In the Magic Forest

It was Willoughby's time to laugh. He was trying to keep himself quiet, but the sight of a naked woman - oh cripes - smacking Hunter was just too much. Even while he was stifling laughter which sounded like a snorting horse, he lay himself down.

"..Is she one of your lovers, sir?" He asked gazing at him. "Whichever.. you might want to give her my pelisse.. as she is quite... without garment and indecent.." His own cheeks would have been red if he had not been a horse.

"She is not anyone I know!" Exclaimed Hunter angrily, while the woman glared at him, totally ignoring Willoughby for the moment.

'Don't know me?!' Then she looked down at herself upon hearing Willoughby's suggestion. 'Oh, these idiotic human bodies! How can you stand putting on a second skin, I don't know and never will.'

Hunter meanwhile pulled off Willoughby's shirt off himself, judging that the pelisse might not actually do the trick and handed it to the woman, hoping that seeing as she was quite short, it might be just long enough.

She ripped the shirt out of his hands and after several tries managed to pull it on. It was indeed just long enough.

'George, bloody look at me. It's me, Firebird. Your horse. The one that got scared? Which really should have been a sign that you should not have gone anywhere near this place, you idiot!'

"... glad my horse is not as badly tempered as yours, sir." Willoughby would have grinned if his face was able to make that. Anybody who knew horse expressions would know how he had felt though. He pawed at the ground impatiently. Were they going to bicker here or find a way to turn back. If Firebird was here, did this mean Herrero was hiding somewhere as well?

Hopefully he had not turned into a human too! He tilted his head a bit and blinked. It was still a strange way to see the world. His eyes were not full front, like they were with a human being, but rather on each side and that made him quite aware of how a horse felt and what he saw and when he had to trust his rider.

Firebird glared at Willoughby. "Do you realise how ridiculous you look? Whoever heard of a horse with wings and a horn?" She snorted, the sound, though made by a human throat, very horse-like.

Firebird walked over to Willoughby and took off the pelisse from his neck. "There." She put the pelisse on and stood looking at the men, or flying unicorn and a man, arms akimbo. "So, you got me into this, what are you going to do about getting me out? I really want to walk like a normal horse again. I can't take this two-legs thing. The balance is all off!"

George just put a hand over his face and wished for the beautiful days when his horse could not actually talk.

"Like I've chosen to have wings and a horn." Willoughby answered stiffly." Or to be a horse.. don't see why you want to become one again!" He breathed more easily though without the pelisse constricting his neck.

He glanced at George. "...Your horse, your problem." He took a few steps and turned. "But.. are we going or not? Lets try finding our camp or a way out of here...Hopefully being changed back in the process...." He hesitated glancing back at Firebird. "Have you seen Herrero by any chance?"

Hunter scowled at Willoughby. "It's your horse, your problem, sir, trooper."

'If we are going to walk I think I am going to try this again... Just remember one bark for no, two for yes,' Hunter turned his back on the other two, pulled off his breeches hurriedly and searched for that feeling of the wolf... In a strange shimmering blur Hunter went from human to wolf again. He stretched and barked happily.

Firebird snorted again picked up the breeches with a faint look of disgust and put them on, finally looking decent. Then she patted Willoughby on the neck and grinned rather evilly. "And now it is time for me to find out what the whole fuss is about. Come on, Willoughby, stand still."

"Wait a moment now, miss. I'm not a horse. I just look like one." He pushed himself upwards and took a few steps back, trying to have some distance between the lass and himself. "Doesn't mean I am to be ridden like one. " And if she thought to find him the whole horse's attire, she was sorely mistaken if she thought he would be happily agreeing to it!

He eyed the wolf warily too. Hopefully HUnter knew how to control his urges because he was not eager to find teeth in his flank!

'Oh? Is this how it's going to be? George, would you tell him to stop being an idiot?'

Hunter smirked, which on a wolf was not a pretty side. Not being able to talk was a good thing all of a sudden. Firebird huffed.
'Come on, Willoughby, or do you want me to tell your Herrero to stop obeying? It will be faster if I ride you.'

Willoughby pawed at the ground and shook his head, but did not move away again. "Watch your heels... " He did not have a saddle on his back and he did not quite know how she would ride him though he did shifted his wings so that she had space to climb onto him. Her legs would be warm because wings would cover them.

"And just.. sit there and don't move... do you even know how to ride? it's not just sitting on a horse and hoping you don't fall off." He was scowling.

Firebird clambered onto Willoughby's back quite easily.

'You telling me this? Really? I'd bite you on the rump if I were myself. Or maybe I should ask George to do that?' She tugged at Willoughby's mane.

The wolf just rolled his eyes and stood up, eager to get going.

"Oi, could lay off my mane too. I will walk without you needing to tell me so." He started slowly, feeling the additional weight as something foreign. It was far from a knapsack. He had to distract himself from thinking that it was a woman riding him just now, and she wore nought but a shirt and a pelisse over it.

He flicked his tail again then held it higher so that it would not get caught in low brush and bush, through which they were quite possibly going to walk.

'Oh and if your horse told you that, would you believe it?' She asked acidly but stopped tugging at Willoughby's mane. Hunter snarled at them both and set of at a trot, sniffing the air periodically to see if he could smell anything or anyone he recognised.

Edward had to admit that it was quite strange to be suddenly able to feel the nature around him, understand the water's murmurs and see much better than he was used to, but since it was not in any way uncomfortable (at least once he got away from that extremely talkative brook), and actually quite helpful, he was willing to tolerate that for the moment - at least until he had found his escort again. Slightly more disconcerting was the fact that he had to walk now - for some reasons, when he had woken up from his brief nap, Trueno had been gone and a tall, dark and extremely handsome warrior in splendid battledress had been there instead. To make matters worse, that individual had laconically declared 'I am Trueno!', and Edward had found that it disturbed him far less than it should.

So now he moved through the woods (moving smoothly though the shadows, nearly unheard and unseen), an armoured warrior brushing confidently (and far more detectable) through the bushes behind him.

This time placing a smell was easy. It was a little different, a little more elegant, if one could call a smell elegant, but he recognized Torrington's smell immediately. He let out a happy bark and bounded in the direction of the smell. And then he saw Torrington. Saw his ears and his hair, covered his snout with a paw and produced a cacophony of noises which signified laughter.

Willoughby moved at a trot after Hunter. He was getting more confident on his four feet, though it was still strange to move on those, and not solely on his back legs. He jumped over a root and felt proud when he next jumped over something higher.

It was fun to test how high he could go, though he'd nearly crashed into a thick bush next, halting just before he ought to have jumped over it. "..What did you.." And here he then saw an elf but he recognised it fairly well and blinked. "...interesting.."

Edward, who just had a very interesting conversation with a blackbird, was quite startled when he suddenly felt another presence, which rather felt like a certain acquaintance of his, but looked like a wolf. An irreverently grinning wolf at that. He wasn't quite sure what to do with the lady on her horse now coming up behind the wolf either, but thinking that a polite hello was always good, he opened his mouth - and nearly bit off his tongue in surprise when he heard himself say in a beautiful musical voice:

"Well met, my friends!"

Trueno had no such problems. He confidently strode up to the lady on her horse and bowed to her, not a bit of submission in the gesture.

The human part of Hunter told him that Torrington's voice sounded ridiculous, but the wolf part was oddly charmed by it. Hunter chuckled anyway. Because Torrington being an elf was just too hilarious for words. He patted over to the man, finding that he actually reached just above his waist. Hunter grinned up at him, show a row of nice big teeth.

Firebird glared down at Trueno, than kicked him in the shoulder with her heel. 'I can't believe it! You are here as well. I don't like you, when are you going to get this through thick skull?!'

Willoughby stood as still as possible lowering his wings so that Firebird had a greater range and more space to kick, and even offered one wing for her to lean against, if she needed to pack a harder hit.

He looked at Trueno, his ears flicking and seemed quite happy about swatting his tail at him , but said nothing at this time almost as if not thinking the 'warrior' needed to know that he could do so.

Edward placed a slender hand on Hunter's head, then stroked the sleek fur. It was certainly only a trick of the light that the fur looked even glossier afterwards.

"What brings you here, friend Hunter? And who are your companions who wander these woods with you?"

Trueno caught the foot and caressed it before kissing the top.

"Mylady! You look most beautiful!"

While he send glowing looks her way, he spared only rather disdainful glances for the horse she was sitting on. Wings? Really!

Firebird snorted at the address. 'This here is Willoughby, who according to George is a cavalryman and that wolf is George. And I know you. You are George's friend. You don't normally talk like a brainless idiot.'

Hunter nodded in agreement.

Edward slightly bowed.

"Well met, then. Neither do Italk so now, but my tongue insists on clothing my words in such a manner. It is the speech of the woods and the trees."

At which point Edward learned the elves didn't blush - because otherwise he surely would have done so by now, listening to this drivel.

Hunter snorted, 'You sound ridiculous,' but of course it came out like wolf noises again.

"..Sirs, should we continue at the pace to find water, food and shelter and then to make a plan, which will bring us out of this rather annoying ordeal?.." He looked quite unhappy to be one of the few ... no, the only one who remained in his stark naked shape. He was perhaps a horse and should not have worried about it, but he had been a human, brought up with the belief that he was to be dressed.

"...or should we stay here... Firebird, can you get off of my back?"

"Wisely spoken! Come with me. I will show you a place where you may rest safely for a while."

Edward turned and started for the dense undergrowth again, which somehow seemed to open up just before him.

Trueno held up his arms, ready to catch Firebird.

"Yes, come off his back! I will carry you to whereever you want!"

Firebird grabbed Willoughby's mane again. 'No, I will stay here. Can you please just go away?' She tugged at the mane to make Willoughby follow Torrington.

Hunter trotted along with Torrington, sometimes running a bit ahead, sniffing and listening for danger.