03-07-2018, 02:19 PM
The sun burns hot on her mahogany skin. The Goddess is giving them another task and she is vibrating again under the thrum of the crowd and her contenders. As the golden mare speaks, Wishbone looks to the other end of the arena, where the tree stands high and mighty. She can see the golden apples, as the sunlight reflects off their curvature. She can also see the thick snake twisting through the branches of the tree.
She’s encountered all sorts of predators in her time alive already, being the adventurous one that she is. A lion had been present at her birth (creeping through the tall grasses with paws silent and teeth bared), a tiger cub had lept on her (though it had only been a new friend in a different form), a shadow-wolf had howled her name (under the glow of the moon, alongside its governor) — all of this she faced with a brave face.
There are snakes on Tephra, Wishbone reflects. She has seen them before, tying themselves in knots among the upper branches of the jungle-trees. None of them had been labeled as venomous (or perhaps she just hadn’t been close enough to be touched by them) but she had seen their quick, witty ways of life. Her ears drag themselves into the thick of her dark, tangled mane.
She would just have to be quicker. Wishbone knows it can sense her every movement as she approaches at a reasonably fast pace. She slows when she reaches the tree, keeping her ears twisted toward the serpent while her amber eyes quickly search out her target. She spots a lower-hanging golden apple, glowing dully among the shadow of the leaves.
But the snake is twisting toward her, fangs bared and tongue flicking. Just when the predator might strike, Wishbone pivots and races around to the other side of the tree. She spots another apple, this one higher up, and immediately rears onto her hind legs to snatch it before the snake can reach her. As she is falling with the apple clenched in her teeth, the predator’s jaws snap the air just above her face.
Without waiting to see if the serpent strikes again, Wishbone is racing back to the goddess with her cargo safe between her teeth.
Word Count: 382.
Answer: The name given was destrier.
She’s encountered all sorts of predators in her time alive already, being the adventurous one that she is. A lion had been present at her birth (creeping through the tall grasses with paws silent and teeth bared), a tiger cub had lept on her (though it had only been a new friend in a different form), a shadow-wolf had howled her name (under the glow of the moon, alongside its governor) — all of this she faced with a brave face.
There are snakes on Tephra, Wishbone reflects. She has seen them before, tying themselves in knots among the upper branches of the jungle-trees. None of them had been labeled as venomous (or perhaps she just hadn’t been close enough to be touched by them) but she had seen their quick, witty ways of life. Her ears drag themselves into the thick of her dark, tangled mane.
She would just have to be quicker. Wishbone knows it can sense her every movement as she approaches at a reasonably fast pace. She slows when she reaches the tree, keeping her ears twisted toward the serpent while her amber eyes quickly search out her target. She spots a lower-hanging golden apple, glowing dully among the shadow of the leaves.
But the snake is twisting toward her, fangs bared and tongue flicking. Just when the predator might strike, Wishbone pivots and races around to the other side of the tree. She spots another apple, this one higher up, and immediately rears onto her hind legs to snatch it before the snake can reach her. As she is falling with the apple clenched in her teeth, the predator’s jaws snap the air just above her face.
Without waiting to see if the serpent strikes again, Wishbone is racing back to the goddess with her cargo safe between her teeth.
Word Count: 382.
Answer: The name given was destrier.