Merevaika
Merevaika stumbled out of the caverns, dog limping behind her. There was a narrow ledge leading alongside the cliff face: her only escape. She pressed herself against the stone, shivering in the pouring rain. It smashed against her, Merevaika almost certain that she would once again be caught by the waves - this time dragged to her death in the depths of the darkness. The dog followed slowly behind her, nose pressed against Merevaika's injured leg.
Slowly, she shuffled up, resting on just one leg. There were moments when she looked down, already overcome with dizziness from a mixture of food poisoning, lack of fresh water to drink, hunger and exhaustion. Those moments she watched the waves move up to catch her fall; in those moments she found her nails digging into Semele's flesh, becoming black with soil. She had to keep staring at the stone and earth - a false step, a wrongly directed glance, could mean her death.
The ledge was a good distance most the way, until she reached a large section where the ground had been torn up by the raging storm, a section unable to traverse, Merevaika feeling all hope of escape vanish with a single view.
The dog behind her barked, hurrying back towards a small cave face. Merevaika watched her go, unable to follow her as quickly as the dog ran. Soon, any sign of the dog was gone, Merevaika stopping at the mouth of the cave to try steady herself.
The paths came to mind and while she had told herself she would wait until she was better, her hunger for the magic seemed uncontrollable. Merevaika closed her eyes, summoning up her strength and concentrating hard. When she opened them again: nothing. Merevaika tried again and again, struggling hard. No, this couldn't happen, no.
Finally, something clicked, her eyes beginning to burn with the magic. Less so than before, thankfully, and she could see the red-green trail the dog had left a chime before. Merevaika rested against the wall, hopping along it as she traced the path. Her feet slipped into deep sections and shallow sections, each time Merevaika unaware of the change until it happened. Each time she slipped and fell, soaking herself even more.
But each time she rose, following the trail until she found the dog again, waiting at another opening at the cliff face. This one, however, had no ledge or path, but only the cliff face, which the dog was now expecting her to climb.
Casting the vision away came a lot quicker, soon returning to the normal, limited sight. She could see the cracks and crevices that she would be able to scale, but with this dog and her injured leg, she didn't know if she could make the journey. She had to though.
Merevaika stepped with her strong leg, hooking it in a crevice just wide enough for it. That foot firmly in place, she moved her arms to follow, grasping out at the lumps on the cliff. Her hands managed to find something, so she swung the strained leg in place, pushing that too into the crack with a fit of pain.
Then she reached out towards the dog, snatching her up best she could without falling, and placing her above her, pushing the dog up so she could find something to sit on. There was a ledge the dog eventually found, scrambling up and perching on it uncomfortably.
Merevaika turned to herself, bringing her weight to her arms as she dragged the stronger leg up, finding a firm jutting to rest it on. Using that muscle, she pulled herself up, fighting heavy rain and exhaustion. Her weaker leg moved to join it, then she continued the process, spotting the top of the cliff perhaps a few more times of that away. Once up, she would be able to reach the dog and pull her up to safety too. Once up.
Her right hand felt around in the rain for something to hold. She found a crevice, wedging that hand there while the other reached even higher, pushing on her strong leg. It seemed to grasp something, but as Merevaika transferred her weight to her hands, it gave way, falling into the sea. The woman grasped out wildly, finding something else to catch herself on.
She took a few moments to catch her breath, trying not to look down. Then she continued, careful to test everything in case it couldn't hold her weight. Eventually, she reached the top, pulling herself over. Her whole body was shaken but she couldn't tell whether it was the cold or the hard work.
Remembering the dog, she rolled over, wriggling towards the edge of the cliff again. Her arm reached over, catching a handful of fur and grasping the dog tight, pulling her up behind her. The two crawled away from the edge, before lying in the mud, injured and exhausted. Darkness came to them quickly.
oocAnd cue Amunet! Merevaika's strider would be around the cliff as well, if you wanted to stumble across him. He wouldn't be very friendly though.
"Pavi"
Grassland sign
"Common"