Bellerophone and the Hag

Chapter 2

Bellerophone traveled due east once he left the stables.  The Forest of Thorns lay a weeks travel east of his land.  The countryside was pleasant until you reached the edge of the forest.  Bellerophone pulled Erebus to a stop just outside the forest.  He gazed up at the trees that never showed signs of spring.  Dead leaves constantly fell from the trees and the ground was littered with decomposing leaves.

Erebus snorted and pawed the ground.  Bellerophone reached forward and patted his neck.  "I don't want to go either boy, but we must.  Isabelle's love depends on it."

Erebus snorted and tossed his head before he stepped into the forest.  Silence reigned.  Not even Erebus's hooves made much noise on the forest floor.  Thorns were rampant and Bellerophone had to to guide Erebus gently through the twisted path.  Trees loomed overhead and seemed to grab at Bellerophone with their sharp branches.

"Whoa boy."

Bellerophone pulled Erebus to a stop.  The forest looked all the same.  Bellerophone turned back and realized that if he moved to far into the forest he would never be able to find his way out.  The outside world was already small and dim.  Bellerophone dismounted and drew his dagger.  He moved around Erebus and put his insignia into the bark of the tree.  Bellerophone stood back and gazed at the falcon that he had carved into the tree. 

"Well Erebus, looks like we'll have to keep track of where we've been so we aren't  going in circles."

Erebus snorted which made Bellerophone smile.  His smile quickly faded as he took Erebus's reigns and headed east again.  It was too treacherous for Bellerophone to ride Erebus in this forest.  Thorns were everywhere and there seemed to be hidden holes to stumble in.  As they walked Bellerohphone kept an eye out for any animals.  His unease grew when he didn't see any or hear any.  Even the stream they passed refused to make any noise above a whisper.

Night fell and Bellerophone made camp at the base of a huge dying oak.  He unsaddled Erebus and gave him a ration of oats before he threw himself down on the saddle and dug in his bags for some dried meat to eat.  Darkness came quickly to the forest and with the darkness came eyes.  All of the animals that had refused to make themselves known to Bellerophone all day decided to show themselves once night fell.  Bellerophone fell into an uneasy sleep only to awake unrefreshed an hour before dawn.

Bellerophone stood and stretched before he started saddling Erebus up.  Erebus stood still with his ears perked up.  He was staring at the forest in front of them.  Bellerophone stared straight ahead of them too and felt his heart lose faith.  He shook himself after several long moments and petted Erebus's neck.  Erebus blew air in his face.

"There's no going back now.  We made a commitment and we must see it through."

Bellerophone made another mark on the oak before they headed deeper into the forest.  The only splash of color in the whole forest were bushes that were covered with bright red berries.  Bellerophone stopped beside one and picked a berry.  He sniffed it before he held it out to Erebus.  Erebus sniffed the berry before he ate it out of Bellerophone's hand with his satin smooth nose.  Bellerophone popped a berry into his mouth and sighed in relief as he realized that he was eating a cherry.

  "It's good to know that these are safe to eat boy.  We'll need the food if we are to survive in this forsaken forest."

Erebus gave a soft snort and a shake of his head as they moved on.  Hours passed and the forest gradually changed to something darker and murkier.  Sunlight filtered weakly through the dead trees.  Rays of light reached the ground to illuminate the forest floor.   Dust drifted through the air sparkling in the sunlight.  Bellerphone made sure to stay away from those rays of sunlight because he didn't know what would happen if he happened to step into them.  He had a bad feeling about being around the sun.

Night fell again without any sign of the old hag who lived somewhere in this forest.  Bellerophone and Erebus huddled against each other for warmth that night as a freezing cold wind blew and a steady downpour of rain made the ground a soggy mess.  Bellerophone's mood was bleak and he tried to keep faith by thinking about Isabelle.  He memory was the only bright spot in the dark forest and Bellerophone planned to hold that memory close to his heart.  It was because of his love for Isabelle that he had come into this forest.  He just hoped that he could win her love and live a happy life with her.