Hold on, little one
there is one last hope
waiting to be found
Priscilla Hernandez – One Last Hope
Starlight pawed the ground restlessly, her small whinnies unheeded by Desiare, who slumbered heavily beneath the branches of the gnarled tree. She lifted her head and sniffed the air again, the pounding of her hoof becoming more insistent, more urgent with each passing moment as the sounds of growling grew closer.
Her ears flipped back, plastered against her head as she reared up and let out a roar. From the nearby undergrowth came a wolf, followed by another and yet another, until Starlight was face to face with a small pack.
The first wolf slunk forward, growling at the furious steed as he sniffed the ground intently. He lifted his head, his yellow eyes focused past the steed and he let out a couple of short barks before baring his teeth.
As if on cue, two of the wolves broke off and charged Starlight, attempting to grab her forelegs between their toothy jaws. Starlight was quicker, and danced away from their grasp even as she reared up to counter the attack. Crack! Came the sound of her hoof as it crashed down atop one of their skulls; the wolf paused for a moment, shaking its head from side to side as it wobbled then collapsed in a heap.
The respite was brief, however, as two more wolves joined the fight, backing Starlight against the tree behind her. Her body trembling, she swung around to kick out at the snarling wolves as they attempted to flank her. A yelp came from behind her, then cut off abruptly, even as she screamed in pain. Frantically, she tried to dislodge the wolf from her leg as its companions came closer, their jaws snapping as they went for her other legs.
Amidst the noise of battle came the slightest rustling of leaves and a flash of white as the wolf nearest the bush let out a surprised bark before being silenced. Tank let go of the wolf's neck and looked up, blood dripping from his fangs, and the wolves backed away, their heads swaying back and forth between the two before the largest leapt to attack the angry feline.
Tank snarled and leapt at the same time, the two animals meeting in the middle even as Starlight, taking advantage of the distraction, kicked out against the remaining two wolves. The wolves, distracted by the fight, turned just in time, the furthest of the two scampering just out of reach as his packmate took a hoof to the side and went flying towards the brush.
Outmaneuvered, their numbers dwindled, the remaining wolves fought – not for the easy prey they'd expected, but for their lives. Torn and bloodied from Tank's claws, the pack leader backed away, letting out a howl. At the sound, the two remaining wolves of the pack faded back into the woods with Tank slinking after them to make sure they'd gone.
Starlight eyed the nearby body warily, before rearing up and landing – the sharp retort of her hoof hitting the skull echoing in the silence. Tank, who had returned, looked over at the steed before grabbing the neck of one of the unmoving wolves and dragging it further away.
Soon the glade was cleared of all but the marks of battle and, exhausted, Tank set about cleaning himself as Starlight shifted back and forth, the golden coat of her leg stained with drying blood. She nickered and turned to look at it. The cat, having satisfied himself with his own grooming, padded over and began cleaning her wound as Starlight stiffened, though whether from pain or the indignity of having Tank clean her was hard to tell.
After tending to Starlight, Tank looked around, before catching sight of his mistress laying beneath the boughs of the tree. He crawled his way into the opening and sniffed at her, nudging her with his nose. Yet there came no response and Tank, not knowing what else to do, curled up next to her as Starlight resumed her place in front of the opening.
Together, they waited – and guarded the sleeping woman …
