OOCSorry that this is kind of awful but I'm struggling to get back into the right mindset for this
There was a tension in the set of the woman's body as she stalked ahead of them, Waisana following closely behind her. If their leader was worried then the doctor knew that she should be frightened as well. This was a fear of the unknown, what lay ahead of them a mystery as they crept onwards. Something could pounce upon them at any moment. The grasses rustling around them were proof of the horrors that lay around them, imagining nightlions and Glassbeaks and nameless monsters jumping out on them. The Opal clan girl craved the company of her Strider. Having Drusine near at hand would have made her feel safer, the horse providing a swift getaway. Aiyena had told them to leave their mounts behind and while they weren't too far from them, if it came to flight, the distance seemed like an infinite one. If something attacked them, Waisana was sure that she'd be down and dead long before she could reach the faithful animal.
She froze in place as a roar sounded somewhere ahead of them, eyes wide as she watched Aiyena to see what they should do. It could be nightlions but she'd also heard Zith roar like that before. Waisana wondered if the beast people were up ahead and were the source of all this death and destruction. No, if they were nearby, they'd know about it and furthermore, she doubted that the Zith colony had recovered enough to be willing to come anywhere near the Drykas again for a long while.
Aiyena crept forward again, briefly placing a hand on another animal corpse before drawing it away quickly. The doctor wondered what she'd felt. What could be so horrible to elicit such a response? The young woman nodded to show that she understood but honestly, she had no idea what to look for. Waisana paused beside the carcass, peering at it and probing it softly. She had no idea what had spooked Aiyena so much but as she touched it, she felt a surprising warmth. It could be that the heat of the day had left its mark on the animal or it could be a sign that it had died more recently. The unexpected heat made her draw back with a shudder, unwilling to check it for death wounds. Instead, she carried on even more on edge than she'd been before.
There was a growing twitchiness about the Watchwoman and the blonde found that it was catching, her senses sharp and on edge, causing her to jump at every little noise, whether it was a pebble or the rustle of the grasses. At one point, she was sure she heard a crunch as if something had been trodden underfoot.
Maybe it's the sound of something being ground down by teeth, she thought fearfully, finding herself trembling with fright.
When they entered an open space, Waisana became more terrified. There was nowhere for them to hide and they were easy to spot. Worse still, was the unnaturalness of the clearing. The ash on the ground seemed to suggest that the grasses had burned away. Considering the continuing warm weather, it wasn't out of the question that Syna had brought a bush fire upon this area but there was something wrong with it that the doctor couldn't quite put her finger on. Aiyena was rubbing the dark ash between her fingers and the doctor decided that this was as good a time as any to speak to her. She crouched down beside her, getting as close as she dared so that she could speak as quietly as possible.
"What is this?" she asked softly, motioning to the ashy ground. Fire? Something else? She gazed around the little clearing. It wasn't that the grass had been burned away. It looked like it hadn't grown here at all. Burned grass would still have left signs, even if it was only a few short little stalks jutting above the earth. "Do you have an idea what this is? Do you know why the animals have died? Why the predators are hiding everywhere?" Although she kept her voice as soft as possible, she could still hear the anxiety in her tone. The doctor gazed at Aiyena with wide, questioning eyes, expecting her to provide answers. Perhaps she knew more about what they were facing than she was letting on.
There was a tension in the set of the woman's body as she stalked ahead of them, Waisana following closely behind her. If their leader was worried then the doctor knew that she should be frightened as well. This was a fear of the unknown, what lay ahead of them a mystery as they crept onwards. Something could pounce upon them at any moment. The grasses rustling around them were proof of the horrors that lay around them, imagining nightlions and Glassbeaks and nameless monsters jumping out on them. The Opal clan girl craved the company of her Strider. Having Drusine near at hand would have made her feel safer, the horse providing a swift getaway. Aiyena had told them to leave their mounts behind and while they weren't too far from them, if it came to flight, the distance seemed like an infinite one. If something attacked them, Waisana was sure that she'd be down and dead long before she could reach the faithful animal.
She froze in place as a roar sounded somewhere ahead of them, eyes wide as she watched Aiyena to see what they should do. It could be nightlions but she'd also heard Zith roar like that before. Waisana wondered if the beast people were up ahead and were the source of all this death and destruction. No, if they were nearby, they'd know about it and furthermore, she doubted that the Zith colony had recovered enough to be willing to come anywhere near the Drykas again for a long while.
Aiyena crept forward again, briefly placing a hand on another animal corpse before drawing it away quickly. The doctor wondered what she'd felt. What could be so horrible to elicit such a response? The young woman nodded to show that she understood but honestly, she had no idea what to look for. Waisana paused beside the carcass, peering at it and probing it softly. She had no idea what had spooked Aiyena so much but as she touched it, she felt a surprising warmth. It could be that the heat of the day had left its mark on the animal or it could be a sign that it had died more recently. The unexpected heat made her draw back with a shudder, unwilling to check it for death wounds. Instead, she carried on even more on edge than she'd been before.
There was a growing twitchiness about the Watchwoman and the blonde found that it was catching, her senses sharp and on edge, causing her to jump at every little noise, whether it was a pebble or the rustle of the grasses. At one point, she was sure she heard a crunch as if something had been trodden underfoot.
Maybe it's the sound of something being ground down by teeth, she thought fearfully, finding herself trembling with fright.
When they entered an open space, Waisana became more terrified. There was nowhere for them to hide and they were easy to spot. Worse still, was the unnaturalness of the clearing. The ash on the ground seemed to suggest that the grasses had burned away. Considering the continuing warm weather, it wasn't out of the question that Syna had brought a bush fire upon this area but there was something wrong with it that the doctor couldn't quite put her finger on. Aiyena was rubbing the dark ash between her fingers and the doctor decided that this was as good a time as any to speak to her. She crouched down beside her, getting as close as she dared so that she could speak as quietly as possible.
"What is this?" she asked softly, motioning to the ashy ground. Fire? Something else? She gazed around the little clearing. It wasn't that the grass had been burned away. It looked like it hadn't grown here at all. Burned grass would still have left signs, even if it was only a few short little stalks jutting above the earth. "Do you have an idea what this is? Do you know why the animals have died? Why the predators are hiding everywhere?" Although she kept her voice as soft as possible, she could still hear the anxiety in her tone. The doctor gazed at Aiyena with wide, questioning eyes, expecting her to provide answers. Perhaps she knew more about what they were facing than she was letting on.
