Hawkes had awoken from their rest in the garden area feeling much better.

Their body didn't ache anymore and with a full stomach and a clean body they could now turn their focus completely on heading back up to the surface. And that was exactly how they felt for about fifteen minutes while they trotted up the steep slope heading, hopefully, to the above-ground. All was peaceful and good and wonderful up until they reached that horrible, horrible moment. 

They took another step, just as if they were walking normally, and then they felt it. Something was clinging to their hoof and fetlock with long, wet legs and flailing about uselessly, presumably trying to get onto Hawkes so it could bite them. The second they felt that, absolutely dreadful sensation, Hawkes jerked backwards, rearing up on their hind hooves and flailing their leg. 

"AAAAAEEEEEEEE! GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF!" Their voice rose to a piercing shriek as they stomped back down onto all fours, stomping and pawing and trampling, just trying to get the thing off of them. They didn't know what it was, and quite frankly they didn't want to know what it was they just wanted it off. And for some obscene or unusual reason, it just would not let go. Indeed, its grip seemed to tighten, clinging even harder to Hawkes' limb as they tried fruitlessly to 'encourage' the thing to release its sticky legs from where they had wrapped tightly around the base of their hoof.

It was only after aimlessly stomping and kicking for a solid five minutes that it occurred to Hawkes to stop what they were doing and actually try to see what was down there. The idea seemed horrible at first, but as Hawkes held their foot aloft, as far away from their body as they could manage, they realized it might actually be helpful in their short term goal of getting that thing off of them. 

Taking a deep breath, Hawkes prepared their self as they tentatively craned forwards to try and see what was on their hoof. 

It was squishy and blackish blue in colour, with six or maybe seven limbs with weird little suction cups on the end of each of them. Hawkes didn't know if the thing could classify as a bug or not, but they vaguely remembered that bugs were supposed to have six legs so as far as they were concerned, it must be a bug. Which really did not help them stay calm or figure out what to do. Hawkes hated bug. And they rarely dislike anything so strongly. But something about bugs just made their skin crawl and their body react irrationally to silly little things like this. Except this wasn't a silly little thing. If it was a bug, it was rather large, and it was on them. Which made it different from most bugs in many ways, being that most bugs weren't on them, and they also weren't as vaguely squishy as this thing was.

Evidently, the creature, be it bug or not, was smart enough to take the moment of stillness as an opportunity to peel itself from the bottom of Hawkes hoof. The feeling of the thing pulling away was almost worse than it just being there in the first place. It stuck to their fur and left trails of dark slime down their freshly cleaned hooves as it eventually freed itself and plopped down onto the ground with a soggy squelch. Hawkes immediately had the sense to back away, giving the poor creature plenty of space as it very quickly scrambled towards some nearby undergrowth to get away from the horrible equine that had just bashed and mashed its poor little body.

Hawkes snorted, hard, watching it disappear for a moment longer before leaping straight up and over the area near the creature and hightailing it away. They didn't dare stop, and they didn't dare look back until they were at least a good mile uphill. And even then they only stopped to catch their breath and snort back the way they came all over again, as if the creature might pop out at them at any second and wrap itself around them with those horrible sticky limbs.

They shuddered and continued along their way a bit faster than a walk, their good mood from this morning long forgotten.