(--)
Machidael is by me!
When the blade sailed over her and stuck thoroughly in the tree, Machidael knew he could not reach her quickly enough. Perhaps if he had a real throwing knife, or if the blade hadn't been already blood-slicked and therefore harder to grip, he might have at least nicked her and bought a few more minutes. When she was atop the horse, though, he knew it was lost. Still, he tried to advance, his injured leg stiff with the pain of his motion. With the movement and flash of his knife, Seraht was suddenly free and barreling away from him with the pale stranger on her back. The rust-streaked jackal's scowl was deepened, furrowed across his face and accentuating the darker hints of his jaw.
He kept his mouth shut, at least, as he watched the horse's fleeting hindquarters. Though he seethed with anger, he actually did not know any curses to articulate that anger. Perhaps he owed that for his silence. Soon, even the pounding of hooves faded away, and Machidael was left in the relative silence. He glowered in the direction of the last spot where he'd seen the pale flaxen hindquarters of what had been his horse. A cawing brought him out of his angry stupor, and his head snapped to attention, back toward the deer corpse. The ravens had settled down on it and were feasting away.
Machidael half-staggered to them, leaping half-heartedly when he was nearly upon them. Some were already rising, but a few of the most ardent feasters were too concerned with their meal to take heed of his advance. Snapping and slashing his claws, he tore into two, their lives hardly soothing to Machi's anger. The rest exploded away from the corpse, screaming and crying their own anger and fear.
@import url('http://sleepyglow.net/rp/post.css');
</style>[/html]