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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 17:02:59 GMT -6
Leafy found herself wandering in a daze, not understanding where she was or what she had been up to. The last she had remembered, she had been dreaming. And now she was lost, lost with a strange egg that she didn't quite remember how she had gotten. The egg looked vaguely familiar to her, but not familiar enough for her to recall what species it had belonged to. She hadn't handled all that many eggs in her time, instead raising most of her creatures after they had already hatched. She had to admit, the egg was rather striking, its colours reminded her of regality and she was certain that whatever creature hatched from it would be both powerful and beautiful. She didn't know how to explain why she had this feeling, just that she had one. "I guess you belong to me now," she told the little egg with newfound fondness.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 17:13:27 GMT -6
The egg didn't respond verbally, but Leafy could almost swear that she could feel a strong emotion emitting from the egg. It took her a while to identify the emotion, not having the strongest connection to her own emotions. She was pretty certain that the egg was feeling pleased with her. She cradled it in her arms, feeling happy in return that the egg seemed to like her. She decided that she needed to get it home and keep it safe until it hatched, no matter how long that took. She took a look around, realizing that she was surrounded by a grove of tall, blackened trees. They looked dead, completely barren of leaves despite the warm weather of summer. The ground was cracked and dusty, nothing at all was growing around the trees. It was almost as if the area had a curse inflicted upon it, or was stricken by disease.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 17:22:40 GMT -6
"I don't like it here," she decided. "Let's get far away from this place."
Except that was much easier said than done. Leafy felt that she had just been wandering aimlessly, moving entirely without consciousness. Had she been sleepwalking? Without knowledge of where she had been, she couldn't seem to retrace her steps and get back to where she came from. Since as far as she knew, she had never been to this place before. She cradled the egg as she walked, picking a direction mostly at random. She wanted to get as far from here as she could. After she had wandered for some time, the egg seemed to nudge her to change direction. Glancing around, she couldn't exactly think of which direction it wanted her to go. She waited for the egg to feel pleased as she shuffled her feet around, trying to test all of the directions.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 17:28:27 GMT -6
The egg finally nudged her again, and she had the sensation that it was growing impatient with her. She decided that the egg wanted to head that way, which was west from her previous direction.
"Alright, if you think you're so smart. You'd better be leading us home!" she huffed as she spoke to the egg. The egg remained silent, not bothering to dignify her with a response this time.
She sighed, figuring that she'd have to trust the egg. If it was right, then they'd be on their way home. If it was wrong, then maybe she it would lead her somewhere that she could find help to get home. She didn't care which one was true, she just wanted to be home already! She paused, feeling alarmed when she felt amusement coming from the egg. Was it laughing at her? She felt a little unnerved that the egg already had opinions.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 17:35:44 GMT -6
Steadily they made their way far from any of the dead trees that had plagued their path. After they were far enough, she could see the beginnings of a swamp in the distance. It seemed like a bad idea to head in that direction, but the egg was insistent that she go that way. She didn't want to make the egg mad, her instincts told her that would be an even worse idea.
"If we drown then I'm blaming you," she told the egg firmly. Once again, the egg responded with amusement. Leafy frowned, not liking that the egg thought it knew better than she did.
As she entered the swamp, she noticed that there was a thick fog. She could barely see where she was going, and it was impossible for her to spot any signs of civilization. She wondered if she was going to need to find shelter soon since it might be better to wait for the fog to pass.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 17:43:58 GMT -6
Her only solace was that the ground didn't feel wet or muddy. As far as swamps went, this one wasn't all that bad. She could see a few large, moss covered stones nearby. She decided to sit down on one so that she could recover some of her senses. She was still extremely drowsy and she felt rather unsafe wandering around without having properly woken up. As soon as she sat down, the egg let her know that it was displeased she needed a break. Leafy decided that she couldn't be bothered to care. After all, she was the one with the real control here. She rested for a few minutes, yawning loudly and taking the time to stretch her stiff muscles. Had she been sleeping on the ground? It certainly felt like she had been. She decided that once she got home, she would get some proper sleep in a proper bed.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 17:47:53 GMT -6
Suddenly, her heart froze in her chest. She had heard a voice calling her name, and the sound seemed to be coming from behind her. She turned around quickly, but she couldn't see anyone there. Certainly something had been, what else would have called to her? She glanced down at the egg, not quite sure what to make of it.
"Was that you?" she questioned the egg.
The egg was unresponsive and it only served to make Leafy feel even more confused. Deciding that she didn't want to stick around to find out if it had been the egg or not, she stood up once more. This time, she picked a direction herself, choosing to take the left pathway through the swamp. The egg didn't protest as she stepped onto the dirt trail. She had barely been walking for a minute when suddenly the fog began to lift, revealing the stars above.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 17:51:31 GMT -6
It felt like a thick wall had been shattered, like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Now, her vision was unobstructed and she was able to see all the way across the swamp. At least the parts that weren't blocked by plants and other naturally occurring objects. There were a few creatures milling about, including a group of frogs and an odd, white creature with a black, beaked face. On closer inspection, it seemed to be a crow with a strange feather pattern.
The most startling thing, however, was that Leafy had been able to see the city off in the distance. She was finally able to see the way out of the swamp. She found herself feeling intense relief, only now realizing how scared she had been. She glanced down at the little egg, stroking it carefully with her palm.
"Alright you got us in the right direction, that's better than I managed to do," she muttered.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 18:45:22 GMT -6
Once again, the egg was unresponsive and seemed not to care about her words. Leafy frowned and gave the egg a glare.
"Don't ignore me!" she chided it. The egg gave off an amused vibe, as though it felt that she was the one being silly.
Leafy huffed, not liking this change in power dynamics. She decided that she would ignore the egg for now and focus on getting herself home. She wasn't certain how long she had spent walking through the swamp, but it soon became evident that she wasn't heading the way she thought she was. In fact, the city was steadily disappearing in the distance. She was heading deeper into the swamp, not out of it. The fog was beginning to come back and she realized with dismay that it was probably going to get thick again and block her view entirely. She realized she was going to have to consult the egg again.
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Post by Leafy on Aug 14, 2023 18:52:44 GMT -6
"Okay, egg. Which way to the exit?" she asked it like it was a magic eight ball.
The egg decided it wasn't going to give her a proper answer and Leafy didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry. Why couldn't the egg just tell her how to get home? She inhaled deeply, sucking air sharply between her teeth.
"Alright, okay I'm sorry. I need your help now. Can you tell me which way to go?" she tried asking the egg. Leafy suddenly had a sensation that in order to make her way out of the swamp, she was going to need to head off of the path and head directly through it. That was not something she was keen on, but if the egg thought that was the best way to go, then she would listen. It was a difficult trek, the plants were wet and tangled together. Even worse, there were bugs flying about, buzzing in her ears. She made sure to keep the egg safely in her arms.
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