The Magical Herd

At some point, you managed to find a more comfortable position upon her back, rather than between her teeth. She had only slightly nicked your skin, but it hurt and it bled and it seemed to have an odd effect on her. She seemed relieved not to have the taste of your blood in her mouth to tempt her as she ran.

Though she was most certainly blind in her left eye, she ran without hesitation through the forest. Where she passed the leaves of the trees withered and cringed, though if she did not stay long, it appeared that the forest recovered quickly from her passing.

Then the air grew cool and you though of Keiy, perhaps the green mare would rescue you from the nightmarish creature beneath you. But the snow did not fall here. Instead, an icy mare appeared before Tesret. The black mare stopped and snorted, apparently not happy to meet the other.

"Does he not trust me? Did he think I would fail?" the black mare's rough voice demanded of the other.

The other mare replied in a voice that tinkled with a million tiny ice crystals, "He didn't think you could do it without harming the human." She paused to sniff. "I smell its blood."

Tesret snarled, "Silne, if you do not move from my path it will be your blood on the wind." She then added with a mutter, "These hairless, pink things have such thin skin..."

Silne laughed, "True enough. I don't know what Marek wants with this feeble creature. It could not be for a meal, or he would have dispatched it long ago. Go on then, he's waiting for you."

The black mare began to run again, swiping out a taloned paw in the direction of Silne but without much enthusiasm. She missed easily, much more intent on getting to her stallion than trading insults with the other mare.