[/html]Tayui was distinctly aware that she was floating. Every so often, the clouds would tug her one way and then decide they preferred to take her another. This floating sensation was far from ad rem. Every so often, she’d feel a sharp piercing pain somewhere on her body, but the clouds were quick to soothe and dull this pain. The clouds embraced her in their frozen grip and Tayui could feel herself falling deeper and deeper into the sky. She wondered if the next step would simply be cold darkness and death. She had only met ghosts who had returned from their death, but she’d never asked them how they made it back. She had always thought they wouldn’t be able to give her a response, whether it be because they weren’t allowed or because they couldn’t remember. Tayui swore she would remember these memories because when she died, she wanted to remember how it all happened.

The clouds shifted and Tayui realized that she was no longer floating. She felt the clouds give way to something gritty and hard. Tayui tried to move and return to her clouds, but they just pushed her farther and farther away. She struggled against them, but now each movement brought new pain. Her head throbbed and ached and other parts of her body hurt, too. Everything sounded loud and close, as if things were constantly pushing and crashing around her. This was wrong. Tayui knew that clouds could not make such sounds unless she was in a thunderstorm. Silently, she began to whine. With each whine, her shivering grew fiercer and she felt the thunderclaps take over.[html]

[/html]Tayui felt the vibrations of thunder before she heard it speak. She felt herself move and sway and the suddenness of the entire ordeal made her wail in pain. Her voice was mostly gone, so she didn't know if she actually made a sound, but she knew she was trying. With her mouth opening and closing slowly in an attempt to shout out, some fur made its way into her mouth. This confused her because she didn't understand why this would be the case. She tried to move, but the simple act of turning her head sent her moaning again in pain. Even the slightest movement made her incredibly dizzy. After a few more minutes, she heard the fur say something -- her name, she realized -- and she tried to be more still to hear better. It didn't help because she couldn't hear anything else. It was as though all of her senses were jammed and nothing was working again.

She opened her mouth again, trying not to bite down on the fur. She realized now, with slow and lazy contemplation, that someone was carrying her. This realization was only momentary because she quickly descended back into pain and groaning. Although she knew that someone was carrying her, she just wanted to run and get out even though she could not move at all. But in the end, she realized she would have to remain pococurante* to these temptations because movement would only injure her further.[html]