What once was lost

She would just barely shake her head, her cheek rubbing against the rough sands beneath it. No...she didn't know anything. Just...Illie. Something about that name told her it was hers, in some small way. She at least had that one small thing. Her name. "I don't know.." She groaned, her jaw clenching slightly as a wave of pain crashed through her, just like that constant had done not long ago. At least...at least now she was warm. Her eyes would peel open again as he introduced himself, and the slightest of smiles touched her lips. "Do I know you?" She whispered in her raspy voice.

She wanted to lay there for eternity, lay there in the only thing she had ever known: darkness and agony. But he had other plans, it seems. His warmth uncurled from around her and all she wanted to do was cry, was sob at the loss. But his voice didn't leave. He asked her if she could move, if she could go and meet this friend of his. For a moment she wanted to refuse, wanted to lay there and get washed away, but then a small light of clairty burst in her mind, and she knew she had to go. If she had a fighting chance, she had so somehow move, and go with him. She'd tilt her head slightly to look up at him. He was less blurry now, but still a strange thing, and so large. "I can't climb mountains.." She breathed in what was a weak attempt at a joke, her lips curling into a pained smile at the attempt.

But she was determined. Her very soul was fighting to get up at that moment. She had too, she just had too! If only her body would cooperate. So, for the first time since the dawn of existance, she moved. She fumbled to gather her paws under her, whimpering as she pulled or pushed too hard on something that hurt a lot, but she grit her teeth and perservered. Her ears were back, her burning eyes were narrowed, and she managed it! Her paws were against the ground, pushing her weak body up. Everything hurt, but because everything hurt, it allowed her to ignore the pain just a bit. She'd twist towards him, finally on all four paws but her hind end remained close to the ground. She just didn't have the strength to stand up fully. Everything hurt, and each movement was so jarring it rattled her right down to the marrow that lined her bones.

Suddenly, with a yelp, she stumbled, and she'd press herself against him. She was crying again, but when had she stopped. "It hurts.." She rasped, her lungs working overitme to breathe, and her body shaking again. "Will y-your friend...make it...not hurt?" She panted, looking at him with burning eyes as she leaned against him, trying to catch her breath and wait for the moment when it didn't hurt so much so she could get herself sprawled across his back. She had too, she knew it. If she had any chance of surviving, she had to go with this man...this Valentine, whoever he was.

"Burn Baby Burn"