Equus' Breath: a Crown of Stars

Prologue

The last rays of sun swirled into the air like the last of a dream, fading into the warm evening sky. It was late in the day to get a snack, almost dangerously late, but the mare had done her fair share of traveling. She could still feel the reverberations of the earth against her hooves, and the wind in her mane. She deserved a treat.

Her herd didn’t usually eat this close to the forest, but the grass here had always felt more tender to her. Shaded from the sun by the edges of trees, it grew in small clumps, alluringly green, and always with a hint of dew.

A branch broke, just out of her sightline. The mare, already aware of the potential threats from the woods, flicked back her ears. She slowly turned her head towards the noise, eyes peeled for any sign of danger.

A pair of antlers emerged from the brush, and she relaxed. It was only a deer. She bent her head, acknowledging its presence while keeping her distance, then returned to foraging. Still, she kept alert. Something about it felt… Off. It hadn't held itself like a deer, and most deer didn't venture this close to her herd's pasture. She snuck a glance, and realized- it was closer. Much closer. And she realized it wasn’t just the way the deer held itself that felt off.

Looking at everything from the curl of its lip to the bend of its haunches, it didn’t look like a buck. It looked like someone had taken the skeleton of a wolf and stuffed it into a deer’s body, right down to a mouth full of sharp canine teeth. It began to bear those teeth as it swung its head directly towards her. The mare stumbled back, and suddenly-

A lunge. That horrible deer was rushing toward her. Its teeth were fully bared, snarling and sharp. They glinted white in the setting sun. She turned to run, but it was too late. She felt its hot breath on her back as it let out an unnatural noise somewhere between a bleat and a growl. It sunk its teeth into her fur, and she screamed. Blood ran down her hind legs as she twisted and arched her back, trying to force it off of her.

She kicked back, and felt her hooves connect with something hard. Whether it was antler or bone, she didn’t know, and couldn’t make herself care. The deer released its hold on her, if only briefly. All she could do was hope it was dazed long enough for her to run, escaping back to the safety of her home and her herd.