7/28/10
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Winter Wonderland
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The horses moved slowly along the dark, worn path, their sides cloaked in sweat, their ears flicking towards every sound that broke the silence of the snowy forest- a bird taking flight, or a squirrel making a mad dash for its den. The large carriage wavered on its wheels on every uneven turn or sudden rock which seemed to rise out of the earth at a dangerous angle. One of the horses tripped on such a rock and lunged forward in panic, waking the single passanger inside.
Lifting her blonde head, the passanger brought her blue-eyed gaze to the black and white forest outside; the snow spotted the trees' bark and surrounded them in a white, frozen sea. The wind blew, making a soft whistling sound, which turned more into a howl as it gained speed.
The wind shook the carriage- inside, the girl looked down into her lap, folding her white-gloved hands against her red dress.
The man on the coach-seat swatted the horses as their progress slowed. The sad horses' breath came out in thick puffs of mist, their backs rippling against the sting of the whip as every step became more and more painful; small rocks had wedged into their feet, and the icey road sent their legs spassing in effort to regain warmth. The whip came down with more strength behind it, slicing into the horses' backs. One of them whickered in shock, as if wakened, and quickened its pace, forcing its companion to speed up as well.
"Get a move on!" said the coach-man loudly to the horses. The wind nipped at his exposed wrists with stuck out since the gloves he wore were too small, and his coat-sleeves were too loose. The scarf around his neck was tugged at by the wind, and the man grabbed it with one hand and tied it more tightly around his neck. He let out a few coughs as his lungs sucked in the freezing air. To the passanger inside, he called out, "We're amost there, Miss d'Auvergne! Mister Orlando's house is not much farther!" To the horses: "Go!"
The little blonde-haired girl continued to stare at her hands, her fingers lacing and unlacing together. "We will not make there..." she said quietly, as if to herself. "The horses are too tired." A cold-chill passed through her body, making her shiver. Loudly, leaning up in her seat, she said, "We need to stop somewhere! I'm cold, and the horses are sad."
"What was that?" the coach-man yelled over the wind. He swatted the horses again.
The snow started to fall more heavily.
Looking up at the sky, the man didn't notice the horses ears flick backwards, their eyes widen as their nostrils absorbed the heavy scent of danger.
The girl's eyes widened in horror as she looked out the carriage window and saw four shapes emerging from the forests, their hot, hungry breath bleeding beautifully into the air. She recognized them as wolves.
Pointing a thin finger at the window, the girl screamed. "Wolves!"
The coach-driver looked over and- before he could react- was knocked off of his seat by a low-hanging branch as the horses began to run. The man slid across the roof of the carriage before hitting the solid ground, his body rolling a few feet before coming to a complete stop.
Opening his eyes, the man's head was sent spinning, and the world blurred and darkened around the edges of his sight. Pain walked with needle-point fingers across his back and legs. Shuddering, the man planted his too-small-gloved hands into the snow.
The wolves approached the man slowly, their backs arched like cats, their long snouts quivering above sharp canine teeth as they let out long, menacing growls. Their eyes glowed with self-satisfaction as the man struggled to get on his feet. He let out a few raspy coughs. "Miss d'Auverge...?" he whispered, dazed.
A wolf walked up, growling louder, his face dangerously close to the coach-man.
The man blinked. "Cossette...?" he mumbled. The hot breath of the wolf made sweat trickle down his nose. "...Mister Or-"
The wolf jerked his head forward, his teeth clamping over the man's face- bottom jaw locked under the man's chin, plunging into his mouth, while the top jaw crushed his nose and tore away the bone above the man's teeth.
The man's screamed were eaten greedily by the three other wolves, who threw themsleves into their twitching prey, and tore away the man's flesh. Blood was slung up into the air as the wolves ripped limbs and organs free from the man;s sides, painting the pure white snow-flakes red as they desended from the sky; snowy trees were turned crimson, and the ground around them turned into a bloody hell.
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