Cutting across towering shrubs and thick bushes, Prince Aiji ran towards a massive tree where the branches were filled with hanging vines. Vince followed and saw the prince grabbed some vines and climbed up. He was so quick and accurate that Vince, the capable Captain, felt that he was too lousy. They settled in a branch at a safe distance from the ground. Seconds later, dozens of wild horses surrounded the tree.
"Dari, are you alright?" Prince Aiji who didn't even gasp turned to Vince who was panting.
"Yes! I'm just a bit nervous, that was close!"
"Mmm. But we are not safe yet."
"Yes, but at least we are safe now and we can find ways to escape later."
Prince Aiji looked down. "We don't have much time to escape."
"What do you mean?"
Vince followed the prince's sight.
"What are they doing!" He yelled when he saw around ten horses biting at the tree trunk.
"They are gnawing the trunk to bring the tree down."
"Seriously?!"
It was unbelievable. The tree was huge, yet the horses gnawed it patiently just to get them!
"It's not impossible, there are dozens of them, they can bring this tree down in a few hours." Prince Aiji patiently answered to the 'amnesiac Dari' while taking out his bow and arrows, preparing to shoot.
Vince also took out his bow and arrows. He's a good archer, it was his hobby before, he would finally redeem himself.
Arrows fell, aiming at the horses' necks and eyes. But these wild horses are too smart keeping their heads down, securing their eyes. They had shot almost half of their arrows but they didn't cause serious injury to the horses. The wooden arrows can't pierce the horses' tough skin.
"It's not working!" Vince said. The gnawing was getting intense yet they didn't manage to injure a single horse.
"Yes, it isn't." Prince Aiji put back his bow and arrows to the bamboo container at his back. "But, there's still another way."
"What way?"
Prince Aiji stared at him, then untied his bamboo basket.
"Dari, hold this for a moment." Taking his metal-tipped spear, he handed the basket to Vince.
"What are you planning to do? You aren't going down, right?!"
"Not exactly, stay here for a while." Without another word, the prince jumped down to the lower branches.
Vince saw the prince grab a vine, then jump down, thrusting his spear below the ear of a big black horse. Blood spurted and the horse neighed. The prince climbed up after, and then jumped down again piercing another two. Blood spurted again and another two neighs echoed.
Vince grabbed the branch tightly. The prince was indeed skillful, but those wild horses were too aggressive. A single mistake will put Prince Aiji's life at risk.
The prince didn't waste time and jumped again, piercing another two horses. Two more neighs joined the noise. The horses were slightly disoriented. Seeing their bloody companions, a few moved back but the others became more aggressive. They galloped high, trying to hit the prince, but Prince Aiji using the vines quickly dodged and pierced more and more horses.
"Be careful!" Vince yelled.
A pair of innocent eyes glanced at him with a faint smile. This faint smile somehow calmed Vince's worry. A few minutes later, over a dozen wild horses were hit. The injured horses became disordered. Blood spurted all over. The herd was completely disoriented. Those who moved back earlier were scared and sprinted away. The few aggressive ones, knowing that they were at disadvantage, followed, leaving the dead and injured ones.
The exhausted prince jumped down, catching his breath. Vince, watching at the tree branch descended too. He immediately handed the prince a bamboo container filled with water.
"Are we safe now?"
"Yes. They are scared and feel unsafe here, so they will find another place."
"That's a relief." Vince uttered. His gaze lingered at the prince's face for a moment.
"Prince Aiji, you are very impressive!"
"But you are far better than me, I can't even compare my skills to yours."
Vince looked away. Dari, the owner of this body, used to be a great warrior but turned useless after he took over. He was confident in his ability as a captain in his previous life, but in this era, he's certainly a weakling.
"I'm sorry, I think I forgot my fighting skills too."
"It doesn't matter, you have protected me since our younger years. It's my turn to protect you now."
Vince was overwhelmed. He sincerely smiled at Prince Aiji and was about to thank him when a white pony emerged from the bushes.
"It's beautiful!" Vince uttered looking at the little horse. The pony seeing them didn't run, instead, it walked closer and stopped in front of a dead white mare. It pushes its head to the dead mare trying to get it up while faintly neighing.
Vince felt pity for the little horse. He turned to the prince who shrank to the side. His meek face was regretful.
"It was self-defense, don't blame yourself."
This prince's guilty face looks exactly like Caballero's face whenever he scolds him. Without knowing why Vince felt like someone pinched his heart.
"Mmm. Dari, let's move on."
"What about this little horse?" The pony lost its mother and was left by the fleeing herd.
"It's big enough to live on its own. In a few months, it will become a young adult, so it will be fine."
"I see." Vince was reluctant to leave the pitiful little horse who kept nudging its mother.
"Let's go." The prince said.
The two moved towards the river.
While walking, Vince, who was following the prince, felt something at his back. He turned around and saw that the little horse was following them.