A howl cut through the gloomy night as frigid and harsh as the wind. Ea’s eyes opened in a flash. That howl wasn’t the wind. She grinned wickedly for that howl meant the wild hunt had arrived. The young mare had dreamed of this very night since she was a wee lass. Her small emerald body vibrated in anticipation. Most soquili were afraid, but not her, she was eager! She whipped her head in all directions trying to discern where the hunt was converging but the night was so bleak and foggy it was pointless. She could barely see her own claws let alone the horde of creeps and spooks that commonly accompanied the Wild Hunt. Instead she closed her serpentine eyes and waited. Her ears twitched and swiveled trying to hear more than just the wind or howls. A rhythmic thumping was nearly drowned out by the wind’s whistling. The beat matched her own heart as it thumped in its cage of flesh and bone. Then the slightest jostling clink of chains. Ea opened her eyes again, they truly were here and oh so close. Quietly, she inched her way forward. Every so often she’d stop, listen, and correct her direction. As she moved closer she began to hear the Wild Hunt more clearly. The clanging of metal reverberated in the dead of the night. Closer now. Then snorts, cackles and unearthly screeches. Nearly there.
The young mare hesitated in front of a large bramble. Her ears told her the Wild Hunt was just on the other side. She had heard so many tales of them. So many woeful tales. Most morals were a warning to steer clear. Should she? She wondered. Should she try to join the Wild Hunt? Would they accept her? Would they run her off and chase her like all the others? Screw it! She left the worries behind her and charged forward. Ea wasn’t going to let this chance go. She was as tough as any demon or abomination!
Her short legs carried her through the thorny bramble, ignoring their lashes, before skidding to a halt inches away from the hindquarters of a towering skeletal equine. The skeleton and its mount, another strange set of upright bones that Ea couldn’t place, turned towards her. Both opened their jaws in a twisted expression somewhere between surprise and anger. Instinct screamed at her to back up and run away but she squelched that notion - she was not the prey. She lowered her horns towards the skeletons, keeping her eyes on them and not at the rest of the menagerie scattered beyond. The rider tilted its skull, the eye sockets were pitch black except for a dim ethereal flame that flickered within, the same flame flickered in its mount’s sockets as it mirrored the tilted head expression.
She addressed both, “I’m here to join the hunt.”
Silence from the skeleton duo. For a moment, she wondered if the horde could even understand her words. They were a motley crew of beasts and monstrosities, intellect…or rather higher intellect was not something monsters were known for. Both skeleton frames righted themselves and lowered their head in what appeared to be a slow nod.
Ea was confused, did they nod or were they mimicking her? She raised her head and asked again. “I can join the Wild Hunt?”
The two gangly sets of bones repeated their nod. Then a voice boomed behind them. Its deep tone reverberated seemingly from nowhere. “Yes,” it said simply.
Fortunately, the Hunt didn’t need to wait long before the starting horn was blown! The mobs' cries and shrieks nearly drowned it out. Ea surged forward with the skeleton duo at her flank and a great clawed beast by her side. She couldn’t help but grin as the cold night wind whipped about her fiery mane, there was no stopping her now. She was free! Free to be her truest self. She shouted and yipped with glee.
Another horn sounded from ahead. Shorter in length and a different octave. Ea didn’t know what it meant but her companions for the night did. They screeched and roared! The Wild Hunt charged forward. Ea darted between mounts and their riders, beasts clawed and beasts scaled until she could finally see the hornblower. They blew the same short note again, their claw extended. Up ahead were a small group of Soquili ready to drift off to sleep. At least they were until they felt the ground tremble. Then the chase was on! Ea cackled, she was part of the hunt now.
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