To anyone else, an uneventful walk through a small room might have been an immense relief after the ominous buildup.

To Giggle, it was a nightmare. It was hard for her to put one black paw before the other; to remember even to keep breathing, to keep her eyes from sliding to the shadows and catching there.

When the light registered--like waking to a dawn--she set her paw down and blinked, took a deep breath, and--WHAT---jolted, as the stench of ozone and the bright green eyes appeared before her. That fear sent her leaping comically high, fear shooting through her like ice water. When she landed she swore, quietly but profusely.

It took her a moment to realize that Emuh was speaking. That he was... staring at her.

That her magicka was draining away in a dizzying spin.

The old hyena staggered, a gasp torn from her chest--and then it was over.

She had known what to expect with her magicka, at least... but the sensation was something wholly different from mere words. The power she'd grown to rely on so heavily was suddenly stripped down, stripped bare, weakened and faltering.

Giggle stepped back, grimacing and panting for breath, but--it was gone.

Emuh, the cave--all of it--just a gaping door, and emptiness beyond.

She turned, and did not flee; she forced herself to walk, trembling. Nightmare flashes curled through her mind, old memories taking form and shape, and Giggle fought them down. A single wisp erupted before her, magicka and frightened desire taking form, to lead her away from this place. She didn't speak, didn't call back to the owl her thanks or anything else; she just...

...wanted to go home.