It felt like the forest was closing in on all sides, like a clenched hand poised to strangle the life from him. Tangled vines hung from gnarled branches, clawing at Roland’s face and hair, and the uneven ground was littered with damp, moss covered rocks hidden by the shroud of night. It seemed he was the last living creature among the shadowed boughs of crooked trees, clawing his way through a labyrinth with no end while demons laughed at him from the gloom. A warm breeze swept through the trees like a sudden breath, leaves whispering conspiratorially as they brushed against one another. At night, the Deep Forest was both beautiful and ominous.

He had traveled all day, from dawn to dusk, allowing himself little rest in order to cover more ground. It felt like he’d traversed miles of uneven, rocky ground since he left the Threshold, saying a hasty farewell to the Unicorn he’d briefly enjoyed the company of. His muscles ached from the walking, and he tensed at every sound, every movement that caught his attention. He was lost and fatigued, with no idea what could be lurking in the darkness.

As the stallion pushed through the forest, eyes wide, he caught sight of something flashing ahead; a small, golden, glowing light pulsating as it moved through the trees. He jerked to a stop, nostrils flaring as his muscles coiled, preparing for flight. He lacked the courage to investigate, and so stood as still as stone, waiting for it to come closer or dart away. As time passed, the luminous orb remained, spiraling through the air like an earthen star, darting around the trees and lighting on the ferns before taking to the air again. Roland watched in perplexity, jaw slack, as the light continued to move as if it were a being with a mind of its own.

Steeling himself, he took a step closer, hooves clacking against the stones underfoot. As the forest opened up around him, more lights blinked into existence until he stood among them, their yellow glow cast across his dappled hide. With a sudden pang of embarrassment, he realized that they were not ethereal specters at all, but simple fireflies dancing on the breeze. He laughed to himself quietly, tension seeping from his limbs. The shadows were playing with his mind, and the longer he remained among the constricting trees, the more he longed to escape them and feel fresh air against his skin. The torpid breeze that rolled through the forest was stagnant, smelling of rot and damp foliage drenched by a recent rain, but the fireflies lent a sense of comfort to the foreboding woods, and Roland felt he could tolerate the darkness a while, as long as he was in their company.


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His eyes followed the movements of the glowing insects as they floated about the clearing, stirring water vapor with their lace-like wings. Their flight paths were as erratic as his wanderings, for he had no knowledge of the land he traversed, and no idea where to go. The best solution was to take things in stride; maybe in time his mind would clear and he would find a home to settle in, if he ever wished for one. For now he was content to remain a faceless nomad, meeting wanderers and leaving them with nothing to remember him by, enjoying their company for brief moments and departing before he could allow himself to be tied down.

He rarely missed his homeland, and spared it as little thought as he could manage, chasing memories from his brain before they were allowed to settle there and give him trouble. In ways he was both happy to be rid of it, and wistful that he had soured the relations of both his family and friends, though he’d known no one of blood relation. Both his father and mother had left him long before he could form full words on his tongue and thoughts in his mind. But he didn’t miss them; only the ones he had learnt to trust and depend upon, until he himself had broke the chains of companionship and betrayed their loyalty. He shivered, though not from the cold, sapphire eyes following the movements of the insects that had so entirely captured his interest, banishing all troubles from his mind.

At first the soft sound of footsteps nearing had seemed to simply be a rush of wind through the trees, and Roland merely flicked an ear in dismissal of the noise. When branches began to snap, and the noise grew gradually closer, his muscles tensed and his eyes bore into the shadows, expecting to set eyes upon the blood stained maw of a predator. The dark mare escaped his notice until she spoke. Roland jumped as violently as if it had been a scream that cleaved through the night air, rather than an unthreatening greeting. Though his nostrils flared, he maintained his composure and sought her out in the darkness, smiling bleakly.

Fireflies danced across his vision as he dipped his head to get a better look at her, noticing the purple gleam of her eyes from the yellow light. He paused a moment, looking her up and down slowly as if analyzing her, skeptical at first of her intentions. He noted the wings protruding from her sides, barely visible in the shadows, but they didn’t give him cause to bat an eye. “Hello. Out for a walk? ” He asked, the tremble of suspicion repressed from his tone, a smile on his golden face. The pale haze over her violet eyes went unnoticed, and he regarded the mare as if she were aware of the emotions that played across his face.

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