Well rested, Philippa was full of beans as she headed out on her trip. An exciteable Dougal barked behind her, racing out into the tunnel. She excited, kicking up the dust beneath her as she cantered onwards. The pup chased after her, nipping at the hairs of her tail that cascaded behind her.

The played together as they went, dancing together in their friendship which only got stronger the longer they were together. It was a beautiful bond that Pip never knew she needed. She enjoyed the company of others but relished in her own, soothed by the thoughts of her mind rather than the endless chatter she had to endure with others. But this, this was different. There was an unspoken word between them and there was a great joy to be had from it all.

A eye-piercing wail shattered the joyous atmosphere. They both stopped, ears pricked. Silence fell among them, breaths held, before another howl of hunger came. Louder, closer. Pippa had heard rumours; stories of the terrible hounds. She'd never truly believed in them, thinking they were told to scare youngens from venturing too far from their mothers sides. Never did she thinks she would face them. The smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils, a foul odour that made her sick to her stomach. With no time to think, she grasped the scuff of Dougal's neck who protested about the sudden man-handling. Apologies could be made later when they were safe. Now, Pip had to run. Run as fast as she could. Off she went, galloping as hard as she could down the track, hoofbeats echoing all around. The chase was on.

Relentless hunger drove the hell hounds as they raced after her, scrambling and climbing over one another, battling for number one spot to be the first to sink their teeth into her soft flesh. Pip took a sharp right, her hooves slipping beneath her at the tight turn. She regained her balance quickly, eating away at the ground as her stride opened up. She was athletic and quick but would it be enough? She wasn't a fighter and she didn't know the lay of the land well enough yet to know the bolt holes to hide in. Panic rose within and it took all her strength to push it down, not wanting it to bubble over and get the best of her. She needed to be calm; to think rationally. Her pup whimpered in fear, scrunching his feet up close to his chest to make himself as small as possible. He closed his eyes, hoping for it all to be over.

The hounds rounded the corner, sliding and smashing into the wall. They piled up on top of one other, using each other as a ledge to push themselves back into the race. They snipped at one another, arguing among themselves as they ran. They were feral beasts with only one focus and that was to tear something to pieces. Philippa's mission was for that something to not be her.

Again, she turned at her next available chance, almost throwing her body sideways in an unexpected jump to confuse the hounds. This time, she was a lot more stable and surefooted, not missing a beat as she did so. This path was short and narrow and when she reached the end, she turned again. And again. And again. Every opportunity, she took it to change direction, flitting left and right. The hounds were sluggish in their response, finding each turn harder than the last. Pippa smirked as she glanced behind her, watching them flounder around trying to follow her. It was working! She changed direction again, flicking her tail in the air as she performed a flying change in the turn. Now she was just showing off! It was important to not be too cocky just yet though as the hounds were still on her tail but their stamina was wavering and they were beginning to re-think their target choice.

She needed to keep it up and that she did. Turning again and again, her own stamina was staying strong, her gallop unwavering. It wasn't much longer when the hounds began to back off. The weaker of the pack became exhausted, unable to keep going. One by one, they dropped off her trail until there was no more. The howling stopped, the gut-clenching noise of their paws pounding after her quietened. That didn't stop Pippa though and she kept on galloping to ensure they were definitely not following her any longer. She kept going for at least another 20 minutes until she was satisfied she wasn't going to have teeth sinking into her hind. She placed her pet down on the ground, nuzzling his fur softly to apologise for the scare, checking he was okay and unhurt by the ordeal. He continued to whimper, shaking in fear.

"Let's go home."