The old delucian road was blanketed in silence. Abby had noticed the absence of all the friendly fauna when she entered the familiar woods, but she couldn't give up on Oscar. She always have a new name to the creatures who bonded with her and Oscar was one of her favorites. Something had spooked him near the bridge and he fled faster than she ever remembered him running before. Stepping further off the trail, she called softy for her friend, but something about the eerie stillness made it seem almost irreverent to disturb it. She reached in her ruc sack and pulled out a small, and perfectly square parchment. She had her map with at all times, but she rarely needed it since she traveled this road so oft. Yet this new trail was definitely unfamiliar. "Oscar!," her hushed call seemed to pierce the silence, "Oscar, please come back. Whatever it is I can keep you saf...," her promise was cut short when she turned and looked into the glowing eyes of the darkest mare she had ever set eyes upon. The silence before was palpable, but now it became a universe of it's own surrounding Abby and this blackened fury. She reached through the silence and tried to connect hand to muzzle. She could sense the creature had some trace of nature, even if ever so slight. If she could just lay a hand perhaps she could name this new friend and calm the rage in her eyes. her hand was mere breathes away when the creature sorted, and bright flames flared from it's nostrils. Suddenly the silence broke and Abby was sent reeling back from her distant universe, back into the reality that now shocked her with a burst of flames. She barely had come to her senses enough to leap to safety as the flame struck the soil and turned all to ashes in an instant. anticipating what came next, she pulled out her map and scrawled what she hoped would be a fond farewell. "Draco, I don't think I'll be home for supper tonight. There is a spare jug of cider in the pantry. Please poor a glass for me." She rolled up the map and cherished the knowledge that he would see the words upon his own map when he awoke. With a quick exhale, she turned to face her nightmare. Her mother had always taught her to face her bad dreams for that is the only way they will end. She knew she would be unable to evade another attack from this creature. But instead of pain and fear, she was met with a frozen visage. The mare was completely still, but the rage was clear in her eyes. "Abby my dear," came a surprising but extremely fond voice, "you tell Draco, you'll be back for supper right on time. And tell him curious meat needs to be on the menu for our special guest." abby's arms caught the old grey wizard in an embrace of gratitude that nearly knocked to his feet. careful now," he muttered with a bit of strain, "this black beauty still needs a name. I don't know I can hold it much longer" Abby released one arm from her embrace and set her hand upon the mare's snout. Within an instant she saw the ocean of rage within her eyes subside. "it is done Jupiter. Let's go home." Jupiter nodded and then looked over to a rustling sound in the woods. As Oscar came trotting out from the tree line Jupiter laughed, "It looks like you found more than what you went searching for." "indeed."
