Chapter Two

Marilla grinned as her mare picked up a forward, upbeat canter toward the first obstacle on the rugged cross country course. A simple vertical, it posed no problem to the partnership, yet adrenaline and anticipation sped through their veins nonetheless. Marilla inhaled the sweet, crisp air as Dolledhiel sailed over the hurdle, clearing it by at least double the actual height of it.

'Silly girl! You will waste your energy by over-jumping everything, you know.' Marilla laughingly chastised her mount.

'I know you can stay with my over-zealous efforts, darling. It's fun!' Dolledhiel replied, throwing a playful buck to emphasize her point.

Approaching a particularly tricky combination, Marilla noticed a distinct white shape on the outskirts of the forest, seeming to watch the young woman and her horse. Flicking her eyes quickly back to the task at hand, Marilla felt Dolledhiel's tension beneath her and knew the mare had noticed the same silhouette. The pair successfully maneuvered the first obstacle, a jump followed by a drop into a water complex. Cantering through the refreshing water, Marilla concentrated on the final vertical leading out of the water, trying to ignore the foreboding instincts within her. As Dolledhiel gathered herself and leapt over the large oxer, Marilla gasped as the entire world around her turned blinding white.

The only thing known to both mare and rider was the piercingly bright light and the comforting feeling of the remaining closeness to one another. Dolledhiel landed and immediately skidded to a stop, quivering violently. Marilla leaned forward and grasped the mare's mane in her hands as tight as possible. I won't let go. Gradually the light faded and as her eyes adjusted, Marilla looked about, frantically attempting to decipher her new surroundings. Letting forth a terrified whinny, Dolledhiel whirled around and reared, nearly unseating the equally frightened Marilla.

'Sedho, Dolledhiel. No diriel.'

Quiet, Dolledhiel. Be watchful.

'Marilla, what happened? What is going on? Where are we? How did…'

'Shush, mare. I need to think.' Marilla snapped at Dolledhiel for the first time in their entire relationship. Slightly surprised, the small horse heeded her request.

Marilla swung her leg over the saddle, landing lightly beside Dolledhiel, giving her a conciliatory scratch on the neck. Looping the reins over her arm, she beckoned to the mare to follow her, trying to get a sense of her surroundings.

The two appeared to be deep in an untouched forest. Gone were the species of plants that Marilla was used to; there were no spruce trees, no daisies, no dandelions. In their stead, great trees grew with a diameter so large that it could fit at least four horses within the breadth of the trunk itself. The air felt different; it was dry and stagnant, even within such a place of growth. There was little to be seen aside from scores of branches above, shielding most of the sunlight. Very few small plants grew with not a cheery flower in sight. Over the ground, leaf litter and roots were the only objects creating any variance to the deep brown soil. Hearing a skittering animal, Dolledhiel startled and Marilla whipped around to discover a small rodent disappear under a giant root.

'Well, sweetheart, what can your equine instincts tell us?' Marilla asked for Dolledhiel's opinion.

'My dam always said watch closely where you are going, but that is clearly not an option right now. She said if your eyes did not work to follow your nose and when that fails, follow your ears. But all I smell is the rotting leaves and some rodent manure. And it is so quiet, Marilla, all I hear is our breathing and…' Dolledhiel paused suddenly. 'Marilla, I hear a stream!'

'Take us to it, you wonderful mare!' Marilla removed the bridle from Dolledhiel's head and vaulted light into the saddle, allowing her best friend to follow her ears and her instincts.

They reached the stream without incident. Marilla cautiously dipped her hand in the gently flowing water and found it surprisingly cool and crisp. There were no fish to be seen, but along the edge, a plant resembling a water lily was swaying gently.

'Do you think it is safe to drink?' Marilla inquired.

'My eyes and my nose say so, mellon nin.' The mare replied, succeeding in lightening the tension.

'I have limited carrots in my pocket, Doll, but I daresay you have earned one. We must ration them however, for we do not know how long we will be here or where the nearest town is. So don't be too greedy!' Marilla was half-serious, half-teasing.

'Very funny Marilla.' The mare looked scornfully at her as she daintily accepted the small treat. 'You should really have a drink, delicate human. I can tend for myself, but you are much harder to take care of.'

Laughing, Marilla stooped and sipped the refreshing water, immediately feeling rejuvenated and her moral strengthened. Dolledhiel followed suit.

'This seems a safe enough location, meleth. We should probably rest here for the night, it is beginning to get darker. In the morning we can follow the stream and hopefully find our way out of here.' Remarked Marilla to her mare, who blinked in agreement. 'Although, I can't see either one of us resting very much.'

Marilla had never needed rest like Irene or her father did. She could go three days without any sleep and then only require a few hours of light rest. Andrew always said it was another inheritance from her mother. Dolledhiel, being a horse, only needed four hours of light sleep per day. Marilla removed Dolledhiel's saddle, using the saddle pad to rest her head against the trunk of the nearest tree. The strong wood felt alive against her back; its steady vigor was reassuring. She could hear her mare snuffling in the dark, periodically chewing on some edible leaf or another. Glad she did not need to worry about Dolledhiel going hungry, Marilla descended into a fitful rest.

It was still the dead of night when Marilla heard shuffling and heavy footprints somewhere to her left. Opening her eyes, she called silently to Dolledhiel, 'Where are you?' Upon receiving no reply, Marilla froze. She was not alone, and it was not her mare that kept her current company.

'Well, look here. Fresh meat, eh boys? Pity to eat such a pretty little she-elf.'

'Hey, it is not polite to frighten your food before you eat it.'

'I want her legs.'

'I want something a little more tender, if you know what I mean.'

The voices guffawed in a grotesque chorus of coarse laughter. Marilla frantically called for Dolledhiel again while scanning the area looking for the source of the voices. She let an involuntary squeak of terror escape her lips when her eyes rested on the monstrous beings creeping closer to her. They wore some sort of crude armor and had massive rudimentary weapons pointed at her, ready to strike. Their faces were oddly distorted; they had yellow eyes and their skin, if one could call it skin, had the texture of leather. Gaping holes where a mouth should be were filled with huge, broken teeth and with a gasp Marilla noticed that the teeth were stained with blood.

'DOLLEDHIEL!' Marilla screamed in terror.

The sound of thundering hooves caused the creatures to spin around, in time to be trampled and kicked by the furious mare. Dolledhiel appeared to triple in size as she incapacitated the beings long enough for Marilla to swing on to her back and gallop through the forest, away from their attackers.

'What were those things, Marilla?'

'I do not know, but we must exercise great caution, meleth. This place is not as safe as it first seemed. Thank you for coming back for me, Dolledhiel.'

'You know that I would never leave you.'

'Why did you not answer me when I first called?'

'I was watching from not far away. I waited until the best moment to save you, delicate human.' The mare sounded altogether too smug.

'Insolent mare. If you hadn't just saved my life, I might be insulted.'

'You should not be insulted, Marilla. I have found us the way out of the forest.'

The mare slowed to a trot as the pair reached the opening of the forest. With intense gratitude, Marilla bent down and hugged Dolledhiel's neck with all that she had. Their new surroundings appeared much friendlier, with rolling fields and a majestic mountain range in the distance. Marilla dismounted, noting with little sorrow that Dolledhiel's saddle and bridle had been left behind. They were not necessary to control the mare, and in this particular circumstance, entirely unimportant. More important was the need to find food and some sort of shelter.

'Actually, I would like to find out where we are!' Dolledhiel replied to Marilla's musings.

'Rhaich! This is so frustrating!'

Curses!

Dolledhiel pricked her ears suddenly and looked off in the distance, raising her head to try and pick up the subtle sounds she heard.

'What is it, Doll? Friend or enemy?'

Without warning, the mare bounded forward into a quick canter, leaving Marilla calling after her, entirely confused.