Fright or Flight: Blade pt3

Blade had long since left the rude crow and the intertwined trees full of false hope. He pressed on in his effort to return to the stable he had so foolishly fled from in fear because of the storm. He had left them behind and hadn’t come across them again, hopefully no longer going in circles like had done before. Thoughts of a warm dry stall and oats waiting for him, fueled his determination and kept him going long after his muscles cramped and his hooves ached. Yet by the time night fell, the almond stallion was still just as lost as he was before.

Despite the growing darkness, Blade stubbornly kept going. Without the light of the moon as stars, he could barely see the trees in front of him. But he pressed on, determined not to spend another night out in the wild, lost and alone.

As he was walking, his hoof caught on a stray tree root. His forward momentum arrested, the stallion fell to his knees, crying out in pain as he felt himself land on sharp rocks. He silently cursed the rocks, and the root, the dark and the storm that had landed him out there. Scrambling back to his hooves, he hissed at the pain. He hoped that he was cut too badly, the last thing he needed was for the smell to attract predators.

Carefully stepping around the exposed tree root, Blade noticed a small spot between two large trees. It was flat and cosy and just enough space to fit. He flexed his front legs one after the other and groaned. He wouldn’t be doing any more walking that night. Besides, he’d just proven that doing so would be too dangerous. He didn’t need to risk any more falls. Might as well settle down for the night.

Blade shuffled over to the space between the trees, carefully scenting it for any animals, dangerous or otherwise. The place seemed clear. Hesitantly, he stepped into the small space, feeling the bark brush against his sides. He supposed he could be glad that he wasn’t claustrophobic or else he wouldn't last five seconds, let alone the night in there. The space was tight and just wide enough to fit him, but he managed, shifting to make himself more comfortable. It might not be his stall, but for right now, for that night, it was a shelter and it was safe.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he tried to settle down for the night and ignore the stinging in his knees. An owl hooted nearby. He startled at the loud noise, nostrils flaring. Just a bird, he reminded himself. It was just a bird. Nothing to be alarmed about. Owls didn’t hunt horses, they hunted mice and other small creatures. He shook off his nervousness and settled himself in for the night.

Unfortunately, now that he wasn’t moving and it wasn’t raining like the night before, the sounds of the forest seemed that much louder. Every little noise seemed to echo through the trees, every little creak of the branches, every cry of an owl or any other small night predator. His flank flinched at the thought of the many creatures out there who could see much better than him in the dark. His only comfort was that he was practically invisible in his shelter between the trees.

It took the stallion a long time before he finally found sleep in the unfamiliar environment. Sleep born out of exhaustion, the dreamless night of a body and mind who had been through too much in too short an amount of time.