Chapter 12

The anguished neigh of the Pegasus echoed. It was followed by lewd laughter and shouts of anger.

Then, the sound of flesh being cut. The sound of blood spurting. The sound of the Pegasus thrashing could be heard continuously.

...Faced with such an unbearable scene, I couldn't move.

My fingertips were cold, as if frozen, unable to move. While witnessing the gruesome scene, I could do nothing... nothing at all.

The red of the blood splattering burned into my eyes. The Pegasus's neighs echoed in my ears. Then, the cruel voices of the people cutting off the Pegasus's wings with saw-like blades... the heavy sound of the severed wings falling... everything seemed to bind my body.

"I thought we might get caught, but in the end, today was a great success."

"Two pairs of wings! The feathers are still intact! They'll fetch a high price!"

The poachers laughed together, while the Pegasi neighed.

I stood there for a while, watching them. The poachers finally began to cut off the other wing of the Pegasus.

The Pegasus, though exhausted, still struggled desperately. But with only one wing, it couldn't fly away.

...It was then.

The Pegasus I was riding bent down and threw me off.

I rolled on the ground but wasn't hurt. It was a gentle enough drop.

Before I could think about what was happening, the Pegasus that had brought me here walked straight ahead.

I couldn't even say, "Don't go." No words came out, just a breath. My half-extended hand couldn't even reach the horse's tail.

The Pegasus walked straight, straight towards where the other Pegasi's wings were being cut off.

...It was then that I finally thought, "Why?"

Why would it go to the people who were hurting it? Why did it throw me off here? Why did it bring me here?

There was no need to think.

The Pegasus brought me here because it was asking for help.

The Pegasus that walked straight was soon spotted by the poachers. The poachers, delighted, immediately tried to catch the Pegasus.

The Pegasus fluttered around but didn't try to escape. It seemed to be trying to draw the poachers' attention to protect its wingless companions.

...Watching the Pegasus being chased, I... searched my bag.

I took out my art supplies: pencils, paints, brushes, and a sketchbook. And a bottle of water.

I crouched in the bushes, holding my breath, and started drawing in the sketchbook.

What I drew was a long rope. A long rope binding the poachers.

I had healed the Pegasus's wings. I had healed the unicorn's horn. I had bandaged their wounds. ...If I could do that, I could also bind the poachers with ropes.

The human figure drawing from a distance was rough. But that was fine. Even horses were fine with rough drawings. Every second counted. I would bind them all.

...While I was doing this, the poachers finally caught the Pegasus.

The Pegasus that had brought me here was dragged to the ground and pinned down.

Then, a saw-like blade was applied to the Pegasus's wing... and it started moving.

An unpleasant sound. An unpleasant scream. An unpleasant laugh.

I ignored all these sounds. I blocked out all the information coming into my ears and just observed and continued drawing what I could see.

The Pegasus thrashed. Blood splattered. The saw was swung at the Pegasus's back. The Pegasus was hurt pointlessly.

...While watching such a scene, I tried not to let my heart move and just kept my hands moving...

I kept drawing. I didn't stop drawing.

By the time the wings of the three Pegasi caught by the poachers were all cut off...

...my drawing was finally complete.

"What the—"

The poachers fell over.

Suddenly bound, they couldn't move their hands or feet and fell to the ground.

Even those who didn't fall were dragged down by the ropes connecting them to other poachers.

"What's happening!? What the hell is this!?"

"Damn it, hey, what's going on! Someone, quickly untie the ropes!"

Seeing the poachers start to panic, I moved quickly.

This time, my body moved properly. I ran, ran... and was able to reach the injured Pegasi.

When I approached, the Pegasi wagged their tails to reassure me. Their weak neighs made me want to cry.

"It's okay now. Let's go home. Can you walk?"

I called out to the Pegasi and watched them stand up. The Pegasi, bravely, managed to stand up.

"Sorry, let's treat the injuries a bit away from here."

The Pegasi neighed weakly but steadily started walking. ...This should be okay, right? They were badly injured, but it was better to leave this place. I felt bad, but I had to make the Pegasi move a bit more.

"Hey, you! What the hell are you doing!?"

"Is this your doing! Hey!"

The poachers were clearly shouting at me. But I ignored them all and returned the way we came with the Pegasi.

I wanted to treat the injuries when we got home, but the Pegasus's stamina didn't seem to last.

The Pegasus that was caught first had many wounds all over its body. ...It was an unpleasant thought, but perhaps this Pegasus was tortured to lure the others.

"...I'll treat you here."

I couldn't make the Pegasus suffer any more. Looking back, the poachers were no longer in sight.

...Then, it should be okay. I decided to draw the horses here.

Bandages for the wounds. Proper wings where the wings used to be.

I had drawn this many times in the past week. It was fine. I was used to it.

"...Just a little more."

I encouraged the Pegasus while moving the brush. The results of the past week were evident, and it took about 30 minutes to draw one horse.

I drew the minimum lines and coloring for the Pegasus... first one. The Pegasus's drawing trembled and shrank, flying towards the Pegasus... and the Pegasus had bandages and wings attached.

At that moment, I felt something being pulled out of my body, but I endured it.

"Next, I'll do it."

Then I started drawing the next Pegasus... and suddenly thought.

Probably, I'll faint after I finish drawing this, I thought.

I hesitated a bit.

There were three Pegasi, but I could probably only draw two before fainting. That's how it had been for the past week.

...What should I do? If I faint here, it could be quite troublesome. Whether the poachers come after us or not, fainting in the middle of nowhere... I could be attacked by other animals and die.

And both Pegasi were badly injured. If I faint in the middle, I'll have to treat the other one later, which is not good.

I can treat one more Pegasus before fainting. And there are two more Pegasi.

...Then, I have no choice but to try.

I started drawing two Pegasi on the drawing paper at the same time. If I feel like I'm about to faint after drawing one more, I'll finish both at the same time before fainting.

...Even if I faint after drawing, the Pegasi will probably carry me. Probably.

In the first place, would the treatment be successful if I draw two Pegasi at once?

I was worried, but there was no choice. If the treatment is incomplete, I'll redraw it after we get home.

...I drew the first one more carefully. Just a little more carefully.

And... probably, it paid off.

As soon as I drew the two Pegasi, the drawings started trembling as usual.

...And.

"...I did it."

In front of my eyes, the three Pegasi each flapped their wings and wagged their tails.

Seeing the Pegasi healed, I felt my consciousness fading.

But it was a bit different from before. It wasn't just something being pulled out of my body... it felt like something cold was being poured in.

My chest felt tight. I couldn't breathe.

The breath I tried to take didn't seem to reach the depths of my chest. As this continued, something kept being pulled out of my body, and my body kept getting colder...

...Moreover.

"Hey, kid. You did quite a job back there, didn't you?"

The poachers had caught up.

I thought about various things, like how they managed to catch up despite being bound, or whether a cage would have been better than ropes, but my thoughts were scattered. However, the poachers kept getting closer.

"...Huh? What's this? The Pegasi seem to be quite fond of you."

In front of me, where I couldn't move, the Pegasi stood, spreading their wings as if to protect me from the poachers.

I wanted to say, "Don't do that," but no words came out. I wanted to tell them to run away, but the Pegasi wouldn't move.

"Looking closely, you're quite a pretty kid."

"Maybe you're a beast tamer? Or... never mind."

The poachers looked at me through the Pegasus's wings and smiled.

"You'll fetch a good price."

"What the hell are you doing!?"

But the hands reaching for me didn't reach me or the Pegasus. Instead, a familiar voice was heard from a distance...

...And I fainted anyway. Well, it couldn't be helped.