The Fox Princess And Her White Dog

7: Falling to Pieces

Trapped in the eagle's black talons, Snow saw Nugai, Qara and her flock of sheep growing smaller and smaller, until they were mere specks in the distance.

She tried to wriggle out of the eagle's grasp, but every time she moved, she felt blinding pain as its talons cut into her flesh. The wind whistled in her pointed ears as she looked all around her in panic. A part of her was still unable to believe that she had been snatched up by the large brown eagle above her, and that she was now flying through the air.

The feathers in front of my eyes look real enough, the pain seems real enough, Goddess have mercy! Is this really happening to me?

She turned her head and saw that they were heading towards the mountains. For some strange reason, she recalled Erhi telling her that eagles usually nested high up in the cliffs, and that eagles hunted small animals to bring back to their young.

I'm going to be eaten! I cannot let that happen! she thought with horror.

Let go of me, you big bird! she wanted to shout, but her snout did not allow her to form human words. She did the only thing she could: she sank her sharp teeth into the eagle's claw.

The eagle gave a shrill cry and tightened its grip around her, squeezing her until she could hardly breathe. She bit down on the scaly claw again and again in retaliation, until blood flooded her mouth. The pain must have gotten to her captor, because it suddenly released her.

And then, she was falling through the air.

Snow wanted to scream, but she felt like her voice and her stomach had already left her body. As she shrieked a silent cry and tumbled head over tail towards the pine forest below, the people in her life flashed before her eyes.

Erden, her beloved. There was the Erden she had seen in the imperial gardens as a child, the Erden she knew throughout adolescence, and the Erden she married. We're supposed to spend the rest of our lives with each other and grow old together! she thought, her heart filling with regret.

Then there was her father, the Emperor who had no time for her. Her foster mothers and their cutting words. The Empress staring unblinkingly over her with a pair of bloodied scissors in her hand. The Empress again, covered in red fur in her terrifying fox form.

The princes, bullying and laughing cruelly at Erden. Weilong, handing her the reins to her first horse. The wizened dwarves whom she called her brothers, in their little wooden cottage filled with drying herbs.

Lastly, a beautiful face with dark brows and long dark lashes, partially obscured by snowy white hair.

Before she could figure out the last face, she crashed through the top of a pine tree. All she could see were the pine needles lashing at her face and body; all she felt was branches pummeling her and cutting her paws when she tried to grasp them.

Heaven help me! I don't want to die yet!

As she hurtled towards the ground, she twisted in mid-air and made a desperate grab for a thick branch near the bottom. Her fingers closed around it and she held on with all the strength she had. But then she slipped, taking fistful of leaves along with her, and landed feet first with a whump.

Startled birds took flight, and squirrels hid in their nests at the loud noise. When all was quiet again, they carefully peeked out to find, amidst the broken branches and pine leaves under the trees, a girl lying very still on the ground.

֎֎֎֎֎

Snow's eyes flew open and she gasped. She never figured that one day, she'd be so glad to wake up with her cheek pressed against damp ground covered in pine leaves and cones.