A Wolf Among Thorns

Branches struck Ava’s face mercilessly, her long ponytail streaming out behind her as she streaked through the woods on silent feet. Soft sunlight filtered through the vegetation to dapple the forest floor, the motes of light dancing in the eerily silent forest. Ava, normally mindful of the beauty, saw none of this, her mind entirely focused on the creeping presence of the Blight. Eyes trained on the ground, she ran on, following the trail intently, not a single broken twig or crushed leaf escaping her notice. The Blight had not been seen so far inland, and yet she could feel it lurking nearby. Ava did not know why she, of all people, was burdened with the ability to sense the Blight; but she had enough sense to keep it a secret. She wasn’t fooled by the peaceful scene before her. Her sixth sense warned her sharply of the presence of a Blight-infected creature, and she knew she was getting closer. Suddenly, she burst out into a clearing. She skidded to a halt, raising her head up sharply. The air somehow felt oppressive and dark here, despite the sunlight still beating down upon the muddy ground of the clearing, unmarked save by her own booted feet. Ava couldn’t shake the sense of wrongness that suddenly assailed her. Her nostrils flared out, she scanned the trees uneasily, one hand on the pistol in the holster at her hip. A sudden flash of black at her side made her turn, but she was just a moment too late. Ava felt like she’d been hit by a ten-ton freight train. She landed face-down in the mud. A burst of agony seared down her shoulder and she ignored it as she hit the ground rolling and hopped back up onto her feet, whipping her knife out from its sheath and dropping into a fighting stance while she turned to face whatever had attacked her. She stopped short as her eyes fell on the most comely – and deadliest – creature she had ever seen. A pitch-black horse pawed the ground before her, snorting its fury. Its eyes were wild and crazed, its fur dull and patchy, but the quality of its breeding could be seen in the finely molded head and the proud carriage of the neck. The animal’s head lowered menacingly, pointing a sharp, twisted horn, already glistening with blood, straight at Ava’s chest. It bellowed another warning and charged. Ava shook off her shock at the sight of the unicorn, throwing herself to the side just in time to avoid being impaled. A pang of sorrow filled her heart at the thought of killing this beautiful creature, but it was clearly under the effects of the Blight, too far gone for any help she might provide. Ava hardened her resolve as she flung her knife at it, with a scream of effort as her injured arm refused to respond. The blade glanced off the enraged unicorn’s neck. She realized her mistake just as it lashed out with a sharp hoof, catching Ava on the forehead and dropping her to the ground. Ava’s vision swam, pulsing between dark and light as stars exploded in her head. She rolled to the side, dazed, as the unicorn’s hoofs came down where her head had been a moment before. The horn descended towards her face, and with a cry of determination, Ava seized it, wrenching it to the side as she pulled out her pistol and squeezed off a single shot at point-blank range into the face of her assailant. Blood sprayed across her face and clothes as the animal dropped soundlessly, crushing her underneath its head and making her cry out again. Using her good arm, Ava pushed at the massive head, barely managing to move it at all. She bit back the pain in her shoulder and wriggled her body, sinking a little deeper into the soft ground and succeeding in shifting the head just enough to take most of the pressure off her body. She dragged herself out from under it as best she could and sat panting beside the corpse. Shaking slightly, she retrieved her knife, carefully avoiding the sight of those dull, lifeless eyes. “I’m sorry,” Ava whispered, struggling to her feet. “It was the only way. Rest well.” She raised her pistol once more, averting her face, and fired a single bullet into the chest of the animal. The body gave a single jerk. An eerie call melted away on the wind, and the hairs on the back of Ava’s neck rose as the darkness in the clearing seemed to finally lift. Ava holstered her pistol, then tore a strip off her shirt and tied it round her wounded shoulder as best she could. With a grunt, she stood to go, but just as she’d turned around, she stumbled backwards a step in surprise. Standing over the dead unicorn, nuzzling her nose and whimpering softly, was a tiny foal, all white and shining in its newness. Ava hardly dared move. Guilt assailed her, watching the foal frantically nudge its mother’s body. There was no other way, she reminded herself. It was me or her. And if I’d let her live, she’d have hurt a hell of a lot more people, too. There’s no coming back from Blight corruption. Minutes passed. The foal slowly raised its head, snaring Ava’s gaze with its honey-colored one. Girl and horse stared into each other’s eyes, neither of them so much as twitching, and a silent understanding passed between them. Slowly, Ava inclined her head to the tiny animal, taking a step towards him, then another and another. Still he watched, following her movement with his eyes only. Step by step, she inched closer, then extended her hand until she could almost touch the velvety nose. Suddenly the colt’s nostrils flared and the spell was broken. With a squeal of terror, he lurched backwards on his spindly legs, then turned and fled into the forest, still screaming. Ava jumped as though she’d been shocked, feeling strangely bereft as she watched the spot where the colt had disappeared into the trees. “No, wait! Come back!” she shouted. But no white blur answered her calls, and after an hour’s patient wait in the muddy clearing, Ava turned, nursing her wounded shoulder, and went back the way she had come.