Some Scars Never Heal

Chapter 8-Wings of White

Misuke must have picked Lightning, Echo, and Celt. Moon and Legend are really great horses, but they're very old as well. They would have been retired to the fields to graze for the rest of their days within the next month or so anyway. Lightning is the youngest of the 3, he was bred for speed by his previous owners, but dad bought him for little trips to town to get supplies. He is a beautiful mouse grey color with a solid black mane and tail and is a strong thoroughbred by heart. Celt is a bit of a bigger horse, but not by much. She's only about half a month older than Lightning and has a mixed blood of Paint Horse and Thoroughbred. Her coat is a dark muddy brown with some white tobiano on top.

Her father only had Celt saddled in the short time he had. Without even thinking about it she stopped next to the mare and pulled the bridle off the saddle horn and moved to the front of the equestrian mammal. Fingers skillfully but gently urged the bit into her mouth before tugging the straps over her ears and fastening them in place. Only when she finished and patted the mare on the neck did she see her father rushing out of the barn with all the equipment for Lightning. She waited till he flung the saddle over his back before she took care of the bridle again. They were just finishing when Sora appeared just down the road ushering a frightened Mia in front of her.

The whole time the little family felt the rumbling through their feet. Questions swam around their heads but the presence of fear pushed all of them to the back of their minds. The only thing they all knew without a doubt was that they had to get out of here.

Kitsune' eyes snapped back to her father as he moved to go back to the barn. "Wait!! Dad, I can ride bareback, we don't have enough time. Let's go!" Panic filled every crevice of her voice, leaving nothing to the imagination. Misuke didn't turn to look at her, he just paused, as if thinking. When his mind came up with a conclusion he moved towards Celt, quickly hoisting himself on top of the mare.

"Sora, let Mia ride with me." His voice rang loud and clear over the thundering footstep of the titans. Sora looked hesitant for only a mere moment before it all disappeared only to be replaced by a strong determination and trust.

Soon enough the little girl was safely in the saddle in front of her father with only a little cooing and words of safety as a price to unfreeze the child. It was only when Kitsune's mother was atop Lightning that she finally mounted her own steed and steered him in the direction of the back-path that they would be taking. Turning her upper body in her seat she took one last longing gaze at the homestead before her. This would be the last time she saw this place in years probably, and it hurt. Of course it did, she grew up here. Wonderful memories rested on the grounds before her, and it was all about to be swallowed up by those horrible titans.

It was then, right at that moment, that she saw one of them emerge from the tree line. It's eyes were blank and bound of feeling except an extremely noticeable hunger, a hunger that can only be sated by human flesh. The things face was stretched in an inhuman grin, frozen there forever showing off freshly bloodstained teeth. The scarlet dribbled down the chin of the head too large for its body, and dropped onto a bony chest. Every single rib was visible, as if it had been starved to death.

If only they could.

If they were capable of starving then they would all be long dead by now. 100 years without food was long enough for even the best to die of hunger.

She couldn't think of the 'what ifs' now though, she can't afford it when every second counts. What she needed to do was get her family away from the scarlet stained beasts, and as fast as possible. Kitsune dug her heels into her horses side and they were off in the blink of an eye. She spurred the horse on as fast as he would go and kept it that way. The sound of two others following her and adding the music of their own hooves to the song assured her that her family was close behind.

When she felt like she had finally gathered enough courage to look back at the beast, she did, and it was one of the biggest regrets she had ever had. The titan was running at full blast at them. The path it took was a straight shot towards the little group, over fences, cattle, horses. It just mowed them all down. The titan was growing closer and closer by the millisecond, and it terrified her. Was she to late? Were they all going to die here in vain... She couldn't do anything as the beast grew closer, nothing except for hope that it would trip on something, anything to give them more time.

The thundering of its feet were so loud that it was almost deafening. The forest was so close now, if only they could make it, then the titan would have to slow down. She wanted to make it, she wanted to make it so bad... but it was when the foot of the giant landed right behind the group that clarity came to her.

We are all going to die.