Dealing With Blonds

Bad Birdy

It wasn't long before I herd the shriek of a predator bird. I looked up and a large hawk glided on the wind drafts. It seemed to not know of our existence, yet. I pulled my stallion to a stop and looked around for some were to cover. I cursed colorfully. (What was I thinking? Don't you dear say I wasn't thinking! Ok fine I wasn't, Happy?)

I turned in my saddle eyeing the mountain range. It was to far away, as were the trees that grew in their midst. I looked back up to the huge hawk that was above us now; its shadow hiding us. I gulped in fear. The hawk was large enough to carry my stallion in one taloned foot.

My horse sensing my fear tried to dart away but I pulled on the rains forcing him to prance in one spot. I quivering on his back as the hawk circled around us and let out a bloodthirsty scream. I lost my cool and slammed my heels into my stallion's sides allowing him to run. I slackened the rains and leaned over his head, I pounded my heels into his ribs urging him faster.

The hawk screamed again and dove. I looked over my shoulder as the bird closed in on us. "Faster! Faster!" I slapped the rains on my mounts withers. I felt his muscles coil and release but it wasn't enough. I heard a loud popping sound as the hawk snapped its wings opened behind us. I could feel the rush of air as it extended its claws at us.

My horse let out a scream of pain as the hawk missed us and grudged a line in his hindquarters and fell. I let out a high-pitched scream as I went flying from his back. I slammed into the ground and heard a loud snap as my arm exploded in pain. I rolled over and looked at the hawk it landed on the ground near my horse. My mount tried to stand but fell back to the ground as blood fell in rivers from his hindquarters. My roan charger looked in fear at the shadow that crossed over him.

I swallowed a scream as the hawk pounced on him and took off with him in its claws. It circled above me several times looking for movement. I looked back at the line of trees that opened their arms beckoning to me. My eyes flicked back up to the hawk, its claws rained blood on the near by ground. I pushed my legs under me and stifled a grown as they screamed out in protest. I looked back up the hawk saw me.

I ran with all I had as my mount had tried. The hawk dove at me. I was nearly there. At the sight of me I could hear my stallion flair in the hawks talons, he tried to get back to me. The hawk thrown off balance my struggling horse pulled up from its dive and flew over me. I stumbled as I saw the hawk drop my horse in front of me. The stallion let out a scream as he fell and was suddenly silenced as he crashed on the ground. I looked up the hawk prepared to dive again.

I kept running. I needed to keep running. I gulped down my tears as I leapt over the still form of my horse. I almost fell to the ground on the other side of him as my legs cried out in pain. I looked over my shoulder, the hawk screamed as it dove for me. I started to run. I was almost there, almost there. I looked over my shoulder at the hawk, it started to extend its claws to me. I pushed my last burst of speed and the hawk neared me. Suddenly the hawk pulled up, I found out why after a few more strides. My body slammed into a tree.

"I'm safe." I whispered as I pealed my self off of the pine tree and started to run into the dark woods. I stopped when I was shore that the predator bird couldn't dive into the sapling trees and watched threw the under brush as the hawk landed on the ground near the still stallion. I watched as the hawk scooped up the limp body and fluttered its wings before taking off.

I slid down a tree and buried my face in my hands and started to cry. After several minuets of wiping my tears away I stood up. I faced the mountain on my right. It was tall with clouds crawling around its hidden peak. I looked to my left but couldn't see the stable mountain threw the thick pine trees. I picked up a stick and started to draw in the fallen pine needles. As I crouched down to draw, my arm exploded in pain. I hissed at it as I saw it hung limply my side. I put the stick down and brought my other hand to my arm. My arm burned with heat but my singer tips were ice cold. I gulped as fear once more settled in my stomach. I pulled my arm up to my abdomen and cradled it to my body as I sat down.

I picked my stick up again and used it to brush the fallen pine needles away. I drew seventeen lopsided circles in the dirt. I looked at the map that I drew. "Ok so this has to be Sonel Mountain and I should be right about here." I drew a light circle in the dirt. "So my best bet is to walk strait to my left and I should get to the Stable Mountain or at least to Eska." I tapped a funny looking circle that was to the south of the circle that I had drawn to show were I was. "If I do venter to far south and round Eska Mountain then I can try to find where those royal pain in my ass's are hiding." I drew a line around the one circle and between some other circles. "Well," I said to my self, "I better get going then." I stood up and shuffled a few steps before I fell down. My legs and arm throbbed in pain. "Well I guess that I'm staying here tonight then." I looked around were I sat. "But the Dark-Wood-Runners?" I shivered as I said the name of the unknown killers.

The Dark-Wood-Runners are some sort of feral monsters that hunted in the Dark Woods that grew in the valleys of the mountain system. No one has ever been found after being attacked by them. No one lives. "Except the royals." I whispered to my self.

Not knowing any thing about the Dark-Wood-Runners I used my good arm to pull myself up a tree and laid panting on its lowest branch. No one knew any thing about the Dark-Wood-Runners, except that they killed you if you were out after dark. That's why my race lived in the mountains. I gulped in air as I rapped an arm around the next branch and pulled myself up. I collapsed on the third branch of the tree and looked into the darkening branches above me. I couldn't see the sky but knew that the sky was darkening and the stares were coming out.

My eyes heavy from todays adrenalin rush, pulled heavily down. My limbs throbbed in pain, and what didn't hurt was numb. My stomach growled in hunger. I fought as my eyes closed, but it was no use. I fell asleep, but the sleep was not peaceful.