Slowly I became aware of a weird thumping noise. I couldn’t quite make out which direction it came from, as it seemed to be echoing all around me. And... was that the earth shaking, or just my legs? The pounding moved towards me… fast. What is that? It almost sounded like… A horse, huge and snorting, crashed through the trees—a monster on four legs, barrelling straight towards me. I screamed. The animal reared onto its back legs, shrieking its indignation at the obstacle in its path. Whirling, I tried to move in another direction, any other direction. I managed a sort of half step backwards—followed by a graceless slow-motion stumble. My hands grabbed for the nearest thing to break my fall, the horse’s reigns. Someone yelled. Not me this time. Then a heavy object slammed into me from above. My feet left the earth, and I felt weightless for one terrifying moment. It only lasted half a scream... then my body collided hard with the ground.