The beast looked like a huge bulldog, twice the height and four times the width of a man.

Its fur was white, but over that it had been fitted with black plate armour on its back and around its head--the same kind of armour the Imperial soldiers wore.

When it barked, horribly and monstrously, it spat frothy saliva from behind rows of huge, shiny, pointed teeth. It was still about fifty paces away, but pounding towards them at full tilt through the trees.

Blam!

Sparks lit the side of the beast’s helmet for a moment. Elrann had shot it. But she hadn’t even slowed it down. It shook its huge head as if to dismiss an irritating fly as it continued to charge towards them along with the soldiers that rode alongside it.

“There’s no way we can beat this thing in our current state!” yelled Sagar. “Everyone, get on a chocobo! Retreat! Run away!” He took the rope from Cid and swung himself up onto the third chocobo in a smooth motion, then motioned for Nuthea to join him and pulled her up behind him.

“Quick, get on!” the old man called to Elrann, and she jumped up to join him on his chocobo as well.

That left one more. Hurriedly, Ryn clambered up onto the chocobo that Vish was on, sat in front of him, grabbed the reins, lashed them.

“Yah!” he shouted.

The chocobo sprang forwards just in time, as behind them Ryn heard the monstrous sound of the creature’s enormous jaws snapping shut. It barked in frustration and resumed its pursuit, muscled white legs pumping back into a run.

Ryn turned and lashed the reins again, willing his chocobo to run faster. To either side of the monster he had glimpsed the soldiers he recognised as Biggs and Wedge galloping along on their own chocobos, carrying crossbows.

This is not good.

An arrow hit the trunk of a tree just in front of him with a thunk.

This is really not good.

Nuthea and Sagar’s chocobo galloped in front of them, then Cid and Elrann’s. They had to move left and right to weave their way in and out of the trees as they ran at full tilt down the wooded slope that led down from the hill they had been resting on, but they just about kept formation. Arrows whistled past them, hitting the trees or landing uselessly in the grass.

“Stop!” shouted of one of the soldiers behind them; it sounded like Biggs. Ryn didn’t even know how many soldiers they had chasing them. The voice was much too close for his liking. “Stop in the name of the Emperor! You are to be tried for theft, rebellion and destruction of property! Stop, you rebel scum!”

“I thought you said you were going to pay for the chocobos out of your own money!” Sagar yelled to Cid as they galloped through the forest, completely ignoring the Imperial’s demands.

“I said no such thing!” called back Cid over his shoulder. “Our purposes are far more important than whatever those Imperial dolts in Nonts are going to use them for!”

“Pops, slow down a bit!” yelled Elrann from where she sat behind Cid astride their chocobo. “I’ve got another shot, but I need a clear view! Ryn, you swap placed with us!”

She’s mad, thought Ryn. But he kicked his ankles into the heaving sides of his chocobo all the same. He didn’t expect it to be able to run much faster than it was going, but it cawed frantically and sped up a little, and Ryn had to grip the reins tighter to stay on.

In front of them, at the same time, Cid pulled on his reins to slow his and Elrann’s chocobo down.

“Woah!” Ryn said as he had to steer his steed out of the way of Cid’s to avoid a collision. He whipped his head round to check they were alright as they bolted past their comrades.

Cid and Elrann kept pace with them, but now from the back of the line. The old man seemed like he had done this before. They’re both crazy!

“What’s going on back there, pup?!” Sagar and Nuthea were just in front of Ryn now.

“Nothing, we’re fine!” called back Ryn, ducking his head to avoid a low branch.

“Oof!”

Ryn felt Vish jolt behind him.

“A little warning please, boy?” Vish said. But Ryn could still feel him on the chocobo. Thankfully he hadn’t been thrown off.

“Sorry…” said Ryn. “Too many things going on at once!”

Blam!

Elrann had fired her second shot. A high-pitched, distressed caaaaaw sounded, followed by a human shout of anger.

Ryn managed another quick glance backwards. One of the chocobos of the soldiers pursuing them tumbled in the grass, quickly shrinking into the distance, its rider rolling on the ground in a cloud of yellow feathers.

“Damn it! Missed!” Ryn heard Elrann say as he looked forwards again so he could steer.

“Looks like you got him to me!” Ryn called.

“Yeah, but I was aiming for the dog! It’s hard to shoot from a moving chocobo! Aaargh!”

“Raaawrrr!”

Another horrible snapping sound. But the trees were too densely packed here for Ryn to risk another look over his shoulder just now. “What happened?” he called.

“We’re alright!” yelled Elrann from behind them. “We’re alright!”

“The beast nearly got them,” said Vish behind Ryn. “He took some of their chocobo’s tail feathers, but they are still intact.” The Shadowfinger’s voice dropped to a low growl. “This is useless. You can’t outrun them forever. The beast is your match in speed, and more than your match in strength. You need someone in your party who can employ ranged attacks more effectively.”

“Well, who do you suggest?!” Ryn said to him. It was hard to concentrate on talking and steering the chocobo at the same time, not to mention avoiding falling off as he bounced up and down on its back in time with its frantic gallop. “Sagar, Nuthea and me are all too tired to use our elemental projection! Elrann’s out of bullets now and she can’t reload while we’re riding. Who else is there?”

“Me, you fool!” Vish’s voice was venomous in Ryn’s ear. “Loose these bonds around my wrists and I will despatch the monstrous mutt for you.”

“What are you two jabbering about back there?” Sagar called out from the chocobo in front of them. “Keep focused, pup, or we’ll never outrun this thing!”

“The bounty hunter says he can take care of the monster!” Ryn called out. “He wants me to untie him!”

“Don’t do it, pup!” Sagar shouted back immediately. “It’s a trap! He’ll kill you and hand us all over to the Empire to collect his bounty!”

“No!” called back Nuthea from where she sat on the chocobo behind Sagar. She had her arms around him so that she wouldn’t fall off--even in the chaos, Ryn didn’t like that. But she managed to twist her shoulders round to look at them. “Give him the benefit of the doubt, Ryn! Trust him! Everyone is capable of change!”

She’s trying to teach me even now?

“Shut up, princess!” cried Sagar. “What are you saying?! You’re going to get us all killed, even sooner than is likely! Don’t listen to her, pup!”

What do I do?

Another snapping noise; teeth closing so loud Ryn shuddered.

“Argghh!” cried Elrann. “Poodoo! It nearly got me that time! Can’t this bird go any faster, pops?!”

“I don’t think so; it’s going as fast as it can! Just keep holding on!”

“Alright,” Ryn said to himself, making his decision. He had trusted Vish this far. They needed a way out of this situation. “How do you suggest I untie you,” he said to Vish, “while we’re running for our life?”

“You’re all mad!” yelled Sagar in front of them. He must have heard. “We’re going to die thanks to you!”

“Take out my sword,” said Vish over the gallop of the chocobos’ feet and the thundering footfall of the beast behind them. “Which I notice you stole from me, by the way. Slide it out of its sheath and hold it point-up behind your back while you steer.”

“Mad! You’re all mad!” yelled Sagar.

Snap!

“Aaah!” cried Elrann. “It nearly got us that time!”

It was tricky while bouncing up and down on the chocobo, but Ryn took his right hand off the reins, kept his eyes forward so he could still see where he was going, and reached down for the hilt of the sword that hung at his side.

“Woah!”

The chocobo jumped to clear a fallen tree and Ryn wobbled on its back and nearly fell off. But he righted himself and regained his balance, still clasping the hilt with one hand and the reins with the other.

He slid the black sword from its sheath with a scrape of steel then, taking care not to drop it or accidentally stab himself, he turned it downwards, then twisted his arm behind his back so that he held it there blade-up. He felt Vish lean back on the chocobo to allow the blade to come between them, and lent forward a little himself to compensate.

“What are you doing, pup?!” yelled Sagar. “What’s happening back there? Are you still alive?”

Ryn didn’t reply. He just concentrated on staying on the chocobo and steering it through the trees while he held the sword up.

He felt a shuffling behind him, accompanied by a quick repetitive noise like someone breathing in and out rapidly. The snapping of rope.

The sword was snatched from his hand.

Despite himself, Ryn closed his eyes just for a moment, wincing. If he had misjudged the bounty hunter, he was surely about to die.

He felt the bounty hunter reach forwards from behind him to grab something.

“I will be taking this back now,” said Vish as he took the sheath for his sword and wrenched it from Ryn’s belt. Ryn nearly came off the chocobo, but he had two hands back on the reins now. He held on for dear life. The chocobo slowed a little, thinking he was trying to halt it, but Ryn lashed the reins and kicked its sides again and it sprang forwards at full tilt again.

“Yah!”

“Caw!”

Surely now was the moment of truth. The bounty hunter had his sword and sheath back now--if he was going to kill Ryn surely he must do it now. But Ryn could barely spare another moment to grimace in anticipation--the trees were too close together here; he needed to concentrate on steering the chocobo.

He felt the bounty hunter shifting where he sat behind him.

The chocobo wobbled as Vish moved violently all of a sudden.

“Arrrrgggghhhhh!”