Interruptions

       

word count: 417 words chimes: 1

      There was a brief jump scare as a restricting force shot out of the Earth and tightly rooted all of his legs in place. The stranger had reared out of instinct and been caught in a perfect position for Jagmeet to headbutt. Had the stranger used his head he may have been able to avoid the fall, or maybe he wanted things to happen naturally. This was, after all, his opportunity to learn from a God. 

      Not fighting back had it’s consequences, such as getting the wind knocked out of him as the looming white stallion topped the stranger over his own feet. He landed with a wheeze and listened to the rough voice of the opposing Deity speak. Jagmeet seemed pleased enough to stretch and bask momentarily in the morning rays of light that glittered through the tree. The leaves were casting an ornamental shadow on the pristine cost of Jagmeet’s, even the stranger took notice of how peaceful the morning was here. A gentle breeze gave him easy access to air, so the stranger remained on the ground as he was given a moment to recover. It was a small act of kindness which he gratefully accepted. 

      Most of the vines had broken during his fall, but a few still held tightly to his back leg which made regaining his footing a pain. When he stood again and freed himself from the Earth, the stranger gave himself a good shake and nodded in response.

“Understood.”

      In the instant that those words left his mouthless skull, the glow of a crimson eye turned upward to Jagmeet. A puff of shadow engulfed the Deity’s entire face. It was just a cloud that could easily be dispersed by the shake of a head. 

      Was this all this creature could manage? The Stranger tilted his head to the side and held his ears forwards. Not at all. As Jagmeet dealt with a temporary hinderance to his vision, shadows were moving beneath him. All four of the deity’s legs were black, and then the stranger gifted him a mirrored attack. Black chains materialized from the shadows around his legs, and as if pulled together from an unseen force, they constructed and clamped all of Jagmeet’s legs together. Down he fell as his own legs were pulled out from under him. The stranger didn’t approach, but leaned forward a bit to see Jagmeet on the ground, now hog-tied. 

“Huh.” The curious creature spoke as if he had doubted his own ability.