They traveled for what could have been mere hours or days--Maegi lost track in her haste to escape. Even the burning in her pads took a backseat to the primal fear that sat in her stomach. She poked her head out at the surface near Otter Creek, but decided to forge on; the creek was still too close for comfort. No, they continued, and Maegi wasn't quite sure where they would end up when they reached the next exit.

There was a tremendous amount of guilt in leaving her pack behind, but she would be back. This move was all about @Mou, and keeping him safe. She was willing to sacrifice it all if he came out unscathed in the process. The Blackfeathers would be fine. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

She was the first to emerge in a quiet, dim-lit forest, the sounds of unfamiliar birds--she felt a deep pang, thinking of Blue--and rustling wind all around. Maegi resisted the urge to flop over onto her side, turning and waiting for the others to pull themselves from the tunnel. She swallowed, trying to keep the fear from her face. It had been a hell of a time, these past few hours (days?), and she was at once overwhelmed and exhausted.

First the girl emerged into the leaf-dappled light, and Maegi felt something akin to sorrow as relief suffused her features; the Melonii's heaven had been her hell. Not long after, another form came, and her happiness to see Mou again turned into utter confusion as not her friend but Kalganov stepped out instead.

A breath. . .then another. . .then another--

Mou did not emerge.

Maegi remained puzzled for a long moment before it morphed into icy trepidation. She lurched forward, sniffing around at the exit, chest heaving. "Mou?" she called, voice echoing down, down, down--

"Mou!"

Down, down, down--

She whirled around, turning a gimlet stare onto Ceara (she'd deal with Kalganov later). "Where is he?" she demanded, bristling. "You were closer to him than I was down there--where is he? Where did he go? When did he leave?" More panicked than furious at this point, Maegi hobbled closer to the girl, chin thrust out pugnaciously. "Where--is--he--?!" she shrieked.

Then she was faced with Kalganov, mad at HER for some ungodsly reason. She returned his snarl with one of her own, bristling. She thought it was only fair to inquire of Mou's whereabouts and focus those inquiries first on the girl, who was the lone outlier in this situation. That was, unless Kalganov was some sort of spy...

Traitors, Maegi hissed, eyes flashing between the two of them. You'll pay for this.

Then, without warning, she turned on her heel and wiggled back into the tunnel, racing back down again. Moving at twice the speed, searching for the end of Mou's scent trail.

Her determination, dogged, turned suddenly savage as the fiery girl overtook her and blocked her path. Growling like some demon let loose, Maegi feinted suddenly to one side and then, like a small, pale shadow, slipped by, disappearing into the darkness. Take that, bitch.

She was tempted to throw the insult over her shoulder, but. . .no. Her chief concern was finding Mou, and so instead the Melonii raced through the tunnel at a hobbling trot, traveling twice as fast as the journey before, all the while calling out her friend's name.

She did not rest until she emerged into the murk of Namira's Mire.