Solo Dépaysement

Lina finds herself lost in foreign country and everything that could go wrong does. However she is not alone!

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While Sylira is by far the most civilized region of Mizahar, countless surprises and encounters await the traveler in its rural wilderness. Called the Wildlands, Syliran's wilderness is comprised of gradual rolling hills in the south that become deep wilderness in the north. Ruins abound throughout the wildlands, and only the well-marked roads are safe.

Dépaysement

Postby Lei'Lani on August 4th, 2021, 8:29 pm

90th Summer 521av
Dusk, Wilderness just outside Zeltiva


  Lina jerked around. The brushwood behind rustled and jostled, a shadow leapt into the gathering darkness beyond. Wide eyes searching the undergrowth in the ever dying light of Syna, Lina realised she had been holding her breath and so quickly released it; drawing in a deep steadying breath of the earthy tones of the surrounding wood.

  Other than the soft trickle of the shallow stream before her and gentle whispers of the tall oaks and spruce encompassing the area, the sound she thought she heard was gone. She was not accustomed to the common sounds of nature and every hoot, chirp or howl sent her heart leaping into her throat.

  With no sign of threat lurking in the dense undergrowth, Lina let out a relieved sigh and turned back to the load of wet clothes at her feet. She realised her fingers had gone numb with squeezing her bar of soap so tightly that she had to switch hands. Flexing the feeling back into her dominant hand, Lina only had maybe two more items of clothing left to wash.

  Glancing up through a break in the canopy of spruce, the gnawing worry eating away in her gut began to grow. She was losing light quicker than she had anticipated and would need to head back, least she get caught in the wilderness in the dark. The very thought sent a shudder through her body.

  She had had to travel deeper into the wood than normal, the usual branch off one of the main rivers coming down from the Zastoska mountains she normally used for washing her clothes had dried to barely a trickle in the summer heat.

  Unaccustomed to traversing nature and getting turned around very easily, Lina had always kept the sight of the lights of Denvali within range and never had to travel far. This time was different and Lina had found herself suddenly deeper into the wood than she had ever tramped before.

  Stuffing her wet clothes and bar of soap back into her worn bag, Lina stood and stretched her aching back and thighs. Turning slowly, she suddenly realised she had forgotten the direction from which she had come across the new stream, all the trees looked alike and there wasn't a break in the dense wood that provided a path. The knot in her stomach clenched sickeningly tight.

  Biting the skin around her thumbnail Lina glanced nervously around her. Fear trapped her feet in place, but the terror of being stuck in the wood in the pitch black spurred her on to pick a direction. She put the slow, burbling stream to her back and hoisting her pack higher onto her shoulder, strode anxiously into the depths of the foreign wilderness.
Last edited by Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 11:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Dépaysement

Postby Lei'Lani on September 19th, 2021, 3:15 pm

Several Bells Later...


  A high pitched howl caused Lina to falter and stumble, snapping twigs and crinkling decaying leaves along her path. Her heart thundered in her chest and she constantly found herself half holding her breath.

  Syna had completely taken to slumber, leaving the frightened young Konti alone in the dark. Verging on tears, it was everything she could do to swallow down the terror roiling in her stomach.

  She could hardly see where to put her feet in front of her, which if she was honest with herself didn't exactly make her situation any worse than it had been; it wasn't like she knew where she was going regardless. Now though, in the shifting shadows of the tress above, she stumbled more and constantly tripped or slipped over rocks, branches and slick moss mounds.

  Her hands were wet and filthy, her knees ached from the few times she fell over. She just wanted to be home; but every turn, every bell that passed she felt as though she was journeying further and further from her goal.

  Glimpsing sight of the moon above through a gap in the canopy of oak and spruce, Lina's heart sank. Her bottom lip quivered as she suddenly realised how exhausted she was; the moon was well nearing midnight and the sudden realisation that she had been walking for bells began to hit her. She was alone. No one knew where she was. This was supposed to be a routine laundry run.

  Sucking in a deep breath Lina shook herself out of the spiral of gloom. This was fine, she was going to be fine. Walking in circles and nearly breaking her ankle trying to find her way in the dark was getting her nowhere. Finding somewhere safe and waiting until Syna rose again would produce better odds at finding her way back to the Denvali Quarter in the morning.

  Squinting hard through the bleak night, Lina searched for a sheltered spot, pulling her coat tighter around her as the chills of the open night air sent shivers up and down her arms. The ground bounced under her feet beneath a tall, widespread spruce. Bending down she felt the thick layer of fallen needles from the tree. This could be comfy.

  Crawling in tight against the coarse bark of the tree's trunk, Lina hugged her legs in tightly to her chest. Rocking back and forth seeking both comfort and warmth, her eyes darted from shadow to leaf. The constant skitter of unseen critters unnerved her and a hooting owl nearby made her jump.

  Lina felt as though in the night, the forest was alive with creatures she could not see, but the hairs standing on end at the back of her neck, told her they must certainly be watching her.

  A howl ripped through the night and a small cry escaped her. She clasped her hand over her mouth and bit down on her palm, the bitter taste of mud made her grimace. It sounded close, too close for comfort. What if there were wolves or bears or something else out here that would eat her?

  Shimmying her pack from her shoulders, Lina frantically searched through her wet laundry for her flint and steel. A fire would scare them away! Right? In the dark void of night, Lina used her hands and felt around her for twigs or fallen branches within reach. Forming a small pile in front of her, clearing away the think layer of needles, her cold fingers fumbled awkwardly with the flint and steel.

  A few sparks lit into the night, almost blinding her, but none were taking to the pitiful mound of twigs in front of her. The brush to her right rustled and swayed. Panic induced clumsiness as Lina hastily tried to ignite her fire. She could feel eyes watching her.

  Shadows darted from bush to tree. Another howl split through the chirp of insects and forced her heart to hammer painfully in her chest. The undergrowth to her left crinkled and shook violently as something emerged from the shadows! She held her breath. Something was there, watching her, stalking her.

Dear Divines, please don't let it be the wolf come to eat me!
Last edited by Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 11:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Dépaysement

Postby Lei'Lani on September 19th, 2021, 3:18 pm

  In the faint moonlight, drifting in dappled patterns along the forest floor, Lina saw long ears, a waggling cloud puff of a tail and twitching whiskers. She slumped in relief, half collapsing to the needled ground, letting at last her breath go into the night as the hare sat staring curiously at her from afar.

  Gulping down the lump that had formed in her throat, Lina tried to calm herself as her hands shook from the frightened rush of adrenaline. She had truly thought it was some wilderness monster come to eat her, shaking her head she almost giggled aloud to herself at how paranoid she had been.

  Just as she turned back to the small pile of twigs before her, to once again attempt to ignite a fire, the hare skittered about it's business, satisfied that Lina was no threat.

  Sparks flew once more but again did not whoosh into flame. Lifting a large twig closer to her face, squinting in the dark, Lina began to wonder if it was because the twigs she had gathered from the ground were wet.

  Yes, that must be why her flint and steel were failing at producing flame. Allowing the twig to fall to the ground, Lina fell back onto her ankles with a frustrated sigh.

  The distant hoot of an owl perched nearby sent shivers running down her spine. Without the hopes of a fire to bring light and comfort, Lina was feeling very vulnerable and alone. What was she going to do?

  Suddenly the hare stood upright on it's hind legs, it's ears swivelling this way and that. Within a tick, the hare bounded like a lightening bolt through the brush in such a rush, that caused Lina to jump to her feet in alarm.

  She squinted in vain through the near blackness around her, only the faint moonlight drifting in through the tree tops to give her any idea of her surroundings.

  The brush to the left rustled. Deep, resounding growls reverberated through the tense, still air. Lina's heart seemed to stop beating as she froze in terror. Sharp teeth inched through the underbrush into the clearing followed by the hunkered form of a taupe furred coyote.

  She could hear herself whimper past her clenched jaw, though she quickly gained control of her voice least she attract any more attention to herself.

  Shuddering with fear, yet paralysed in place Lina held back tears as the beast sniffed at the ground where the hare had emerged. She attempted to ease herself back a step, to silently escape before the coyote noticed her.

  SNAP!


  Lina flinched still as her heel crunched a dry twig in half. The coyote's head whipped up towards her. A powerful, threatening grumble sounded from deep within the creatures chest as it now circled towards her.
Last edited by Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 11:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby Lei'Lani on September 19th, 2021, 3:22 pm

  Teeth barred the hungry canine edged stealthily closer, Lina whimpered as she inched backwards, her back bumping into the widespread spruce behind her.

  Tears now flowed freely down her pale cheeks as her mind raced for solutions to save her. She didn't want to be eaten alive, all alone, when no one knew where she was. Images of her own bones lying forever lost among the undergrowth made her almost pee herself in terror.

  No. She wasn't going to go out like this! Her mind snapped out of the cloud of fear as she shook herself. She endured everyone's fears every day, she could grab a handle on her own.

  She pushed her trepidation and panic deep down into the roiling pit in her stomach to free her mind and body to the task at hand. She needed something to fend the beast off. She was weapon-less and much preferred to keep her limbs.

  Lina's wide doe-eyed gaze flicked wildly around her, but in the near pitch black she couldn't find anything nearby. Something in her backpack dug into her spine as she pushed herself up tight against the spruce's trunk. Her bag! It wasn't great, but it was all she had.

  Carefully, slowly, Lina shrugged the straps of her backpack from her shoulders. Her gaze forever locked on the four-legged beast before her as it inched closer, the rumbling growls in its chest growing louder, more ferocious, it's sight set upon its prey.

  Taking in staggering breaths as she worked up her courage, Lina sought for an opening. A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the canopies above allowing beams of moon light to shine down for the briefest tick. It was enough. Thank the divines for this chance.

  Biting her lower lip, Lina gulped, she had to go, she had to go now! Before she realised what she was doing, Lina let out a high screeching scream into the otherwise quiet night and darted for the brush to the right. Almost instantly upon her the coyote let out a bloodcurdling roar in pursuit.

  Bounding almost inconceivably fast after her, the coyote leapt at her heels. Never letting the coyote out of sight from over her shoulder, Lina reacted almost instinctively and swung her bag around at the coyote the moment it leapt for her. With all the strength she could muster, Lina whipped that backpack around, all the while praying to Avalis to save her, for anyone to save her.

  Lina's fingers stung like wildfire as her backpack was ripped from her grasp upon impact. A high-pitched whelp echoed into the night as the coyote was struck on the maw and sent tumbling to the side. Lina didn't wait, she turned and bounded as fast as her legs would carry her into the depths of the forest.

  Racing past brush as it snagged at her trouser legs, she held her arms protectively over her face, although it was in vain as sharp branches and nettles tore at her arms and hands, leaving stinging pinpricks all over her.

  She didn't care, adrenaline drove her through it all as she could feel the ever hungry snapping teeth hurtling after her once more.
Last edited by Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 11:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 7:36 am

  Screaming at the top of her lungs Lina exploded through the forest, the barking growls of the beast at her heels. The forest floor dipped and rose unexpectedly and several times Lina half expected herself to tumble to the ground, but somehow the momentum of her fleeing for her life, kept her going.

  With a surprised yelp, Lina suddenly fell down a shallow bank and splashed into the cold waters of a small tributary. Coughing and spluttering the water from her face, Lina didn't dare lose a beat and instantly pushed herself to her feet.

  Stumbling over the unseen pebbles and rocks beneath the flowing waters, Lina clambered up over the other bank, her hands and knees covered in slippery mud, she forced her arms and legs to work through the muck.

  Her lungs burned with each breath as Lina urged her leaden legs to drive her faster and further than they seemed capable. To allow her body to quit, even for a moment, would mean death.

  Hopelessness seeped into her heart as she struggled to keep running, her legs wobbling with each step as the salty tears coursing down her face drippled into her mouth. She knew she couldn't outrun the coyote much longer as a single glance over her shoulder drew a screeching whimper from deep within her throat; the beast snarling ever closer, almost upon her.

  Momentarily distracted, Lina wasn't concentrating on where she was going, her foot caught between two mossy mounds and she instantly went down. Tumbling to the side, Lina suddenly began sliding down a steep decline. Nettles, twigs, rocks and fallen branches tugged, pinched and battered her as Lina slid and rolled uncontrollably down the gully side.

  With an oomph, Lina crashed to a stop on her belly, the air driven painfully from her burning lungs upon impact. Cuts and bruises peppered her body as Lina moaned, rolling onto her back in a daze.

  Everywhere hurt, though as she flopped her arms over her forehead and straightened her legs, she knew nothing was seriously damaged; no shooting, agonising pains erupted anywhere so that was something.

  Despite no bones being broken, it didn't alleviate the aching agony she received from the battering on the way down. Groaning, her mind raced to catch up to what had happened.

  One moment she was bolting through the forest, the next, she went careering down a hill. Her eyes were suddenly thrown wide as she remembered the snapping maw of sharp teeth chasing after her and Lina instantly pushed herself up onto her elbows.

  Laying on the trickling base of the gully, she was at least gifted with a little more moonlight with which to scan her surroundings. No sign of the coyote. She held her breath as she strained to listen past her hammering heart. She couldn't hear the snarling beast, though, she knew that didn't mean it wasn't right on her trail.

  Groaning through the pain as her body rejected each movement, Lina forced herself to her feet. She cried out when she attempted to put her full weight on the foot that had disappeared between the two moss mounds and swiftly shifted her weight onto her other foot. Great, that's just great.

  Dusting off her muddied hands on her trousers, Lina glanced around her. If she wasn't lost before, she definitely was now. Tears once again welled as panic replaced the adrenaline rush. Chewing the inside of her cheek, Lina knew she couldn't stay here; the creature wouldn't be far behind.

  Reluctantly, Lina tested her painful ankle by easing her weight onto it gently. Biting down on her lower lip hard, she winced as tears anew trickled down. She could weight-bear at least, but with agonising aches pulsating around her ankle with each step.

  Feeling very sorry for herself, Lina forced herself to move, moaning and groaning through barred teeth as she began hobbling up the gully. She didn't know where she was going but she couldn't stay here.

  As she staggered slowly up the small trickling rivulet on the gully floor, she decided she needed to find a good vantage point. She needed to know just how screwed she had become.

  Shivering and teeth chattering, Lina rubbed her arms furiously for warmth. Her clothes wet and muddied from the stumble in the river earlier had not done her any favours. She wasn't sure how long she had been struggling and hobbling up the gully, however she had at least made good progress and even managed to climb out of the small depression on her hands and knees.

  Though, it had been through many tears and many moments on the verge of giving up. Her body felt battered and broken, the cuts peppering her skin everywhere stung and itched and she was exhausted; not just physically.

  Pushing past her body's comfortable bounds, had been far more mentally taxing. Yet, the urge to survive and the thoughts of a warm hearth and sweet tea pushed her ever through those boundaries and Lina was now limping her way towards a gathering of tall oak.

  Stumbling up the the thick trunk of the one nearest her, Lina glimpsed up it's height, peering up at the branches and limbs above. Panting in the night air, the forest seemed quiet, serene all around with naught but the chirps of insects as she eyed the broad tree sceptically. With her ankle the way it was she hesitated.

  A howl abruptly erupted through the dense forest freezing Lina in her tracks as her gaze whipped about furiously. It was close. She knew it was the coyote, hunting her trail, stalking her. Shivering with more than just the cold, Lina clenched her jaw and groaned through critted teeth as she reached for the nearest handhold.

  She had come this far, pushed her body beyond what she thought possible. The instinctive urge to survive drove her onward and gave her fatigued limbs a new burst of energy; from where, she didn't know.

  All she knew was she couldn't outrun the beast should it burst through the undergrowth and she hadn't the energy or capacity to fend it off. Her only salvation would be to make it up the tree.

  Two birds one tree, she would hopefully be safe from the creatures clutches and also potentially be able to find her bearings; she just had to make it up this tree.
Last edited by Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 11:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 7:40 am

  The old oak was gnarled, its trunk rough-hewn and sticky with sap. Lina hadn't been much of an adventurous child, preferring the comforts of a warm library to that of the cold and wet outside. Now more than ever, Lina regretted her life choices.

  Yet need fuelled her sore, stiff body into action as she reached as far as her shoulders would allow for a handhold. With her ankle pulsating with agony and swelling up inside her boot, Lina knew she would have to rely on her upper body strength; as wanting as that might be.

  However, as she found grip with both hands on the coarse bark of the oak, Lina pushed from the ground with her good leg and as quickly as she could tried to find traction with the sole of her foot on the trunk.

  Her whole body screamed at her; battered, bruised and fatigued, it had had enough, but Lina ignored her aching muscles and pushed the pain to the far reaches of her mind, locking the torrent of emotion away until she could deal with it later. That was the only way she was able to force her limbs to move.

  Confident in her foothold, Lina searched above her for the nearest branch to swing up onto. Leaning to her left she carefully outstretched her arm to grab a hold of the tree's limb, shifting her body towards it ever so slowly. Her foot slipped! With a scream Lina slid to the forest floor on her rump.

  "Ah-ow," Lina's voice cracked as she whispered in despair to herself. Looking down at her hands, she couldn't see in the dark of the night, but she could feel her hands stinging slightly.

  Rubbing the feeling out of them, the sap from the tree made her hands sticky and gunky, causing Lina's nose to wrinkle in disgust. This was why she never ventured into the outdoors. It hated her, just as much as she hated it.

  With an exasperated sigh, Lina drew upon reserved will and rolled to her feet. She once again took strong hold of the oak and hoisted herself up, once again using friction from her boots to hold herself in place. This time she didn't falter, this time Lina knew where she wanted to go.

  Suddenly a ferocious bark cut through the still night air! Lina whipped her head around to see the coyote that had hunted her, bound up the gully and sprint right for her across the plain. Without thought Lina threw herself at the extended branch and hugged it for all she was worth.

  "Ah-ha," Lina half-smiled to herself at her surprising victory, but before she could relish in the moment, the coyote leapt up at her! Maw snapping wildly, Lina instantly swung her legs up onto the sanctuary of the tree's limb. She suddenly cried out as an explosion of searing hot pain lanced across the back of her calf.

  Shimmying herself onto the protection of the branch, curling tightly against the rough bark, Lina sobbed openly, the rush of panic and terror overwhelming her as the coyote growled ferociously beneath her.

  With its prey escaping, the coyote suddenly leapt at her. Lina squealed as she realised she was not yet safe and out of the beast's reach. She bolted to her hands and knees and despite the rippling agony from her ankle, Lina forced her joint to hold as she jumped as hard as she could manage for the thick bough above.

  The sticky sap from the oak's bark was actually aiding her in maintaining her grip on the limb above as she swung to and froe, gaining momentum to swing her legs up onto the perch once more.

  Sobbing uncontrollably, Lina could hardly see through the torrent of tears filling her eyes, but she persevered through clenched teeth against the smarting of her body as she hauled herself up.

  Her arms burned in protest, but she bit down hard on her lower lip to fight through it, shimmying on her stomach until she lay face down on the bough, her legs clenching tightly to the broad branch. She was too terrified to allow her legs to dangle, too terrified to move, so she lay, helplessly facing the snarling beast below her.

  The coyote continuously attempted to leap at her, teeth barred and snapping. It even on occasion bounced off the trunk in an attempt to gain further height. Luckily the perch Lina had successfully laid claim to, kept her just out of reach; but only just.

  Burrowing her face into the abrasive bark of the bough, Lina allowed at last the pent up emotions to run free and wept tempestuously into the night.
Last edited by Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 10:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 9:19 am

  
Drip. Drip. Drip.


  The cold and stinging feel of water tapping onto her cheek stirred Lina from the world of the dead. Creaking open her eyes, the dull shine of Syna greeted her with a day anew. Lifting her head, Lina groaned as her body came awake with stiff movement and in return sent pulsating aches all over her.

  She lay a moment unmoving, letting her body settle and in return for the pain to subside slightly. She didn't remember falling asleep. The rest had been dreamless, though memories of the night haunted her and tears threatened to flow once more.

  She didn't remember falling asleep, but she remembered the cold; shivering uncontrollably that it hurt. She remembered the hunger, her stomach grumbling in pain.

  She didn't remember falling asleep, but she remembered her throat itching and cracking from the sobs. She remembered squealing every time she thought the coyote was at last going to grab her, as it leaped for breaks up at her.

  Swallowing hard against the dry lump in her throat, Lina slowly dragged her tired gaze to the forest floor below. The coyote was gone. The grass below was barren. She was too exhausted to elate at being safe, for she wasn't.

  She felt as though her mind was disconnected from the shell that was her body. She was still had no idea how far she had fled from Zeltiva in the race for her life.

  Closing her eyes in dread, she suddenly remembered her situation and Lina knew she was going to have to move. She had to climb to the top of the oak, to find her bearings, to find her way home.

  Grumbling and groaning, Lina forced her leaden limbs to move and very slowly eased herself up, all the while careful not to lose balance and slip off her safety perch. It was a wonder she hadn't fallen in her sleep.

  Shuffling herself back until her back was against the trunk of the oak tree, Lina paused for a rest as her body slowly woke through the haze of pain. Resting her head against the bark, Lina had never felt so weak, so hungry and thirsty.

  A sudden sharp, burning sensation ignited across the back of one of her calves. Sucking in sharply through gritted teeth, Lina turned her leg around and tentatively pulled the material of her slashed trouser leg to peek at the wound. Two slashes grazed her calf, blood clotted at the sight of the wounds, but dried blood soaked her trouser leg.

  Thumping her head back in despair Lina choked back tears as she recalled how close she had been, how close the coyote had been. It unnerved her so, to realise her own sudden mortality.

  She always craved to know and understand the reason for mortality if, as others believed, their souls were simply reincarnated back into the cycle of life. Lina's lower lip quivered as she fretted over having come so very near to losing her life.

  Just then, water droplets dribbled onto her face. Annoyed more for the cold sting the water inflicted upon her forehead, Lina grumbled as she peered up. A cluster of curled leaves burdened by guttation leaked water upon her.

  Parched, her lips dry and cracked, Lina jolted awake with new life as she reached for a few of the leaves and pulled them to within reach. Suckling on the leaves like a babe at it's mother, Lina didn't even give thought to the dirt or disease she might get from licking the raw leaves, but she didn't care, she was parched.

  Lina rejoiced and revealed in the surprise turn of fate and felt life once more fuel her otherwise desiccated body. She never would have guessed she could find water in a forest from drinking the droplets upon the leaves of the tree.

  It was a marvellous revelation and Lina took her time, plucking as many leaves as her body demanded and were within reach.
Last edited by Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 10:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Lei'Lani on September 20th, 2021, 10:57 pm

  With renewed vitality Lina didn't feel so beaten and hopeless. With renewed drive she forced her aching limbs to move to her command and inched herself, ever so carefully, to her feet. Her swollen ankle partially buckled beneath her weight as she was painfully reminded of the injury sustained from the night before.

  Shuffling her feet to take some of the weight off her sore ankle, Lina suddenly flinched at the searing pain in her calf on the other leg. She cursed under her breath, all the while balancing herself by holding on to the trunk behind her for support. Panting through the pain, Lina focused her mind to the task at hand.

  As she cautiously, slowly, began the arduous climb up the gnarled and twisting fingers of the oak tree, Lina tentatively tested each bough to ensure it would hold her as she inched her way up the tree. It might have taken a few bells, or breaks, Lina couldn't tell, but at last she found herself high enough to peek through the oak's canopy across the vast wilderness surrounding the sea city of Zeltiva.

  Lina gasped in elation as her heart fluttered with joy and hope. As she gazed through the shallower foliage of the grand oak tree, Lina soaked in the beautiful view. Stretching before her was the vast sea of swaying greens and browns of the wilds. Syna rising confidently in the distance gave its powerful orange hue to the horizon, creating a serene, picturesque view. A vast contrast to the darkened nightmare she had experienced not a few breaks ago.

  It was a marvellous sight to behold, but the wonderous sight was not the only cause for the flutter in Lina's heart. There, not far down the hills of rolling woodland, peeked a kaleidoscope of manmade colour and beyond, the glittering sea past Mathew's bay. Lina squealed, her voice croaking with the effort as she literally shook with happiness.

  It didn't look that far away, she must have somehow turned herself around when she fell down into the gully and worked her way back up towards the river she had been washing her clothes in the previous night. She could see it, the small river peeking out and meandering between clearings in the swaying canopies of spruce. It must filter down into the gully she had roughly landed in when she tumbled down the decline, she surmised.

  Now, she just had to try and hobble all the way back... while avoiding the coyote that was surely still out there. The very thought of venturing back down on the forest floor sent Lina's stomach roiling in terror. She couldn't do it. She didn't know if she had any more strength in her after her ordeal the previous night, but, how else was she going to get home? She had too.

  Lina eased her way down the gnarled ladder of bough and branch exactly the way she had climbed. With each step and each handhold, Lina hesitantly tested her weight before shifting down to the next step. It took her longer to work her way down, but eventually she made it to the perch she had fallen asleep on.

  Eyeing the rustling grass below, straining to listen, she waited for any sign that the coyote might be lingering nearby. She feared that the beast was simply hiding, waiting for her to leave her sanctuary and once again pounce on her.

  If it was indeed out there, she had no hope of surviving. Bringing her knees up into her chest, Lina hugged her legs and shook, paralysed as her mind raced off with haunted memories of those sharp teeth, snapping and biting for her.

  She knew she couldn't stay here. She was cold, miserable, injured, battered and starving. Lina knew, she had to move. If she didn't, she was going to die out in these wilds and no one would ever know, no one would ever find her.

  With the threat of impending death gnawing at her insides, Lina's will to survive overruled her innate fears and with renewed determination, she slipped down from her sanctuary.
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Lei'Lani
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Postby Lei'Lani on October 18th, 2021, 12:47 am

  The sweet song of birds nesting in the canopy of green above set Lina's fretting nerves at ease. Syna's warm glow filtered serenely in dappled patterns over the grassy knolls curving through the maze of the wilds, warming the shivering goose bumps along her flesh. Thick underbrush still snagged at Lina's clothes as she limped slowly, but surely through the foreign land, though she didn't mind it so much.

  The forested area took on an entirely different persona as it basked in the light of day. The eerie feeling of being watched was no more, as the animals and insects buzzed and chittered about their own business, leaving Lina be for the most part.

  When she became unsure of her direction, or if she felt it had been too long, Lina would source another grand tree which she hoped could support her. The climb up the towering, barked guardians in the wood was becoming beyond exhausting and Lina was swiftly losing what energy reserves she had that morning.

  However, as she struggled to pull herself up to peer through the cluster of thick leaves, Lina smiled and nodded to herself as she saw the river she was sure was the one she had been washing her clothes in the previous night.

  She had drifted off to the left a ways, so would need to cut to the right to bring herself back on course. Sighing in fatigue of not just the body, but swiftly her spirit, Lina began the arduous climb back down.

  Every movement of her limbs, even one step down, took all the mental effort she could muster. There must be an easier way to navigate the woods, than having to spend bells climbing trees.

  Shaking her head to herself in resignation, Lina knew it was the best she could figure out, for now at least. She just wanted to fall into her bed, she didn't even care about a warm bath any more.

  As Lina hobbled like a snail towards her only hope, the river, she passed several bushes with juicy, plump berries and her mouth physically salivated at the sight. The yearning to gorge herself on the entire bushel was growing beyond her control. She forced herself onward, closing her eyes as she focused her mind on making her legs work through the haze of pain.

  She knew it was too risky to try any of the beautiful, sweet smelling berries she passed. They could be toxic and make her seriously ill, or worse, kill her instantly if not slowly. Although her stomach twisted and groaned in aching, she knew she couldn't. The yearning to live and survive was stronger than her craving for any kind of sustenance.

  The familiar sound of babbling water over pebbles filled Lina's ears and she laughed heartily to herself. Limping as fast as her ankle would allow her, Lina fell to her hands and knees as her energy and will gave out. She had made it! Finally she had made it. Grimacing with each shuffle, Lina edged her way to the glistening water and dunked her face straight into the freezing gurgle.

  Lina slurped the water greedily as she lay on her stomach, but she didn't care. Once she had her fill, Lina rolled onto her back. It had taken everything she had, but she'd made it to the river where her journey began.

  Suddenly racking sobs over took her as mixed emotions inundated her. She was over joyed to have finally made it back to somewhere she recognised and knew was close to home. However her heart shattered, along with her spirit, as she realised she still had a long ways to go before she could find her way home.

  She had nothing left. Her ankle throbbed and pulsated harshly against her boot. Her calf on the other leg burned incessantly from the grazed scratches from the coyote. Her entire body ached from the battering she received tumbling down into the gully.

  Salty tears replaced the crisp, fresh taste the river's water had left in her mouth as she sobbed into her hands. How was she to make it back to Zeltiva? How was she to raise herself from the forest floor?

  As the last of her energy left her, Lina felt the emotions subside into nothingness as she lay unmoving, staring up at the blue sky through a gap in the forest canopy. She found her mind began to wander, drift from the reality around her as exhaustion took her.

  Lina's last thought as she fell into darkness was that, well, she had finally gotten the adventure she had read all about in those fantasy books. Though, it was significantly more terrible in real life, than the stories had made it out to be.
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Lei'Lani
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Postby Lei'Lani on October 18th, 2021, 12:56 am

  In the faint distance Lina could hear the muffled barks of canines. Men shouted in the distance, incoherent words through the hazy boundary between consciousness and sleep, though she couldn't understand them.

  Part of her clung to the sounds of life, the other yearned for the sweet release from the aching pain in her body that the dark emptiness provided her. To return back to the world of sentience, would be to return to the struggle, to the pain. In the deep black she felt nothing, was aware of nothing.

  Echoing barks and growls growing closer triggered memories of the haunting coyote. The beast's growls from the night before snapped her to the world of life as her heart hammered in terror in her chest. Fear injected adrenaline into her limbs and hauled her awake with a jolt.

  With a croak, Lina attempted to squeal in fright as her mind raced to catch up to what her senses flooded her with. The crinkling soft grass beneath her back. The bright mid-day sun beamed painfully in her eyes, disorientating her even more as she squinted and drew her gaze to the flurry of movement around her.

  Elated yells and calls reverberated around her, through the tree line. Suddenly dark shapes exploded around her. Lina attempted to scream, her body trying with every fibre to move, to get up, to run. Exhausted and leaden, she couldn't command her limbs to move her. The will to survive would not save her, there was nothing left for her body to use.

  Excitable woofs filled the woods around her as shadows enclosed all around. Suddenly, the figure of a man knelt beside her and lifted her head. She felt a hand distantly as it stroked her hand laying across her stomach, it felt so warm, soft.

  Groaning Lina fought for clarity as she brought her mind back to the world of life. Blinking furiously against the vivid sun in her eyes, Lina suddenly saw a face of a man she vaguely recognised.

  To her other side paws splashed around in the river by her feet as a snout sniffed her boots. It was a dog. With a sigh in relief, Lina's body relaxed, the terror of the coyote began to fade as the fluffy canine focused into view. It was just a dog. Lina almost began to cry again as the fear of being eaten by a pack of wild beasts gave way to reality. They were friendly canines.

  A small smile cracked her lips as Lina drew her gaze to the pair of piercing brown orbs, hooded by thick brows, drawn tightly in a frown. She heard him speak, it sounded like her name, but she still struggled to focus. The man, she suddenly realised was in a WaveGuard uniform. Confused Lina's mind raced to process what was happening.

  "Wha-wha," Lina attempted to speak, but her throat was coarse and dry, choking off her words.

  The man holding her head smiled and hushed her, squeezing her hand reassuringly, his voice was as smooth as satin, "You're going to be okay, Lina, we've got you."

  Refocusing on his unshaven face, his long shoulder length hair, the uniform, Lina's mind finally connected the dots. "Eh-Evander?" It was the Wave Guard lieutenant she had met in her quest to save the life of that man's wife. He was the one and only member of the Wave Guard that had believed her and subsequently aided her in the investigation of tracking down Jornus and bringing him to justice.

  The canine sniffing her boots, now affectionately licked her finger tips. The wet, tickling sensation was warm against her shivering skin. The officer smiled warmly, "So, you do recognise me."

  His expression turned grave, "You gave us all a scare. Your mother is wrought with worry. When you didn't come home, she sought out the Wave Guard." He suddenly chuckled deeply in his chest, "When I heard, I knew you had a knack for getting into trouble, so we started combing the forest at first light."

  Lina attempted a grin, exhaustion drained her lips into a meek twitch of a smile as she croaked, "My hero." Comprehension of finally being safe, melted away the rush of adrenaline and with it, her ability to remain conscious. The deep dark claimed her once more. Though, this time, it was the sweet release of slumber and not the deep abyss of death claiming her.

  Lina knew she could relinquish herself over to the warm embrace of the Lieutenant and safety of the Wave Guard contingent who had come in search of her at her mother's bequest. Her mother. Her mother had sent them to save her. Her mother knew she needed her.

  That thought was the last Lina held onto as she drifted into sleep, the horror of the coyote dissipating into nothing but a nightmare.



END.
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Lei'Lani
Fortune Teller
 
Posts: 65
Words: 56995
Joined roleplay: July 1st, 2021, 8:28 pm
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Race: Konti
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