The forest is cold and barren, and Hugnin is gone, left you, laughing and crowing. But there's a town, nearby, and you manage to make your way towards some of the houses. The sky is gray and the air is cold, you can smell rain, the clouds are nearly ready to burst.... you need to find shelter, soon... you'll need... you'll need... You catch a glimpse of something that gleams even in the sad, gray sunshine, glinting gold and gemstones.
Face tear-streaked and dirty, the changeling child creeps through the trees, darting from trunk to trunk. She can't fly, that's wrong, she should be able to... but her clothes are all wrong, and her skin is bare and brown. Everything here is wrong. Her head hurts. Maybe the bright thing is her Odin? He'll make things right.
It's been a good morning, but Emberlynn is glad she got off work early, watching happily as Sir Francis Bacon and Waddles explore the nearby park, cooing quietly as the little pigs happily run around in the grass at the end of their leash.
She creeps to the edge of the trees, staring at the shiny. It's a woman, it's not her Odin... But she's so pretty....! And she has pigs. That seems important. Slowly, captivated by the glimmer of Emberlynn's hair, she creeps from the trees, moving as silently as she can over the grass. She won't notice if just a little goes missing, right...?
The woman crouches, makes kissing noises at her pets, tucking a lock of gold behind her ears, crooning as the pigs squeal and run over to her.
"AWkaw!" She cries at the sudden squealing charge, jumping back from the shiny lady, flailing her arms out. But there's no feathers, and she can't feel wind pushing beneath them... right.
The woman's head turns, quick, and she stares at the little bird-girl with wide eyes, glinting gemstones that swap out for tigers-eyes as she stares. ".......oh. Hello there! I don't recognize you! Are you new?"
"Awwwmmm...." She stammers, dark eyes wide. Her hair is raven black, dotted through with feathers, her eyes dark with no visible sclera, and the black leather of her perfectly fitting jacket is stitched with shiny, blue-violet thread in a feather pattern. "I.... I..." She stares back, then sniffles before abruptly starting to cry. "I'm LOST!"
Emberlynn wraps the leashes around her wrists and opens her arms. "Hey, hey, it's okay, come here, it's okay to be afraid! You found someone new, you're not lost anymore, you found us and that means we've found you!"
She sniffles and scrubs her face with the back of her hand, smearing the dirt and tears thoroughly. Also some snot. "You were? Is this a place that makes people get lost?" She looks back at the trees.
She shakes her head, carefully scooting a little closer, on her knees. "...no, this is where we get to when we leave, it's where our families are from... it can leave us a little lost, for awhile... but it's worth it, in the end..."
"Leave...?" She asks, confused, then goes wide-eyed. "We left ASGARD! Hugin, he said....!" She points back at the trees, tears starting up again. "He made me..."
"Sssh, Sssh, it's okay, it's okay-" She takes another step forwards, reaching out. "It's okay, you're going to be okay, you didn't do anything wrong, it isn't your fault-"
"Odin's going to be so mad at meeee...!" She whines, and finally relents and goes to Emberlynn for her offered hug. She needs a hug.
Emberlyn hugs her tight, gently petting her hair. "It's okay, you're okay. Listen, there... you won't find a way back, even if you try. People have, and they got hurt."
"But I didn't do it on purpose...." She cuddles up close. Her heart is pounding, palpable even through her clothes.
"I know, I know," Emberlynn pets her hair, hugging closer. "Relax, it's okay, I've got you. You're going to be safe, okay?"
