Things That Go Bump In The Night (bullseye)

[Swede]

A crescent moon hung in the cloudless sky, a bright nocturnal ornament that was almost completely useless to those who traveled in the forest at night. The massive pines obscured most of light, and even if it had been at its fullest stage, it probably would not have shone through enough to be considered a valid light source. An eerie fog had settled among the trees, catching a little bit more of the moonlight, but between utter darkness and luminescent mist, Ember would have chosen darkness. Her night vision was alright; her fog vision was not.

Still, the bay mare was not particularly concerned about the visibility as she ambled through the woods, her hooves instinctively finding safe paths to tread upon. She had lived in the wilderness her entire life, far away from artificial light sources, and neither mist nor darkness frightened her. Her roan companion was equally at ease- watchful, as prey animals always must be, but hardly afraid. Ember and Rosanna had been wandering on their own for quite some time now, after their ever-distant stallion disappeared seemingly for good. Their foals were long since old enough to seek their own paths in the world, and had abandoned the territory even before the mares had. Though they were both tough as knives, with fire in their hearts and steel in their blood, neither of them fancied living so near the lands of an indisputable maniac without a stallion of their own in the vicinity, and so they traveled without destination. Ember was no stranger to such a life, having spent much of her youth in a roaming band; Rosanna had grown up in a more stationary environment, but had no complaints. Her ancestors had lived such a life, and her parents had always been keen to remind her and her siblings to expect hardship to be the norm, not the exception. This wasn't really that bad, anyway; food and water was easy to find, and the weather was mild this time of year.

Ember halted, pricking her ears attentively. Instinctively, she knew something was out there among the trees. Rosanna drew up alongside her, inhaling deeply as she scented the air. It was difficult to pick up anything, with no wind and such damp conditions. "What is it?" she whispered.

"Not sure..." Ember paused, straining to pick up any sort of specific signal. Perhaps thirty seconds passed; then a faint howl echoed among the trees, quickly followed by an answering call in a different direction.

"They wouldn't go after us, would they?" Rosanna murmured, glancing behind her warily.

"They usually don't bother attacking healthy adults, especially ones in groups... but most of the elk herds have already headed north," Ember answered pensively. "If they're hungry, I wouldn't put it past them."

[bullseye]

Tall trees surrounded Banner, their trunks seeming as spear shafts stabbing into the surrounding fog. Despite their apparent efforts, though, the strong plants made no progress at clearing nature's thick obstruction. The dark stud snorted into the night air, straining his eyes to get a better look at his path. While Banner knew he had no one to blame but himself for this unexpected delay in his journey to Sunshine River's gathering places, he found himself agitated at the circumstances. The mysterious forest had called to him as he'd traveled from Rainbow Ridge, begging him to explore its depths. Well, he'd certainly done that, though in the past hours since the sun had fallen and the fog rolled in, Banner hadn't truly seen the place.

As a creature born and raised in the desert, the dark stallion found himself unprepared for the cluttered forest floor under his hooves. After the first hour of tripping and stumbling through the unfamiliar terrain, he'd managed to grasp how carefully he needed to place his feet. Now Banner just plodded through the forest, attempting to find some way out.

This whole land had tested and tried the mustang, presenting him with new sights and challenges. Based on his clumsy decision to take a stroll through the dark forest, Banner found himself even more grateful for his stay in Rainbow Ridge; he doubted he would have survived the winter without Elding's kindness. Hopefully he didn't blow his second chance during his first solo adventure into Sunshine River's reaches.

Half an hour later, the dark stallion paused, peering closely at his surroundings. Had he passed that rock formation before? He vaguely recalled noting its resemblance to an eagle on the first go round...

Banner's contemplation of possible routes shattered as a long, ominous howl sounded to his right, followed by a reply further out. Flattening his ears against his skull, he flared his nostrils, attempting to get an idea of the predator's proximity. Something about the howl didn't sit right with the dark stud—where he came from, coyotes were the only animal known for making that primal sound. But this particular noise was deeper, lacking a coyote's customary yelps and yips. As another deep howl sounded—this time to his left—a word floated to Banner's mind, one he'd heard from his sire and dam: wolves.

Although the hardened stallion was a stranger to panic, his adrenaline started coursing through him, readying him to fight or flee. His body had not fully recovered from his big fall, but he knew himself to be strong enough to hold his own against an opponent of equal strength. Did he stand a chance against a whole pack of wolves, though? The mustang hoped to avoid discovery of the answer.

As the wolves' call sounded again, Banner pricked his ears toward the sound. Was that a different part of the pack or were the animals indeed moving away from him? Perhaps they had safer prey to hunt.

When a howl once more rang through the air to his left—this time far closer—Banner started, looking towards the sound.

'Yep, they're moving toward somethin',' he thought. 'And this'n is about to move right intuh me.'

[Swede]

Eerie silence settled among the trees. After a moment of alert observation, Rosanna took a step forward, her unease making her eager to vacate the area. Ember, however, tugged at her mane sharply to hold her back. "Wait," she murmured, "If we bolt, they'll know for sure where we are. Right now it's better if we stay calm, and keep aware of our surroundings. They'll use panic to their advantage, if we let them have it." The two mares stood quietly, scrutinizing their misted surroundings with every faculty they possessed.

Quite suddenly, the fog solidified into a ghostly grey beast, trotting past them on nearly soundless pads. It paused, turning its head briefly towards the mares, freezing them in place with its golden-green stare. Then it vanished into the darkness again, dismissing the frightened horses as they though were just another couple of trees.

Rosanna exhaled slowly. "Where did it go?" she whispered.

"To regroup with the pack," Ember answered grimly. "They've picked a target, and its not us. We should be okay, as long as they don't run into any difficulties and change their minds."

Rosanna shuddered. "As glad as I am to not be the top pick for dinner, I can't help but feel sorry for whatever is. What do you think they've found?"

Ember shrugged, beginning to walk forward with a careful step. "Deer maybe, or a moose. Deer are quick, moose are ill-tempered, either one would be a challenge to catch but the whole pack wouldn't go after something small like a rabbit. Could be a horse too, if someone's dumb enough to roam the woods alone at night."

"You mean someone like us?" Rosanna said wryly, falling in step with her companion.

"Hardly," Ember snorted, "There's two of us, but no way would I be here if it was just me."

[bullseye]

Banner attempted to steady his breathing, ears pricked towards the source of the nearest howl. Fight or flight. Fight or flight. As more eerie calls resounded amongst the trees, the dark stallion determined that he was in very immediate peril. With a curse, Banner turned on his haunches and trotted towards the direction he'd come, hoping to find a gap in the pack. What were his chances of escaping this forest outside a wolf's belly at this point? 'Slim.'

Although his pulse pounded in his ears, Banner registered the wolf pack's calls with crystal clarity. He still wasn't certain who their target was, but it did not seem as though they followed his trail specifically. Perhaps some other unfortunate animal would be dinner tonight.

As distance grew between Banner and the howling, the dark stud started to believe he'd managed to dodge death once more. Could it really be that easy?

Muscles tense and mind alert, he moved on with stealth, lamenting his poor choice to enter this godforsaken forest. He'd almost forgotten his near brush with the ravenous canines when a slight, brown figure burst from the bushes and straight into his side. With a surprised squeal, Banner shied away from the offending party, readying himself for a battle. His gaze made contact with the large, frightened eyes of a doe. Her nostrils quivered and sides heaved as the smaller animal stood frozen with fear, assessing her equine counterpart.

As another wolf called in the night—this time not one hundred feet from his location—Banner realized he'd found the canines' target. And as one of the grey beasts leaped through the underbrush and landed not six feet from the mustang stallion, he engaged his fight response.

With a snort, Banner charged the predator, noting with some small portion of his mind the soft noises the doe made as she fled the vicinity. 'Lucky animal.'

The wolf uttered a series of surprised yelps as it scrambled away from a fiercer prey than it had anticipated. Banner stayed close to the canine's tail, ears pinned tight against his skull, ensuring the beast's total terror before easing his pace and leaving the beast to charge off into the forest by its lonesome. When the wolf had vanished from sight, Banner turned north—that was north, wasn't it?—and made another bid for freedom.

As two more canines halted Banner's trek through the forest, the dark stallion heaved a sigh of resignation. If he was getting out of this alive, it was clear a fight was imminent. Trumpeting a war cry, the mustang challenged the predatory canines with a rear. 'Bring it on.'

[Swede]

It seemed Rosanna and Ember were out of the woods, metaphorically speaking. Judging by the sound of the wolves, they had no interest in the two mares, and perhaps now was the opportune moment to remove themselves from the area in order to guarantee their own safety. The wilderness was harsh; one had to accept the fact that some may die and that it’s just an opportunity for the rest to survive a little longer. It was time to move out.

But then another, previously unheard, sound echoed through the still night air. It was certainly equine, and almost certainly male; no one would make such a sound without reason, especially in unknown territory such as this. If the wolves hadn’t noticed him before, they certainly did now. But perhaps that was the reason for it- perhaps they had made the unusual decision of marking a horse as their quarry. It did not sound anguished, as a downed or dying animal might, nor was it particularly terrified even. No, it was a stallion’s battle cry.


The mares hesitated, suddenly uncertain of what to do. "Let's just go," Ember said nervously, "We have no idea who they are or what's going on, it's safer if we get out of here."

Rosanna was accustomed to accepting Ember's leadership, but as she grew older she also became increasingly similar to her mother- not at all interested in heroics, but certainly bold and very calculating. "Wolves don't usually attack groups of horses, right...? Maybe they'll be intimidated if we show up, and they'll scatter. Whoever is out there seems brave at the very least, and they could be quite strong. Most strangers don't mean harm, and isn't it better for someone like that to be grateful for our help than for us to possibly miss a good opportunity?"

Ember scrutinized Rosanna closely in the low light. She didn't like her decisions being questioned, however she was aware of the dangers of blindly ignoring a well-reasoned argument. Every instinct screamed against the idea of approaching a pack of predators; however it was also natural instinct to band together. There was safety in numbers, and two was not a high enough number for Ember to feel particularly comfortable with. "Fine then," she said after a minute, "We'll try it your way. But I don't want to hear any complaining if you get bitten."

Rosanna nodded. Then she realized that she had to actually move in order for this to happen; the idea had seemed a lot better when it was just a thought, than now when she had to put it into practice. "Okay... let's go," she said uncertainly. Steeling her nerves, she broke into a medium-paced trot, slow enough to remain aware of her surroundings but quick enough to surprise any wolf in her way and to prevent her courage from faltering.

[bullseye]

The wolves didn't aggress, but they also did not retreat. That dang deer was certainly a lucky animal; she couldn't have planned a cleaner escape.

Banner snorted and pawed the ground, eying his canine counterparts for some sign of weakness—the beasts returned the gesture with growls and snarls. They didn't have him surrounded yet, but even if he managed to bolt quickly enough to escape these wolves in particular, Banner suspected he'd run smack into more members of the pack. 'Damn this deathtrap of a forest,' the dark stallion thought.

As the foliage to his right rustled, revealing the arrival of more ravenous canines, Banner started hammering out a strategy. A howl to his left indicated to the stallion that he was soon to be hopelessly outnumbered on all sides. Keeping the beasts from surrounding him seemed a healthy bet, but he couldn't afford to let them close in either. 'Keep them from tightening formation. Keep them from gaining all sides. Keep them in total chaos.'

With a snort, Banner burst into action, targeting a lone wolf to his right. Pulling himself in a tight turn, the dark stallion swung his haunches towards his chosen victim, delivering a well-aimed kick to the canine's side; an audible crunch resounded through the area, followed by the pained howl of the wolf. This action caused precisely the chaos Banner sought: as the scarred stud wheeled to face the rest of the pack, he watched a portion of the pack retreat, while a smaller percentage chose confrontation.

In seconds, the vicinity was filled to the brim with action.

Though the pain of the wolves' bites was dulled by the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Banner nonetheless noted the record time in which they delivered the injuries. Fighting to keep control of the situation, the dark stud reared, shied, kicked, and used every evasive maneuver he knew to keep the beasts from his neck and head. His chances of victory seemed slim, but Banner wasn't going down without a fight.

[Swede]

The sounds of yelps, snarls, and violence erupted in the night. Clearly, a confrontation was at hand. Rosanna's step faltered slightly, instinct tugging at her to flee the signaled danger. This had been her idea though, and her pride wouldn't let her back down so easily; besides, she would probably feel bad if she let someone get torn to pieces when she might perhaps have been able to help. If anything, Ember's pace only increased, serving as a humble reminder to Rosanna why she was lead mare. Ember hadn't liked this plan, but she was committed to it now, and clearly determined to carry her companion through it. Rosanna was obliged to feel gratitude and a little bit of renewed confidence.

When they arrived on the scene, however, even Ember was a little taken aback. She had expected something like this, but to actually see it, to be there, was... unpleasant. What were they even supposed to? Flight, not fight, was the standard equine method of survival. But this had already been set in motion, and turning back hardly seemed like an option. If it's smaller than you, you can step on it, she reasoned, swallowing her fear. And so she did just that: lowered her head, streaking her ears back against her neck, and charging at the nearest predator, bowling it over and running it underhoof amid surprised yelps. She aimed a swift kick behind her for good measure.

Rosanna watched her friend's back, lashing out with her forelegs at the half-trampled wolf when it appeared to be considering a counter-attack. It whined and dodged into the underbrush, limping miserably. But there were so many of the beasts, lunging at the unfamiliar stallion in determination to bring down their prey, and while the idea had been to scatter them with their increased numbers, she suddenly very much did not want to draw them towards her.

[bullseye]

Was his current tactic working? Banner truthfully could not tell. Every way he turned, the dark stud met with another of the savage canines. This situation was certainly chaotic, but was it the controlled chaos he intended?

The adrenaline coursing through his veins immersed the stallion in a sort of tunnel vision. All but the battle was ignored. Which was why the stallion didn't immediately register the two mares as they crashed into the area.

With a new element inserted into the battle, the dynamics of the wolves' strategy changed. While most remained fixated on their injured prey, several turned their attention to the newcomers. As one wolf rushed by Banner, bound for the other two horses, the dark stud kicked out at his nearest aggressor, buying himself a couple free moments. Leaping forward in pursuit of the wild canine, Banner wildly snapped at the air, managing to snatch the wolf's tail between his teeth after a few failed tries. The beast yelped loudly and turned to confront the stallion, providing Banner with enough time to slam his front hooves down on its back.

Instinctively, Banner found himself inclined to defend the mares. Their presence was a boon, it seemed; it evoked hesitation and uncertainty from the pack of hungry wolves, simultaneously providing Banner with an extra shot of confidence.

Taking advantage of the second wind, the dark stallion swung his haunches toward another wolf, delivering a kick that hurled the beast several feet from him. Perhaps he'd live to see the sunrise after all.

[Swede]

Picking off a lone stallion was a challenge in itself, but defending themselves from a group of three horses was a whole other matter, let alone taking them down. Cast into disarray and confusion and with several of their number wounded, the wolves seemed to falter; the reward was no longer worth the risk. For a minute, they hesitated, fighting back fiercely, but seemingly in unison they decided to abandon the chase. Snarling and snapping as they made their retreat, the canines prowled into the undergrowth, and though Rosanna swore she could glimpse their glowing eyes among the trees still, they seemed content to search for easier prey.

The mares stood back to back, sides heaving as they stared into the gloom of their surroundings, reluctant to relax just yet. At last, Ember signaled that the danger was over with a brief sigh as she turned her head towards the unfamiliar dark stallion. "Are you alright?" she asked courteously. Rosanna was more than content to let her lead mare take responsibility for the situation, and though she attempted to relax and let go of her fear, she still remained entirely attentive to the environment around them, standing watch.

[bullseye]

Banner couldn't resist aiming a few passing kicks at the retreating wolves. As the rustling in the nearby brush subsided, the dark stallion took a deep breath, relaxing ever so slightly.

Jumping a bit as the unfamiliar mare spoke to him, Banner turned to face the strangers. It wasn't that he'd forgotten their presence, so much as never fully registered it. Their arrival, having been in the middle of the battle, had been observed by his adrenaline-fueled thoughts.

Although a sliver of the stallion's brainpower remained dedicated to watching for the return of the wolves, he now took time to take in the sight of the mares. Being fresh from Elding's herd, Banner found himself a tad surprised to be face-to-face with a pair of equines bred from the same stock as himself. Mustangs.

"I been through worse." It was true. Technically. But dang, he didn't feel as young as he used to be. "How 'bout the two of you?"