Stella's plan had ultimately succeeded in the end. The beast writhed in pain, tangling itself up in the process before moving to attack the sound of the body hitting the ground. Then, the horses lost it and ran, causing the broken buckle to dig in deeper and the tangled leather to tighten its hold as the beast was dragged behind them.
"Haah...Haah...Haah!"
Stella ran. She ran and ran and kept running no matter how much it hurt. She knew the creature would eventually break free, and she wanted to be as far away as possible when it happened. Eventually, she couldn't go on anymore and stopped in front of one of the towering trees. It was thicker than the others around it, and big roots jutted from the ground in a jumbled mess.
"I need...to rest..."
She spotted a hole behind the fence of interweaved roots. It was small and was probably used as a path for a fox or some other small creature, but like the window of the carriage, it was just big enough for her to fit through.
