Blackfoot Forest take heart, arise, he is calling for you

exploring blue springs cave

after waking and being kindly tended by the ghostly woman, hosannah lingered for only moments around the den which had been lent to her that night. she blinked away the remainder of her sleep, deep though it was, and thanked liri for her aid - casting a wide sweep of her gaze across the hanging plants that still needed drying - and then slipped away. something called to her, but not with words, not even with feeling. hosannah felt it deep in her very soul and knew, somehow, that her lord wished for her to go forth.

she moved between the trees with great purpose despite the weariness of her body, taking care not to move too aggressively lest she damage some part of her, or ruin what work the white woman had done. the shadows dragged across her and she felt their lingering chill - and then there was a gasp, not from her, but from the world around her. a distant, deep wave of whistling air. it thrust itself from the deepness of the forest and she was awash with strange scents; like the minerals of the soil, but crisp and wet like a river.

though hosannah feared the darkness, she trusted her lord far more. if He wished for her to brave her fears, to test herself and prove her worth in this place, then she would do it. so, though her head bowed and her agile body shivered with uncertainty, the woman moved beyond the forest in to the veiled opening alongside the mountain, creeping through the corridor of the cave in search of -- well, she did not know, but it would be revealed to her.