Please Note: many of the characters and the location belong to Tamora
Pierce.
Perhaps because Stella was so exhausted from the previous day she was sleeping more deeply than normal, in any case she did not hear the spriden moving through the woods. She didn't wake up until she heard the hiss of his web as it fell in some undergrowth near her head. She opened her eyes and blinked, bewildered and trying to remember where she was. After a few seconds, her groggy vision focused on the monster. A long list of improper vocabulary learned in the stable began streaking through her mind.
Acting more on instinct than logic or planning she rolled to her left onto the trail. The spidren glared at her and gnashed his teeth unpleasantly. Had Stella not been terrified for her life she might have noticed his terrible dental hygiene. He sent another strand of horribly sticky web at her. It landed just an inch from her elbow. She pushed herself into a sitting position and scooted backwards a few feet. She had never been fond of spiders and was having a little trouble coping with a giant one with a human head first thing in the morning.
Suddenly a voice in her head reminded her of something crucial: breathing. She thought the voice had a good point so she went ahead and took a few deep breaths as though she were about to meditate. This calmed her down somewhat. Suddenly the spidren shot another strand of nasty gray-green web at her, finally able to react she did a backward roll and scrambled to her feet. She trotted backwards a few steps, casting her mind amount desperately for Pinecone. She found him easily, just out of sight in the forest, his bewilderment and panic as noticeable as hers was.
Come here she pleaded. He gave her an equine do-I-have-to.
Please, please, please she begged.
Pinecone really was a remarkably brave horse. He quietly and reluctantly left his hiding spot, teeth bared and eyes back, but none the less he left. He was a bit too big to move unnoticed for long, however, and his hoof snapped a twig rather loudly. The spidren turned sharply to see what had made the noise. Stella used the time to grab a large, club-like stick. Unfortunately as she raised the stick and prepared to strike the spidren with it, she ended up crashing it through some underbrush rather loudly. The spidren's gaze immediately returned to her. At this point Stella abandoned some of her panic and began to grow angry. She didn't like being controlled by a big spider, a really ugly big spider at that. He was disgusting and unnatural and she certainly was not going to let him eat her. She was filled with revulsion at the sight before her. These beasts lived in Tortall? She didn't like that idea very much. She began to run forward raising the stick to destroy this particular specimen at least. Just at that moment the spidren was gathering another strand of web to toss at her.
Luckily for her, some of her anger had transferred to Pinecone. Horses don't like being eaten by monsters any more than people do. Pinecone found the whole idea rather outraging on principle. Stella's particular kind of anger quelled his instinct to run and brought out his instinct to fight. He lunged forward and applied a good kick to the spidren's back. For good measure he decided to grab one of its many limbs with his teeth, it tasted awful.
Stella of course continued forwards and gave the spidren a good sharp rap on the head. He appeared to be unconscious after the first, but she gave him a few more blows just to be sure. She decided it made excellent stress relief.
Then, with Stella shoving with her makeshift club, and Pinecone gingerly pulling with his teeth, the two of them managed to dump the monster into the creek. He floated swiftly away in the current. I hope he drowns, Stella thought to herself, I wouldn't want him to bother anyone downstream.
"I did it," she said out loud as she saddled Pinecone. "I managed to get rid of the spidren and I didn't have anyone with me." Pinecone snorted at this. "Okay, okay" Stella amended "I had a tremendous amount from my partner Pinecone, who is the smartest horse in the world." Stella didn't feel the least bit guilty amount this since Moose was technically a pony. Stella was too queasy for breakfast but as she mounted and got ready for another day's ride, she felt much more confident than the night before. Much more sure she could handle anything that came her way, and much more able to handle anything on her own.
Perhaps because Stella was so exhausted from the previous day she was sleeping more deeply than normal, in any case she did not hear the spriden moving through the woods. She didn't wake up until she heard the hiss of his web as it fell in some undergrowth near her head. She opened her eyes and blinked, bewildered and trying to remember where she was. After a few seconds, her groggy vision focused on the monster. A long list of improper vocabulary learned in the stable began streaking through her mind.
Acting more on instinct than logic or planning she rolled to her left onto the trail. The spidren glared at her and gnashed his teeth unpleasantly. Had Stella not been terrified for her life she might have noticed his terrible dental hygiene. He sent another strand of horribly sticky web at her. It landed just an inch from her elbow. She pushed herself into a sitting position and scooted backwards a few feet. She had never been fond of spiders and was having a little trouble coping with a giant one with a human head first thing in the morning.
Suddenly a voice in her head reminded her of something crucial: breathing. She thought the voice had a good point so she went ahead and took a few deep breaths as though she were about to meditate. This calmed her down somewhat. Suddenly the spidren shot another strand of nasty gray-green web at her, finally able to react she did a backward roll and scrambled to her feet. She trotted backwards a few steps, casting her mind amount desperately for Pinecone. She found him easily, just out of sight in the forest, his bewilderment and panic as noticeable as hers was.
Come here she pleaded. He gave her an equine do-I-have-to.
Please, please, please she begged.
Pinecone really was a remarkably brave horse. He quietly and reluctantly left his hiding spot, teeth bared and eyes back, but none the less he left. He was a bit too big to move unnoticed for long, however, and his hoof snapped a twig rather loudly. The spidren turned sharply to see what had made the noise. Stella used the time to grab a large, club-like stick. Unfortunately as she raised the stick and prepared to strike the spidren with it, she ended up crashing it through some underbrush rather loudly. The spidren's gaze immediately returned to her. At this point Stella abandoned some of her panic and began to grow angry. She didn't like being controlled by a big spider, a really ugly big spider at that. He was disgusting and unnatural and she certainly was not going to let him eat her. She was filled with revulsion at the sight before her. These beasts lived in Tortall? She didn't like that idea very much. She began to run forward raising the stick to destroy this particular specimen at least. Just at that moment the spidren was gathering another strand of web to toss at her.
Luckily for her, some of her anger had transferred to Pinecone. Horses don't like being eaten by monsters any more than people do. Pinecone found the whole idea rather outraging on principle. Stella's particular kind of anger quelled his instinct to run and brought out his instinct to fight. He lunged forward and applied a good kick to the spidren's back. For good measure he decided to grab one of its many limbs with his teeth, it tasted awful.
Stella of course continued forwards and gave the spidren a good sharp rap on the head. He appeared to be unconscious after the first, but she gave him a few more blows just to be sure. She decided it made excellent stress relief.
Then, with Stella shoving with her makeshift club, and Pinecone gingerly pulling with his teeth, the two of them managed to dump the monster into the creek. He floated swiftly away in the current. I hope he drowns, Stella thought to herself, I wouldn't want him to bother anyone downstream.
"I did it," she said out loud as she saddled Pinecone. "I managed to get rid of the spidren and I didn't have anyone with me." Pinecone snorted at this. "Okay, okay" Stella amended "I had a tremendous amount from my partner Pinecone, who is the smartest horse in the world." Stella didn't feel the least bit guilty amount this since Moose was technically a pony. Stella was too queasy for breakfast but as she mounted and got ready for another day's ride, she felt much more confident than the night before. Much more sure she could handle anything that came her way, and much more able to handle anything on her own.