Abigail Hobbs (teacupshatters) wrote in dunwichgame, @ 2024-04-02 15:13:00 |
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Entry tags: | hannibal: abigail hobbs, ∙ plot: 015 april's fools |
Abigail moved through the forest slowly, making notes about the tracks she found. She wondered how much of her reports were fully understood by the parks department. The tracks went far beyond what one would expect in a 'normal' forest. At least, she wasn't seeing any fresh horse-like tracks. Of course, she hadn't seen any when she was attacked either. The memories of that tended to play over and over in her mind, as she tried to figure out what she could have done better. One moment, everything was normal for Sidewinder. She'd been walking along one of her favourite trails, enjoying the fresh air and the feeling of being connected to nature. That was when she had spotted him, a horse stepping out from between the trees. He was magnificent, large and regal, right out of Black Beauty. He moved with a delicate grace that had reminded her of the forest deer, as if he didn't want to hurt the grass under his feet. He was very tame as he came closer to her, bowing his head and looking directly at her with big eyes. She thought he might have been one of the horses used for riding lessons and had gotten lost. She reached out, gently touching his shoulder and speaking in a soothing tone about getting him back to his home. Everything had gone wrong so quickly. Her hand had stuck to his shoulder as if it were glued in place and the horse took off at a gallop, no longer gentle. He crashed through the forest, dragging Abigail along with him and eventually into the water with him. She fought back as she began to go under, against hooves, then human hands. Instincts took over and she managed to get a hold of her hunting knife with her free hand, slashing at the horse-man until her trapped hand was free. She made her way out of the water, called for help and help arrived. That alone should have made her happy. She had people in her life now, a girlfriend, friends, even practical strangers, all that would rush to her aid when asked. She was no longer alone. Still, she had to hurt that horse and it happened similarly again at the beach, with a group of them. She'd killed some of the horses. They hurt her even worse. That was all wrong. Horses were divine. Hannibal had said so. She couldn't even honour them properly, not like she could with a deer. It was murder. With that overwhelming thought, she fainted. There was no warning, no dizziness, no sudden weakness. She simply fell to the ground unconscious. From further away in the forest, Brangusis had been paying attention to his friend. There had been no warning for her. He had felt it, a change in her scent and the pace of her heartbeat. He began moving towards even before the soft thud of her hitting the ground. It took only seconds for him to be at her side, protectively standing guard as he waited for her to wake up. He knew it wouldn't take long. He could sense that too. |