If you could have seen the sun, it would have been sinking down into the horizon showing off its magnificent colors, but a heavy fog had coated the beach in a layer of eerie mist that pricked at Silas’ tan skin. The salty ocean air was refreshing and the calm waves lapped at the black sand with a dulcet swish. The bluffs jutted up into the low clouds, making them appear much taller than what they actually were. The green grass that capped the bluffs could barely be seen through the fog and shadows of the rocks loomed in the distance.  It would be quite beautiful if it wasn't here, Silas thought to himself as he stood on a rock overlooking the calm waters of the lagoon. The lagoon that was known for being inhabited by mermaids. He could practically sense their enchantment pulsing within him and knew that they were close.

Hidden in the mist, he began to hear the faint song of a siren moving unsettlingly nearer. It was such a crisp, angelic voice that he couldn't seem to get enough of. But Silas knew better. He pushed his curly, brown hair out of his face and stuffed two small pieces of cloth in his ears to keep from being sucked into the mystic trance. His emerald eyes scanned the cove, searching for the source of the cursed melody.

And there she was. An absolutely stunning specimen of a mermaid. With her white-blonde hair  and a glittering tail covered in sea green scales, he could almost believe that something so beautiful wasn't trying to drown him. Around the mermaid’s neck hung the beautiful, blue Siren Stone pendant that he had come searching for. The hem of Silas’ dark, leather, trench coat skimmed the surface of the water as he knelt down closer, her ocean blue eyes catching his coy smile when she came up to him. The Siren still sang the ill-fated tune, which was muffled in his ears. Now upon him, the mermaid leaned onto his perch on the rock, never breaking the intense eye contact. He watched as her lips moved, slowly articulating the words to her song. She gracefully pulled herself up higher onto the rock, until she was almost eye level with him. The siren reached up and wrapped her delicate webbed fingers around Silas’ shirt collar, seductively pulling him down towards the water. He leaned into it, using his left hand to keep balance and his right to caress her near translucent skin. She pulled him closer as his fingers traced down her neck to the gem of her silver necklace. He grasped it in his hand, feeling it’s power spark through his body. Her lips were millimeters away from his when he jerked back, standing to his feet and ripping the pendant off of her neck in one swift motion. He kicked the siren forcefully into the water before jumping back.

With a splash, the siren shrieked, seizing the attention of the rest of the chorus of mermaids, who also inhabited the cove. Slias shoved the necklace into his coat pocket, whistling for his steed as the mermaids began snaking through the water towards him. The siren’s songs were multiplying and it was becoming difficult to drown them out. Silas covered his ears and in a flash, his pegasus, Zephyr, swooped down into the cove, his hooves splashing up water, cutting close to him as the hissing mermaids lunged for him, attempting to drag him into the now agitated waters. Silas grabbed a hold of the saddle, leaping from the rock just in time to swing onto Zephyr's back. With an almost effortless sweep of his wings, the pegasus managed to get them out of the mermaid’s reach, landing on one of the nearby bluffs, overlooking the ocean.

“Whoo!” Silas cheered, sliding down from the rather uncomfortable position on Zephyr’s back. “Nice job.” He said, revealing the glittering stone. Zephyr examined it for a moment before deciding that grazing on the dewy grass of the bluff would be a much more interesting activity. Silas took this as an opportunity to readjust his saddle, seeing as it had come a bit loose during their escape. 

 Silas continued to talk to the pegasus. “Do you know how rare these are? Do you know how many people meet a siren and live to tell the tale? Impressive isn't it, considering I’ve attempted this.. what? Twice now? And I think this will finally be the way to get my memories back. ”

Zephyr lifted his head and gave a short grunt. Silas glanced up at his winged companion with a smile. Pegasi were one of the most intelligent species in existence. They held the ability to understand human behavior, and body language, along with many actual words and speech patterns. Zephyr demonstrated this thousands of times in the near decade they had been together, although he pretended not to when he was feeling stubborn. 

“Come on.” Silas said as he mounted up. “Let’s find some shelter for the night, we’ll be on our way at first light.”

Disappointed in having to leave the fresh grass behind, Zephyr reluctantly started his gallop to the edge of the cliff. Silas leaned forward as the pegasus leapt from the edge and swooped downward to gain speed. He gripped Zephyr’s body, using his legs to guide the winged horse up into a strong tailwind. The pair glided over the Obsidian beach until it gave way to a dense pine forest, also coated in a layer of mist.

At his signal, Zephyr dove down into the trees, expertly landing in a small clearing. They trotted the rest of the way to a cave Silas had scouted out earlier in the day. It was well hidden, almost impossible to see until you were right on top of it. With the remaining sunlight, he quickly gathered wood for a fire to bring inside.

Zephyr has already chosen a spot in the back of the shallow cave to settle down in so Silas began assembling the fire, lighting it with a match he produced from one of the saddle bags. He stepped back, admiring the flames that danced along the logs.

He sat down and leaned  into Zephyr’s relaxed body.

 Moments like this often reminded Silas of the night he had first come across his winged companion. It was the only memory he’d been able to hold on to. He had only been fifteen at the time, and was rapidly losing light as he worked on fashioning a snare, so that he would have a chance at eating something fresh that night. He finished the final knot and scrambled up the nearest tree so as not to be seen by his prey. Pressing his body against the branch he laid in wait. After only a few minutes, a small rabbit was swiftly caught up in the trap. Silas let out a small exclamation of excitement and leapt from his perch to unhook the snare with the last of the daylight.

He situated the rabbit into an old cloth knapsack and began the trek back to the cave he called home. Dead leaves crunched under his boots and an icy rain had started to fall. The comforting smell of the rain tickled Silas’ nostrils as he walked with a scarf pulled up around his head to shield him  from the rain as it fell heavier.

By the dim light of the moon, the boy could make out what appeared to be a large  animal, unmoving  about 20 paces from where he stood. He approached cautiously to investigate. When he was close enough to make out what the creature was, the overwhelming stench of iron blotted out the petrichor. Silas examined the animal. A pegasus. 

Her once white coat was now littered with arrows, stained crimson. Her wings had been removed, stolen from her body. He gasped, his breath forming a fleeting cloud as he stared at the massacre. Silas knew that the wings of the pegasi were extremely valuable. The wealthiest of nobles viewed it as a symbol of status to wear garments, headdresses and ruffs made from their velvet feathers. Healers had also discovered ways to incorporate the feathers into their medicines, making them even more effective. Tharros was once full of the winged creatures but they had been poached nearly to extinction. The Council made hunting them illegal over twenty years ago, but by then it was far too late. Silas had never seen one before, dead or alive. 

There was an abrupt snap that caused him to whip his head around. The dark forest and the corpse of the pegasus remained still, so where had the sound come from? Likely scavengers coming to devour the body.  The boy was about ready to forget about it, move on and save his skin, when a rustling sound came from behind the body. He cautiously moved closer to the source of the noise, letting out the breath he had been holding, when he saw that a foal was curled up beside its dead mother. The foal couldn't have been more than a few days old, it looked up at Silas, brown eyes fixated on his every move. Although he was wet, Silas could see that he had a  flaxen chestnut coat. His mane, though short, was a creamy white. His legs were the same creamy white as well, with little feathers at the fetlock. His delicate, feathery wings mirrored the same warm golden tones as his body. 

“Hello there.” He whispered, extending a hand out slowly. “I’m Silas… well at least I think that’s my name.”

The foal's eyes followed him nervously.

“Don’t worry,” Silas could sense his fear. “I’ve got you.” He readjusted the knapsack over his back and bent down slowly to lift the foal. He struggled to escape Silas’s arms  for a moment as he situated him in my arms but he began to relax as the boy stroked his soft muzzle. He couldn't have weighed more than eighty pounds. As fast his feet would carry them, Silas rushed the foal back to his cave within twenty minutes. By the time he had reached the mouth of the cave, both the foal and him were completely drenched. 

He set young pegasus down deeper into the cave, behind a shelter he had built to shield himself from the wind. He then lit a single candle for light. Silas didn't have a lot, but he did have a blanket on a bed of straw and a small stash of food and water. The foal began to follow him around the small space curiously. Silas began to sift through his limited stash of food before locating a small wineskin filled with goat’s milk, it wasn't much, but he figured it would satisfy the little guy. 

“Come here.” He spoke gently and sat down on the makeshift bed. The foal wobbled over, fluttering his little wings for balance. He curled up close, allowing Silas to stroke his slick coat as he drank from the wineskin.

“That’s it.” The boy smiled. “I think you need a name buddy.”

He paused for a moment, deliberating the perfect moniker for the little pegasus. 

“How do you feel about Zephyr? A strong name for a strong creature.” He asked the foal who continued to inhale the goat’s milk without acknowledgement. Laughing, Silas continued, “I suppose I’ll take that as a yes?”

Once Zephyr had finished his meal, he slipped into a deep sleep. Silas took the opportunity to light a small fire, cook his rabbit,  and change out of his wet clothes, hanging them over parts of the shelter to allow them to dry. Once he was warm and dry himself, Silas settled back onto the bed with Zephyr, joining him in a peaceful slumber.

 

⚔

 

Early the following morning, Silas awoke to a smoldering pile of embers and Zephyr’s massive left wing covering his body. He slipped out from under the weighty feathers, careful not to wake his sleeping steed. Making his way over to the pile of supplies in the corner, Silas dug through the contents to find a half loaf of bread he had stashed the day before. Taking it, he closed the saddlebag and wandered lazily to the mouth of the cave. He stood leaning on the stone, admiring the beauty of the Tharrosian forest and basking in the filtered sunlight that shone green through the canopy of leaves. As he ate, Silas began to walk through the forest, drinking in its serenity. He cherished these moments of solitude, just him and the silence.

    Zephyr nickered and nudged Silas’ shoulder with his muzzle to indicate his presence. “Well good morning.” He smiled, turning to stroke the pegasus’ neck as he lowered his head to munch on the ferns below. Silas continued to let Zephyr graze and turned back to the cave to gather their supplies. He kicked some dirt into the smoldering ashes, then moved to buckle the saddlebags shut. He lifted the hefty leather saddle and carried it out to where Zephyr browsed in the brush. Silas swung the saddle over Zephyr’s back, careful to avoid his wings. He expertly cinched the girth tightly behind the wings, then clasped the breast collar in place. He ensured that the saddle bags were properly fastened to the back of the saddle so that they would not interfere with his flight.

“Ready?” He asked, slipping his boot into the stirrup to mount up. Instead of using a bit and bridle, Silas found that Zephyr responded best to leg signals. Forgoing the reins, he had fashioned a pommel strap in the case he needed to hold on to something.

By Silas’ guide, the pegasus trotted into a nearby clearing. He leaned back ever so slightly, galloped three full strides and thrusted his body into the air. Silas leaned forward. Zephyr’s powerful wings had no trouble getting the pair to a vantage point high above the forest. From their place in the sky, they could see the beautiful lands of Tharros for miles. Confident in his leg grip, Silas released the pommel strap and stretched his arms out, feeling the wind pushing his curly hair out of his face. His coattail whipped behind him, mimicking the flapping of Zephyr’s wings in the crisp summer air. 

 

⚔  Copyright 2026 by Jordan Renae Carter