Originally this work is being posted by me in Polish under the title "Grzebanie wiosny". I have no experience in translation whatsoever, so there surely will be errors. Please point them out to me.
I chose to not change the characters' names as they tend to have meaning.
"Wszebora" (pronounced Vshe-bo-ra) is a very old Polish name. It means "she who always puts up a fight".
"Cudka" is also a Polish name. "Cud" means "wonder" in Polish.
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It is not far from the evening when a grand war stallion gallops riderless through the road that leads to the woods. Wszebora leaves the deer carcass that she's been flaying and stands up. She eyes the horse curiously. The stallion keeps coming to the fence and then running away, stomping, snorting and shaking its head. Wszebora watches the horse for a while with her brows furrowed and with hands stained with deer blood propped on her hips. Finally she shoves her skinning knife behind her belt and walks to the fence. The moment she approaches the stallion snorts, dances around and gallops back to the woods. Nevertheless she comes closer to it. On its side she notices rusty stains and streaks. There is also a blurred handprint on the horse's neck. The muzzle of the stallion is bloated and the muscles on its chest and neck shiver. Wszebora lifts her hand to touch it, but the smell of deer's blood makes the horse neigh and move back a few steps. It takes her a while to grab its reins and lead the horse towards her hut. She is binding the horse to the hook when she hears the doors creak and a voice speaks:
"The witcher's horse, isn't it?"
Wszebora turns around and sees Cudka standing in the doorway. The girl eyes the horse with suspicion and intimidation.
"Guess so".
"Why is it here?"
Wszebora bends down to grab a rag and wipe the blood off her hands. She looks back at the horse, which keeps stomping and shaking its great head. She shrugs.
"It came from the woods"
Cudka stares at the stallion for a while longer, as if she needs to get used to its sight. At last she looks back at Wszebora and lifts her brows a little.
"What will you do with it?"
Wszebora doesn't answer right away. She turns to the forest. In the orange evening light it resembles a sheet of black frayed cloth. She broods for a moment. At last, without turning back to Cudka, she says:
"I'll go check where it came from. I'll see what befell the witcher".
Cudka does not answer, so she turns around to look at her. The girl clasped her hands together and bowed her head in silent, uncertain worry. Wszebora sighs.
"I will not go into the woods. If I sense anything foul sitting there, I'll come back. Want to see if the witcher's alive. Something must've made him let the horse free".
Cudka nods slowly, but she doesn't raise her eyes.
"Please come back", she whispers.
Wszebora looks at her for a moment and then she comes closer, puts a hand on the back of her neck, gently pulls her closer and places a kiss on her forehead. Then she grabs the axe that she uses to chop wood and animal bones and she goes off towards the woods, not saying a word more.
Behind her back the stallion starts to stomp and struggle, which makes the old hook creak and Cudka worries even more.