I've had the rug pulled beneath my feet

It was like a scene straight out of a Disney movie: A beautiful young maiden, o’ fair and youthful, is curled in a ball where she sleeps for what seems like an eternal slumber. Gentle winds flourish through the high grasses and brush against her nose, causing it to twitch ever so slightly in annoyance. A friendly little monarch flutters its amber-colored wings and decides to land on the small girl's head -- and it was with that gentle touch from mother nature's finger that our young protagonist flutters open her pale eyelashes and awakens to a field surrounded by blossoms of all gentle hues........the same exact blossoms she woke up to last time.

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“UGHHHHHHHHH. WHY ISN’T IT W O R K I N G!?” The young otter barked angrily – loud enough to scare nearby birds into flight – flinging the front of her body on the grown with the ugliest frown one could imagine. Yes; Aimi has unfortunately been at this for a while now;

attempting to close her eyes,

drift back to sleep,

and wake back up -- all in hopes that after a while, the girl would magically re-appear on the sands of sequoia coast again. Yet it would take one more attempt of this painful cycle for the sea-faring girl to realize…..this wasn’t some strange lucid dream – and she wasn’t even home anymore….

Her brother Yunxu had been gone for some time, so there was no use in attempting to seek him out right now, but where was Hua? Aiolos? Orochi? Where the hell was Yuelong!? There was some missing part to this puzzle that the otter couldn't wrap her head around, and while she had no clue in hell where she was or how she'd been transported here in the first place -- you can bet your ass she'll find a way out one way or another. First things first, Aimi wanted to find a way out of this field and toward somewhere a little less....green (because Aimi hated grass. It stinks.).

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Ezra heard her before he saw her. A voice shouted across the grassy plains, though the words were muddled to him. He lifted his head from the rodent he'd been making a meal of and looked out across the land, his gaze landing on the birds that took to the wing in their surprise. He frowned and scooped up the rest of the carcass in his jaws before heading in that direction, loping steadily along until he spied her wrapped in color.

He peered at her for a moment before dropping the vole at his paws. She didn't look injured, but something clearly was upsetting her. "You alright, miss?" he asked, his voice slow and rough with that hint of the South that was common to all of his bloodline. She looked young, though not so young that it was concerning to find her on her own.
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Aimi was in the middle of one of her very elaborate thinking sessions -- the type that usually lasted a maximum of 5 seconds until her mind shat itself and she gave up. Before it could actually reach that stage, however, an unfamiliar voice dripping with a strange accent rung out behind her. The otter's face immediately flushed over in embarrassment -- the last thing Aimi needed right now was to be seen by anyone whenever she was in one of her "I have no clue what I'm doing." moods (and that isn't even counting the fact that she was currently in the world's most akward lying position). Let's fix that.

In one swift, less-than-graceful movement, the young fae rolled over and clumsily stood back up to face who the masculine tone belonged to. An older man, a bit more aged than her, but not by that much, stood before Aimi with a small carcass at his feet. Nothing had changed from back then -- she was still wary of locals and it showed in the hardened, seaglass eyes that studied the male with caution. Just what was he up to behind that calmed demeanor of his?

Not noting anything too suspicious, Aimi figured that she could at least let some guard down for the time being, but only until she needed a reason to be suspicious. "Nothing wrong with me, I am just lost." She stated simply, licking her lips and turning her attention towards the scenery around them. No need to make him think there was anything wrong,  she was perfectly capable of assisting herself. (this is a huge lie). "I'm not from around here so tell me, where am I?"

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He seemed to startle her, which hadn't been his intention. His ears slid back apologetically, though he gave no voice to it. Her answer consumed his interest. She was lost, not from around here, which meant they seemed to be in a similar predicament. He took in a breath and looked around as though the answer might suddenly leap into his mind. It didn't, of course, but he wasn't going to just leave her hanging.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Ezra replied, sweeping his gaze back to the smoke-painted filly, "I'm just as lost as you are. I was travelling with some companions and I guess we got separated. I woke up here a couple sunrises ago. Can't recollect how, but seems I'm here, and they are not." He watched her face to gauge her reaction. Was it the same for her? Would it be the same for any he ran into 'round these parts?

He stayed and spoke with her for a while, learning what he could until there was no more to say. He departed then, continuing his search for his own way.
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