I noticed now that it wasn’t alone—it was flying in formation with others of its kind. When they began to descend toward the earth, the one holding me suddenly released its grip, and I dropped from the sky, falling about twenty feet to the ground.
I hit the earth hard, rolled instinctively, and sprang back to my feet. The creature, along with the others, landed right in front of me.
From this close, I could see their bodies did resemble horses, but with massive feathered wings sprouting from their backs. Their faces, however, were slightly distorted—something was off about them.
We stared at each other for a brief moment, neither side moving.
Then I heard footsteps echoing behind me, coming from the forest. I turned and saw more of those creatures approaching, but these were on foot.
