Four friends went into the forest just to relax. Nothing unusual—backpacks, comfortable shoes, a familiar route they’d taken before. The day was calm and bright, the sun filtered through the tall trees, and the air smelled of pine needles and damp earth. They walked, chatting, laughing, discussing the best place to stop for a rest.
At first, everything was as usual.
But after a while, they heard strange sounds. At first, they thought it was the wind or the snapping of branches somewhere deep in the forest. Then the sound repeated itself—a muffled snort, heavy breathing, as if someone was nervously shifting from place to place. Conversation died down. Everyone exchanged glances and stopped.
The sound was too close.
They slowly walked forward and soon saw it—a horse standing right in the middle of a narrow forest path. It was hopping in place, shuffling its hooves, shaking its head, and was clearly frightened. It wouldn’t let anyone approach. As soon as anyone took a step closer, it would jump back, snort loudly, and start pacing again.
Where the horse had come from in this dense forest—no one understood.
It looked well-groomed, but strange. It had a saddle and some straps, but everything sat unevenly, as if it had been hurried. The friends tried to speak calmly, approaching slowly, holding out their hands, but the horse wouldn’t calm down. It seemed as if it wanted to say something but couldn’t, which only made it even more frightening.
Pieces of human clothing were stuck to the horse’s back. Torn fabric, darkened with blood. Red stains, now dried but still too distinct to miss, were visible on the straps and saddle.
At that moment, everyone became truly afraid. Only then did they realize the horse was there for a reason.
Its rider was gone. He had vanished.
The horse was thrashing not out of fear of the humans, but because it was seeking help.
The friends exchanged glances and decided to continue along the trail, carefully examining the ground. They noticed hoofprints, trampled grass, broken branches.
They walked slowly, tensely, barely speaking. The horse stayed close, as if showing the way, occasionally stopping and snorting restlessly again.
They found him several kilometers later.
The man was lying near a fallen tree, pale and almost exhausted. It later turned out he’d accidentally hit a low branch, lost his balance, fallen from his horse, and seriously injured himself. He couldn’t get up and called for help, but no one would have heard him there.
If it weren’t for the horse, he wouldn’t have survived. It wandered off alone, reached the people, and brought them back. It was the horse that saved its owner.
After first aid was administered to the man and rescuers were called, the horse finally calmed down. It stood nearby, breathing quietly, and no longer thrashed.
