It was a good thing that I was without a travel companion; I was certain they would have bashed my skull in by now with the amount of complaining leaving my mouth.

Ever since falling into that dark hole that led down to those underground caves, my front left leg had grown stiff and was typically swollen so badly I could barely even walk on it. Some days, I tried to tough it out and either hop along on three legs or drag it behind me, but that usually just made it worse. I knew better than to do such foolish things, but what else was I supposed to do? Just stand around and hope somebody came to my rescue?

Well, whether I was standing or almost literally dragging myself across Helovia, nobody ever did come to sweep me off my feet. I was just glad those horrible wraiths were gone, at least to my knowledge, and none had ever advanced upon me.

In an attempt to better my mobility, I had searched not very far and not terribly wide for some poor, deceased creature, following the most putrid of scents in hopes of finding something. Eventually my searching had brought me upon a recently deceased doe, her corpse already touched by the teeth of predators and the elements of mother nature. It had been a grisly sight that made me want to lose my lunch at once, but thankfully as an equine I simply couldn't do that, and with great concentration I had used what remained of the body to craft a splint reached from knee to fetlock. The support that it provided was enough to allow for a steady pace, at least for a little while, and minimal trotting.

"Why couldn't I be born a flesh crafter?" I mused aloud to myself as I walked, winding through tree after tree and nearly bursting into tears every time I knocked the leg against a too-big rock or a rotting tree covered in moss and grass. "Or... something," I added with a mighty huff as I overcame yet another maze of downed trees, and as all four feet found purchase on clear, level ground, I came to a halt and pressed my right shoulder into a hefty redwood, shifting the brunt of my weight into it and lifting the injured limb in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing pain.

For a while I would stand there, merely to catch my breath and wish away the pain that had plagued me for more than half a year. I knew that I couldn't stay all day, however, as this forest was thick and ungodly deep, and I couldn't fathom just how utterly frightening it must be at night time. Just a few minutes, that was all I needed... and then, I would be off to anywhere but here.

@[Kiara]

"talk"
F I N N
to coax the darkness into light