12-01-2021, 06:55 PM
Lillibet
Her mother had always told her to listen to the animals. It had never made sense as a child - Oceane was the one who could speak to wildlife; she hadn't inherited that ability. But Oceane stood by her words, had taught Lillibet to listen to the casual chirp of the birds and the quiet rustling of the rodents who had made Loess their home. Usually, such noises sat in the background of her thoughts. They rarely drew much attention, except for in their absence.
It was much the same in Sylva; she'd learned to listen to the natural noises of their perpetually golden forest. She had set out to explore that morning, just the same as usual, with the intention of finding something unfamiliar in the depths of her home. Lillibet had seen much (if not all) of the territory, but the young adult always held high hopes that she would find something new as she wandered.
At first, the ethereal woman couldn't place exactly what it was, but something felt off. When she finally realized what it was, she immediately felt unsafe in the Sylvan forest.
Everything was silent. The animals were no longer speaking.
Lillibet had tried to find her family, but they were nowhere to be found. Her self-preservation forced her to leave without having found them, and now the sickness of her abandonment sits like acid in the pit of her stomach. The forest sits quiet all around her, the aftermath of the earthquake finally settling back into the depths of the earth.
In her shock, she stares blankly into the empty spaces between the tree trunks. Unmoving. Uncertain. When the familiar form of Herrin meanders into her periphery, Lillibet doesn't make direct eye contact with him, but doesn't fail to acknowledge his presence. “It's gone.”
Her amber eyes finally turn to look at him, brow furrowed in ill-hidden panic. “Your creek. It's gone.”
