Ink was excited.
Well, that was an understatement.
As soon as he arrived home, he started to run around happily--which caused Splotches to knock him down because they thought it was a game of chase.
He was going to the FireStone Forest! Not just that, he was going alone(except for Splotches but nobody needed to know)!
Ink decided that waiting for the morning was dull and went to pack early. He placed the feather that Dream gave him on his desk. Splotches floated up and sniffed the feather in curiosity. The feather glowed a yellow and orange hue which caused Splotches to jump back. He caught them in his arms and placed them on their hammock.
Ink started to grab items he found necessary for his trip.
His art supplies were some of them. He also included his healing herbs, a first aid kit in case of an emergency, and snacks for Splotches and himself(it wasn’t like he needed to eat but he found it part of his daily life anyway). He also grabbed several things that would be needed for his basic needs.
He bent down to grab a unique satchel under his bed and Broomie from the side of his bed.
Broomie was his best friend for most of his life and a paintbrush. The bag itself was created by himself back when he was peripatetic. He learned and added a spell to the satchel, a spell that makes the space in the satchel endless. It helped a lot in his travels(especially when he had a hobby of collecting things he found pretty. Which, unsurprisingly, is an extensive collection).
He started to carefully place all objects into the bag. He looked over to his nightstand and froze.
His mask was placed with their photo together. They seemed so happy in the picture. He missed him.
He slowly walked over to the photo and mask.
He held the photograph in his hands and smiled endearingly with tears in his eyes.
"I promise to make you proud."
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"Thanks for taking the time to take me to the FireStone Forest Blue!"
Ink was currently on the back of ThunderStorm, Blue’s blue roan Percheron Pegasus. He had led Blue into multiple battles with victory. To say the equine was big was an understatement, he was massive. This allowed for a threatening aura in battle. However, Ink could tell that Blue truly cared about his pegasus.
The skeleton mentioned was currently leading them to the forest.
"Heh, it’s no problem Ink! If you don’t want me to come with you through the forest, then I shall take you to the area." Blue smiled and sped up his pegasus’ walk to a trot.
As they walked, the people of the village whispered and stared.
"It’s the captain of the royal guard with the sorcerer!"
"Look, it’s the pegasus ThunderStorm!"
"Where are they going?"
Blue was currently smiling and waving, and he was just hiding his blush in his scarf.
They soon reached a point beyond the village. He quickly saw the sign with the words ‘The FireStone Forest’. This was real, he was going.
He dismounted ThunderStorm after Blue. Blue turned around and seemed worried. "Stay out of chaos, okay?" Ink just stared at him with a deadpan look.
"Yeah, never mind, knowing you, the forest is probably gonna be in flames by the end of the week."
Ink just giggled and held out his arms. Blue quickly hugged him back. They both liked hugs after all.
Blue soon had to leave and he watched him fly away on ThunderStorm. Making sure there was no one near, he turned toward the direction of the forest and whistled.
Splotches appeared from the vegetation on his left and curled around his shoulder.
"Let’s go, guys!"
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Ink was fascinated with the scenery. It was just so beautiful! It had been so long since he had last walked through a forest. He stopped at every pretty flower and insect he could find. He often forgot why he was there and had to look at his scarf repeatedly.
He finally decided to get moving, ignoring the wails he heard(he’s lived long enough to know when it was a trap) when he came across the first danger.
A herd of unicorns.
They seemed unassuming enough as they were currently feeding, but he knew better from experience. They were majestic, sure, but he had learned to be wary of them. On his shoulder, he heard all of Splotches’ heads growl. He reached his hand up and pet their heads. He narrowed his eye sockets.
Suddenly, he had an idea, which was never good when it was Ink.
He moved to hold Splotches similar to a snake, curled around his arm. He raised his arm and Splotches got the hint. The heads started to growl, which caught the unicorn's attention. They all raised their heads towards the growls.
The unicorns seemed wary but not frightened. Some were pawing at the ground, others were aiming their sharp horns as a precaution. The stallion of the herd approached the bush they were behind, his sharp horn shining.
Suddenly, the unicorn was hit with paint. The unicorn in response reared and neighed. The rest of the herd panicked and some started to rear. Another wave of paint came out which caused the unicorns to turn and gallop in a different direction.
Ink walks out from the bush with Broomie in hand.
"Well Splotches, I think this means we should start moving!"
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Ink was currently resting cross-legged against a tree.
He had gotten bored of walking and decided to take a break. Splotches was sleeping inside his satchel that was next to him on the ground. Brommie strapped onto his back, and he was currently munching on a snack he had brought.
Once he was finished he got up and started to stretch. Looking up, he saw that he could barely see the sky, blocked by all the leaves of the trees. He started feeling a little mischievous and started to climb the tree with practiced ease.
Sitting on a branch, he swayed his legs back and forth while humming a soft tune.
Then, he heard it in the distance.
The sound of hooves on the forest floor.
Why were the unicorns coming back this way? And at a fast pace at that!
He felt something was off, and tried to rush to get up. Unfortunately, the unicorns had already appeared in his line of sight. However, they didn't notice him at all as they were quick to move. He saw as they quickly left, but then he realized that something was chasing them.
Something large.
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He was frozen from fear as he finally saw what had caused the unicorns to run.
A large dragon.
The dragon was the biggest creature Ink had seen in years! Its body had black scales and a red underbelly with a dark blue snout. Dark blue horns faded to a lighter shade on the back of its head and the side of its jaw. It also had a pattern under its eyes, which were multi-colored, and had some sort of glitches.
The dragon was slowed down due to the fact it was on land with a large number of trees.
The dragon seemed frustrated, probably from the fact that it lost the unicorns, when it stopped and angrily snorted.
Ink stood there with Broomie in hand watching the dragon intently, waiting for its next move. He knew he couldn't do the same thing as the unicorns because he was in the dragon's line of sight.
When the dragon had calmed down(which took a while in Ink’s eyes, because the dragon had a whole tantrum!)it had finally looked over to his position.
The dragon had stopped moving and its pupils dilated and then shrunk.
It started to move its head in his direction and roared(wow that was loud). He took it as a sign to move and started to move toward his satchel. Unfortunately, the dragon had decided to blast in his direction which caused him to jump back. He looked over at the dragon and saw its fury.
He dodged most of the attacks and made sure to keep its attention away from his satchel.
The dragon had probably realized not to use just its jaw and moved to whip its tail. Ink hadn't expected this attack and was hit, which directly caused him to hit the tree his satchel was in.
He luckily noticed it and decided that fighting was never his option. He grabbed it and fled.
The dragon, stunned by the action, quickly realized he needed to catch him.
He was definitely smaller than any unicorn, let alone a herd, so he had no trouble maneuvering around the many trees. He couldn’t say the same for the dragon though.
Just to be extra safe, he moved up a tree, satchel in hand this time. He leaned against the tree and sighed in relief.
He then started laughing to himself.
"That was exciting! I hope I can do it again!"
Ink never really had self-preservation skills
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Hope you guys like the longer chapter!<3