She Ran Calling Wildfire

She had gone stormdancing before, when the rare thunderstorm rolled over the steppes of her birthplace. It was a thrill to wing her way up into the clouds, darting among the flashes of lightning and deep rumbles of thunder, with no heed to the danger it posed. The storms of the coast had been even stronger, leaving her drenched with rain and laughing aloud with exhilaration. The maelstrom that had swept her and Java up, however, had been some entirely different, almost malicious in its fury. It had come out of nowhere, seizing them up in its jaws like a terrier with a rat. Java had clung to her side desperately, like a pup to its mother, as she thrashed and fought against the roaring wind and churning surf. She had beat her wings until they were screaming with pain, but try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from being drawn down into the swirling vortex that had grown in the waves beneath them. She heard her companion cry out in terror, his scream echoed in her throat, and then the water had swallowed them.

The force of the waves crashing down on her had driven the breath from her lungs, but when she tried to kick her way to the surface, the circling currents only pulled her down further, towards a fiery glow in the depths beneath her. She had screamed one last time, her voice lost in a flurry of bubbles, and then darkness enveloped her.

Deep in the tangled woods of the Portal, a scruffy, soaked form stirred, then gasped, eyes flying open. The gasp became a choke as her body suddenly convulsed, and she gagged, retching up seawater. She coughed violently, fighting to suck in a breath through waterlogged lungs, finally succeeding in pulling in a deep, rattling gasp as the last of the water was vomited up. For a moment, she just lay there sprawled on her side, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, eyes wide but seeing nothing. Gradually, the shuddering inhalations softened, until she no longer felt as if she was suffocating. When she felt she could manage it, she attempted to roll onto her belly with her legs folded under her, hissing at the pain the motion produced. She felt like she had been trampled, but to her relief, though her body hurt like hell, nothing appeared to be broken. Her sodden wings were drawn close as she raised her head, brows furrowing in confusion.

This wasn't the ocean.

The vortex had already been suspiciously unnatural, but now she was certain that something strange was afoot--and whatever it was, she was sure it was nothing good. She didn't recognize this thicket, nor the scents she could catch wafting through the air. The absence of one scent, however, was enough to alarm her back to full consciousness, and she suddenly surged to her feet, heedless of the stinging protests it produced from her muscles.

Java. She had felt him ripped from her side in the vortex, his form obscured by the dark waters before she could even look. Panic flared within her as she cast about, hoping against hope that the bat had been deposited into this strange place along with her. "Java?" she called to the shadows, sodden tail whisking nervously. There was no response. No, no, no, she whimpered silently, pacing the clearing and sniffing the air desperately. He couldn't be gone, he couldn't be dead. She had promised she would stick by him, and now he was gone, and it was her fault, and, and...

When almost an hour of searching the twisted woods produced no results, she forced herself to pause. Her legs were shaking with exhaustion, and if she didn't get her bearings in this strange place, she might never find her way out of the woods. As much as it killed her to stop searching for the moment, she knew she would be no good to her companion lost or dead. She had to take care of herself for the moment, find somewhere to regain her strength. She would find him. She didn't care what it took, but she was getting her friend back.

Tucking her wings close, she looked around, picking a direction at random and beginning to make her way through the trees and vines. If she kept walking, surely she'd find the edge of the forest eventually, and once night fell, she could get a better look at the stars and determine where in the world she was.


Joining Notes

Aryel - Foreigner

Offensive Magic - Pyromancy - Can summon blue flames from her hooves, eyes, and wings. The stronger her emotions (such as joy, rage, protectiveness, etc), the brighter and hotter these flames are. When frightened, grieving, or in dismay, they are dim and weak. These flames will catch on flammable material and cannot be controlled or put out via magic once separated from her body.
Healing Magic - Phoenix Fire - Can conjure white flames to engulf a sick or injured being, burning away their illness or injury by magic. Aryel isn't yet sure that she even has this power, as it is a rare occurrence in her father's bloodline and requires immense concentration.

Mundane Item - Light leather armor and satchels
Mundane Item - Hawk feathers

Companion - Javiana, grey-headed flying fox, missing/lost in the Rift

Mutations - Oryx horns, feathered wings