;His name disappears almost as quickly as it appears and Moggett is once more surrounded by the awful scratching noise from before. He wheels around, searching for its source only to see the vast blankness transforming all around him into something entirely foreign: a stable. Of course Moggett has no way of knowing what a stable is or what it entails, so once the scene becomes solid he does his best to get out of its confinement. His furious attempts at kicking himself out of his mysterious wooden cell yield no positive results. Instead, he freezes mid-kick as he hears the sound of distant shouting.
In the next minute, a portion of the wooden wall opens and two strange creatures burst in. They are smaller in build than he is but slightly taller. They walk on two legs while the other two limbs gesture maniacally around, holding what appear to be brown vines in their strange chestnut-colored flesh. They appear to be hairless except for a short crop on the tops of their heads and their mouths open and close quickly with their never-ending exclamations. There is nothing Moggett can do but stand in complete terror of them and his new situation. This seems to be what they want of him, however, because they quickly quiet down and begin talking amongst themselves instead of at him.
Much to his relief, the strangers leave. He listens attentively as their footsteps echo outside of his stall until he is certain they have gone. Quietly, he lifts one leg and then another, just to make sure he can still move. Looking around, he notes the hay at his feet, some water in a container and some sweet-smelling dry grass in a corner opposite of where the creatures had entered and exited. The wooden walls meet a wooden ceiling on three of the four sides of his box. On the fourth there is a small square hole which he had not noticed before because the world outside of it was black – it was nighttime. This little slice of reality comforts him, but his legs suddenly wobble and give way from the adrenaline and he slumps down to the ground.
---
A week has passed since his sudden imprisonment. He has learned some during this time – like that the outside can only be accessed when one of the creatures enters, wraps one of the bizarre brown vines on his head, puts something hard and heavy on his back, and leads him out. They always lead him to a round enclosure made of metal barricades. There, they bring a smaller alien and place it into the thing on his back. They force him to carry the small alien in circles for varying amounts of time before switching out one little creature for another. This continues for several hours before they lead him back to his cell. They speak a foreign language that he cannot seem to replicate, and they do not seem to understand him either. He had learned quickly to simply do whatever they wanted him to do; one of their tools was a young sapling that they used to whip his haunches whenever he did anything they did not like.
He is musing over his predicament one evening after a long day of senselessly walking in circles when a soft thump snaps his attention to the sole opening to his stall. A white cat with a bright red collar is now sitting on the window’s ledge above Moggett’s head. The cat seems to observe him lackadaisically with its bright green eyes and then settles itself comfortably on the ledge. Moggett huffs at the intruder and then reaches to take a bite of dinner.
“Broken already, are we?” The cat says in a bored tone.
The words make the small stallion nearly jump out of his skin. The cat licks its paw and continues “Have they made you stupid, too? Close your mouth, you look like a simpleton.” Suddenly self-aware, Moggett clamps his mouth shut and tries to think clearly but is so taken aback by the cat’s sudden appearance and ability to speak that he can think of nothing to say in return.
The cat, for his part, acts as though he has forgotten about the male entirely. He continues fastidiously with his bath for a few moments before stating (through a mouthful of fur): “If you can manage to get to the clearing in the north wood, I can help you get to your kind.” Then, as if he has simply commented on the weather, the cat turns to leave. “But how do I get out of here?!” Moggett cries, forgetting his need to be quiet in his desperation. The cat pauses and looks at him with a sense of disdain. “You don’t need any help with that – they aren’t as strong as they seem.” And with that, the cat is gone, disappearing into the night outside of his prison.
Moggett turns to pacing to try to work through this strange development. The cat had acted so nonchalant about escaping – as if Moggett should have been able to do so long ago. The stallion furrows his brow; it couldn’t possibly be that simple. And even if he did manage to escape somehow, how was he to find a specific clearing in the woods? He sighs and looks out the window at the moon in the inky sky above. Should he even trust the cat? He had said he could get him to his “kind” – but did that mean Beqanna? There are so many questions and possibilities swirling in his mind that he feels dizzy from it all. Fatigue from the day finally reaches him, however, and he settles down. He would attempt to escape tomorrow, he had decided. The details of his plan were still fuzzy, but this could be his one shot and he was certain only in the fact that he did not want to let it pass him by.
---
Morning came much too quickly for Moggett’s comfort. As soon as the sky was visible in his window the creatures were upon him, draping him in his usual prison garb. Moggett remains still and allows them to do their typical routine, keen to remain inconspicuous until the time was right. The stall door opens and they lead him out, chatting pleasantly amongst themselves. His heart begins to race as time slows down. But before his nerves could break his resolve, they are stepping into the open towards the round enclosure. Taking a furtive look around to ensure there are no other creatures in the vicinity, Moggett clears his mind and takes a deep breath.
The black male lurches forwards, putting all of his weight into getting away from their grasp. One of the creatures is taken by surprise and lets the vines loose as they tug from his hands but the other is more quick-witted and grabs the thing on his back and attempts to climb up. Moggett rears and the quick-witted one loses his clutch and stumbles backwards while the surprised creature makes a grab for the vines that dangle from the his face. Moggett’s forelimbs flail wildly to try to ward off the creature’s advances which forces it to jump out the way. Crashing down, Moggett uses every ounce of adrenaline in his veins to push him northwards towards the woods.
He can hear them chasing for a time, but the sound is soon drowned out by the pounding of his own heart and hoof beats. Moggett is quite sure he has never run this fast before – his short legs blurring beneath him. As he reaches the edge of the woods he slows his pace to avoid potential collisions. Soon the brush is so thick that he must slow to a walk, placing his steps carefully amid branches and brambles. The light is dim here through the thick foliage and he feels the fear creeping in that he is being watched. The male wanders for what feels like hours, but there is no sign of a clearing and Moggett suddenly understands that this was possibly the real test.
Exasperated, he stops and takes a good look around, hoping that some patch of forest would look just a tad lighter than the rest. No such luck, but a sudden SNAP makes him realize his feeling of being watched had not been so far-fetched after all. He whirls towards the sound and sees the glint of a dark pair of eyes in the brush. He barely breathes as he watches, eyes unblinking, as a canid form emerges from the dimness. A large dog, black as night, with a silver collar comes forward and sits before him. “If you’re searching for the cat, I can take you to him.” The dog says, its voice gruff, but friendly. Moggett breathes a small sigh of relief and tries to smile. “Thank you, I’m afraid I’m lost after all.” The dog nods and stands, heading a tad more to the west. “You should be wary of the cat.” The dog says without turning. “He may be your only way out of here, but everything comes at a price.” Moggett takes in the dog’s warning, too tired and wary to ask him to explain further.
After perhaps an hour of wearily following his guide, Moggett notices that the trees are beginning to thin and he can see a light ahead growing stronger with each step. The dog stops short and sits once more, facing the horse. “You shouldn’t go unarmed – take the collar from my neck and use it when the time is right. Good luck.” Moggett looks at the dog, quizzically. “Your… collar?” He asks with uncertainty. The dog does not answer, but lowers his head to make it obvious that the collar can be removed fairly easily. The stallion reaches out tentatively and gently grasps the leather with his teeth and pulls. The collar slides off with ease, but as it passes over the dog’s black nose there is a loud POP and the taste of metal is strong in Moggett’s mouth. The dog has disappeared, and the collar is now hanging loosely around the stallion’s neck, now the same color as the other vines that hang from his face.
The light is beginning to wane, so Moggett does not give himself time to consider what he will possibly need this collar for as he hurries onwards. Once he breaks through into the light he is amazed to see a lone oak tree standing in the middle of the clearing. It is by far the largest tree he has ever seen, its limbs towering far overhead and its roots gnarled and twisting at its base. And there on one of its massive roots, sits the cat. Moggett approaches cautiously, and the cat stands to greet him. “Hurry up.” It says impatiently. “I’ve been waiting all day.”
“Sorry…” Moggett says sheepishly and quickens his pace to join the cat at the oak’s base. The cat stretches and yawns and then turns to press a claw to a knot on the tree right above the root that it sat on. Moggett watched in awe as the bark on the tree began to swirl and gave way to an opening completely devoid of light. “Now” began the cat. “I don’t have enough power to make this take you to the right place unless you release me from my collar. Once I’m free, I can easily get you to where you belong.” The cat sits and watches the horse, its green eyes glinting in the light of the setting sun. Keeping the dog’s warning in mind, but keen to get home, Moggett reaches out and nips at the red leather of the cat’s collar. The collar breaks beneath his teeth and the cat is immediately transformed into a white ball of what appears to be pure light. It grows until it is the same size as the stallion and a sound like laughter emanates from it. Feeling the fear rising in his gut like bile, Moggett yells “Don’t forget your word! Make that door take me home!” The creature that was the cat pauses to touch the void which suddenly bursts into life with a brightly lit landscape, but before Moggett can take a good look at the land the once-cat steps in front of the gate.
“Starving…” The voice cracks like lightning and Moggett realizes that the creature is moving towards him without legs and reaching for him without arms. He feels frozen by fear, but just before the white light reaches him, the collar on his neck begins to quiver. Remembering the dog’s words, Moggett shimmies backwards, away from the creature. The collar becomes larger and slides down his neck and the stallion grabs it in his teeth as it falls, quickly tossing it upwards and then decidedly down onto the top of the powerful creature. What can only be described as a wail begins to radiate from the cat as the collar begins to constrict. Seeing his chance, Moggett darts to the door and lunges into it, leaving whatever the cat really was to suffer its defeat.
---
Now safely away from the clearing, Moggett takes a look around and his stomach drops. This was not Beqanna. The cat had tried to trick him. But before he can feel anger, fear, or trepidation at the future, he is overcome with a sense of warmth and comfort as a silver figure approaches him “What an ordeal! It seems one of our servants has gotten loose. Please, accept our sincerest apologies.” Moggett recognizes the being as a unicorn and feels as though he should be thinking of something important, but he feels so happy all of the sudden… so content. “No hard feelings.” Moggett says hazily. The unicorn smiles and Moggett can’t help but smile back. “Thank goodness” It says. “Please, come join us and rest.” Moggett nods and finds himself following the silver steed as if in a dream. On their journey, they pass a crystal-clear waterfall and the pair stop for a quick drink. It is then that Moggett gets a good look at himself and realizes that, not only was he free of his constraints, but that he, too, was now a unicorn! His once black pelt was now a pure silver and his mane and tale were shimmering like silk. A silver and pearlescent white horn spirals out of his forehead and his hooves are a matching color. He is taller too… taller than he could have ever dreamed. He feels a dark twang of anxiety in his gut somewhere, but the cool water washes it away and he and his companion move towards the rest of their kind as the magic of the land erases all of Moggett’s past worries and pains. Perhaps this is where he belonged after all…
moggett
I’m a weight around your neck
