Chapter 6

     An elf sat atop her mount watching the black Pegasus’s fly above her. Her name was Serena and ever since her mother was dragged away by a herd of them she has always hated black Pegasus’s. With her bow and arrows in hand she followed along their path, un-noticed. Serena docked one of her arrows. The Pegasus’s looked like they were about to mate. "It's now or never," she muttered. She aimed. She fired.

     Diablo flipped upside down, his wings flying in line with Shadow as if he was mimicking her. "Can't shake me off!" He teased.

     Shadow laughed harder and tugged at her mane. "I can try!” She shrieked as an arrow shot through the feathers of her and Diablo's wings. She tried to roll over but realized that Diablo still had her mane. "Let me go!" she cried, tears falling down her cheek.

     Diablo let go as soon as the arrow shot through, his wings closed as he spiraled downward, hitting the rough ground and rolling about. He slowly gathered his strength and stood up, his wings flapping but not allowing him to fly. "Damn!"

     "Diablo!" Shadow cried and flew down from the sky. She landed beside him. "Are you okay? Why can't you fly?" she cried.

     Serena galloped through the trees on her horse. She had downed one of the Pegasus’s in the nearby field. "It's time finish the job," she gasped. When her horse burst through the trees and into the clearing where both Pegasus’s now stood, she had an arrow docked and ready to fire. "Die! You evil beasts!" she cried and fired.

     "I'm too heavy for my wings to support me now!" He cried out, now relying on strength and speed. He watched the arrow, his body pushing Shadow out of the way as it stroked his hindquarters. He pushed her, nudging her to run off as he reared. "Run!"

     Shadow stood frozen with terror. She hid her face with her wings and backed up a few steps.

     Serena was about to fire another arrow when she spotted the female Pegasus’s reaction. Why does she hide from me? she wondered and lowered her weapon. "Speak to me female Pegasus, why do you not try to defend yourself?" she asked her voice harsh.

     Shadow peaked from her hiding place and moved closer to Diablo. She didn't answer.

     Seeing that the female Pegasus wouldn't speak, she directed her gaze to the male Pegasus. "Can she not speak?" she asked.

     Diablo opened his wing, laying it on Shadow's back to comfort her. He stared at the creature, his head high and mighty as he started to speak. "She can speak so can I. I'd rather speak, than have to fight." he said his eyes narrowed with wisdom in his voice.

     Serena placed her bow behind her back and put her arrow back into her quiver. "So speak then, why are you here? It isn't the migration season yet," she said.

     Diablo thought hard, obviously he can't give away that they have the stone. "We're moving toward south, to visit my family in urgency." He hoped his lie would work.

     "Well you're going the wrong way. If I recall, south is the other way," she narrowed her eyes at them.

     In his head he did a major face palm, shaking his head he then corrected himself. "North I meant, I’m getting too old," he mumbled the last part.

     Shadow lifted her head and whispered into Diablo's ears. "Why don't you just tell her the truth, I doubt that she even believes you."

     Diablo whispers back "If we do, then we'd be dead. In my state I'm practically defenseless since the sun is coming up."

     "What are you two talking about?" Serena snapped and reached for her weapons. "If you're plotting a way to kill me then you'll be have a hard time doing so!"

     Diablo rolled his eyes, easily knowing he could take down the creature along with its mount. He snorted. "We're wondering if you'll let us continue our journey north."

     "I think that it would be best if I consulted my leader first," she said and reached for some extra rope. "Come Pegasus’s, you must come with me. You need permission to pass through here anyway."

     Diablo snorted, looking at the ropes. He was disgusted of such things, only used for roping helpless creatures. He kept his eyes sharp as he refused to move.

     With the rope in hand, Serena kicked her mount to move forward. She slid part of the rope over the female's neck.

     Shadow panicked when the rope tightened around her neck. She neighed and reared, her wings flapped and her hooves flailed. She didn't realize that she was beating Diablo with her wings.

     Serena held tight to the rope and wrapped it around the saddle of her horse. With another piece of rope, she reached to slide it over the male's neck.

     Diablo got beat with Shadow's wings, taking the damage and, seeing the rope he panicked and reared, taller than anything around him besides the trees, he let out a loud cry that drummed in his throat.

     Serena panicked when the male reared. She dropped the rope that she was about to wrap around him and moved her horse away. She forgot that the female' was still attached to her end of the rope and had drug her away from the male.

     The whites of Shadow’s eyes showed as she was pulled from diablo’s side. She landed on the ground and pulled at the end of her rope while giving distressed whinnies.

     Diablo traced the rope to the creature, his eyes narrowed and then he bounced off the ground toward them, his hooves stomped on the middle of the rope to keep the creature   from moving away, and letting Shadow get up.

     "Enough!" Serena snapped and released the rope of the female from her grip. "I told you that I was only going to take you to my village, the rope was to make sure that you didn't run away," she explained.

     Shadow returned to her place at Diablo's side and rubbed her head up and down his neck as a silent thank you. Her body quivered with shock and fear.

     He snorted, stretching out his neck as he stamped the ground with his hoof, his ears laid back as his wing laid on Shadow again. "How can we trust you, if you can't trust us?" He stated, his eyes showing fury and tension in his muscles.

     Serena considered the thought for a moment. "Because........I've had a history with black Pegasus’s and judging by your friend's reaction, I doubt that you have had much contact with elves," she shifted a hard gaze between both Pegasus’s.

     He snorted, letting out harsh breaths and then turning to face Shadow, lowering his head slightly as if he was going to give up. "We're going to follow her, stay next to me." He whispered. He turned his heavy draft head to the elf, nodding. "Neither of us had, and hopefully this will be the last. Just lead, we’ll follow. The reason why I'm not liking this is you disabled my wing." He snorted again.

     Serena turned her horse around. "I'll have the people in the village tend to it when we get there," she said and led them deep into the forest.