[30 Days of Fic - Day 29] - "Spirit Guide"
Essie ran like she'd never run before.
Outside the cabin where the terrible men had kept her in bondage since stealing her out of her own home, the rain was starting to come down in sheets. It took her a moment to register the cold and the wet, or even to realize that it was nighttime. The horror of her experience and fear of ever going back there pushed her on and on. An unkempt backyard gave way to woodland and woodland to dense forest.
And still she ran. She could not dare to look back, despite the fact that she heard nothing of the fiends who had taken her. Despite the fact that part of her, the part that could remember, the part that was quickly being sealed behind a stone wall, knew that they'd never hurt her again. The only thought in her head was flight and while the trees kept some of the rain off of her, they also concealed what little moonlight came from above. There was nothing to keep her from turning an ankle or running headlong into an unseen tree.
But neither happened.
It was the water that finally stopped her. A clearing opened in front of her, which she would have continued to fly through had she not stumbled into the pond. She froze, the cold of the water shocking her out of her flight. She stared at her own countenance in the water; she was dirty, her hair was matted and her clothes were torn. She looked like some wild, crazed thing as she thought about it, and somewhere in her mind she was pleased that she was in the midst of a rational thought.
She looked up, surprised to find the sky clear. Had she run that far? It didn't seem possible.
A sound drew her from her considerations. She dropped into a crouch, trying desperately not to be seen. Her eyes found the source of the sound and she calmed immediately. He was the largest stag she'd ever seen, standing in the moonlight on the far side of the pond, every ounce of him the picture of animal nobility. She stared, fascinated as he dipped his head, sipping at the water before slowly tromping around the edge of the pond to stand beside her. So close that she could touch him.
She reached out, after what felt like an eternity of shocked silence, stroking his cheek. He tilted his head urging her to follow him. She looked up and found keen intelligence in its eyes. She followed, keeping a hand on his flank as he led her through the woods in another direction, far away from where she had come.
They walked in companionable silence until the forest started to give way to woodland, and the woodland to the backyard of her and her husband's home. She was shocked into a silent sob, fingertips digging into his musky pelt. She released him and ran forward a few steps, sobbing more loudly. Her head swung around and her stag had vanished. "Thank you," she called, moving towards her home, "I hope I see you again."
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Today's 30 Days of Fic task was to write a scene scene about a [person] and their [animal]
Click Here for a rundown of the tasks that are a part of the '30 Days of Fic' challenge and links to all the works I've created for it.
Outside the cabin where the terrible men had kept her in bondage since stealing her out of her own home, the rain was starting to come down in sheets. It took her a moment to register the cold and the wet, or even to realize that it was nighttime. The horror of her experience and fear of ever going back there pushed her on and on. An unkempt backyard gave way to woodland and woodland to dense forest.
And still she ran. She could not dare to look back, despite the fact that she heard nothing of the fiends who had taken her. Despite the fact that part of her, the part that could remember, the part that was quickly being sealed behind a stone wall, knew that they'd never hurt her again. The only thought in her head was flight and while the trees kept some of the rain off of her, they also concealed what little moonlight came from above. There was nothing to keep her from turning an ankle or running headlong into an unseen tree.
But neither happened.
It was the water that finally stopped her. A clearing opened in front of her, which she would have continued to fly through had she not stumbled into the pond. She froze, the cold of the water shocking her out of her flight. She stared at her own countenance in the water; she was dirty, her hair was matted and her clothes were torn. She looked like some wild, crazed thing as she thought about it, and somewhere in her mind she was pleased that she was in the midst of a rational thought.
She looked up, surprised to find the sky clear. Had she run that far? It didn't seem possible.
A sound drew her from her considerations. She dropped into a crouch, trying desperately not to be seen. Her eyes found the source of the sound and she calmed immediately. He was the largest stag she'd ever seen, standing in the moonlight on the far side of the pond, every ounce of him the picture of animal nobility. She stared, fascinated as he dipped his head, sipping at the water before slowly tromping around the edge of the pond to stand beside her. So close that she could touch him.
She reached out, after what felt like an eternity of shocked silence, stroking his cheek. He tilted his head urging her to follow him. She looked up and found keen intelligence in its eyes. She followed, keeping a hand on his flank as he led her through the woods in another direction, far away from where she had come.
They walked in companionable silence until the forest started to give way to woodland, and the woodland to the backyard of her and her husband's home. She was shocked into a silent sob, fingertips digging into his musky pelt. She released him and ran forward a few steps, sobbing more loudly. Her head swung around and her stag had vanished. "Thank you," she called, moving towards her home, "I hope I see you again."
==
Today's 30 Days of Fic task was to write a scene scene about a [person] and their [animal]
Click Here for a rundown of the tasks that are a part of the '30 Days of Fic' challenge and links to all the works I've created for it.