It was light out when Altan jolted awake, heart hammering in his chest. Gray morning light filtered through a blanket of rolling clouds. The fire had burnt out. His shirt was torn. Quickly he shot his hand out in front of him- the ring was still there. Within seconds, Knax was atop him, whining, licking. Her snout was gashed and many tufts of fur were missing on her body. Altan broke, then, wrapping her arms around her neck and sobbing openly into her thick fur.
And he cried.
He cried for a long time, trembling, clutching Knax's fur like it was his last lifeline. Knax settled as he babbled, leaning into him, whimpering softly as Altan cried and cried until no more tears would come. Even after he'd finished, he stayed curled on the ground for several minutes until, puffy eyed, he pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. Knax supported the brunt of his weight, staying glued protectively to his side. Altan took a deep breath, absentmindedly drawing circles through Knax's fur with his fingers. He surveyed the scene. The 'dreamstalker' The Prince had shot down remained a crisp mound on the grass. The other one laid several feet of to his left. That one only had a bloody stump for a head, and he squeezed Knax in thanks. The Prince lay where he collapsed, and Bridget was still by the fire in a puddle of congealed blood. Both of them were twisting and murmuring and sweating, at the mercy of their imaginations. Flies buzzed around the stag.
        He quickly made his way over to Bridget first, hooking his arms under them and dragging their stiff body out of the blood. He shook them. Nothing.
         "Hey, Bridget!"
          Bridget whimpered, tossed their head side to side, but did not wake.
         It was then he noticed the feather that was still stuck in their neck, although from its tip to nearly two-thirds of the way down, it had lost its colour and become nearly white. Being as gentle as he could manage, Altan plucked it out. A small trail of blackened blood trickled out in its stead.
       He reached down and shook them again. "Hey, wake u-" THWACK- "OW!"
       Altan reeled back as just before Bridget's eyes shot opened, knuckles struck him across the jaw. Bridget jolted upright, eyes blown, fists balled, breaths shallow. Their gaze landed on Altan, groaning and rubbing his jaw, and immediately their hands flew to their mouth.
         "Altan!" They exclaimed, crawling forward, "I'm so sorry!" Their hands cupped his cheeks. "Are you alright?"
         "Yeah... yeah." He huffed, testing his jaw. "I'm good. That was a nasty left hook."
          "I'm sorry. I just- I don't-"
           Altan held out a hand. "It's fine, I know."
          Bridget simply nodded and slipped into a tense silence as Altan shifted over to The Prince. Knax followed him closely, and almost seemed to glare at Bridget. The Prince was covered in a thin layer of sweat. His brows were impossibly furrowed, and his fists formed tight balls at his sides. Silent words danced on his lips. Plucking the half-white feather from his arm, Altan glanced warily at the hands he'd seen literal fire spurt from. Leaning as far back as he could, he nudged The Prince forcefully.
"NO!"
Altan stumbled back as The Prince sprang to his feet in a flash, hand outstretched. The agonizing shout tore from his throat, and his eyes no longer had any white to them- the entirety of his eyes were consumed in a blazing golden light. A few seconds later his eyes returned to normal and he swooned, shaking his head. Knax slid behind him to prevent him from toppling over.
"Hey, Goldilocke, it's ok. It was just a dream." Altan offered, rising to his feet.
The Prince's eyes found him but didn't quite seem to focus correctly. "What...?"
"There was a second one."
"Yes, I gathered that much." The Prince rolled his eyes. "I meant, how did it get killed."
Altan frowned, "Thanks for the vote of confidence." he said, wounded, then, "Knax killed it."
"That so..." The Prince mumbled, glancing back at her. Knax tilted her head at him. "Maybe keeping you around was not such a terrible idea, after all... my gratitude."
An uncomfortable moment of understanding and silence thickened the air. Even the wind seemed reluctant to stir it. Finally, Bridget broke the seal by awkwardly clearing their throat.
"Well, gentlemen, it has been a pleasure." They donned a mask of easy indifference. "However, I think our journey together has come to a close, for now."
Altan perked up at this, briefly forgetting the traumatic hallucinations he'd faced. Even The Prince seemed shocked. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going West. I'm going to organize another rebellion. A bigger one. A better one. In fact, the operation is already underway, and my underlings need me. Centurion has ruled long enough. I'm afraid I can't divulge more than that for the moment, but when the time comes, I'll be there." They pledged, bowing to The Prince. "Please, your highness, I may be a criminal but even criminals need a King. For what is a criminal without a kingdom?"
"Wait. Hold on." Altan protested, "You're really just going to... to leave? Just like that?"
"Oh Altan, you've grown." Bridget smiled sadly at him. "We'll cross paths again, I'm sure. But, I work best alone. Besides, look at your companion, Knax. She's fully grown! Riding her will halve the time it takes you to travel, but she's only big enough for two. I'd just be holding you back."
"But-"
"Bridget is correct." The Prince interjected. "It is best that we go our separate ways, for now. Be safe, changeling. I will call when the time is right."
Altan glanced from Bridget, to The Prince, and back again. Then he looked at Knax, sat so well-behaved to his right, gazing at him with what could only be reassurance. He sighed. "Fine."
Bridget reached a delicate hand out and squeezed his arm. "If at any point," she said, tilting her head to meet his gaze, "you need to get in contact with me, go the tavern in any town with a red stripe above its door. When the barkeep asks you what you'll have, tell them you want them to surprise you. When they ask if you have any preferences, tell them to make it blind. If I cannot be reached, they will help you with what you need. You have my word."
Altan nodded solemnly.
"Come, Altan." The Prince said. He'd already begun gathering what few belongings they owned. "Let us depart, before we lose any more daylight. With any luck, we'll be out of the forest by nightfall.
With one last squeeze, Bridget let Altan go. Altan wrapped his now battered cloak around his shoulders, retrieved his muddy sword, and joined The Prince at Knax's side. The Prince was finishing strapping his sword to his back and Knax was lying down on the ground, glancing back at him expectantly. Her tails thumped quietly in the grass.
Altan hesitated as he approached her. "Um. I don't really know how to..." he gestured vaguely at her.
The Prince raised an eyebrow. "Very well, you can be the passenger for this first leg, and I will demonstrate how to properly ride a fennecainx."
He swung a leg confidently over Knax, burying his hands into her fiery mane. The blue fire crawled up his arms until it reached his elbows, forming something reminiscent of reigns, and the flames closed across her head and snout like a helmet. Similarly, flames licked up her legs, the fire of her mane generally expanded, and extra rings of fire encircled her tails. It gave her a fierce, armoured appearance. So cool...
The Prince smothered a bemused glance at Altan, turning away. "Mind the sword when you mount."
Returning to the task at hand, Altan cautiously clambered onto Knax's back. Awkwardly, he shimmied forward and grasped The Prince's shoulders. The Prince glanced over his shoulder. A question.
"I'm ready."
With a nod The Prince commanded, "Ori."
Knax rose and Altan wobbled, gripping The Prince tighter. He'd occasionally been horseback riding as a child, but the way Knax's muscles rippled and shifted under his thighs suggested this was going to be an otherworldly experience. His heart beat in excitement- a pleasant change, for once. He glanced over his shoulder back at Bridget, standing there with a hand posted on their hip. He gave a small wave.
"Reccum."
Knax bounded forward and his grip returned maybe a little too quickly to The Princes shoulder. The Prince chuckled.