The Enchanted Path (Book 1 of the Dreamfarers' tales)

Chapter 2 - Of Weather Forecasting and Neighborhood

"I'm not sure if I am supposed to be out here just yet..." Dianthus gazed at his new surroundings, sending regretful glances to the circle of fir trees embracing Willowglade. The little unicorn didn't imagine the forest to be so dark just beyond the evergreens. The trees there were mostly ancient sycamores which shielded almost entirely the sky from sight. The crowns of the trees reached out so widely that even the shadows were green, and the sunlight poured in specks through the foliage, dappling the ground of bright yellow-green dots. Dianthus' eyes were like that, as green as only the shadows and lights of the thickest part of the forest could be.

"Your mother said you cannot leave the Glade alone, but you are with me!" Cassidy chirped. The pegasus filly floated a few flaps above the ground right by Dianthus' side.

"I don't think she meant that..." Dianthus murmured.

Cassidy rolled eyes at him with a long hmm!

"You are no fun."

"Where are we going anyway?" Dianthus asked, ignoring her remark.

"Someplace fun," she merely said.

Dianthus was all but comforted by that; still he let the pegasus guide him out of the trees again. Ugh, he blinked his eyes against the sharp light; they were now facing a wall.

"Here we are," Cassidy announced, unfazed by the sudden change of light.

"Where is here? That's a wall."

"I see that, silly. Now we've got to climb a little. Well, you have to climb at least," Cassidy snickered, giving a stronger push with her wings and disappearing from Dianthus' field of vision. The foal gave an annoyed grunt and scanned the area to find a place where he could start climbing.

~◊~

"You made it, slowpoke!"

"Grunt!"

Cassidy giggled at him but suddenly stopped, placing a wing over her mouth.

"What's up?" Dianthus asked.

Cassidy dismissed him with a shake of her head. "Nothing. Just be quiet now." She gestured with her feathered tail to follow her and started moving on the tip of her hooves.

Dianthus watched her for a few moments and raised a brow when the pegasus turned again and tilted her head forth with urgency. Dianthus held a sigh and mimicked the filly, wondering what on earth she had in mind. The pegasus, who until a few minutes before had been loud and careless, now was silent and watchful of every step she made as if she was trying her best to not wake the very plants.

To Dianthus' shock, it was not the plants she was avoiding bothering: right beyond the last bush, the wall of the cliff opened into a large, dark hole. Dianthus had never seen a cave before, obviously, but he did know that gaps in the grounds were often dens and that big dark hole in the wall could not be much different. And the bigger the burrow, the bigger the host. Dianthus stepped just a little closer, and when a ray of sun hit the sleeping form inside the cave, he backed away tangling his legs in his haste. A lion with ram horns, bat wings, and scorpion tail snored soundly not even the distance of a jackalope leap away from them.

"Cassidy, that's..."

"A manticore, I know," Cassidy said, impatiently. "But he's fast asleep. He's always like this."

"He doesn't wake up ever?" Dianthus took another step back.

"Eenope. Pretty cool, uhu?"

"What's cool here? It's a manticore!" Dianthus shot back, immediately regretting it. He clamped his mouth shut, eyes glued on the beast...not a whisker trembled. Dianthus exhaled and turned to the pegasus, who sported an amused smile upon her muzzle.