Waking up. . .

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

She was wet. No, not just wet, but sticky as well. Little by little she started to wake up and she became aware of more things around her - like the fact that she was laying face down in a pit of mud.

Inwardly she recoiled at the thought of being this dirty and pursed her lips tightly together as she pushed herself out of the mud. She felt caked in mud, and indeed she was, not just on the front but all over and, as she stood, mud even had to be spat out of her mouth.

Why am I so dirty, was the main thought that came to mind as she grabbed at her hair and looked to see where she was. The dimly lit dirt and thatched roof hut did not strike any cords in her memory. Where was this? Judging by the fact that most of the mud was hard and stiff, she had to have been out for at least a few hours - she hated to think it was any longer than that. Even if it was.

Spotty places in her memory was nothing new, all the same, she wished it would stop happening.

Who am I , she thought. “Ellisa----” Catching herself she stopped, the word she had started to say felt awkward on her tongue, and her throat felt raw. That’s not my name. It’s in my head, but that’s not my name.

Her hands began to break the mud off of her clothing and she began to walk around this hut, looking for the door. I can see. It’s dimly lit - nighttime - but I see as clear as day. Forest. Woods. Clear water. I smell it. How can I smell it?

The door was found and opened, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out into the night air. The warmth of the air, mixed in with the undertone whistle of breeze through the trees, brought a singular thought to the forefront of her mind. “Valandil!” It came so suddenly to her mind that the word was shouted out and echoed through the trees.

A name. It’s not my name, but it’s an important name. The name burned in her chest, boring its way in and igniting images that were just outside of her visual scope and it frustrated her but there was nothing she could do about it. But she could get clean.

Taking a deep breath she headed towards the water her nose had picked up earlier. Perhaps, after she was clean, the fog in her mind would be lifted as well.