They all struggled, so desperate. I feared the foals may be the first to be swallowed by the tar, their bodies smaller in comparison. I feared for Ru, who might never see me again, who will have never heard me say good bye.

No!

No!

I felt a wave of heat, a fuzzy white light drowned out my vision, my ears suddenly ringing. I shook my head, trying to shake the blinding light from my sight. And the ringing in my ears was constant, high pitched bell going off in my head. I neighed out, trying to move my legs. I was still ensnared by the tar, blinded and deaf. And my neck and chest burned with violent waves of pain. I tried to move my neck, but screamed slightly at the feeling. My flesh was burned, my fur singed. I snorted, the pain raging through my brain.

I threw back my head, at least, I thought I did. I couldn't tell what I was doing anymore, my head throbbing to a point that it was practically screaming. I wiggled my legs, but the tar held fast. She was so close, the doe, I could sense her presence, her life slipping. "Doe? Anyone?" I could just faintly hear my own voice, a faint whisper against the screaming winds of pain and fear. I felt fear creeping along my spine, a stealthy spider crawling up my back. I shivered, thinking about what would happen if I never did make it out of this alive. Ru would be alone in the world, living without me. I could never live a life without Ru, and so just imagining it made me shiver.

My sight and hearing slowly returned, but my sight was still blurry and my ears still rang. For now at least. From what my blurry vision told me, everyone was ensnared in the tar, and on some horses, I could see the blurred outlines of burns entangled in the blobs of color. I turned my head, pain shooting through my body. The doe was there, her sides slowly heaving, her life fading. I lowered my neck despite the pain, trying to touch the does' shoulder to show her I was there. She was a bloody blob in front of me, a glowing little blob nestled beside her.

I imagined the pain the poor doe was going through now, drawing the painful, dying breathes. She already had one foot in Death's door, in the condition she was currently in. It pained me to know she was still alive, in the shape she was in. I feared it was far too late for her to be saved, she had gone past the point of no return, her soul hanging just above Death's gnarled fingers. I wanted to help her somehow, but I knew there was no way to save her. "I am so sorry, I wish there was a way to help you and your child." I had bent over, killing my neck even more. My voice was droned out by the ringing in my head and the screaming burns on my neck and chest. I pushed myself as close as I could to the doe, trying to offer her what warmth I had left. "Please, accept my warmth for the time being. It's all I have to offer... I'm sorry." I murmur, my words soft as I bent down to the doe, trying to move myself closer to her. I offered what I had, warmth and love.
"Talk talk talk"
[ hope it's ok tingal is offering his warmth to the doe <3 ]