That afternoon, bellies comfortably full of the local delicacy, Marc and Matty set off walking, one either side of Windy, off toward the dark hill. Spirits were high between the two Peeps, buoyed up as they were by a hearty meal, confident in their undertaking. Marc was even whistling cheerfully with maybe a hint of nervousness thrown in? This was, in his eyes, now an exciting adventure, so much more fun than simply being a guide on a boring tour of his own living area, or even his usual work of Trainee Community Warden II Class, no helmet. Matty, on the other hand, was deep in thought, not unusual for him as he was always there, deep in thought. His young friend often wondered what he could possibly find to think about so much? 

          As they approached the place where the homes were left behind and the ground began to slowly rise Windy called a halt and turning to his companions saying, in a very calm, soft voice,

          ‘Just a word of caution here boys. We do not know quite what to expect from here on so we had better be ready for anything. If you see or feel anything different then tell me immediately, understand, anything at all. Got that?’

Marc’s whistling had petered out and Matty stared straight ahead, every sinew, every nerve in his body on high alert. Although he was the senior of the two this was still the biggest thing in his life. Even if he was a seasoned Warden, used to carrying responsibility and facing difficulty in the cause of his community’s safety this was somehow very different. For the first time in his life he felt a real sense of foreboding, danger lurking in the unknown. He looked up at his big blur hairy dragon friend and whispered, ‘Got it, Windy. Anything.’

‘Good, then let’s move on up this here little hill shall we, staying alert every second.’

And so the trio began the slow ascent of the Dark Hill, the two diminutive Peeps very glad of the presence of their big blue friend, who looked perfectly calm to them. Windy however was just as tense as they but showed no signs of nerves. They hadn’t gone more than a quarter of the way up when Marc uttered, in a shaky voice,

‘I’m cold, very cold. Can we go back?’

‘Courage, my little friend. This change in temperature is just as I expected. Don’t be phased by it. In itself it is harmless. But, it is a warning. Stay alert. You’ll be fine.’

Matty was glad his friend had voiced his concern the way he did. It saved him from saying anything and maybe losing a bit of his credibility as an elder. He didn’t become an elder by being a fool. He then had an uneasy feeling he couldn’t describe, other than an itch he couldn't scratch. He mentioned this to Windy.

‘Yes, I know my friend. I feel it too. We have been followed for the past five minutes. I think we need to be a bit proactive here. When I say so, stop where you are and leave everything to me. Okay?’

‘Y-yes Windy, anything you s-say.’  The two spoke as one but to nobody. Windy had disappeared, leaving them on their own. Within thirty seconds they were upon them, like hounds from hell. Red eyed, flashing long yellow fangs and fiery breath. Blacker than black. Marc froze on the spot, thinking this was his last moment on earth. Matty readied himself, short warden’s sword in hand but sharing his young friend’s thought of pending doom. They couldn’t believe their friend and guardian had deserted them at the last minute and this was a bitter disappointment. The hounds stopped their charge and changed tactics to slowly circling the two huddled figures. It was clear, thought Matty, that they were about to strike and he gritted his teeth, placed a protective arm across his friend’s chest, which was to all intents and purposes a futile though nice gesture and awaited the inevitable. The first hellhound leaped forward and the instant it did there was a whistling sound like a wind and the beast became a solid block of ice. The other hounds hesitated but only for a moment then launched their attack, only to meet the same fate. All hellhounds were now solid ice, which didn’t melt but dropped to the ground and crumbled into tiny pieces before disappearing altogether. The two friends stood huddled together shaking like leaves, Marc’s face was a matching shade of green while Matty’s had opted for a paler colour.

‘Well, that went well I thought, though maybe a little close. You alright, lads?’ He was back, standing beside them, where he’d been all along only invisible.

Marc’s face began to regain some semblance of his original colour whereas Matty’s went from in us up as bait there!’ he blurted out.

‘I’m sorry, it was not my intention to put your lives in any kind of unnecessary danger. I did say leave it to me, didn’t I? Windy’s tone was so apologetic and sincere, Matty couldn't stay mad at him for long and began to calm down. After all, he had just undergone an avalanche of emotions in seconds and had some way to come back down to normal. As for Marc? He was sitting on the ground wearing a hideous grin on his face, body as rigid as stone. ‘I think it would be best if you two returned to the community. I do not want to expose you to any more danger. Clearly I need to do what needs to be done alone.’

‘Now hold on there big guy, we started out together, we’ll go on together. Peeps are not quitters and we never go back on our word. We signed up for this job, we’ll see it through. Now then, how did you do what you just did, oh, and maybe you could give us an idea next time what you have in mind!’ Matty was surprised by his own confident words. He’d just come within a hair’s breadth of losing his life and here he was laying down terms and conditions for a continuation of the expedition.

Windy looked upon his little companion with a mixture of great admiration and mild amusement. ‘Steady on there, my little feisty friend. I mean no disrespect. I’m just concerned for your safety. We don’t know what we’re up against and if that last lot are anything to go by it’s likely to be way out of your league, believe me. I was lucky. I knew I didn’t possess the traditional fiery dragon’s breath but what I did have proved, this time to be equally effective. You see, I’m an arctic dragon and so have arctic breath, adjustable to the occasion. Alas, you my friends, do not have such a resource to call upon.’

By this time, Marc had come round and, still feeling a bit groggy, wanted to know what was going on. After Matty had finished filling him in on developments he turned to look up at Windy Blu and, shaking his forefinger at him said, ‘Just you hold on there. We’re the guides here. It’s our job to guide you. You have your mission and we have ours. See!’

‘I believe I do,’ said Windy, full of admiration for these diminutive Peeps before him. ‘Okay, then if you are ready, let us proceed and stick very close to me and..’

‘Stay alert!’ responded the two brave guides.