She looked upon the drow with an open expression, and shook her head happily. "No, Mara is not hurt. But pointy-eared lady is hurt," she observed. "Man who does not speak took off to find pointy-eared lady. Mara followed. Bad magic here." She made a gesture that included their surroundings, a look of disgust crossed her pretty face.
She did not reply to the suggestion that she should follow them; when the Mute strode into the woods carrying the lady with him, she simply fell into step behind them. A soft hiss floated away on the wind, filled with vexation and a touch of anger. It was faint, but her sharp ears picked it up even if the others did not.
They did not make it very far before the sound of limbs cracking, of heavy feet tramping through the undergrowth, made them all stop. Maranae remained behind the other two, peering over their heads curiously at the sound of the approaching whatever-it-was. They did not have long to wait to find out.
The redhead gaped at the creature that stepped from the undergrowth, her eyes wide and shining with curiosity and wonder. So many new and wonderous things to behold in the world! Before, there had only been clean walls and people with robes that did bad things to her. Since....since the Bad Things happened, though, she had been free, and in her freedom she had discovered a much larger and more varied world than she would ever have imagined existed a mere year ago.
"So big," she said in an awed whisper as she came around the other two, head ducked down low and sniffing the air like some kind of animal, picking up the scent of the Komodo before her. "Mara has never seen a lizard walking on two-legs!" she exclaimed happily, and approached Calla with the unfettered curiosity of a toddler looking at a new, shiny thing. She took it all in - tail, horns, scales, and pale white hair that made the beast before her truly beautiful, though beauty was a thing that Mara did not understand yet. "Horns-lady is too late. Mara did not find any-" she began to say, but was cut off by that same disembodied voice.
All are alive, My children, it said in a breathy whisper that was clearly audible to all of them. It came from everywhere and nowhere, seemed to arrive in their heads without first passing through their ears. All are here with Me, within the abode of your Mother, it added.
Mara cocked her head to one side, uneasy. The strange magic swirling around this place was terrible in her mind, something foul beyond belief. "Mara does not know what a mother is," she said in response to the voice. "Pointy-eared lady won't tell Mara what a mother is. Maybe ghost-voice will?" She didn't sound as if she really wanted the ghost voice to do so. In fact, she sounded like she'd rather be anywhere but here.
Answers you seek, then in Me must you seek them. A pause, heavy and for some reason dire-seeming. Leave you shall not, for the Mothers' embrace is...
The voice faded again. An eerie silence settled over the land once more, heavy and pregnant with threat.
She did not reply to the suggestion that she should follow them; when the Mute strode into the woods carrying the lady with him, she simply fell into step behind them. A soft hiss floated away on the wind, filled with vexation and a touch of anger. It was faint, but her sharp ears picked it up even if the others did not.
They did not make it very far before the sound of limbs cracking, of heavy feet tramping through the undergrowth, made them all stop. Maranae remained behind the other two, peering over their heads curiously at the sound of the approaching whatever-it-was. They did not have long to wait to find out.
The redhead gaped at the creature that stepped from the undergrowth, her eyes wide and shining with curiosity and wonder. So many new and wonderous things to behold in the world! Before, there had only been clean walls and people with robes that did bad things to her. Since....since the Bad Things happened, though, she had been free, and in her freedom she had discovered a much larger and more varied world than she would ever have imagined existed a mere year ago.
"So big," she said in an awed whisper as she came around the other two, head ducked down low and sniffing the air like some kind of animal, picking up the scent of the Komodo before her. "Mara has never seen a lizard walking on two-legs!" she exclaimed happily, and approached Calla with the unfettered curiosity of a toddler looking at a new, shiny thing. She took it all in - tail, horns, scales, and pale white hair that made the beast before her truly beautiful, though beauty was a thing that Mara did not understand yet. "Horns-lady is too late. Mara did not find any-" she began to say, but was cut off by that same disembodied voice.
All are alive, My children, it said in a breathy whisper that was clearly audible to all of them. It came from everywhere and nowhere, seemed to arrive in their heads without first passing through their ears. All are here with Me, within the abode of your Mother, it added.
Mara cocked her head to one side, uneasy. The strange magic swirling around this place was terrible in her mind, something foul beyond belief. "Mara does not know what a mother is," she said in response to the voice. "Pointy-eared lady won't tell Mara what a mother is. Maybe ghost-voice will?" She didn't sound as if she really wanted the ghost voice to do so. In fact, she sounded like she'd rather be anywhere but here.
Answers you seek, then in Me must you seek them. A pause, heavy and for some reason dire-seeming. Leave you shall not, for the Mothers' embrace is...
The voice faded again. An eerie silence settled over the land once more, heavy and pregnant with threat.
