Thrill of the Chase

By Rachel Dib

If you ever find yourself face to face with a bear/moose chimera, don’t under any circumstance stand up straight and yell while waving your arms above your head.

I clicked send on my transponder and glanced down. The chimera was sniffing at the base of my tree. My transponder vibrated.

Kai: Ha ha. K.

Pursing my lips, I began to type another message, but the transponder vibrated again.

Kai: Wait, why are you telling me this?

I smiled and typed, Because if you do, you’ll end up like me: stuck in a tree.

My transponder buzzed.

Kai: Really, Mae? Why didn’t you just say you were in trouble?!

Not half as fun that way. I sent Kai my coordinates and checked on the chimera. It was rooting around inside a bush.

I sat back and scrolled through news articles until I found what I wanted: “Pegasus Sighting.” I scanned the article, reviewing the scant details. A hiker had seen a pegasus walking through Landoaugh Forrest. Startled, the winged horse had flown away. The end.

I grinned and pocketed my transponder. Hopefully the pegasus was still around. If so, I was going to capture it.

I glanced up when a gust of wind rocked the treetops. The chimera must have felt it, too, because it looked up at the hovering griffon, rose on its hind legs, and batted the air.

Kai peered over the side of the flying beast. “Mae?”

“Right here!” I waved, and a moment later, a rope dropped through the leafy canopy. “It’s like gym class all over again,” I muttered.

I climbed up to the griffin’s feet, and Kai reached out a hand to pull me up.

“Seriously, Mae”—he scowled—“what were you doing out here?” He eyed the chimera and prodded the griffon to rise higher.

I adjusted myself in the saddle and wrapped my arms around Kai’s waist. “You know what.”

“The pegasus again?” Kai sighed. “You know it’s probably long gone, right?”

“Notice that you used the word ‘probably.’ That means it could still be around.”

He shrugged. “So, what if it is? You really think you’ll be the one to capture and break it?”

“It’s a pegasus, not a horse, Kai. I have no intention of breaking it.” Holding on to Kai’s shirt, I leaned over to peer down at the treetops below. “Hey, can you fly any lower?”

Kai shook his head but did as I asked.

As we dropped to within a few feet of the tree line, I was able to see patches of the ground below.

“Say you did find it,” Kai said. “Don’t you have to be pure or something to capture it?”

“That’s unicorns. Pegasi want a show of strength.”

Kai glanced at me over his shoulder.

Ignoring his raised brow, I kept my gaze trained on the ground. “Any chance of flying a little slower?”

“Nope. Meraclese flies at one speed.” Kai rubbed the griffon’s neck, and the animal’s purr rumbled through my legs.

“I figured.” I leaned a little farther out. “Just thought I’d…”

Catching a flash of white, I swung around.

“Hey!” Kai shouted, grabbing hold of my arm as I began to slip. The griffon screeched and turned slightly.

“I saw it!”

Kai pulled me so that I was again facing the griffon’s front. “Saw what?”

“The pegasus, duh! You need to turn around!”

“You couldn’t have…” But he trailed off as the unmistakable form of a pegasus hefted itself above the treetops behind us.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.

Kai shook his head. “It’s huge.”

When the pegasus flew off, I prodded Kai in the back. “Well, follow it!”

“What, are you nuts? We’ll never catch up.”

“We don’t need to catch up,” I snapped. “We just need to know where it lands. Now go!”

The griffon was no more thrilled to follow the pegasus than Kai was. After some prodding and a few treats, he eventually agreed but was terrible at being inconspicuous. I was glad when the pegasus finally dropped below the treetops.

“What now?” Kai asked as he prompted Meraclese to hover outside of view.

Biting my lip, I watched the creature graze. “Now, you fly in low, and I attempt to land on top of him.”

If we hadn’t been hanging in the air, Kai would’ve rounded on me. As it was, he only glared over his shoulder. “Are you crazy?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “But it’s the only act of strength I can think of.”

“Well, I’m not letting you do that,” Kai growled. “It’s not a tame horse. It’ll kill you.”

“No, it won’t.” I watched the pegasus gingerly snipping the grass, its white feathery wings tucked at its sides. “It’ll think I’m strong.”

Kai began to object, but I cut him off, “If you don’t help me, I’ll just think up something more dangerous to try.”

He clenched his jaw. “You have one shot, and then I fly you home.”

“Deal.”

Knowing we’d have to be quick, Kai rose Meraclese into the air and prompted him into a dive. Just as we neared the pegasus, Kai jerked on the reins, and Meraclese flung out his wings, soaring over the creature’s back.

I expected the pegasus to startle as I landed atop him, squeezing my knees into his flank, but he didn’t. He merely swiveled his head to look at me.

“Well, that’s a new trick.”

I blinked. “You can talk!”

“And you can fly.” In one swift movement, the pegasus flung out his wings, dislodging my legs, and reared up.

As I catapulted backward, the pegasus took a running leap into the air—and then giant talons wrapped around my middle.

“I told you that wouldn’t work,” Kai growled as Meraclese hefted us back above the treetops.

My head jerked with the motion, but despite the pain, a smile formed on my lips. You can run, I told the pegasus as it disappeared, but I’ll find you again. And next time, I’ll be more prepared.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Dib is a stay-at-home mom of three small children. After marrying a soldier, she left her home state of South Carolina to live in random places across the U.S. In her limited spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and playing board games. Her other published work can be found in online magazines.

---

More Stories | Facebook