Witch And Pegasus Delivery Service
Chapter One: Leaving Home For A Year

Kikyo

As was typical for us, Kiki, Kagome, Sango, Rin, Saiyo and I sat outside with our Pegasai, Pride, Honor, Star, Legacy, Glory and Champion, my Pegasus. According to the radio, it was going to be a full moon tonight, which meant we could leave tonight.

"Yes!" I cheered. "What do you say Champion?"

"I say go for it!" My bonded Pegasus and best friend declared. "We've only been waiting for this for three weeks, though it feels like longer. Man, being the youngest really does stink!"

I laughed. "I agree."

When a witch turns thirteen, she must leave home for a year to practice a special skill, whether it's flying, potion making, fortune telling, or something completely different. My only skills were flying (well, riding) and elemental manipulation.

I'd only turned thirteen around three weeks ago, but it was in the middle of the month and the full moon had already passed, and as a witch could only leave on a full moon, we had to wait since Mom wanted us to stay together. I don't know why. Maybe it was because with the exception of Kiki, all of us were adopted, or maybe it was because she didn't want us all going to different cities with hardly any skills, but for some reason she wanted us to stick together.

We raced back to tell Mom, the Pegasai going to see our aunt Ashley to tell their mom, our aunt Wonder (she was as much of an aunt to us as Ashley-oba-san was), a successful racehorse hailed for several Triple Crown victories.

Mom was reluctant to let us go, but she told us that since we had eachother and our Pegasai, she supposed we could leave. Jiji, Mom's worrywart black cat familiar, didn't want us to and wanted to wait for another month, until Saiyo, ever the smart mouth, shot back that if we kept waiting, all of us would be fourteen, or fifteen, by the time we actually left.

Champion and I wouldn't turn fourteen for almost another year.

You see, Champion and I were somehow born on the exact same day. While normal horses would be really old, far too old to do much of anything but stand out in the pasture or breed, Pegasai aged about as fast as humans did. No one knew quite why, though some had a theory that it had something to do with their magic. Actually, though only me and Champion were born on the same day, somehow. Even I'm not sure exactly how it happened.

Wonder's Pride was Rin's bonded Pegasus, and our resident bombproof babysitting horse. It didn't matter the rider, he would let anyone and everyone ride, and I mean anyone. He was second the oldest, and together they controlled the Earth element.

Wonder's Star was Sango's bonded Pegasus. He wasn't quite as bombproof as Pride, preferring older and more experienced riders to younger or less experienced riders, but at least he didn't buck them off. He was the third oldest, and together they controlled the Water element.

Wonder's Legacy was Kagome's bonded Pegasus, and the most in the middle as far as being a bomb or bombproof horse. He didn't especially like other riders, but unlike Honor he would tolerate them and wouldn't try his absolute best to buck them off. He was the third youngest, and together, they controlled the Wind element.

Wonder's Honor was Saiyo's bonded Pegasus, and frankly she was the bomb horse compared to Pride and somewhat Star's bombproof-ness. Honor, unlike her siblings, would buck anyone other than Saiyo off who tried to ride. She was the second youngest, and somehow was born only a day before Saiyo, and together they controlled the Fire element.

Wonder's Champion was my bonded Pegasus, and like Legacy he didn't really like other riders. He might try to buck them off, or he might not depending on his mood, barring Aunt Ashley of course. He would never buck her off, because she was his dam, or mother's rider. He was the youngest, and together we controlled the Lightning element.

Unlike the rest of us, while she did have a Pegasus, Kiki didn't control an element. Instead, she had healing magic. She could heal any wound, near fatal or not. Wonder's Glory, her familiar, helped her with the more difficult healings. She was also a jumper, unlike her siblings. She was amazing at it too. No one could match her grace. Kiki wanted to jump her in all sorts of jumping competitions, such as steeplechases, once we completed our training year.

Wonder, mother of our Pegasai and a blue hen (meaning all of her foals were very successful on the racetrack) and her rider, our aunt Ashley were known for one thing above all in the witch community: they had raced in several Triple Crown races, and although they had never managed to take the crown itself, they did well in every race they rode in.

Unlike the normal Triple Crown, any Pegasus was allowed to race in the Derby, not just three year olds. That was a rule Champion and I would forever be thankful for.

Champion had raced in the Triple Crown as well, though neither he, Pride, Star, Honor, nor Legacy had won it. When I got old enough to apply for my Jockey's license (just one more year because generally witches were considered of age once they completed their year of training) I fully intended to ride him to a Triple Crown victory against his siblings, and mine for that matter. Currently that was my dream, my greatest ambition.

For as long as I can remember, Champion and I have been overshadowed by our older siblings' accomplishments. They'd won an lot of important races that Champion had yet to win. However, we both agreed that with me as his rider, nothing would stand in our way.

Dad called everyone up to tell him we were leaving tonight as we packed everything we needed. We also had an additional bag filled with sealing scrolls which contained extra tack and supplies (bridles, reins, saddles, brushes, hoof picks, and just about anything else we might need to take care of our Pegasai). Finally, once it was dark, everyone gathered outside to see us off. I was pretty surprised that even our aunt Ashley was there. Nine times out of ten, she had something she had to do when we invited her over (although what I had absolute no idea).

Dad called everyone to let them know we were leaving tonight. Everyone, even our aunt Ashley who usually had something to do around the farm, turned out to see us off.

"Hold on a second," Aunt Ashley spoke up. "Before you go, I have something for you." She pressed a wrapped parcel into each of our hands.

Mine was wrapped in dark blue, Saiyo's in dark red, Rin's in dark green, Sango's in dark pink, Kiki's in dark purple, and Kagome's in dark gray. I unwrapped mine and gasped. "Racing silks!" Looking at them, I saw why our silks were wrapped in different colors: because they reflected the main color of our silks. I had to wonder if this was a rider tradition or something, because Aunt Ashley was wearing her own racing silks, which were beige colored, emblazoned with a black star on the back. Well that was pretty cool.

Mine were dark blue, emblazoned with the symbol for Uzushiogakure (the village hidden in the whirlpools, something from my favorite manga series) in bright blue.

Saiyo's were dark red, emblazoned with the symbol for Konohagakure (the village hidden in the leaves, another village from the manga series Naruto) in bright red.

Rin's were dark green, emblazoned with the symbol for Iwagakure (the village hidden in the rocks, Konoha's rival village) in bright green.

Sango's were dark pink, emblazoned with the symbol for Kumogakure (the village hidden in the clouds, known for its swordsmen) in bright pink.

Kagome's were dark grey, emblazoned with the symbol for Sunagakure (the village hidden in the sand, a village that was basically a desert) in bright gray.

Kiki's were dark purple, and emblazoned with the symbol for Kirigakure (the village hidden in the mist, the final major hidden village in Naruto) in lavender.

Kiki was the first to recover. "Thank you oba-san!" She exclaimed happily.

"You're quite welcome Kiki-chan, you're quite welcome." Aunt Ashley replied with a grin.

Rin was the next to recover her voice. "How did you know our favorite villages?"

Sango snorted. "How else? She probably asked Kaa-san and Tou-san."

Saiyo rolled her eyes. "Doubtful. She probably asked the Pegasai."

"Yes, or she had Wonder-oba-san ask them." Kagome added.

"Got it one Kagome-chan." Aunt Ashley admitted. "I knew your mom and dad would know I was planning something if I asked them, so I had Wonder ask your Pegasai."

"Nice plan." I complimented. "Very Shinobi-like."

I quickly stripped off the shirt I was wearing (riders don't wear dresses) and stuffed it into my saddle bag before putting on my racing silks. I absentmindedly noticed my siblings doing the same. I also noted that emblazoned on the back were the elements we controlled in the same colors as the village symbols: water for Star and Sango, fire for Honor and Saiyo, earth for Pride and Rin, wind for Legacy and Kagome, and lightning for Champion and I. Kiki's had the Caduceus, two snakes intertwined on a winged staff, the symbol for medicine and healing, on the back, since she and Glory didn't control an element, and instead were healers (I highly doubted they'd ever really be fighters).

Aunt Ashley grinned and nodded approvingly as she surveyed us. "Now you look like riders. But anyway, if we keep yacking, the night will be over and you'll have to wait another month."

"Too right." Kaa-san muttered. "Have a safe trip girls."

"Hai Kaa-san!" We shouted, snapping to a mock salute.

"Riders, mount up." Oba-san commanded.

"Yes ma'am!" Kiki, Kagome, Rin, Sango, Saiyo and I bellowed as one. It was something of a habit. Since most of us planned to be jockeys when we were older, she had instructed us in everything we needed to know. While doing so, she had this 'it's my way' attitude. Not it's my way or the highway, because with her there was no highway option. It was her way or her way.

She also taught Kiki and Glory to jump. I'm still not sure how she did it because when they started they could hardly clear a jump without knocking at least one of the poles off, but somehow, Aunt Ashley managed to teach them to jump effortlessly. It was amazing to see.

"Say, you guys wanna make this a race?" I grinned. "Don't worry Kiki-nee-chan, you don't have to participate if you don't want to."

Kiki breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." She and Glory were not racers at all. They just couldn't match the same speed that the rest of us racers had.

Glory was kind of the odd one out, since all of Wonder's other foals were racers.

"No racing until you're out of my sight." Mom ordered sternly. We grinned sheepishly and promised we wouldn't race yet. "Now it's time to get going. Have fun and make sure you stay together, and more importantly, stay safe. I'll not hear of any accidents because you were being reckless. Is that clear, all of you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes Mom."

"Good. On the whistle." Aunt Ashley commanded. "Three, two, one," She let loose a sharp, shrill blast on her whistle. If I weren't so used to hearing it, I would have covered my ears. "Fly!"

As one, the Pegasai all lifted off with a great flap of their wings.

I honestly had to contain a squeal of joy as the house slowly became smaller and smaller, until it was completely out of sight.

We had finally left home at long last, and now nothing was going to stop us from becoming the very best witches that we possibly could be.

No matter what.