Distracted as she was by the plants and delightful fungi that surrounded her, she was equally to blame for not noticing the mare until the moment when they almost collided. She had thought she was alone here, though the presence of company was something she rejoiced in. Calming as the inanimate plants were, another face was always preferred. But then, this wasn’t a cheerful time – was it?

It was easy to pretend that she had just wandered into this beautiful cave by happenstance, that she wasn’t actually hiding from whatever was going on outside, until someone else was there and asking her about it. How easy she had fooled herself when it came to reality – but then, wasn’t she a fool? Nothing more than a useless fool.

Turning from the little trees she clutched her wings tighter to her sides, hugging them so close it hurt, and met the mare’s gaze. “Shelter? Yes. Only because I don’t know what else to do.” The despair in her voice was plain, not having the energy to conceal it the way she would normally. It was her despair; it didn’t matter to a near stranger. She wished there was something she could do – but she wasn’t a healer, she didn’t know whether there was a cure, and she wasn’t even a warrior.

This age called for a strength she simply did not possess. Not yet.

Wait. This was not how Alysanne was raised to greet strangers, to welcome new friends when they presented themselves. But she was so tired of being weak she didn’t even have the energy to cling onto the other facets of her personality that defined her so well. For a moment a smile appeared and she fully intended to move onto some easy conversation, perhaps something to further distract the both of them from their refugee status, but it flickered and faded just as soon as it had formed. Her voice came out in a soft whisper next, though she could not say what drove her to ask the question she wanted to. “Do you know anyone that… that…” What had even happened to them, she didn’t really know. They were possessed, changed, infected? She thought it might be the demons again but she hoped not – for there was no way that they could win against them. “…became one of them?”

At least, she hoped, the shadows here in this glowing cavern would be enough to hide most of the pained expression she could not quite erase.