CH 9

DRAWN MOCHI VOLUME 1 CHAPTER 9: STRANGE HORSES AND POACHERS*3

When I woke up, I was warm and fluffy, and comfortable.

…It seems that after I passed out, I was pulled out of the water and laid on the ground, where I was warmed by the giant bird.

“Thank you. It was warm and comfortable.” (Tougo)

When I thanked the bird, it cooed in satisfaction and flew away.

I was grateful that I didn’t catch a cold, even though I was sleeping wet and naked. …Yeah, I’m glad the bird was there.

“You guys are still here.” (Tougo)

Then, by the spring, the Pegasus and unicorn were wandering around. When I approached, both of them approached quietly. …The unicorn seemed a little uncomfortable though. Yeah, I’m sorry, a boy.

“How’s your horn?” (Tougo)

I asked, and the unicorn poked me very lightly with its horn. I was glad to hear that they are doing well.

“…I wonder if your real horn has really healed.” (Tougo)

The unicorn’s appearance suggests that the horn has been restored. The thing is the horn is probably what made me pass out. Just like the spring.

At the time of the spring, I think I fainted because I materialized the “water gushing mechanism” as well.

And this time, I wonder if I fainted because he “put back the horns of the unicorn that had been lost”. I guess it’s a different case because it’s not just a materialization, but a “healing”.

…but this is a great discovery, isn’t it?

I feel that the materialization of pictures is quite profound.

Anyway, I wiped myself off and got dressed.

Then I ate a meal that I’m not sure if it was breakfast or lunch… Well, whatever.

“Let’s get you fixed up too.” (Tougo)

I don’t mind fainting once more. I wanted to paint the Pegasus’s wings, too.

The Pegasus was very quiet while they were being painted. Maybe they could tell that they are being healed.

During this time, the unicorn was running around, eating grass, and gnawing on cherry tomatoes in the field, but it never seemed to move away from the Pegasus. …You guys really get along.

“Finished.” (Tougo)

While they are doing that, I finished painting the Pegasus. The wing on the Pegasus’s back is the same as the other wing on their back.

Then I watched as the wings on the Pegasus’s back recovered… and I passed out again.

When I woke up, it was night. And I was being warmed by two horses on either side of me, it seems.

I’m thankful I didn’t catch a cold thanks to them. …Yeah, next time I draw something that looks like it’s going to make me faint, I’ll cover myself with a blanket before I finish it.

After that, the two horses went back deep into the forest. Yes, I am glad that they seemed to be fine. I am honestly happy about this.

On the other hand… I fainted twice in one day, so I definitely ‘lost my energy’. My head hurts and I feel very dizzy. I feel as if the ground is shaking. It’s like being on a boat.

Now then…. Well, I thought it would be better to rest quietly, so I’m going to bed today. I won’t do anything else.

I felt like I should eat something, but even if I did, I was afraid I would throw up, so I went straight to bed, wrapped myself in a blanket, and went to sleep as quickly as possible.

When I woke up, it was already past noon. I overslept quite a bit, but that was okay because I was feeling better.

It seems that the bird that comes to bathe every morning has already finished bathing and left. But today the horses were there instead.

“Good morning. Well, it’s no longer early.” (Tougo)

When I greeted the horses, they whinnied with familiarity and continued to drink water. …This spring has become a place for creatures other than me.

“How are your horns and wings?” (Tougo)

I asked and stroked them. The horns were still horns and the wings were still both wings with no problem. Furthermore, the Pegasus flapped their wings and showed me something… They could fly.

“…The horse flew.” (Tougo)

Horses can fly, I thought as I watched the impossible scene… and decided to accept that, well, this is that kind of world. Yup, it’s that kind of world. Horses fly. This is the norm in this world. That’s fine.

The horses were feeling better, so I decided to grow a little grass around the spring for them.

No, I thought, it would be better to have food…. The horses seemed to like it pretty well. Both the Pegasus and the unicorn ate the grass that grew around the spring.

…And, perhaps because they liked it a lot, they brought along more companions.

“They Increased again……” (Tougo)

The next morning, the area around the spring was full of horses. And birds. The size of the birds is amazing. They have more impact than horses.

…but now it’s horses. Horses that are in trouble.

Every horse that was brought in had an injury somewhere. There were Pegasi whose wings looked like they had been sawed off, and there were unicorns whose horns had been broken.

…seem like I have no choice.

I decided to heal all the unicorns and Pegasi one by one.

And each time, I would faint and collapse.

It took days. Maybe a whole week.

But thanks to that, the number of horses cured increased, and there were three things that made me happy…

The first happy thing.

I got better at drawing. Just horses though.

…Well, for the time being, I think this was a visible effect.

I have been observing horses for a long time, and I have been drawing only horses for a week, so it is an understandable result.

It is obvious that my drawing has improved and my drawing speed has also improved a lot.

The second thing I am happy about.

It became harder for me to faint.

I guess I’ve gotten used to healing horses after healing so many horses. I can heal a horse’s horn or wing and I don’t faint anymore.

I became very tired even if I didn’t faint, but when I started on the second horse, I would still faint.

And the third thing that made me happy.

The horses gave me a gift.

One day, after a week of healing the horses.

The Pegasi and the unicorns came to me with something in their mouths. And they put it in front of me.

…It was a feather a Pegasus and a fragment of a unicorn’s horn. Did they remove a feather? I wonder if the horn was a fragment when the unicorn was injured.

The feathers and horns are all different colors and all are beautiful. Even though they are natural things, just one of them looks like a piece of art just by looking.

Some of the horses’ feathers were white with a luster like pearls, others were pale gold. There was also a pale rose-colored one. What is it, the color of the sun? The color of sunlight? I got that kind of impression.

The pieces of unicorn horns were a strange pale color, dull silver, or even dark blue. All of them are very nice colors… Each is a bit like the color of the sky.

They had placed these wonderful things in front of me, and the horses were staring at me.

“…are you giving it to me?” (Tougo)

I asked. The horses just wagged their tails and flapped their wings without responding.

I took a step back, and they started pushing pieces of feathers and horns with their muzzles toward me.

That most likely means… yes.

Apparently, these are presents from them.

And the gifts continued.

“Woah!” (Tougo)

I was suddenly scooped up by the unicorn’s horns and thrown.

The sensation of flying through the air scared me for a moment, and… that was it.

I was in the air and had landed on the Pegasus’s back. Apparently, the Pegasus had caught me in mid-air. I wonder if they had already discussed this with the unicorn…

The Pegasus under me, flew through the sky while flapping the wings on its back.

“……it’s beautiful.” (Tougo)

On the back of a Pegasus, who flew high in the sky, I got my first full view of this forest.

The forest was still wide, but the end was now visible. It seems that I can leave the forest if I go on and on.

This was a new experience for me to see the landscape from the sky… Simply magnificent, beautiful, and fun to look at.

And now that I know where this forest ends… well, I guess that’s a step forward.

I don’t have any intention of leaving this world yet, but it would be better if I knew how to do it. So, I still need to learn more about this world.

The Pegasus turned around and returned to the original place.

“Thank you. It was a lot of fun.”

As I thanked them for letting me ride, I thought to myself, “Well, I should prepare some carrots for them.” But maybe carrots are too cheap for a horse.

“Oh, well, it’s a good opportunity, so let’s comb their manes.” (Tougo)

I would prepare the carrots for another time, but for now, I decided to help with grooming.

I draw a large comb and comb the horse’s mane with it.

While I was combing, the horse seemed to be feeling somewhat comfortable. I remembered that horses can’t scratch their backs or the back of their necks. It made me itch thinking about it… Horses have it tough.

“Would like me to wash you?” (Tougo)

I thought that I’m going to wash the horse today since it looks like it has some mud on it. Also, touching the horse will help me understand the shape of horses, and then I will be able to draw horses faster and more accurately.

…So I got to help the horses bathe. The horses seemed surprisingly happy, running around the fountain somewhat happily, sitting down to sleep with their tail swishing, or poking me with their noses. Yes, well, I am glad that they seem to have gotten used to me. Now I can observe and draw them a lot.

…And then, when I was in the fountain with the horses, they suddenly became noisy.

“What’s wrong?” (Tougo)

I asked, but the horses were very frightened. They were walking around and neighing restlessly. Also, they were moving closer covering me.

I wondered what was going on, and I soon found out why.

“Hey, what’s this place…? So many Pegasi and unicorns…” (Voice)

Beyond the wings of the Pegasi, I saw a person.

I saw a human being for the first time in this world.