[colour=#b08cc9][center][h2][u] Esmii'nesta'tawaar [/u][/h2][/center][/colour]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NiA0WQI.jpeg[/img]
[hr]
[colour=#b08cc9]Event:[/colour] Cold Comfort[hr][/center]

After Esmii heard what Yuliya said, she decided to slip away from the group, while no one was watching, not even Sven. She wanted to go somewhere on her own to think about everything that had happened, and just before she slipped away she saw from a distance a cave that was along the cliff face with some shrubs, vines, and blueberry bushes around its entrance.

She found a nice place to sit near its entrance, and she let Sage have a stretch and some food. The sun was starting to set and she couldn’t help but get a little pensive as she watched it approach the horizon. It was all so much: the danger, the intrigue, the… Silas was probably [i]dead[/i] - literally [i]dead[/i]. The sun was in her eyes and she blinked back some tears, but more came and she let them continue. Suddenly, she felt Sage nuzzling into her face, and she stopped to look at her and said. [color=#b08cc9]"Hi Sage, I’m sorry, I know you don’t like it when I cry."[/color]

The dormouse chittered sympathetically, or at least Esmii liked to tell herself that’s what it was and, as she was listening to her furry friend, she noticed something else: the faint sound of running water. There was the river itself, but this wasn’t coming front here. It was… from somewhere within the cave. Curiosity piqued, and against her better judgement, Esmii decided that she would take a look inside. She grabbed some thread from her bag and tied the end of it to one of the bushes at the entrance. Then she turned and cautiously walked into the cave, catching a faint smell of sulphur. As the natural light started to fade, her tears turned to curiosity, mostly but not [i]completely[/i] overcoming her wariness of her surroundings. She nearly got lost and almost lost her nerve as well. However, she noticed that her steps felt unusually light, almost like it was easier to walk into the cave than to leave it. Esmii came across a small stream that was flowing rapidly, and the cave seemed to narrow at one point. Glancing back towards the now-obscured entrance, she decided to wade through the water to see what was beyond.

While she waded through the water, she noticed the smell of sulphur again, and she thought to herself that the water wasn’t as cold as it should’ve been, that it is really pleasant and soothing. Her legs felt relaxed and any tension she had felt soon left her muscles. When she reached the other side, her steps were unusually quick and the water was flowing even quicker. Esmii saw some pebbles on the ground that looked fresh, as if they had just recently fallen from somewhere. Her legs started to feel warm and sluggish and her skin felt fresh and soft after walking through the water. Something here was unnatural, and an uneasy feeling began to build within her. However, the yasoi cautiously continued further, the feeling of something [i]pulling[/i] her forward building. She found the stream again soon, as she was walking up a small rise.

Esmii noticed that the rocks were very strange, the smaller ones seemed to shift and clatter every so often. Surprised by one, Esmii lost her footing and fell back. However, it was as if gravity didn’t really pull her down as quickly as it should have and she was able to catch herself. She took a moment to rest and recover, and that was when she noticed it: the water was flowing… uphill. The force that had been subtly tugging at her was quite a bit stronger by this point and, as she touched the water again, it felt hot - not just warm, like before, but [i]hot[/i]. Just then, as she was looking at the stalactites and the strange way in which they’d grown - almost at an angle - a head-sized rock fell in front of her and caused her to jump. A few more lay broken on the floor. Esmii started to feel like she was physically being pulled further into the cave. Wondering at the sensation, she was snapped out of it when a person-sized section of the cave wall collapsed, hurtling towards Esmii. She managed to dive out of its path with inches to spare, aided by whatever was pulling her deeper in.

That was it, and her instincts told Esmii that to go much further would mean death. She decided to turn back and tell the others about this place. This was not not something that she should’ve tried to take on alone, especially without the use of her magic. As she turned to walk back to where she’d come from, she found herself being pulled backwards. The force - that eerie force that was something like gravity yet was not - was pulling her back harder than before. Fighting, straining, fear, adrenaline, and panic rushing through her, the yasoi found the strength to resist being dragged deeper, and even started to make a small amount of progress.

For the next twenty-odd minutes, Esmii held firm and inched forward a bit when she had the energy for a push. She dug her heels in and kept making forward progress until, blessedly, the pull seemed to have weakened just enough for her to walk normally. A building unease seemed to tug her forward now, just as the strange force had tugged her back and, in her haste, Esmii grew incautious, stumbling and scraping her hands and knees. She could see it now: the faint glow of outside light! As she neared the cave entrance she heard Sven’s voice. She couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but it wasn’t a stretch to assume that he was calling out to her. How long had she been in there anyhow? Esmii shouted back, hoping he would hear. [color=#b08cc9]"Sven, I’m here! Keep talking please."[/color]. Then, she saw his silhouette and it was a scramble to the entrance and to him. She fell into his arms, exhausted.