▶ The aroma of the herb elicited memories of her childhood. There’d been many days that Lourdes had gone out into the trees in search of the little woody bush. The old witch had loved it for its ability to ward off infection, though Lourdes suspected that her mother was also just fond of the smell. Sinking back into those memories it wouldn’t be hard for the young mare to convince herself that she’d flown through a time portal and gone years back into her own life. Still, there was an uncomfortable twinge tying up her gut and a weary ache along her shoulders from hours of flight that grounded her to the present. Immediately, she was cross with herself, angry at the sentiment that this place had conjured up and even moreso at herself for welcoming it with open arms.

▶ Evidence of company effectively shattered any dying remnants of the forests’s charm. Lourdes rose up, keen white eyes surveying between the trees, challenging this place to spit out whatever, whoever it kept hiding in its bowels. Whatever the witch expected, she didn’t get it. The mare that wondered out looked entirely out of place in the terrestrial habitat. She looked better suited for the water, all covered in scales and hairless skin that shone slick in the early evening sun. Lourdes’s lips pursed, lines creasing up her expression. She supposed she wasn’t one to judge, she had her own fun frightening the unsuspecting with her ghoulish face. This girl wasn’t frightening in the least, just otherworldly and unlike anything else Lourdes had ever seen.

▶ She spoke with a neutrality that Lourdes appreciated. The latter mare wasn’t in the mood for anyone’s bright and bubbling optimism. She was tired and annoyed and wanted to know where on earth she’d landed. The fish-mare - Syrena was it? – mentioned something about Hidden Falls as though Lourdes was supposed to know where or what that was. The Pegasus inched forward, leaning a bit further from the shadows to peer skeptically around. Was that where they were now – the Hidden Falls? She couldn’t hear any signs of water, though she supposed if the falls truly were hidden then that might be the point. She frowned again, though it was less of an expression of distaste and moreso the way her face fell most comfortably. Her eerie gaze returned to Syrena. “I am Lourdes.” For half a beat, she paused to consider. “The Hidden Falls, is that where I’ve landed?”

a note | ---