JWP 2014 #17 --- Strength of Nature

[alaylith]

Title: Strength of Nature
Theme: July Writing Prompt 2014 #17 - July 17
Prompt: Truth is stranger than: Use one of these articles (Victorian Strangeness) as your inspiration for today's work. Choosen Article: The ship taken over by animals
Author: Alaylith
Rating: PG
Universe: BBC (S1); based on ACD's "Silver Blaze"
Characters: Sherlock, Silas Brown
WordCount: 335
Summary: Never underestimate the strength of nature, be it corporal or emotional.


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Later Sherlock can barely remember the moment nor explain why or how it happened.

Silas Brown is just about to hit Sherlock with his club - the club still glistening with John's blood - when a loud commotion draws their attention.

The horses are frightened - maybe by the loud noises of the fight, maybe by the smell of blood, maybe they were already agitated after Sherlock and John sneaked through their stable.
Their stable is old-fashioned, the single boxes having no wooden door, but are merely closed off with ropes and Sherlock left the door to the stable open in the case they would have to sneak back in.

All this combined makes it possible for the horses to escape and in their panic they turn into a rolling brutal mass of bodies.

And they come just in that moment when Brown is about to strike.
Sherlock, acting purely on instinct and still high on adrenaline, gets to his feet and jumps to the side, but Brown, so caught in surprise, is not even able to scream when the horses reach him.

He is buried alive underneath dozen of hoves and hundreds of pounds of flesh and muscle.
The horses continue on and escape to the moor, their coat looking like a shimmering wave in the moonlight and they are proof of the eternal and unlimited strength of nature.

Sherlock looks after them for a moment and then turns, not even sparing a look to Brown or what is left of him and walks back to where John still lies.
He is taken by surprise when he sees a horse at John's side, carefully snuffling his head with it's nose.

After a second look Sherlock recognizes the stallion they startled earlier and which John had calmed.
Walking up to them the horse looks at Sherlock and for a moment Sherlock feels like he is being scrutinized, but then the horse simply neighs and takes a step back, so Sherlock can reach John.

Strength of nature indeed.

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Comments

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

Woah! (Pun intended!) Sherlock was lucky he moved just in time. Great imagery here. :)