09-03-2018, 11:49 AM
Her head was aching and the sound of the snow crunching beneath her feet was grating on her. The throb behind her eyes made her squint against the white glare of winter, but she resisted closing them . Step after stiff step Agnieszka took herself away from the nothing behind her. She couldn't remember why she was bleeding from her neck, chest, and shoulders. Blood had clotted and cooled on her skin and her dappled hide would be long stained by it. A gash beneath her right eye still oozed.
Through deep drifts and over frozen ground her bruised hocks and scraped knees bore her. Finally the right hind limb would tolerate no more abuse and the mare faltered. Trying again to put weight on the leg led only to another founder. The mare all but dropped to her left side in the snow and ice but scrambled with a weak squeal and righted herself on three legs. Agnieszka pulled the useless leg up close to her belly and kicked it downward twice in pain and frustration.
A moment's rest then.
The wind had long ceased driving and in the still cold her breath puffed out in weary little clouds. Her lowered head hurt less now that she'd stopped and the silver mare blinked against the bright afternoon light and did her best to remain alert. A twinge of anxiety sent twitches of energy over her skin. The cold was settling in and further stiffening her muscles. She'd need to move soon. In the still mid-day she was safe enough for now but what sunlight shone behind the overcast glare would be gone in a few hours. Nights chill was not a memory lost to her and the fear of darkness was innate. Raising her head the bloodied mare cast around for a direction in which to move. Shelter or company that could see her through the hours ahead. A frozen waterfall came down out of the rocky cliffs to her left. Turning towards this landmark she stumbled forward on three legs, determined to keep going without any idea of what lay ahead or behind.
Through deep drifts and over frozen ground her bruised hocks and scraped knees bore her. Finally the right hind limb would tolerate no more abuse and the mare faltered. Trying again to put weight on the leg led only to another founder. The mare all but dropped to her left side in the snow and ice but scrambled with a weak squeal and righted herself on three legs. Agnieszka pulled the useless leg up close to her belly and kicked it downward twice in pain and frustration.
A moment's rest then.
The wind had long ceased driving and in the still cold her breath puffed out in weary little clouds. Her lowered head hurt less now that she'd stopped and the silver mare blinked against the bright afternoon light and did her best to remain alert. A twinge of anxiety sent twitches of energy over her skin. The cold was settling in and further stiffening her muscles. She'd need to move soon. In the still mid-day she was safe enough for now but what sunlight shone behind the overcast glare would be gone in a few hours. Nights chill was not a memory lost to her and the fear of darkness was innate. Raising her head the bloodied mare cast around for a direction in which to move. Shelter or company that could see her through the hours ahead. A frozen waterfall came down out of the rocky cliffs to her left. Turning towards this landmark she stumbled forward on three legs, determined to keep going without any idea of what lay ahead or behind.
agnieszka
an unequaled gift for disaster