To Chase a Dream ⇾ Aloy

prologue

The thumping of her feet hitting the ground vibrates in her ears. The constant sound comforting to Lorea's frantic, young mind. Ahead of her the red dot becomes smaller, the owner of the flaming red hair seems to have an unlimited amount of energy, while her own is draining fast. Her legs ache and her lungs burn, the want to stop grows.

A seed of panic that has planted itself inside her mind latches onto the insecurity and urges her to stop, to turn back. For a moment she falters, her pace dwindling into a walk. For a moment she feels completely overwhelmed, as any six-year-old who has run away should. Her heart aches in worry, tears of fear stream down her face, accompanied by sobs of hopelessness.

That's when the crushed berries flare up inside her mind. The hope that was shattered. How wrong she had felt. The want to help returns. The moment passes. She wipes away her tears, takes a deep breath and sets off running again, the red acting as her beacon among the greens and the browns of the forest.

Branches scrape past her arms. She could have sworn they weren't there a heartbeat ago. She stumbles on her feet with her eyes screwed shut tightly, even with the looming fear of losing her red beacon she knows she will need her sight in the future. Her stumble turns into a tumble, right into another person. Their limbs tangle, someone screams. Something sharp stabs in her back, in her side. Then next nothing but cold and darkness.