Oswin listened to the red mare and nodded firmly, agreeing with what she’d said. She looked back at Kolfinna. “Make sure anyone in the area stays far from the meadow. Take them with you to where it’s safe.” She felt braver, surrounded by these individuals who had pushed against their very nature to see to the safety of those they had no accountability over. Everyone in these meadows and the surrounding area may as well have been a stranger, but each horse standing here didn’t care. There was something dangerous for everyone and they’d each chosen to risk themselves to see it eradicated.
Every individual here had certainly earned her respect, but Oswin’s blue eyes landed on the white-splotched mare and was surprised she was no Peak mare. Was she a lead somewhere on these islands? The other mare to enter - gold and white, clearly concerned for the brindle but also ready to charge - had a strength about her as well. It renewed Oswin’s spirit and made the instinct screaming in her mind become a whisper, easy enough to ignore.
She stomped a firm, hard hoof onto the ground and danced forward a step or two, jerking her head up and sending her pale mane snapping back.
This coyote had been driven mad, likely by some sickness, which was clear to see as it suddenly burst from where it had taken to hiding and went for the first mare. The brindle stallion leapt to action, and there was a thud as the creature hit him. Oswin flicked her ears back and jerked forward, moving a few steps ahead as she kept her eyes on the action. She wanted to help where she could, but it wouldn’t do any good for her to leap in and accidentally collide with another one of the horses.
The beast’s snarling made Oswin’s blood run cold and her heart beat faster. As he rolled and scrambled with his legs underneath him, he turned toward Oswin and pretended to leap forward, snapping his jaws which spittle and drool flecked out of his mouth. A gruesome scent and a terrifying site, but Oswin didn’t budge. She half reared upwards, just to gain enough momentum to slam her front hooves into the snow, loud and sending vibrations through the ground into his skin.
If she could keep it’s attention on her, but not push too hard that she drove him to leap and snap at her, one of the others in the group could try and charge him down and perhaps put an end to his life after all. Hopefully he would be distracted enough that he wouldn’t realize they’d come close to him before it was too late...
oswin
this is as brave as I know how to be.
I know it’s gonna hurt you, but please… be a little proud of me.