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Ysalone walked with a spring in her step, head nodding and swaying cheerfully to a tune only she could hear in her head. She hummed every so often, sultry soft notes that followed no particular rhythm. With every step she took, the doe seemed to bounce a little, pleased to feel the warmth of the sun on her back as she made her way toward the famed Grandfather Tree.

Beside her hopped a little Jackhop with wide blue eyes, who paused every few moments to scent the air before scurrying back to Ysalone's side with a little hop and a binky. Every so often, she would weave her way under the doe's belly and dart between her front legs. Whenever that happened, Ysalone would let out a light-hearted laugh and peer at the Jackhop with a twinkling smile.

"How are things down there, Sprite?" she asked as the Jackhop scuttled between her legs again. The first time Sprite had done it, Ysalone had been worried. But now it had become so routine she hardly thought about the possibility of stepping on her companion by accident. She could almost predict when Sprite would get a mad case of the zoomies.

"Oh, alright," Sprite panted back, settling down a little and falling into step alongside Ysalone. "It's just been a long way and we're still not there."

There was a little whine in the Jackhop's voice that couldn't quite be suppressed.

Ysalone laughed again, leaning down to nuzzle Sprite reassuringly on the back. "Well don't worry, little one!" She said brightly. "It's right around the corner!" And sure enough, they rounded the corner to find themselves approaching the base of the Grandfather Tree.

"There it is!" said Ysalone, prancing in excitement. "Let's go!"

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Ysalone felt like she'd been walking for roughly forever. A fatigue the likes of which she'd never felt before had settled into her entire body, making her limbs feel like dead weights dragging her down with every step she took. She wheezed, straining to fill her lungs with air and clear the cloudiness from her head, but it didn't seem to do her much good.

"Sprite?" She managed to say as she turned her gaze toward a fuzzy figure by her feet. It looked like it might be the Jackhop, but her vision wouldn't focus enough to tell for sure. Ysalone decided to treat the figure as if it was her friend - all the better to stop herself from despairing.

Despair. It felt dangerously close, and yet the doe refused to yield to its ominous darkness. She rebuffed its advances, willing it away, as if she could hold it at bay through the sheer persistence of her own internal light. She would not let it take told of her.

The doe took a breath and forced a weak smile onto her face, looking down at the fuzzy figure that may have been Sprite. "Don't worry, Sprite," she said with as much cheer as she could must. The words certainly sounded happier than she felt, but maybe if she could put on a brave face, then everything would be alright and her companion wouldn't feel afraid. "We're going to-- Look!"

She'd turned to face forward again and off in the distance, she thought she saw something green. Fuzzy, just like the Jackhop. Indiscernable. But before she could stop it, a well of hope blossomed inside her. Belief and determination grew even though she couldn't make out that speck of green. It had to be though... It had to be some kind of oasis.

Her ears pitched forward in excitement, with a vigor that she didn't quite feel in the rest of her body. But she was energized anyway. The doe glanced down at Sprite, and her entire being felt lifted, somehow. "We're going to be okay, Sprite!" She declared, motioning toward the little promise of something green on the horizon. "Don't you worry, we'll get to that oasis and everything will be alright!"

The Jackhop didn't say anything. Indeed, that fuzzy shape didn't really do anything other than somehow travel alongside her, matching her pace. But it didn't matter. It's company was enough to make Ysalone feel a little less alone, a little brighter in her dark predicament.

She picked up her pace, pointing hopefully toward the green. It seemed so far away, and yet its presence warmed her. The thought of salvation brought her a sense of peace and energy.

"Let's go, Sprite!" She said, and this time, the joy in her voice sounded quite a bit less forced. Her slow walk became more focused, more purposeful, until it became a trot. And then a canter, and everything felt lighter. She even managed - just for a second - to laugh a little bit. After all, they had found a glimmer of hope and a promise of something better.

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