Paprika crawled painfully forward. Her arms trembled, the ground beneath her fell in & out of focus. The green mist seemed to cling to her, glowing faintly around her face & fur. Her breath in short gasps as she tried to escape the mist.
The world tilted around her. Trees leaned unnaturally close, their branches seemed to be close enough to touch. Every blade of grass on the valley floor seemed alive. Paprika tried to clear it, but her dizziness deepened. Her paws sank into the soft earth, barely holding her weight.
She forced herself to keep moving. One paw, then another. Just beyond the haze, a break in the mist shimmered like hope.
But she didn’t reach it.
Her legs buckled. The cloak billowed around her as she hit the ground.
The world faded, & everything went still.