SCREAMING IN THE DARK, I HOWL WHEN WE'RE APART
Úna was readying herself to flee the scene and bury the stick where no one would ever find it when Svetka moved. She moved. Úna froze, the stick falling from her mouth which hung slightly open. Her ears slowly flicked back and her eyes widened, the whites becoming visible. Just breathe, Úna, she told herself; not that it was helping.
"What'd'you dosthat for?"
She couldn't form a coherent word, let alone a coherent thought at the question. Her mind was swimming with explanations for what happened. 1. Úna was a necromancer. The most exciting option, but unfortunately not probable. Úna quickly dismissed it. 2. The stick was magic. She could think of a few horses she might leave it by for them to step on. Again, unlikely. 3. Svetka was alive the whole time. A ridiculous notion, Úna had seen her die!
So it had to be option 4. Svetka was now a zombie. It was the only explanation that made sense, after all. She'd come back to life and that's precisely why she was speaking so funny. Úna had a whole herd to protect from whatever evil-doings this zombie was up to. But first, Úna screamed.
Bluebird who had been nestled in a nearby tree took off flying in the opposite direction as her scream pierced the air. Úna was a particularly loud and rambunctious child, the distant herd did not so much as flick an ear in their direction. The painted filly scrambled backwards, jumping behind a bush and hunkering down as best she could.
Tentatively, Úna poked her face out from behind a leaf so she could get a better look at the creature. "I'm Úna. And I'm not afraid of zombies." She said matter-of-factly, however it was quite clear from her initial reaction that was not the truth. She dropped her gaze quickly to the stick she had dropped. Maybe she could run in and stick it back in her foot? Then the herd would be safe, right? The zombie appeared to be dazed, which Úna supposed made sense since she just came back to life. Un-life? Úna kept her gaze on her as she slowly inched forward towards the stick. |
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