If there was one monster Isis had always been scared of; it would be humans. Ghastly, cruel and violent humans who couldn’t care less about who lived and who died. Not that humans deserved to have that right, but they took it nonetheless. Isis had always hated violence since the moment she was born, but she learned from a young age that one needs to be violent to succeed in this world of cruelty. When Isis was a young girl, living with her father and mother and younger brother Robert. She had just turned nine and had gotten a new dress and a riding horse for her birthday. She had named the large mare Shayla, and spent almost all her time with it. She would have slept in the stables with her if she had been allowed. But time and time again when she tried to sneak out to cuddle with the young mare, she had been caught by her parents or a stable boy working late. Isis loved that horse more than anything else, how could she not adore it? Her big black eyes and thick black mane that looked like silk. It was one of those nights when Isis had successfully snuck out to cuddle with Shayla, and as she was adjusting the hay around her, she could hear the crunching of leaves and the snapping of twigs from just about a yard from the thick forest edge. Though she didn’t think much of it, brushing it off to be a fox or raccoon. But as she heard the crunching and breaking get louder and louder as the minutes wore on, her worry began to fester into a slight panic.
She clung onto the horse, looking around to see a few men dressed in green and blue uniforms, a polished Springfield musket that hung at their waists. Though Isis didn’t recognise the color of the men’s uniforms, she did recognise that they were military uniforms. As they got closer and closer to the estate she and her family was residing in she could tell they weren’t their guards. They had splotches of what looked like old raspberry jam on their uniforms, Isis thought that their commander was going to drill them about it later, just as she had watched her father do to their soldiers when they were not up to his standards. As she clung tighter and tighter to the horse, there was a light scurry across the floor of the stable, as she looked down and saw a small mouse rummaging through the hay, Shayla freaked out and Whined loudly. Not only startling Isis but the two foreign men as well. Shayla bucked and thrashed around her stall and Isis; still clinging onto the mare’s mane, became dizzy with all the quick movement. When the two men caught wind of what was happening, they charged towards the stable. Panicked, Isis jumped onto the water trough and up on top of the large shire horse. Still in her nightgown, she grabbed a bridle, hastily putting it on the horse.
As Shayla continued to kick and whine, Isis desperately grabbed the reins and pulled on them, trying to get the mare to listen to her commands. She quickly unlatched the stall door and with a few clicks of her tongue, the horse reluctantly wobbled out of the stall where it could calm down. There was little time for the poor horse to do so, as the soldiers were fast approaching and loading their guns with large balls of heavy lead. Made to smash and kill the target. Isis swallowed hard, almost throwing up because of the fear and stress. She eased her heels into the horse’s side and flicked the reins. The mare bucked and neighed before her hooves clopped into a steady gallop, quickly leaving the men who were on foot behind. Isis didn’t dare look back to the men, keeping her eyes trained on the forest that she was soon approaching.
She galloped away into the dense foliage, getting a few scratches but none were serious. She was scared, and now that the initial shock was wearing off, tears were prickling at her eyes like little needles on a cactus. She pulled the reins and Shayla’s gallop turned into a rhythmic trot against the forest floor. An owl hooted from somewhere in the trees and Isis counted about four crows nestled deeply in the trees, seemingly watching her every move. She gulped down her fear and had Shayla trot further and further away from the estate, leaving her family behind in what she thought was danger. She hated herself for being so cowardly. Why didn’t she just scream for a guard? That would have scared those men away real fast.
But she didn’t. Should have, would have, and could have flashed through her brain on repeat like a broken record.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” She said, chastising herself for her cowardliness. Shayla grunted at her, giving an unapproving sigh.
“Oh Shayla, I don’t know what to do. Mother and father and Robert are in danger and all I did was run away!” She hiccupped, tears finally spilling over. Shayla seemed to roll her eyes, unamused by Isis’ concerns. The crows cackled in the distance, the four large birds flapped their wings and took flight, soaring over the star freckled night sky. Some swooped down to annoy Isis, some scratching at her face. The crows kept on cackling and it made Isis wonder if they were attacking or messing with her. She grumbled angrily and started to swat the birds away from her face. The crows cawed in frustration, and kept swarming the young girl until a shot went off.
It was crisp and loud, not only scaring away the crows but also scaring Shayla, who shrieked and took off into a gallop down the forest. It was so sudden that Isis almost fell off, but managed to hang on by clinging to the mare’s mane like it was the only thing keeping her alive. She clung tight to the horse as it ran between trees and jumped over ferns and dead plants. The sky began to cloud and drizzle a cold and painful rain. Isis shivered, hoping that Shayla could keep her warm. Shayla began to grow tired and slowed down into a walk. Isis could feel the mare’s heartbeat from her neck as she still clung desperately to her. But finally, as the shock somewhat subsided, Isis dangled off of the horse and landed with a loud squelch in the mud below her. She looked down, her face a strangled look of discomfort and disgust.
“Yuck.” She shivered, trying to wade her way out of the mud pit. Shayla followed close behind her, sniffing her hair and trying to find a treat. When she found none, she huffed and went over to a small grass patch for a quick snack. Isis plopped down on a log, the sound of Shayla’s chewing brought an odd comfort to her. At least she wasn’t completely alone. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. At first, everything was very peaceful, there was the sound of owls and crows and the occasional crunch of the snow under a hunting foxes paws. She looked down at her muddied feet and groaned, she knew the mud would eventually dry and flake off, but she hated being covered in it; cold and slightly slimy with an odd gritty texture to it. Isis could gag just from thinking about it. She stuck her feet out into the cold rain to wash them off. She knew this wasn’t the best idea, but it was better than leaving a mud trail in case those men were following her. Her spine trembled and goosebumps rose on her thighs and arms. She sneezed, whipping away a stray raindrop that had managed to get past the tree she was sheltering under. Shayla, once done eating, made her way over to Isis, laying down on the log next to her. She huffed and puffed until she got comfortable. The forest floor was filled with roots and sticks, nothing like her stall. Isis shivered and crawled into the small space between Shayla’s hoofs and her belly. Once settled, Shayla moved her head and rested it on Isis’ side. Her warm breath helped her warm up a little. Isis snuggled in tight against her, relishing in the comforting warmth of her horse. It was like they were still in the stables, sleeping soundly, safe and sound from any danger.
There was a loud crack of thunder that shocked the two awake. Shayla got up almost instantly, pushing Isis off her belly to stand at attention. The mare’s eye’s flickered from one side to the other, determining the source of danger. When the horse found none, she relaxed, but was still warry. The horse trotted back over to Isis, making sure to keep close to her. Isis rubbed the animal’s neck soothingly, and the horse seemed to like that, rubbing her face against her human’s. The gesture seemed to relax Isis somewhat, leaning into the mare and hugging her large neck. She stroked the mare’s muzzle and the horse huffed in approval. The two walked- well, more hobbled than walked as they made their way through the thick and disgusting mud. Isis continued to grumble about stepping on rocks or twigs in the mud. Not only was it painful, but it was scary too, not knowing where or what you were stepping on made her feel sick.
They trudged on for a few more minutes until they halted upon a Tuniviva camp. Their camp had many soldiers and medical personnel up and about, even at this late hour. Isis was cold and tired, and hoped they would shelter her for even just a bit. She and Shayla walked closer until a burly and ugly man noticed them.
“Aye! Intruder!” Shouted the man, some other soldiers started to get up and look around, their guns drawn at the ready. Isis stopped moving and yelped, ducking down and cowering. Shayla bucked and yelled, surprised by the men in the camp. Isis quickly tried to calm her down but to no avail. The poor horse was just too scared.
“Come on Shayla! You’ve got to stop!” Isis yelped, trying desperately to calm her beloved horse down.
“Hands up, now!” Shouted a short man with a burly beard and fat arms.
“I’m trying!” She yelled back, trying to stroke the mare’s muzzle to hopefully ease her worries.
“I said hands up!” The man shouted again, this time, he drew his gun and gave a warning shot. The sound ricocheted through her eardrums making her nerves tense up. She covered her head, but Shayla wouldn’t calm down. She was only about four years old and still fairly new to the sound of guns and the presence of others. At this point, tears of fear were freely falling down her face like leaves in autumn. Cold, crisp and scary. That’s all Isis could think. She was freezing, the sound of distinct gunfire could be heard all around her, and it was all scary. All too scary for that young girl she was.
Shayla wouldn’t calm down, and it got to a point where she even kicked Isis. She had gone flying into a tree stump and got the wind knocked out of her. The air felt it was resisting her, not wanting to give her the oxygen needed for her to live. Her breath hitched every time she inhaled the smokey and frigid air. Her vision doubled and everything felt like it was in slow motion. She could see everything that was happening but couldn’t understand it. Though she was unable to comprehend the situation, she still watched the world continue anxiously. She watched as round after round of bullets were fired in every direction. The sky, the left, the right, forwards and backwards. If it weren’t for a large boulder sitting between her and the camp, she would’ve been blown to smithereens. She watched, and watched as the world went spun, it made her dizzy. No- it made her sick. She wanted to throw up but she couldn't, She wanted to stop crying but the tears wouldn’t stop coming, she wanted to breathe, she wanted to know, she wanted to-.
Isis heard a sickening shot, accompanied with the sound of a strangled whine and then a loud thump. She swallowed hard, not wanting to know what had made that sound. She knew, she knew but she wouldn’t believe it. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t! But when she looked back at her beloved horse, who’s body lay motionless on the bullet littered ground, she knew. She knew it was gone. Her horse- no, her friend, her only friend. Had been shot and killed like a dog. She didn’t know how to react. It was as if this was all happening far, far away, like she was reading a story about it. Isis leaned over and threw up. The ghastly sight of the mare’s body, her face had almost been blown clear off and it looked like her brain had been turned into putty, just leaking out of her like a poorly made barrel. Isis retched again, but her eyes just couldn’t leave the slow motion picture of her dearest horse dying in such a way.
When the camp finally ceased fire, knowing that any living thing within shooting range would have been immediately killed. They walked out to loot the bodies that they thought were there. But in the end, they only found a little trembling girl in a muddy nightgown, with tears freckling her face, and one dead horse.
There was a loud roar in the distance, and she saw a flag with gold and red colors- her father. Her father had come to rescue her, and would most likely scold her later for running away. But there wasn’t much else she could do, she just sat there, in the dirt, feeling numb and scared, not knowing what to think or feel. Just sitting there, with a blank look on her face, and a memory that would most likely haunt her for the rest of her life.
Isis shot up in her bed. Julius’ eye flickered open at the sudden movement. He slung his arms around her waist comfortingly.
“What, what’s wrong?” He asked, still half asleep. His eyes were half lidded and filled with exhaustion.
“It’s uh, it’s nothing. Just a bad dream.” She replied, kissing his forehead. “I’m okay.” That’s right, she was okay, she would always be okay if Julius was there to protect her. Always and forever.
ns 15.158.61.23da2
