The Basilisk heeded Africa’s stern warning; the bluff had worked, and the monster fled in fear of the mock-weasel. A rush of relief overcame the naturally meek and humble Pegasus, causing her knees to tremble so terribly that she thought they might buckle at any moment. She shared a sociable smile with her peers while they lingered, and cast a forlorn grimace towards the stony, hardened Vampire Pigeon which now lay in perhaps its eternal resting place- on its head, with a terrified expression frozen, to forever portray the turn of events this night.

An eerie silence befell the forest then, and a shiver prickled up the length of the dapple grey mare’s spine. The egg, which was now curiously abandoned in the group’s company, began to rock- ever so subtly at first, but it caught Africa’s attention while all else became motionless. One black-tipped ear reached forward inquisitively as her focus centred in on the strange, smooth rock, while the other flickered tentatively backwards and forwards. Her pale eyes examined the egg carefully, and to her unwitting surprise, it rolled from its box prison- crushing with ease the bark walls which her antlered companion had crafted so intricately and cleverly.

The rock came to rest against the still incline of her cold, hard hoof and when it did so, an extraordinary pressure gripped the young horse’s very heart. It was an impression like nothing she had before experienced; it was neither aching, nor empty, instead rising as a new fizzing warmth and excitement through her soul. She exhaled pensively, compelled to reach down and stroke its cold surface dotingly- yet as her quivering lips neared; it shed the armour casing which unbeknownst to her had echoed the stone glare of the Basilisk itself.

A smile crawled into her confused expression, and wispy whiskers brushed the egg caringly. She was touched by its presence, the way it rested so intimately against her being, though any reasoning and sense surrounding the growing feeling was nonexistent; and she fussed quietly with twitching lips about its structure. At that moment, her world seemed to have stopped; the other mares which she had defied death with were no longer present in her mind. It was just Africa now, and the egg which pulled so powerfully at the emotional strings of her spirit.

“Wait there egg...” She told it, tenderly murmuring through lips which were pursed and pressed against its pale shell. Without looking away, she shuffled towards the box and removed her leaf- a little worse for wear, from beneath its crumpled weight. Meticulously, she flattened the leaf beside the egg, and very gently nudged it until it rolled forward to nestle against the old veins which were once the old emerald sheet’s very life source. “Ok.” Africa whispered closely, “I will bring you home with me to Dragon’s Throat.” She smiled fondly at the thought of her homeland, deciding at once that the egg would find it equally as warm and comfortable. She could not have known as she gathered the corners of the leaf together between her carefully closed teeth, what was growing inside- nor that the egg had any relevance to her friend and herd-sister Sohalia’s, tale about companions and bonds.

For now, Africa was simply drawn to the strange appeal, and as such the young mare carried it snugly back through the night-filled forest, and headed for home.


[riven: Thank you so much! This is incredibly exciting stuff hehe]