Adrika

@/todithytzance01

CW: blood

The Gaoler looks up from the nasty gash in her left foreleg. The blood blends in well with color of her fur, but the scent is far from subtle. From not too far away come the sounds of fighting and dying. You begin to regret your stop; it's not often you see Gaolers in this area, but getting an interview with one is not worth your life.

"What was that?" Adrika shouts. You repeat your question. "Oh!" An explosion too close for comfort shakes the ground. She winces and lifts her injured leg. "I'm not really part of the clan, actually. I've only been here in Shadow for a week, hired to stop a mutiny." A shrill whine pierces the air. "As you can see, it is not going well. Not that I think I could have stopped it single-wingedly, but if the conditions of the Shadow Flight weren't so different from my home in Ice, I could have helped more, I'm sure." Adrika inhales slowly, then breathes out onto her wound. The exhaled breath is visible, pink and shiny despite the lack of sunlight. A slight sizzling sound comes from her flesh. She winces again. "It's just a bandaid," she says, gingerly setting her leg down. "But it'll have to do. There's something about this place that messes with my magic." Sighing, she looks skyward, though the view is completely blocked by thick pines and gnarled vines. "Again, it's only been a week, but I miss the light. I miss fresh air. I miss a cold that bites my skin instead of seeping into it." She gives her fur coat a shake. "I was not made for damp."

Another explosion. Someone screams. You're knocked off your perch, and almost injure your wing. "You need to get out of here!" the Gaoler shouts. She is backlit by the green fire that now eats away at the trees. "Before you get dragged into this mess, too!"