The stillness shattered like a piece of glass. It all seemed to happen at once; a crack of lightning, the loud bark of a rain-drenched dog and a sudden howl of rage from the buttermilk stallion. And just like that her cover was blown, the illusion keeping her from being noticed fell from her frame like a sheath from a naked body, revealing her inky form in embarrassing clarity.

Even as the buckskin started towards her the sleuth knew that she was in trouble. It felt like everything moved in slow motion, a blur of limbs and half-finished thoughts and impulses flashing back and forth between body and brain; she threw the chiseled head back and reared, wings trying to explode outward in an instinctual flight response but were caught partway by the dense shrubbery. She tried to back, finding herself trapped in the very thicket she had used as shelter - if it hadn't been so dangerous she surely would have found something amusing about it.

There wasn't anything funny about the slender collie that charged in and leaped up towards her though. She could see its glistening teeth glimmer in the half-light beneath the canopy as it snapped towards her left wing, and heard a sickening crunch as they crushed feather pens together around the thick appendage, piercing through the skin and ripping it open as she swatted it, trying to shake the beast off. A shriek of pain expelled from the chest of the raven; with bared ivories she snapped towards the neck of the dog, trying to catch it between her own blunt fangs to rip it loose and toss it away, out of her way.

Then its master was there, barging through the dense thicket like a pale tank. Shadow caught a glimpse of a scarred face, raging teal eyes and a flurry of thick black mane... Then he spun around and unleashed a buck towards her, with frightening power and accuracy. Even as Dragomir worked his way in on her other side the pegasus threw herself forward, daredevil refusal to let them get the better of her as she slammed onwards to press herself past the pale equine. She felt his hooves connect with her right front knee with a disgusting thwack and almost blacked out from the excruciating pain that shot through it - but there was no time to stop, no time to think about it or let it slow her down.

Shadow was in trouble, and she knew it. She could smell the murderous intent on them, felt it with every cell of her body; they were trying to kill her. Maybe it shouldn't have surprised her after what she'd heard, but it did. Their blood-lust struck her squarely in the chest, squeezed the breath out of her and made her movements slow, sluggish even as she struggled to break through the slender willows, feeling the thin whips slap at her skin like countless lines of ice, ripping and bruising the skin for every frantic leap.

She thought she would make it. She was wrong. It wasn't that she had forgotten about Dragomir, nor that she believed she had escaped him. Just, the blackbird hadn't accounted for his greater reach, or the blind folly that drove him to act. As she finally was able to spread the wings wide she felt something heavy strike down on the left, already injured one that scattered blood in searing crimson droplets for every move made. She was unfortunate; the blow of large solid hooves that would have otherwise struck her ribs bore down on the fragile aileron, pinned it to the ground and snapped its bones with an audible crunch.

The shriek that pierced the clouded sky was horrifying. Fear and pain and a dread so tangible that it must curdle the blood of anyone hearing it, all lined with a singing rage that surely would have set the forest on fire had it not been for the damp weather. In a red haze of pain and fury the small mare lashed out, a sharp buck aimed for the tip of Ricochet's left shoulder while her teeth sought to deal damage to whatever part of the brown tobiano she could reach. With a maddeningly painful tug she ripped her wing loose from beneath the hoof of the murderous beast, leaving inky black feathers behind as she heaved forward with the appendage dragging over the ground, surging away from the three.

South. It was the only clear thought she had as she ran, sweat of terror lathering the folds of her bodice, knowing for sure that they would come after her. South was good, south was safe, south meant home and safety and scorching sun over endless red dunes, an ocean of sand guarded by strong, fierce, brave warriors. She had to find Midas, had to let him know, had to find safety... Then, as suddenly as the entire skirmish the pegasus swirled around and changed direction, letting instincts guide her as she instead charged north; safety was not a long, arduous journey across open terrain, where two strong and largely uninjured stallions could hunt her down. Safety was north, behind a gleaming glass wall guarded by allies - much closer, and through forests that would offer shelter and protection, slow her pursuers down...

All the good forces of Helovia, be with me now she prayed as she barreled on, crushing through the underbrush with no thought on anything but survival.