Element was on his back, pawing lazily at a passing snowflake. It turned out that the winter wasn't as harsh as he thought it would be, as his pelt had grown in thick and warm for the winter. It was also black, and soaked up the sunlight - when any was available. Right now, the winter was cold, and there was snow on the ground and in the air. He looked at the snowflake, keen cat eyes focusing on the edges and the shape of the thing, wondering how it was so well formed. How were the snowflakes so well formed? They came from the sky. Rain splattered from the sky in raindrops, and that was normal - falling would shape it that way. But the snowflakes, the snowflakes were in beautiful patterns, completely symmetrical, and Element didn't have a clue - not a clue - as to how or why they were that way.
One fell on his paw and he looked at it, white against black, until it soaked into his fur and was no more. Element licked the spot, tasting the cold frostiness of the air on his tongue, and continued to lie on his back in the pile of leaves that had fallen from the trees. White light filtered down through the branches that were void of any signs of life, any leaves or flowers, but Element knew they'd come back in the spring.
Element then heard an uneven thudding. Thud-thud, thud-thud. Perking his large harks up, he listened, emerald orbs concentrating on the darkness of the forest behind him. Thud-thud, thud-thud. The sound grew closer. He suddenly remembered where he'd heard that sound before; it was when he and Sanuye had ridden the horse to AniWaya.
It was the sound of hoof beats.
Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud - the sound grew louder and nearer, and Element stood up abruptly. He liked horses very much, liked their way of being free and riding in the wind, but didn't want to be in the path of a charging one. He sidestepped, then saw as the beast emerged from the dark and barren trees.
It was why he hadn't seen it; it was black, black as night, as black as Element himself. At the sight of the cat, the horse reared up on its hind legs and let out a loud neighing sound that echoed in Element's ears. Terrified, the cat made to run away, but not before the enormous beast crashed down on the little cat's leg.
Element let out a loud screech of pain as the horse raced away into the darkness - his leg, his leg, his leg...he dared to look down at the black appendage and saw that his foreleg was bent in such a way that it shouldn't be. Element tried to move, so that he didn't get in the way of any other dangers, but as soon as he did, he let out another cry. His foreleg, it hurt so, so much...suddenly, the world rushed up to meet him as he fell down. He was dizzy...so...dizzy...
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