10.

PART 2

10.

Annabelle huffed an irritated sigh, the fingers of her left hand tapping an impatient beat against her leg. She glared broodily at the night sky above her, wishing the Hunt a miserable night, especially Odin.

When the old Fårie Lord had told her to jump, mid-ride, she had naturally been rather hesitant. Her wings had yet to recover from their long hibernation, and spells were not often co-operative with her.

She shook her hea, still skeptical as to whether or not Odin had purposefully had Sleipnir throw her from his back. She could remember hurtling towards the Earth, no doubt appearing much like a shooting star to any Human who happened to be looking. Her heart had been racing frantically, her screams stolen by the solid wall of rushing air all around her.

She had tried to unfurl her wings, but to no avail as they were not yet strong enough to respond to her call. Trapped in the tunnel of wind around her, she had gulped heavily and tried the only other thing she could think of. Turning herself so she could see the ground approaching, something which she immediately regretted but neverthe less stuck with, she leaned hard to her right when she caught sight of a great Oak tree. She struggled to raise her arm over her head, reaching out towards the closest branch, which was full of Autumn leaves. She counted in her head, trying to focus her panic into precise timing.

As she came within crashing distance of the branch, she pushed her feet down hard, as though she were on a swing. As her body twisted, she grabbed the end of the branch and used her feets momentum to swing herself back up and over the branch. She cried out as agony ripped through her shoulder, before she registered a faint pop, which rendered the pain beyond her recognition. She flew higher than intended, before losing her forward rush of power, and instead of landing on the branch as she had planned, she lanced instead inside an abandoned birds nest.

She lay on her back, momentarily winded but alive, a fact she was deeply greatful for. When her breath finally returned to her, the first thing she found herself doing, was gasping with laughter at her luck.

Her laughter quicky tapered off, turning to light chuckles which in turn became a pained groan, as she tried to sit up. She grit her teeth and rolled to her left, her right arm feeling hot, heavy and riddled with lances of pain. Once she had finally made it to her front, she pushed to her knees, using her left hand only as her right arm continued to remain unresponsive to her commands. She huffed an annoyed sigh, and turned her face to the sky, seeing the trail of the Hunt across the pale moon.

“Next time, Odin!” She promised, hoping he could hear her. “Next time I'm gonna have Sleipnir eating out the palm of my hand, and it'll be you who takes the Earth-bound nose dive! Just wait and see old man!” Her threats dried up with a hiss of pain, her left hand cradling her right arm close to her body.

She looked around the nest she had landed in, seeing little that would be able to help her, other than the scattered crisp brown leaves which had already fallen from the branches above. “So...” She wondered aloud, “how exactly am I supposed to get down from here..?”