Puck never slowed or grew winded, but sweat darkened his body and made her seating slick. And then a huge black creature burst from the ferns to their right and lunged at the horse, snapping its jaws. It was a hound, bigger than any sh'd seen, with eyes of blue fire. Puck leaped aside to avoid it and reared. One foreleg slashed out, striking the hound in the chest midleap, and the dog yelped as it was hurled away.

The bushes exploded, and five more monstrous dogs spilled into the road. Surrounding them, they snarled and howled, snapping at the horses legs and leaping back as he kicked at them.

Then, through the trees, she could see him, a lean figure on a huge black horse. The boy from her dream, the one she saw from the bus that day. His cruel, angelic face wore a smile as he drew back a large bow, an arrow glistening at the tip.

"Puck! Go!" She yelled, pulling back hard on his mane.
She saw him pull back the bow and knew they had to get out of there, quick.

The leaves above the hunter rustled, and then a large branch swept down, striking the boy in the arm just as he released the string. She could feel the hum as the arrow zipped past her head and lodged into a pine tree. A spiderweb of frost spread out from where the arrow hit, and Pucks equine head whipped toward the source. The hunter fit another arrow to the string, and with a shrill whinny, Puck reared and leaped over the dogs, somehow avoiding their snapping teeth. When his hooves struck dirt again, he fled, the hounds barking and snapping at his heels.

An arrow whistled past, and it was clear the other horse was pursuing them through the trees, its rider reaching back for another shot. Puck snorted and switched directions, plunging into a deeper part of the forest.

The trees here were monsters, and grew so close together that Puck had to swerve and weave around them. The hounds fell back, but they could still hear their bays and occasionally catch a glimpse of their lean black bodies, hurtling through the undergrowth. The rider had disappeared.

As they passed under the boughs of an enormous oak, Puck skidded to a halt, then bucked so violently that Amelia flew off his back. She soared over his head, and landed with a jarring impact in a crossbeam of connecting branches. With a snort, Puck galloped on, the dogs following him into the shadows.

"Puck wait!" She called out, but figured it was no use.
She looked around her surroundings, hating the feeling of being alone.

Moments later, the black horse and rider passed under the tree. He slowed for a chilling heartbeat. Then the excited howl of one of the dogs rang through the air, and he spurred his horse onward, following the hunt into the trees. In a moment, the sounds had faded. Silence fell through the branches, and she was alone.

"Well," someone said, very close by. "That was interesting."

She jumped a little at the voice, turning to were she heard the voice from.

There was nothing but leaves and sickly gray light shining through the branches.

"Hello?" She said quietly, her eyes were a bit wider than usual.

"I am not hiding, little girl." The voice sounded amused. "Perhaps...if you open your eyes a bit wider. Like this."

Directly in front of her, not five feet away, a pair of saucerlike eyes opened up out of nowhere, and she stared into the face of an enormous gray cat.

"There," it purred, regarding her with a lazy yellow gaze. Its fur was long and wispy, blending perfectly into the tree and the entire landscape. "See me now?"

She tilted her head a little.
"Uh- yes?"