[Gift] 2.7 Wild Hunt - Alistair and Satin

The main event had finally arrived, tonight they would race through the forest and in a wild abandon seek out their quarry. Alistair had trained Satin for many nights to prepare but the mare still danced in place beneath him. He could feel the nerves and fear lace through her as she was surrounded by the nightmares and their eerie riders. But despite it all, the mare kept her ears and attention focused on her rider. Alistair was calm so she remained as still as she could. They had trained her well.

“Tonight we hunt together! We seek the horseman and when he is found we will begin the final chase. Hunters will become prey, the last man or woman that escapes the forest will claim the grand prize!” He raised his hand and around him cheers and shouts arose. Satin pranced below him but continued to remain in place. The other steeds snorted and pawed, growing impatient as their riders grew excited and boisterous.

Alistair turned Satin to face the forest; their carefully maintained territory. It should be safe to traverse even on a mare not touched by the cursed night. Satin held a lantern on her breast to keep the light around them. It of course meant they would stand out more than any other but it was a handicap Alistair was willing to accept to keep her safe. With one final deep breath he urged Satin onward and with her the rest of their hunting party.

The underbrush had been cleared out long before that night and low hanging branches trimmed. Everything was prepared so they could run through the forest freely and focus on the exhilaration of the hunt. Alistair let out a deep loud laugh that rumbled in his chest. It took careful focus to not lose himself in his instincts. The beast rumbled beneath his flesh, begging to be let loose and jump from his horse to hunt for real. But not tonight, no he was a man for tonight and would straddle the line with his fellow riders.

The forest was dark, his friends were right at home within it and he soon lost sight of them one by one. But the night was filled with the thunder of their many hooves and that of his own steed’s. A wild abandon filled them as they flew through the trees, sometimes just barely missing one another. Laughter rang out and startled birds from their nests and animals from their hiding places. The smell of fresh blood called to Alistair, causing his claws to come out and his teeth to grow but still he resisted. It may be a wild hunt but he would remain bound to his current flesh and not let completely loose. He brought Satin to a trot then a walk, slipping his hand down to pet her neck and rein himself in.

A gentle nicker was returned and he smiled, he was so incredibly proud of her. He could feel how she breathed heavily and shivered under his touch. Satin was ready to bolt, ready to take back control but yet still she trusted him. She listened. He would not abuse her trust, they had yet to finish their hunt.

After giving the mare time to rest he picked up their pace again and flew through the forest. He barely knew where they were going but he could sense which way home was. Before long he ran back into Cassandra, finding her laughing like he had been as she flew through the forest with him. Trees separated them, blinking past the two as they went ever deeper into the dark depths. There were two prizes to be had, one for finding the horseman and another for escaping him. They all had to reach a certain depth within the area before they could return.

As they rode through the trees he could hear the hoofbeats of others, everyone careful not to run into each other in the chaos. As far as he could tell they were all deep enough in, now it was time to find their prey before the tables would shortly turn. Alistair let out a breathless laugh as he watched Cassandra race onwards, urging her nightmare to become a blur amongst the foliage. Out of them all he knew she would be the toughest to beat, but he had the advantage of knowing this land. It would be a fine hunt indeed.