridge soon materialized through the expanding heat haze- the desert sands forming across the vast, flat horizon. To either side of the rocky strip of land, waves frothed and lashed angrily; those which had swallowed hungrily the great metal wall which would one day have secured the border of the Dragon’s Throat. The coastal brackish air grew quickly hot, the moisture seemingly sapped from her body. Right away Africa’s skin began to dry out and itch, though she continued; flapping more frequently to stay afloat as her energy levels began to deteriorate. Silas felt the weariness of his beloved, and doubled back to match her waning speed as encouragement. The rippling blur of emerald-green was growing steadily before them. When at last they fell upon the lush, shady soils of paradise, the parrot’s trembling body dropped heavily into a cushy bed of blooming primrose. She closed her eyes and began again to transform; the unlikely mist materialising to cover her again.

"Dragon’s Throat..." She sighed minutes later, as her balance began to steady again and her mind to clear. "Welcome home Rei!" A warm smile spread through her pale, feminine features and she gestured with a shrug and opened wing for the other mare to follow along a well worn track a little deeper through the lavish undergrowth.