Qeya River it’s just a silly phase i’m going through

fortune does not come twice; misfortune does not come alone — 

你会唱歌吗? she listened to the soft songs of the dragon's wives, whispers of fortune told from beneath the ice. ying traced her reflection on the clear ice and heard the women's voices grow louder, much to her surprise. where were they hiding? their words lured her further from land, until she had walked so close to the basin's center that only ice remained. and when she looked up, there was the mountain, home to yìnglóng.

there were cracks between slabs of ice. ying knelt down to investigate and saw the fleeting shape of a siren. surprised, she jumped back. 这是游戏吗? she whispered, knowing that the dragon wives would hear. ying leapt onto the next slab, noting how different it felt to fly with a belly full of life. she enjoyed the sensation, and understood it to mean that her children were without harm.

she followed after the siren for another moment, before diving head-first into the water. and there was no light, but darkness, and the siren had disappeared. ying's paws frantically beat at the bottom of an ice cap, clawing desperately for any sign of freedom. the river's current grew stronger, pushing her further downstream, toward the fighting ring. she could hear ice colliding with deafening crashes, shattering against one another and the base of the mountain.

ying fought against the water but knew that she was losing strength. her vision began to blur as the beating continued, one of her paws smashed while reaching into the open. eventually, she fell unconscious, where she would remain until help arrived.