Heart-racing and wild-eyed with invigoration, Corvette raced toward the commons with her pale tail proudly flagged out behind her. The marks of her opponent had not yet worn away, the half-moons of where teeth had found purchase still wet with their saliva. She did not think that they pursued her, but she wouldn't be bothered if they did. They had merely been a means to an end, a way to distract herself from the thoughts and fears that had gathered in her mind the moment she'd set foot back on these accursed islands. The stranger's contribution of physical violence had freed her mind from the prison of its own making and allowed her to do what she should have done years ago.
The pale mare slowed as she entered the Commons proper, jogging now instead of racing, but she was no less animated for it. She followed a well-traveled path, worn down nearly to the soil itself from heavy traffic, and kept a wary eye out for would-be approachers.
Corvette knew the risks she was taking. It was fall, and she had no one on these isles anymore that would protect her, but that was the exact point. If she kept being safe, nothing was ever going to change in her life. She was never going to be great, or exciting, or memorable. No one would remember her name if she always played by the rules and made sure to mind her P's and Q's as her mother had desperately tried to teach her.
It was now or never, and she wouldn't let it be never. Not anymore. She had a whole life out here to live. Lifting her pale face, Corvette called out brightly, sides still heaving, and settled in to wait for her future to show its face.