Seaside Moors i want y'all to just get down.

tenebrous coils of woodsmoke held him down. valravn struggled against the choking sensation as it pulled him deeper -- he felt as if he was about to fall through the floor and into the hungering jaws of the void.

claimed by terror, the boy began to fight back -- and with every punch he delivered into the darkness it seemed to only glow in oily response, rooting him deeper.

its only marshtail! valravn had forgotten about the wisp of light he'd seen moments before. he startled, looking up to the distant image of phaedra as black tendrils slid between them like crackling heat. what? what was a marshtail?

momentarily distracted, valravn felt the obscurity reach out again, pulling against him. he tried to speak again, but his tongue was clouted and weighed down. he closed his eyes, feeling resigned terror seep into his nerves. through his nose. into his tongue. down his throat to his belly to his feet --

cannot i cannot speak. the boys eyes remained tightly shut.

its only marshtail its only marshtail im only dreaming its onl--

valravn felt his subconscious flicker, as did his presence in this plane;

in another world he was slowly coming to wakefulness.

its only marshtail im only dreaming its only marshdream im dreaming its tailmarsh im dreaming only marshtail --

meanwhile the boy's outline began to dim and flicker like flames against a smoky wind.