She awoke with a sharp gasp, her body jerking upright with such force that her legs gave way, sending her sprawling back to the ground in an uncharacteristic display of ungainliness. As she lay there, disoriented, heat pressed in around her like an inescapable, oppressive weight; the world reeled around her, a dizzying kaleidoscope of opaque color and bright light. The air, thick with sand and the tang of salt, tasted foreign—dry, abrasive, almost hostile. Her heart pounded in her chest, panic tightening its hold with every breath. What is this? she thought, her mind grappling for answers. What…
Shards of disjointed memories flashed through her mind, elusive and fleeting, slipping just beyond her reach each time she tried to grasp one. It was as though her thoughts were caught in a relentless whirlwind, swirling and scattering before she could make sense of them.
And then, without warning, the fragments converged in a sudden, breathtaking rush. An icy jolt of clarity tore through her, sharp and unyielding, cutting through the dense fog of confusion, the oppressive heat, and the mounting panic that had gripped her. Her body went rigid, impossibly blue eyes sharpening with renewed focus, while the silver-touched hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, a cold shiver rippling down her spine. Slowly, cautiously, she glanced down to assess herself for injury. The cream of her legs and underbelly was stained with the bright green of grass, and moist earth clung stubbornly to her paws, bits of leaves and twigs tangled here and there throughout. Petrichor lingered in her scent. It was all so at odds with the sandstone monoliths and dry scrub she now found herself surrounded by - it felt like only moments before, she had been running through the damp, mossy forests of the Euphratian Kingdom.
No, it could not be. Not moments. Hours? Days? The passage of time felt meaningless, lost.
Was this death, then? Hell was a notion both absurd and oddly plausible—escape had never seemed more than a fragile hope at best. But dead? Vidette had never bowed to the dictates of the Church, never tethered herself to the comfort of its promises, and yet, here she was, confronted by the question. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to steady her breath, each inhale slow and deliberate, each exhale purposeful.
No, she decided with firm resolve, shaking her head as though to physically banish the notion. Abducted, perhaps. Rising once more, with far greater poise this time, the thought began to take root – far more sensible and anchored in reason. After all, she would make a most excellent ransom. Her station, her wealth, the priceless jewels still caught in her fur, adorning her neck and wrists – each an irresistible incentive for such a crime. And then there was another reason, a darker one: the one she was running from. Where, then, are my captors?
Slowly, deliberately, she turned in a full circle, her movements unhurried, each step measured with precision. Coarse grit ground into the tender flesh between her toes. A trace of frailty, artfully woven into her posture, lent her the appearance of vulnerability - an intentional performance, a calculated weakness in case unseen eyes were upon her. Her head tilted ever so slightly, her gaze soft yet focused, scanning her surroundings with a quiet intensity that betrayed none of her inner vigilance.
Inexplicably, she was nowhere.
Fear threatened to creep in once more, to shake her resolve, but she pushed it aside, unwilling to yield to its grasp. No sign of civilization greeted her—no encampment, no path, no whisper of verdant forests or snow-capped peaks on the horizon, not even a hint of cloud in the sky above. Arid emptiness stretched before her, vast and unfamiliar. No one was there. No servants, no handmaidens, no guards nor jailers. It was as if she had been plucked from the world she knew and thrust into another — one devoid of sense or reason, a realm completely foreign and utterly forsaken.
“Ah,” she murmured, her lashes fluttering. “Hell, indeed.”
ooc: had to figure out how she got here and just getting back into writing, sorry for the fluff!
Rocky Canyon
A large canyon and trail system formed from years of river erosion. At the bottom, a small river flows through the rocks. There is not much vegetation here.
[AW] inexplicably, nowhere