Even if the urgent quivering of his bright chestnut skin hadn’t been enough to prickle her wariness, the shrill sound that bellowed from his chest should have been. And yet time unraveled so quickly, like a string pulled on a woven tapestry, pulled hard just once but it was enough to unravel the whole thing. She stumbles back a step, or maybe he had, but there is suddenly a space between them where there hadn’t been before. And when conscious thought had a chance to peel back the fog of incredulity at the horse-turned-bear creature standing before, she stumbled back further.
Kronk shouts just as the bear rocks forward with a massive, outstretched paw. It takes a moment for the sensation of shock to pass, but then she can feel the pain of the claws where they found purchase within the soft skin of her narrow chest. She doesn’t cry out, doesn’t make a sound as she stumbles backward with Kronk tucked defensively against her shoulder. Nor does she notice when the bear falls back, teetering, and then shifts back into the chestnut stallion with the sad, haunted eyes.
With her pulse pounding frantically in her ears and the puckered gashes across her chest dripping red tears into the snow, she can only brace herself tremblingly against Kronk’s strong shoulder. It takes a moment for her to remember herself, but when she does those pale brown eyes lift quickly to find Ledger. The anguish in his face breaks her. Though the ache in her chest and the residual fear clamoring in her bones is quickly draining her energy, her face remains painfully soft.
“If you wanted my heart, you only needed to ask.” She says, wincing at the way her torn skin pulls when she gestures to the gashes buried in her chest. There is a light in her eyes, though it fades with each passing heartbeat, every new trickle of red in the snow, and a smile on her face that holds the hint of a grimace just beneath the surface.
ILKA
makai x oksana