The Magical Herd

You had thought the forest could not have gotten more menacing, but you were wrong. Were the trees actually deformed here? Or was you imagination running wild with you.

Vivid imagination or no, there was little doubt that something was reaching through the ground, trying to grab your feet. You had to fight to get one of your shoes back. Fortunately you couldn't see the culprit, if they had been bodyless hands, you didn't want to know.

It turns out you should have let the gremlin keep your shoe, as you had completely lost sight of the white mare. As you turn around in the envelopping dark, you try to choose and intelligent direction to run in, as opposed to running in circles like a chicken with its head cut off.

Course you nearly did that when the second leagus mare appeared right behind you. She wrinkled her nose a bit at you, looked you up and down, and decided you were unappetizing. I guess that's why skunks are smelly too.

"Human?" she asked, but obviously didn't expect an answer from you. She was just expressing surprise. Then she frowned and hissed at you, "You should not be here."

With that she, like the other pair, slipped through the trees and disappeared. Was she threatening you? Or warning you? Hoping that she was more friendly than the others, you make a good guess at the direction she went and pushed your way through the grasping branches, kicking at another "hand" that reached for your ankle.