The Magical Herd

You could have sworn it was starting to get cold. And dark. The woods had certainly taken on a much more menacing demeanor as you wandered deeper and deeper into the forest. At first you thought it might be getting dark because of the time of day, or because the trees were closer together, but it was more than that. It wasn't just visibly dark, it *felt* dark. It was closing in around you, the trees seemed to be reaching out to grab you, their roots determined to trip you, to keep you there, forever.

The darkness became suffocating, your hair now was getting caught in the long fingers of the bushes which hissed their frustration as you broke free, only it was getting harder and harder to get away. You couldn't go back, you couldn't find the way.

~Do not be afraid~

The voice was soft, gentle, and with about as much substance as a spring breeze. It belonged to a dragonfae. He glowed faintly as you approached him, and as you got closer, you realized you could see right through him.

~Do not be afraid~ he repeated. ~My name is E'lis. I cannot harm you, nor will I permit anything else to harm you. Follow me and I shall lead you to safety~

Having no choice you try to follow the stallion, which wasn't as easy as it seems. He had a tendency of fading in and out of sight, sometimes disappearing for minutes at a time. But the trees, though obviously desperate to get at you, kept their branches to themselves. The woods remained dark, but you felt you could breath.

You push through some bushes to see that E'lis had paused in a clearing, as if unsure of where to go now. You saw why, there were two males, two horrible males, challenging each other. One, a dragonfae snarled fiercely while the faequine had only blood in his thoughts.

~Do not be afraid, I will protect you~

But E'lis did not sound so confident anymore. Obviously he wanted to take you across the clearing, but he could not do so as the two stallions circled about each other, looking for weakness. Then the faequine attacked.

It was awful, the most horrible thing you had ever seen. And it was as if the stallions enjoyed it, enjoyed the drawing of blood, the tearing of flesh, the painful screams of their opponents. It didn't end fast enough, but at long last it was over. You had stopped watching long ago, but now you could hear nothing but silence. Looking up you saw that E'lis was standing in front of you, not that they couldn't have seen right through him, but at least the kind-hearted spirit was trying. The dragonfae stallion was gone, the victor now strutted proudly before his prize. A mare.

Unfortunately for the stallion, she had no interest in him whatsoever. She stuck up her nose as he approached, becoming more and more submissive. But she shrugged him off and sent him on his way with a slash of her spines. Preening herself momentarily, she too then left the clearing. Perhaps to find the dragonfae, perhaps to laugh at the foolish males she could have perform at her bidding. Either way, you were relieved that they were gone.

E'lis now quickly led you through the clearing and finally to a path.

~Here you will be safe~

He seemed almost apologetic for making you watch that scene, but it wasn't his fault. You would have patted him but your hand went right through him. He seemed to appreciate the gesture and faded away with a smile.