A Creature of Stone
Evil Little Dog
Rating: K+
Disclaimer:Peter Beagle owns this. I'm just borrowing it a little bit.
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Schmendrick had made no promises when they'd left Haggard's kingdom by the sea, only that they would see signs of unicorns. And signs they did see - a greening of a land once barren, a flock of birds where no songs had been sung, butterflies dancing their jerky dances under a sun providing warmth where previous half-life had barely offered light.
Molly Grue walked through this new land, marveling to herself at the way the kingdom slowly came alive, like a girl offering a blush to her first love. Unicorns, Molly thought though she didn't speak the word aloud. She didn't need to voice it when the evidence lay everywhere before them.
But as they journeyed, sometimes they spotted something...unusual. Once, Schmendrick pointed out a creature that looked to be made of stone, pacing along the ridgeline. They'd stopped to watch it and its peculiarities made the birds explode from the trees, crying their alarms. In the silence afterward, Molly thought she could hear the stone body grinding against itself.
The creature settled onto its haunches when it crested the hill. Even from where they stood, Molly could see its face turning toward them. She caught a glint of fangs but its eyes, dark as granite, didn't seem evil, just different.
Molly caught her breath when the wings erupted from the creature's back. It flapped them twice and somehow managed to fling itself into the air. It circled them and beside her, Schmendrick straightened. His left hand made a complicated gesture but the creature didn't dive. Instead, it let out a cry as peculiar as it was and swirled far away.
"Well." Schmendrick took apart his magic with the same careful moves as a cracker opening a new, stiff lock. "That was interesting."
Molly agreed. "Let's never see one of those again."