Wild Berry Meadow it was a pale white horse with a crooked smile

the woman took hold of her limb and began to stretch it, carefully. she was gentle and careful, but each movement burned all the same. tension build between her shoulderblades, and she felt surely that something more was coming. her gritted teath parted a moment, as if to ask the woman to get it over with, when suddenly she pulled back sharply and her jaws snapped closed to stiffle a yelp, snapping her tongue in the process. heat rose to her cheeks and her chest trembled, the sting of her tongue adding injury to injury. 

she didn't reply, overwhelmed by hot angry pain and driven to silence by it. when she asked her question, large part of her shied away from the truth. "yes." it was the nature of wild things to fake strength, security when they lacked it, and the childish part of her wanted to be far from this woman if her help hurt so damned much.