Courage is Magic

Chapter 8

Travels are a part of what we are.

I reached the badlands by the time that the moon started to rise in the distance. I sighed as I rechecked my supplies. I had enough rations to last me for the entire trip; it could even last for weeks if I used it right. I wasn't worried about running out before I reached my destination. What I was more worried about was dangers that may or may not lie ahead. I have experience in handling traps, just not nature's creatures that may be aggressive towards me. I sighed once again and started to walk forward with the moon shining down on me from above. I wonder... is Luna watching me right now? I thought to myself with a small shudder at what she might see on a nightly basis.

The dust was starting to fly around in the wind as I walked. I quickly pulled a piece of cloth out of my bag and put it over my mouth, remembering the first time I went to the Badlands, to prevent myself from breathing in any of the dust as I attempted to travel onwards.

The only thing I could see in front of me was the grey dust flying around in the air and the grey dust on the floor. The whole area was devoid of any type of greenery, so I understood why they have called these lands the Badlands. The dust obscured my path of sight with the color of grey, and I snorted softly to myself in annoyance. There was just no way that I could be able to continue in the dust storm safely, so I decided to do something that may not have been a good idea with the loose dust, but I had no other way to get shelter.

I started using my hoof to dig a hole in the dirt to use for a temporarily shelter from the storm. I climbed into the hole and covered up the entrance as best as I can with the dust to allow air inside without the dust filling in the temporarily shelter. I was surprised when the dust did not collapse on me, so I lie down on the warm ground. As I lay in the "Shelter" I made, I thought back to my promises that I made in the town to the two mares and smiled. I fell asleep peacefully as I waited for the dust storm to cease its constant blowing.

When I woke up, I dug my way out of the shelter that started to fill in and saw that the dust storm has passed. The area was clearer to see now so I could continue on. I took out my map and found out where I was in the Badlands with a bit of subtle magic that was put onto the map. I wondered how the magic got there in the first place, but I didn't question it at the moment because I figured I'd ask Dusk about it when I returned. I found where I was going to travel and used the sun that was rising to find my direction.

I knew that despite the fact that this world is different from the world I know, the sun always rose in the east. I continued on the rest of my journey to the morgue that Dusk had marked upon my map with a circle.

I encountered no creatures other than the non-living ones of the dust in the forms of storms on my way. I wasn’t surprised because the place didn't look like anything could inhabit it, unless they could create their own food. I did, however, see a few flying black bugs’ patrols flying every now and then, and they didn't see me to my luck. I remembered that they were called changelings, so I decided to not make contact with them right now. I knew that they were friendly but I didn't want to get their help right at this moment. I wanted to try to keep my presence quiet here as much as I could to make the journey back easier. The rest of my journey would have nothing even close to being an interesting encounter.  When the sun started to set again in the west, I could see the morgue. I was surprised at the pace that I had since I reached it in just less than two days. I heard Morning start saying something in my head, but I tuned him out and made my way to the door of the abandoned building for the dead.

The door fell inwards with a loud crash. I had attempted to open it the normal way like anyone would, only to find that the door was stuck. I had kicked it three times before it fell inwards. I looked into the single room with the drawers that would contain dead bodies. I recognized the place because of my dream, and it also resembled those back on Earth.

The only thing that was different was the fact that a single colorless body that lay in the center of the floor instead of the scorch mark that I saw in the dream. I walked up to the body and looked it over once, and felt a presence leave me in spirit. I figured that this was Morning, so I just waited for him to get up and then return home. As he started to become colored as he once was (I guess), I heard a loud howl from behind me.

I reached quickly into my bag for a knife and turned around to the source. I saw that five rather large wolves that were somehow made of bones entered the building. The lead wolf, which looked different from the rest because of its red eyes and intent glare, was looking at me like as if I was going to be food for them. I pulled out one of my knives from my bag and tensed myself an attack from them. The lead wolf barked once as if to tell the other wolves something. They didn’t advance with him. He advanced to a distance that he could leap at me easily, and started to circle me. I turned with him as he circled me to prevent him from getting an open shot at my back.

If he was thinking that I would be easy prey, he would find that I wasn’t going to be food for skin and bone wolves without a fight. It then stopped where it was after making a full circle around me. I had loosened myself up enough to be ready to counter him for when he jumps straight at me. I was right when he ran forward and jumped at me to engage in battle with me. I was not so sure if this was a battle that I could win, but I needed to protect Morning from the wolves, so I prepared to fight.