Breathless.

Amaris gasped awake, eyes wide and sides heaving. Her cave was in darkness, keeping the remaining wisps of the dream hanging just out of reach.

It had been the same one for the past few weeks. Darkness, mostly. Always the same. Darkness. Thick, heavy, pressing darkness. An unnatural darkness, one she could drown in. There was always an urge, to move deeper into the darkness. And when she'd resist the pull, the darkness would seep into her, clogging her nose and her mouth and her eyes and her ears, drowning her.

She'd never been able to escape the darkness. But she could never bring herself to embrace it. She couldn't follow the pull deeper. She always drowned trying to escape.

A squeak nearby pulled Amaris fully awake. "Pyxi." She could hear the little owl ruffle its feathers, and Amaris took that as a cue that it was time to get up.

She stretched her long, skinny legs and stepped out of the cave that served as her sleeping quarters. Her little cave, with just enough room to stretch out in, was attached to a larger cave, covered in glowing mosses of all different varieties and colors. A small pond, fed by a tiny trickle of water coming from some unseen stream buried in the rock, gave her the water she needed, and the moss provided a semblance of food. If need be, she could stay in her cave forever, never needing to leave.

It had taken her years to find this cavern, deep underground, deeper even than most of the other tunnels of Oakfern. She was closer to the center of the herd than she would have liked, but the road to her sanctuary was long, winding, narrow, and hidden. It was her secret hideaway, her safe place. No one could touch her here.

Her companion, a little pygmy owl, Pyxi, flew past and landed on one of the tiny rock ledges that covered the walls. The tan-chested owl cooed softly, and Amaris smiled. "Of course, Pyxi. I know." The pale-haired fawn crossed the cavern,stopping just beneath where the owl roosted. They had an unspoken pattern; Pyxi would land on moss, Amaris would eat it. The owl had never led her to poisonous moss, and only seldomly sent her into a moss-induced hallucination.

Amaris pulled at the moss, chewing and swallowning a small chunk. When she went for a second bite, though, Pyxi squawked, batting her wings at Amaris' face. She stepped back, confused, before her legs buckled and she fell into darkness.

~~~~~~~~

Darkness.

Deep, compressing darkness.

"Child, come."

Blind eyes followed the sound. The darkness seemed to ebb and flow, alive and charged with some strange energy.

"Do not be afraid."

"Go, Amaris. Do not be afraid. He will keep you safe."

"Mother?" No, the second voice wasn't her mother. It didn't seem right. "Pyxi?"

"Yes. He sent me, you know. To guide you. He needs you now, Amaris. Go to him. Don't turn away. He'll protect you." Pyxi's voice was light and airy, with a higher pitch and a gentle tone. It was something she could trust, and she could easily affix the voice to her little feathered friend.

"Come, child. It is time."

Amaris turned away from where Pyxi's voice had come from, and turned toward the original voice. Deep and resonating, it pierced the darkness surrounding her, holding onto her. She found it easy to follow him. It felt right, safe.

She walked deeper into darkness, the blackness closing around her, holding her in a velvet embrace.

"You are mine, child. I have always guided you. I will always guide you.

Dark times are upon us. My children are blinded. They have lost their faith, twisted my words to their will.

Guide them, my child. Led them back to me."

~~~~~~~~

She woke to a pair of round gold eyes peering back at her. Amaris groaned, her head pounding. The owl flew away, coming back a moment later, dropping a scrap of moss in front of her. Wary, but still trusting the little owl, she chewed the moss.

Dragging herself to her hooves, she half-crawled to her pool of water. She drank deeply, and the moss began to take affect. Her headache faded, and she could clearly remember everything that had happened.

Gealach had come to her. He had chosen her.

She couldn't refuse him.

For the first time in years, she would join the herd. They needed a new Oracle, even she had heard the whispers.

If Gealach will it, so shall it be.

~~~~~~~~