“Are you sure you’ll be alright Barley?” A young mare with auburn hair turned, feathers close to her side as she looked at her companion. “Oh yes, I will be quite alright Cherry.” Barley said delightfully, walking towards the door of Cherry’s cabin abode. Wrapping a shawl, hoof knitted and stained cherry red around her shoulders and back; tying it around her neck. Cherry fluttered off the couch by the cozy fire and stood by Barley, giving her a warm smile. “It is late, you know you're always welcome to stay.” Cherry smiled as she placed a hoof on her friend’s back. “Hehe, oh Cherry, you worry too much.” Barley giggled, gently letting Cherry’s hoof off her shoulder and gave her a hug. “Well it is late, and I've been hearing timber wolves out in the glen this past month.” Cherry added. “I wasn’t Wine’s Field Hollow’s track champ for nothin Cherr.” Barley teased, nudging Cherry’s chest with an elbow before both shared a laugh. “I suppose.” Cherry relented. “But you better get home safe ya here!” She warned, hugging Barley’s neck tight. “Hehe, I will.” Barley grinned, hugging her back before swinging open the wooden door, a gust of wind flurried through the room. Cherry’s feathers and fur ruffled as Barley shivered. “I’ll, see you next week.” Barley said, holding her shawl tight with one hoof. “Yea…” Cherry shivered.
Barley walked out onto the oak porch, turning around to wave goodbye as Cherry slowly shut the creaking door behind. Barley took a deep breath, placing her other hoof on the wood and trotted off the porch. The sun was just above the valley’s mountain ridge with a gorgeous array of vibrant reds, oranges, and pinks. The sky was complemented by deep plums and cinnamon colored leaves which littered the branches and floor of the sprawling untamed forest before her. Quiet echoes of her hoofsteps beat like a pendulum as occasional crunching of leaves made a tune pleasant to the ear as she trotted. The serene forest replied to her tune with crickets chirping and owls hooting made a symphony of an evening melody like a rushing waterfall in spring.
The sun finally took its leave over the hills and a deep cerulean sea swept the night into bliss as stars glistened above like diamonds. A small break in the trees beckoned a pause in her beat as she stared at the light show of diamonds on the deep blue gown of eve. A sudden cold gust snapped, Barley stumbled forward as the wind shot a shiver down her spine.“I better get home soon.” Grabbing her shawl, picking up her gate. The wind whisked by, silencing the forest in its wake, as a brief moment of darkness overcame the valley. Then, the bright glow the moon cascaded a silver gleam into the wood. Beams of silver shown through cracks in the leaves and breaks in the branches, lighting her way down the path. Trotting along, the wind rustled the leaves, blowing some off their branches as the forest grew silent, her hoofsteps echoing in the night. She bowed her head as another burst of wind whipped her back to shiver, shooting upright. A crunch of leaves came from behind as she paused. “What the..'' she spoke nervously to herself as her ears curled back by her bobbed raven hair. “No no Barley, your just imaginin things.” she assured herself, picking her hooves up once more. Clip clop, clip clop, her hoofsteps began to echo back, her ears perked at each beat. clip clop, clip clop, each hoof beating on the dirt, rhythmic like a drum. Crunch, a leaf crackled beneath her left forehoof and her ears perked. The wind whipped, whistling along as her breathing joined a cord. Clip clop, clip clop, her ears couldn’t distract themselves from the constant beat as the drum got louder, pounding her ears. “Oh, why am I not home yet.” her mind boggled, as she lowered her head a little. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide as the light dimmed, looking between some branches above the faintest glimpse of clouds shrouding the night's moon in darkness echoing its dark gaze upon the land. “Oh sweet Luna help me on my journey.” She prayed as her eyes shut tight with anxious dismay. Clip clop, clip clop, her hoofsteps rang like a gong as she cantered. The wind howled its ghostly cry with her hooves beating down heavy. A branch on the path ahead barely seen in the darkness made her pause. Just the moment of stillness in her body chilled her to the bone as her shawl whipped untamed in the wind. “I-I need to get home…” She shivered, stepping over the branch. Welcome to Wines Field Hollow read a large white and red painted sign to the left of the road in old oak wood as the trees finally broke to a green field. “Oh praise the moon! I’m almost home,” she paused to lift her head in relief as her breath puffed. the wind howled once more, nipping at her fur like hounds.“Buck it’s cold!” she hissed. She grabbed her shawl, straightening the placement of the knot before walking past the sign, clip clop, clip clop. Hooves sounded on the ground to a beat, and her ears perked to the sound as her blood ran cold. She paused, listening closely as she could hear the slight delay of sound as her hooves ceased locomotion. Her knees buckled, and shook, her eyes darted from the sky, to the field, the town, and the sky; gulping a lump in her throat. The moon casted its glow down as the clouds broke way to a clear sky, shining down on her ginger coat turned pale.
“D-do I turn around.. Do I run..?” Her mind raced as the wind bit at her frozen muscles. Crunch, the slight sound of a leaf sent her galloping into town, cobblestone streets echoed her steps with her heart beating like the fear of a thousand foals. Old rusty horseshoes clanked on the cobble to rival her breath as she bolted. Streetlamps embers flickered out as a gust blew out the beacon's flames. “Neigh!!” An aggressive demonic rumble rattled the bones as the ground quaked beneath her. “One more block!!” She shouted through shaky breath and hollowed words as her limbs, stiff with frost coated her fur as her muscles screamed and ache; threatening her to keel over. “Just.. a little… further…” She croaked, her bloodshot eyes laid on an old run down at the end of a road; its worn slate, cracked walls and weathered oak beams were shining with the moonlights glow as Barley drew near. Her eyes grew ever wider as salvation drew ever nearer, BAM! A loose pebble on the cobble path sent her careening across the stone. She tumbled and rolled, cuts in the rough stone sending fresh blood spluttering out, decorating the road red. She skidded to a halt as she just passed the last withered beam of her home. Cough! She hacked up spurts of blood and spit, shakily forcing her body into a sitting position as a violent cough of blood and puss poured from her mouth. “Ugh….” Drearily opening her eyes, she turned to look at her home, her old wooden and cracked front door just a yard out of her reach as her ears perked. Clip plop, clip clop, came a steady hoofstep of heavy rusted metal on the pebbles as small sparks kicked up from the shoes as they drug across the stone, scraping the rock like nails on a chalkboard. Clip clop, clip clop, the sound grew as her heart pounded, her body frozen. She pinned her ears to her head shutting her eyes tight as the steel on rock grew. Her hooves swollen and muscles threatened cramps as the pounding hoofsteps rang like gongs to her ears. Her legs wailed in agony as she trudged to her door, her vision blurred and shook as she stumbled forward. The creaky door flung open as she crossed the threshold of the doorway and collapsed to the hardwood floor; her body screaming as she drug her body through the doorway, splinters breaking the skin yet her body never flinched; slamming the door shut as the deafening boom of hoofsteps were left outside as her body gave way to exhaustion.