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 Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 2:55 am
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 2:56 am
The day had been blessedly uneventful, just the usual shenanigans. Like gathering a pile of clover bigger than her head! Finding a soft spot to bed down with the two she adored most. Which meant the petite mare was buried in the two mares soft tails, warm and content. A faintly murmured ‘goodnight’ could be heard.
That’s when it happened. Everything was a scary blue of darkness all around. Heart rate picking up in a wild beat the mare’s paws scrabbled across the ground. Chased. Something bigger..scarier..stronger with sharp teeth or claws..maybe both? It was after her. Nothing made sense yet the mare found herself dashing, bounding through the underbrush that tugged at her fur..thin branches whipping at sensitive flesh. Stinging. The pressure was unnerving. Squeaking aloud Artemis dove under a bush in hopes of hiding or finding help, surely someone was out here? “H-help..help..” Body trembling like a newborn foal the mare felt that same icy fear hit once more. No no no! Bursting from the brush her frantic eyes swept for some kind of escape. There had to be an escape! (WC 188 )
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 2:58 am
The wind whistled outside where Neve slept, at times howling like a starving fiend. All of a sudden she sensed danger and jumped up, frightened. *Where do I go?* She thought, bolting outside and into the eerily lit forest. Picking a direction, she darted through the brush, stumbling over the roots that sought to ensnare her and slow her down. Some THING was after her, though where and what or who she couldn't tell. Mid-flight she almost crashed into another petit mare, this one almost blending in while she shone bright like the moon. "Keep running!" She cried out, dodging around the hare-like mare. "Run with me if you want!"
(( WC: 110 ))
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 2:59 am
Ears pricking when they heard a crashing sound followed by a voice..had the mare leaping back into action. The shadows felt as if they were wrapping around her, only the other small bright figure helped push her onwards. There was no time to stop or chat..the squeezing deathly pressure. Eyes flicking all around she spied a place to potentially hide, surely they could hide?! With a squeaked out “There!” The mare dove into a brambly bush, whimpering when sharp thorns tugged relentlessly at her soft fur. “Ow ow ow!!” Being quiet when something was after you..was difficult. After pushing for what felt like hours she broke free to a less prickly space in the tall bush. Was it safe here? Had that bright figure followed? A million questions buzzed through the mares mind. The sense of dread never left. (WC 142)
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 3:00 am
Where? Where did that greyish mare vanish? Following the sound of rustling accompanied by squeaks of pain, Neve found where the other had dove in. Hesitating at how painful it would be to dart inside there, the fear built up until she darted into the brambly bush. Her passage was slightly less painful, thanks to the trailblazer, but the pain was still present. Along with the fear... the all-consuming *fear* that someTHING was breathing down their necks, ready to snap them up in an instant. Bursting through after what felt like an eternity, she paused to catch her breath. The rabbit-like Usdia was just ahead, and she wanted to call out when yet again fear demanded her legs move. "Don't stop can't stop RUN!" She cried out, leaping forth to resume her flight from the unseen danger that lurked everywhere.
(( WC: 140 ))
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 3:37 am
Screeching loudly as the deadly creeping dread.. / thing/ got nearer Artemis could only agree with the brighter figure. They had to run even faster!
Could they even escape? For a split second the mare thought of laying down and simply surrendering to whatever or whoever was after them. Then the icy cold fear mixed with her natural instincts. Fight or flight. So she followed the brighter mare, racing wildly from the thorny bush, the first droplets of tears streaking down her face. “M-maybe we split up? What’s e-even..what..” It didn’t make sense, yet Artemis continued to run at a breakneck speed alongside her poor companion. Splitting up could either be a terrible idea or a good one. What if whatever was after them decided to focus on just one? Worse still was the thought of there being more than one evil thing chasing them..if they split up would they both just end up hunted? Whining softly, her eyes again tried to look ahead. Surely they could get away! They were so small. “Fast fast fast.” The words a whispered chant..even as despair continued to crash behind them. “D-don’t give up!”
(WC 193)
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 3:37 am
There was a risk to both options they had; stick together or split up. If they split, and there WAS more than one *thing* after them, they were doomed. If they didn't split up... well, they were probably doomed too. There was small comfort in knowing that she wasn't alone in her panic-stricken flight in the darkness. Staying together, they could coax the other onward when if they'd been alone they might have just lied down to succumb to whatever fate awaited them. The eerie silence was broken only by the two mares crashing through in their desperate attempt to flee their unseen pursuer. Darkness ahead, and darkness behind, seemed eager to swallow them up. Neve wondered if the darkness is what they were trying to escape from and shook that thought from her mind. Impossible. They weren't foals to be afraid of the dark anymore. No, it was what lurked *within* the darkness that one ought to fear. There was something sinister that dwelled within it, almost reaching out to claw at their hind legs... "Faster!" She screamed, legs and lungs burning with effort. Was there any possible way to go faster than they already were?
(( WC: 197 ))
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 3:39 am
Tears continued to stream from the petite mare's eyes, everything was blurry and the confusion only grew within her. What was real? The words rang through the fog of her mind sending Artemis stumbling through more trees. Up ahead the bending, twisted dark trees and grabbing shadows seemed to be unending. “C-can’t escape. Can’t…” Every muscle screamed for rest..but if they rested whatever it was…would get them. A suffocating sensation started to overcome the now slowing mare. “Ca…can…can’t!” Breathe. BREATHE.
Inhaling a sharp gasp of air Artemis locked eyes with the equally scared stranger and offered a weak smile as they ran. “S-stick together.” It was their only chance at making it. Time went by so so slowly..she lost track of how long they’d been running..how much could their hearts take? In the end the trees finally FINALLY opened up..was that a clearing? Body filled with nothing save exhaustion and the smallest bursts of adrenaline her legs slowed..from a desperate gallop to a more relaxed trot..then down to a light jog. Was that “Moonlight.” The word was whispered, swallowed up by a howling gust of wind. The gentle beams of light started to soothe something inside..maybe whatever it was had gotten her and she had died. Was this what the end looked like? The urge to lay down in the clearing with the bright moonlight streaming down from above..it had the nightmare becoming hazy. Nightmare. Hadn’t she been running? Weird.
(WC 248 )
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 3:41 am
She knew that no matter how fast they ran, how swiftly the ground flew beneath their paws, the unseen danger still lurked hot on their heels. Her vision began to get hazy as she staggered into the clearing after her companion. Her own bright figure shimmered under the moon's cold light, and she stumbled to a halt too tired to move another muscle. Her sides heaved, glistening in sweat that stank of fear. The crisp wind rustling through the trees carried the musty scent of mildew and decaying leaves. Wait... they had run into a clearing... they were out in the open, exposed! Rapidly scanning the edges in a panic, she wondered where the thing that was hunting them down was waiting to ambush them, and which way the two should flee next. *There!* She thought, spying a gap in the shrubs on the other side that was small enough for the two of them to dart into. Without hesitation she leapt forward at a steady ground-eating trot, conserving her energy for one final burst of speed when it would be needed most. "Follow me!" She called out in a hoarse whisper, not wanting their persecutor to overhear her.
(( WC: 199 ))
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 8:07 am
The world started to fade in a weird way the longer she stood there; completely dazed in the moonlight. The illusion was broken when the other mare’s hoarse voice met her ears. Follow. Tired limbs trembling Artemis gave one final push, stumbling weakly over her own paws as she followed. It was as she passed through the gap that her eyes opened outwardly. Confusion and lingering fear rippled through her form. Exhausted Artemis blearily blinked the sleep from her eyes, whimpering as she recalled the nightmare. On still trembling paws..there beneath an eerily similar moon..had it all been a nightmare? A quick glance all around the clearing showed no one..no reaching shadows or spike of fear..just the lingering panic from a horrendous nightmare.
( WC 127 )
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Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2023 10:06 am
Hearing the other mare following her, she put in one last burst of speed with her remaining strength. She made it to the opening she'd seen from across the clearing just as her legs gave out. Tumbling through the gap, she lay in a heap with her sides heaving. *No more... I can run no more.* Closing her eyes, accepting defeat, the air around her changed. The wind was less savage, no longer clawing at her flanks. In fact, it sounded further away. And the bone-deep chill seemed to be dissipating as well. Was she dead..? Opening her eyes, everything around her was blurry and she blinked rapidly in confusion. She was right back where she was when the whole nightmare started. Wait... had it all been a dream? Then who was that other mare she'd been running with..?
(( WC: 139 ))
(( TWC: 785 ))
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