Tame

There was a skip in Dawn’s step and cheery hum in her voice as she made her way back to her cart. Not even the usual wary and suspicious stares from the market’s regulars affected her mood.

Mack, her moody drafting horse, snorted and shifted his weight impatiently as she approached. He was an old boy and though he always complied with the regular visits to the marketplace, he hated being harnessed to the cart for long periods.

Dawn scratched the blaze of his face, white and bay horse hairs shedding loose.“Good boy.” She cooed to him, before heading to the back of the cart.

Dawn placed the cinnamon and salt in with the already packed away wares, when a strained voice spoke out behind her.

“Excuse me. Are you the witch that sells the healing remedies?”

Dawn turned towards the soft-spoken woman.

The woman had never introduced herself to Dawn so she did not know her name, but she recognised her as the butcher’s spouse.

Dawn did not like being referred to as a witch, but she had long given up trying to correct people. She smiled sweetly as she nodded.

“What can I do for you, ma’am?” She responded politely.

The woman sheepishly avoided eye contact.“It’s my son...” She replied. “He has been unwell with a fever for several days.”

Dawn could hear the worry in her voice, although she tried not to waiver.

Dawn nodded again before rifling through one of her supply bags.

“Any rash? Vomiting or diarrhoea?” She queried the concerned mother.

“No. It started with just a cough initially though...”

Dawn pulled a medium-sized vial from her supplies. She popped the lid off to sprinkle some additional ingredients in with the liquid.

“This is an anti-inflammatory and cough suppressant. It will relieve his fever and also any pain he may have.” Dawn explained, pushing the seal back on.

The woman glanced desperately at the bottle, but hesitated to take it.

“My husband... He would not allow me to take any coins from our earnings.” Her tone sounded shamed. “So would you consider a trade?”

When Dawn did not speak straight away, the woman continued.

“It’s dried bush turkey... A small amount we had left from today’s sales.”

She pulled a neatly wrapped parcel from her apron.

Meat was another luxury Dawn could not normally afford. Turkey was a readily available wild game for the area, often appearing by the cusp of the forest, and sometimes even wandering casually into the town. An easy, oblivious target for the hunters. But still, it was usually outrageously priced and reserved for the wealthier in the community. The small portion of dried poultry offered would still certainly cover the value of ingredients in the medical concoction.

“I will trade with you.” Dawn accepted the little package and the relieved mother carefully took the vial, cradling it in her hands.

“Give him a spoon full twice a day with food until it’s empty. Make sure he also consumes plenty of fluids. I’ll be setting up shop again in a few days. Please come see me again if he has not improved by then.”

The woman gave a small smile as she nodded a soft thank you. Dawn waved respectfully as she then faded into the commotion of the market.

The rattle and moan of the old cart escalated even more so as the road changed from well-worn stone gravel along the border of the trees, to an inclined dirt path that headed directly through the forest. It was cooler inside the engulfment of flora with heavy shadowing of light against the glow of the setting sun.

This path was barely able to fit one vehicle, but it was seldom trekked by anyone besides Dawn, acting as the unofficial private passage up to her house. With her usual unpopular regard from the townspeople, she very rarely had visitors. But Dawn was content living rural. She actually enjoyed living among nature albeit it was quite lonely at times living by herself.

It was not a particularly long way from here up to Dawns’ residence, but the forest was initially dense before it receded outwards to a clearing, where her home had been built many years ago. From the back of the property, the forest continued flourishing again into total wilderness.

Dawn and her equine companion did not quite get that far though, when an unexpected incident occurred.

Mack was trotting quite happily at the idea of heading in to direction of home, tail upwards and moving at an eager pace. Until he abruptly halted. His ears flicked attentively; nervousness apparent as he pawed his feathery hooves hesitantly at the dirt. He even took a few swaying steps backward despite Dawn offering gentle words of reassurance.

Dawn was trying to readjust the spooked horse by tugging the reins in the opposite direction, which was currently threatening to reverse off the path. The edges were soft and steeped down slightly which could be a potential bogging risk for the old cart’s already well-worn wheels.

Gazing into the broad arrangement of plants, trees and flowers, Dawn tried to decipher what had spooked the old stallion. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary initially. The wild geraniums stood out, a combination of red, white, and pink varieties were blooming proudly among the green of the thicket. There was a light rustling that sounded like the swaying of the coniferous and evergreen treetops, but Dawn quickly realised that sound was becoming more and more volatile as the sound amplified and became closer. It was the sound of something forcing its way through the forest brush and underfoot crackle of detritus.

Mack reared up and shrieked as a figure suddenly exploded out from the shrubbery and skidded to a halt in front of them. The surprise on the person’s face matched Dawn’s and she tried relentlessly to calm down the heavy draft horse. A clanging and clacking rang out as products loaded in the back of the cart disorientated from their positions.

Dawn could feel the man’s gaze change to something more sinister as she calmed Mack down enough to stop him flailing. She recognised this disheveled-looking man from his expensive, well-made clothes. It was the associate of Paige’s handsome crush from the marketplace, but the expression of this foreigner was not kind or charming. He had pale skin, high cheekbones, and a piercing stare of inhuman crimson that was unsettling and sent shivers up Dawn’s spine.

“I’m sorry sir.” she tried her best to be submissive and not waiver her tone while still partially controlling the reins of her nervous horse.

Dawn felt her own alarm bells ringing as the man did not respond. She was feeling her own fear creep in as she didn’t exactly know what to expect, but an abundance of terrible possibilities nibbled at her mind. His glare was accusing and terrifying and his demeanour was clearly not friendly. Especially with the colour of his eyes matching the blood splattered up his arms and dripping from a gash above his eyebrow.

The man took a fluid sidestep; the corner of his lip twitched as the low rumble of a growl escaped his throat. It shattered any illusion left of his seemingly human form. He did not break contact with Dawn until Mack lost his nerve again and let out another horsey scream. The unsettled horse thrashed out, instinctively trying to kick out at a predatory threat.

As Dawn tried to gain control of Mack again, the shapeshifter stalked past the cart and continued back up towards the main road and the direction of town. Dawn still scared, shifted in her seat and did not let out a sincere sigh of relief until he totally dissipated from view. She was ever thankful he did not even look back, leaving Dawn alone in the forest again.

Or so she thought.