Where am I?

The first thing Ariadne feels is the cold, the way it bites at her skin and gnaws on her bones and grasps at her heart. The whole of her body trembles in an effort to keep warm, the type of deep shiver that rocks her to her core. She's unsure of how long she's been laying here in the snow, the cold, wet substance eveloping her legs and coating her body. Hours? Days? Even the dusting of snow she can feel coating her pelt does nothing to answer her question. Peeling back her eyelids feels like an impossible task, frost coating her lashes, nearly gluing them shut.

The second things she feels is panic, settling across her mind like a thick, suffocating blanket. She hasn't the faintest idea where she is, and it sends her heart rate skyrocketing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her memories. They are blurry, and faint at best. She tries to grasp them within her mind, but they slip through metaphorical fingers like sand, remaining just out of reach. She barely remembers the smile of her younger brother, the laughter of her parents, and the great rumble that shook the earth before darkness came over her. Something terrible had happened, but... she presses further into her mind, into the empty space between memories, but a sharp pain sears its way across her skull, burning behind her eyes. Ariadne clamps her lids shut, the world plunging into darkness again and a whimper bubbling from her throat.

Where am I? she asks herself again, and she thinks it is a question that may remain unanswered. The thought of never knowing what happened, how she ended up in this place, where her family is fills her with a terror she has never known before. Anxiety has wormed its way inside her chest, settling around her frantically beating heart. What if they are dead? she wonders, and her chest feels tight, her eyes stinging at the thought, the mere possibility that everyone she has loved and everything she has known is gone. What happened? Was it an earthquake that struck her home, or perhaps something else? Oh, she can't stand to think of this, the pain behind her eyes and the trembling of her body and the cold that surrounds her, it is all too much.

With great reluctance, the dappled woman opens her eyes again, blinking against the speckled sunlight that shines through the canopy and glares against the snow. Snow. There had been no snow when the earth had trembled. It had been spring, or at least she thinks so - she can just barely recall the sound of birdsong and the warmth of the approaching summertime. How much time have I lost?

Her mind is still hazy as she forces herself to rise, her muscles feeling sluggish and her bones heavy, as if from disuse. It takes Ariadne several moments to get to her hooves, her legs shaking with the full weight of her body and the shivers that still wrack her muscles. She searches her immediate surroundings for a pool of water, a stream, anything, but finds only the withered forest floor covered in snow. Her throat feels dry and scratchy, and she isn't sure how long it's been since she's had anything to drink. The snow will have to do, she figures, scooping up a mouthful of the white substance. It does little to quench her raging thirst, but it is all she has.

While letting the snow melt in her mouth, Ariadne wonders what her next move will be. Surely there must be someone around here who can help her? Being alone in this wilderness, the mere thought, causes fear and panic to grip her. She wonders if she should begin moving, perhaps she will have the luck to stumble upon a herd, or a wanderer who knows their way around these parts. Amber eyes glance upwards - it is still daytime, that much is obvious - she would venture to guess it is a little past noon. If she ventures ahead now, she may be able to make it out of these thickets before nightfall. But it is risky - she knows nothing of these parts, and to be caught in unfamiliar territory after nightfall... well, she has seen what happens to those who gamble with darkness, and it is not pretty. The shadows tend to hide more than just animals.

@Myrrine but anyone can join :D