Buried us down below so no one sees

Darkness swallowed her whole, wrapped around her like the night sky, burying her in the overwhelming silence singing through the air. Water dripped from the ceiling, hushed and echoed through the cave, the vocals ringing out as an afterthought to the song.

Maarii walked forth, slow, unsure, and cautious. Every part of her was telling her to flee, and yet something in her forced her to legs to continue their march forwards. Her arms folded her paws to her chest, eyes wide and pupils blown to capture any glimpse of what is going on in front of her. Her claws fiddled, webbing rubbing against each other in a comforting, pssh, pssh noise as her only company.

I'm a fighter! she thought to herself, eyes darting back and forth. Her feathers ruffled, unconvinced. Her nose flared, forcing air through in a huff, and slowly let a breath pass in through her teeth.

"Leave," a voice roared, harsh and shattering the silence in half, fading to nothing. Maarii lept back, terror flooding her and a teeny Eep! leaving her, stunned as a fierce green Isomara stepped forth from the darkness.

Briefly, the Anthro wondered just how long she had been in the cave with her, watching, listening, waiting.

And why did she choose now to come out where the moon peered through, light catching them both in his net. A skeleton wrapped around the Feral Isomaras frame, her head lowered and eyes glinting, wings large and spread wide. A soft gasp escaped her as she saw all of her fur was matted, unkempt, and looked neglected for presumably months, and it was all tinged with purple. The Isomara before her was banished, a Rogue, and Maarii's face screwed up, eyes shutting for a moment before opening to record everything happening.

"Didn't ya hear me?" the Rogue tried again, snarling and fluttered her wings, sliding forwards. Her eyes and nose were wrinkled, mouth pulled into a tight frown and eyebrows furrowed. Maarii's mind flashed to that grumpy face in her village, always upset over something simple, but in reality, they were super nice!

Perking up, Maarii tiptoed an inch forward. "H-Hey, it's okay! I'm here to t-talk!" or try to. Her voice wouldn't work properly, stuttering and tripping over her words. Her brain felt like mush, and her legs quivered. She wouldn't believe it was in fear. A growl made her squeak, the inch forward turning into a foot back.

"Talk?" the Rogue condensed the distance, "Talk? Excuse you, but ya have the wrong plan, and I'll kill you for that!"

Maarii blinked and then the tainted Isomara was in front of her eyes, feathers spread and slicing the distance away. A paw cut forward, and the Anthro only had a split second before she moved just in time. Tears shielded green, and a choked sob took her throat as she realized what was happening.

Her life and memories of friendly faces, joyful companions, and helpful friends shattered. Never before had another Isomara raised their voice at her, attempted to strike her, threatened to rip her from her being. The thought of death gripping her throat made tears burst from her eyes. They burned, leaving fire down her cheeks. They blurred her vision, making her shake and scatter back to keep the distance between them.

She skittered back, falling on her rump, crying out in fear and as her legs forced her tail into odd angles. The cave floor was grimy and disgusting, a shudder running through her as whatever it was coated in splashed when she made contact with it.

"You're not welcome here," the Isomara daunted, voice gruff from disuse, saliva dripping down her chin as she spat those words at the cowering being. Her teeth were bare and her ears laid back, muscles taut as she readied to leap, wings spread wide. "Get OUT!"

For the first time in her life, Maarii wanted to run far, far away, and never fight again.