Their eyes were glowing.

That was the first thing that registered in their newly awake mind.

That... wasn't there before. Or so they thought. They couldn't actually remember what was 'before,' but they didn't think it included glowing eyes. They sat up, then cautiously standing on their long legs to examine their surroundings.

Bioluminescent mushrooms surrounded them, gently illuminating the somewhat large cavern they found themself in. The curving, sharp angles of the cave walls were covered with moss, and they could see spores drifting in the stale air in front of them. A shallow stream of water trickled from somewhere they couldn't see to the other side of the cave.

Their mind was blurry, but one thought was clear: they had to get out of here.

--

Eryn mentally rolled her eyes as the next stuttering, wide-eyed customer made their way up to her shop. She was cloaked in expensive silks and tasteful jewelry, but it didn't hide the sharp, electric blue of her eyes and the too-long teeth. People did tend to be scared of her little ’unnaturally gifted’ act. This town was just ridiculous. Nonetheless, customers were customers, and all shapes and sizes still came to Eryn’s little fortune telling tent, acting brave but fleeing the moment she glared at them or being so shy she could barely get a word out of them.

Of course, Eryn wasn't actually a fortune teller. Honestly, any con-artist worth their salt would know in an instant. But a pair of contacts, a clay teeth mold, and some fancy words worked wonders on the gullible majority.

She took cues from the young, twitchy man, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. Yet another hopeless idiot asking if they would find their 'true love'. Seriously, didn't they have any originality?

Well, at least she got paid for it.

--

The (dragon? individual? living being? What even were they?) scowled, kicking a rock across the cave. It echoed, reverberating on the stone walls and making a rather annoying sound. No luck finding an exit. They had searched for... ugh, they couldn't even keep track of time in this place. But they had searched the room top to bottom and couldn't find a single light or large enough crack for them to get out. The quiet noises of the small stream and the gentle light of the mushrooms were really starting to get on their nerves.

They breathed deeply, in and out. There had to be an exit somewhere, and they would find it.

Hopefully.

But even when they tried to concentrate, they couldn't focus on anything other than that annoying river sou-

That was it! They recalled something, suddenly, a wave of visions of a time long past came to them. Like a lucid dream it came and went. They couldn't remember what exactly had happened, but they knew what they needed.

If there was flowing water, it had to lead somewhere.

If there was flowing water, there had to be an exit.

They grinned excitedly, tracking down the small hole the water had carved, and they began to dig.

--

Eryn chuckled, striding contently as she heard the coins jingle in her heavy bag. Her feathers were held down by a cotton bandana as to keep it from getting blown in her face, her lavish silks replaced by dust-covered travel clothes. Another dishonest day's work done, another long walk home.

Whoever said crime didn't pay was a dirty liar and they knew it.

(Oh, the universe must love dealing out her karma.)

A sharp, stinging pain rocketed through her skull, and the next thing she knew, she was staring at the sky, a grinning face blocking the sun. It leaned down and lifted a weight off her, one she vaguely recognized as her money bag.

Eryn never knew she could feel so cold.

It almost felt... peaceful.

Almost.

--

The (...?) panted as they flopped back, exhausted but glad. Finally, they had clawed out an opening big enough for them to squeeze through. After getting their bearings, they scurried through, their long matted feathers getting caught on the jagged rocks more than once.

As they passed through the opening into a deep, open cavern, the stars twinkling above them and the fresh air flowing into their lungs, they remembered another thing.

Only a single word, but it felt like the world to them.

A name.

Eryn.

Their name was Eryn.

--



Eryngium