Everything was a blur. She remembered snatches of color and beauty, she knew her name, how old she was, but everything else seemed to be lost in a fog that she could not seem to clear. Her dress was brown, ripped and torn and several places, dirty from her many falls, her blonde hair braided neatly and there was no adornment on her person except for a very beautiful silver necklace, who's pendant was a diamond studded set of wings, like that of a butterfly. Where was she? What was this place? Caitriona didn't have an answer for either.
Some memories came to the surface, of a man and woman, handsomely dressed, wearing beautiful colors and jewels, fawning over her, and then darkness until a few moments ago. No matter how hard she thought, how hard she tried to recall anything, nothing occurred to her. She was disoriented, lost in a strange place, with no memory of how she had gotten to where she was.
As she walked, a sound broke through the silence of the forest. Horses, their hooves slamming into the earth, causing it to vibrate beneath her feet, the sounds of men shouting and dogs baying. She froze, glancing around the forest, trying to discern where the sounds were erupting but she didn't know. All she knew was that it was getting closer and closer.
She took off at a run, rushing through the trees, and yet the sounds only grew closer. They were frightening sounds and it only made her run faster, bare feet hitting the ground, her run almost unearthly and then that run ended suddenly as she found herself falling down a hill bank, and landing with a harsh thud in the middle of a dirt road just as horses and dogs charged toward her. The horses stopped and the dogs seemed to corner her, growling and barking. She gasped, scrambling up and away from them but they only followed and growled. Her green eyes were wide with fear at their aggressiveness toward her only to fall again as her ankle gave out, full of searing pain. She must have twisted it in her fall.
Some memories came to the surface, of a man and woman, handsomely dressed, wearing beautiful colors and jewels, fawning over her, and then darkness until a few moments ago. No matter how hard she thought, how hard she tried to recall anything, nothing occurred to her. She was disoriented, lost in a strange place, with no memory of how she had gotten to where she was.
As she walked, a sound broke through the silence of the forest. Horses, their hooves slamming into the earth, causing it to vibrate beneath her feet, the sounds of men shouting and dogs baying. She froze, glancing around the forest, trying to discern where the sounds were erupting but she didn't know. All she knew was that it was getting closer and closer.
She took off at a run, rushing through the trees, and yet the sounds only grew closer. They were frightening sounds and it only made her run faster, bare feet hitting the ground, her run almost unearthly and then that run ended suddenly as she found herself falling down a hill bank, and landing with a harsh thud in the middle of a dirt road just as horses and dogs charged toward her. The horses stopped and the dogs seemed to corner her, growling and barking. She gasped, scrambling up and away from them but they only followed and growled. Her green eyes were wide with fear at their aggressiveness toward her only to fall again as her ankle gave out, full of searing pain. She must have twisted it in her fall.