Legend

    " Who could've done this?"
     " Take a good guess."
     " Anou, my guess involves something that supposedly doesn't exist."
     The other boy chuckled knowingly. " Like what?"
     " Female Mystiks."
     The rest of the group stopped their mounts to turn and stare at the boy. They all looked as if they could use a few nights' rest, but this was, even if it were just a theory, a far-off possibility despite that it involved something presumably extinct. But to be sure . . .
     " What do you mean, Quatre?"
     Ah. Now he had their attention. " I have two reasons to think it was Mystiks. One: nothing can cause this kind of neatly done destruction. An army would've just ripped the place apart. Which leads me to two: no army would destroy the town, yet let everyone live. Everything would be gone."
     Duo, who'd been so sarcastic earlier, was now completely sober. Quatre may not be as knowing about real life as the rest of them, but he wasn't always wrong with his 'theories'. Being the next newest, Duo was constantly open to even the most outrageous ideas, " You really think?"
     Quatre nodded.
     There was a condescending snort from ahead. " It wasn't Mystiks."
     Duo scowled. " So what do you think it was, Mr. Mystik Pro?"
     Heero pointed at the ground near a house. "It was a horse, mochiron. Or a horse-like animal."
     The other, thinking he was being sarcastic, followed his pointing finger to the day-old hoof prints. " Oh yeah, Heero, like a horse could do this kind of damage."
     " Look at the print. Tell me what you see."
     Duo leaned far out of his saddle, hanging sideways off his black stallion, Deathscythe (affectionately known as Shinigami). " They're a day old . . . The hooves were unshod, which means it could be marauders."
     " There's one more thing that explains my idea. Look closer."
     Duo did as ordered, but couldn't seem to figure it out. " I don't see anything . . . Matte!" He looked around at the other prints nearby. " Sou ka! The prints are very shallow, which means whatever it was didn't have a rider!"
     " Exactly."
     " So I was wrong?" Quatre asked, petting the side of Sandrock's neck. The pure white stallion leaned happily into the rub.
     " We don't know yet," Duo answered. " Remember, Mystiks were supposed to be able to shape-shift. You still may be right."
     " And because of that, we need to keep looking," Heero put in, gently giving his mount, Wing Zero (usually either just 'Wing' or 'Zero'), the heel. The golden palomino stallion went right into a smooth trot as he knew his master had wanted him to. " Come on."
     " Why do we need to keep looking?"
     " If you're right, Quatre, and Mystiks really did do this, we have to find them and stop them. They're too dangerous to just let go."
     " What if it's a girl?"
     There was a bit of silence.
     " Then we catch her and interrogate her."
     " What if she did it?"
     " If she even speaks and tells us the truth, it doesn't matter. She's too valuable to kill, whether she's innocent or not. We'll have to take her back to the king and let him decide what to do with her."
                                                                  *~*~*
     " Anything?"
     Trowa remained silent as he approached. He directed his grass-green stallion, Heavyarms, toward the other two. When he stopped he spoke. " There are barely any tracks where I went. Either they were partially flying or they were just running very fast. After about a quarter of a mile, they stop. I suppose that says whoever it was could fly."
     Wufei growled and shifted in his saddle, making his chestnut stallion, Altron, bob his head in agitation. " How are we going to find it then?!"
     " Calm down, Wufei," Zechs ordered. " There's nothing we can do except wait for something else to happen and hope we catch it that time." He stopped and watched a rather large wolf pace across the meadow downwind of them. " Trowa, Wufei. Look at that."
     They followed his gaze. Wufei shrugged. " So it's a wolf. Big deal. Those are everywhere."
     " It's pretty big for just a wolf," Trowa put in. " I think there's something more there that's in some kind of camouflage."
     Zechs nodded. " It has wings." He turned his cobalt blue stallion, Tallgeese, and urged it into a canter.
     The wolf, who hadn't seemed to be paying them much attention, suddenly broke into a run. Tallgeese automatically sped up and gave chase. As they neared the edge of the meadow and the wolf's supposedly inevitable capture, the canine spread furred wings and took a leap straight up into the air.
     Zechs stood in the stirrups and grabbed the animal's hind foot. It yelped and snarled as it tried to escape, clawing at the air and the ground alternately as it attempted to free itself. But it wasn't that strong.
     After half an hour it gave up and laid on its side, breathing somewhat heavily. Zechs used ropes to bind its legs and muzzle, then pulled it up in front of him. " I don't think you're very innocent," he told it as he headed back to his companions.
     Wufei humphed. " What are you catching wolphens for? It's not as if it can tell us what we needs to know."
     Zechs raised an eyebrow. " And how would you know that? Quatre and Duo can speak to animals, remember? If it knows things it'll tell us, one way or another. That is assured."
     " Fine." Wufei turned Altron and started back home.