Xhez felt as though she couldn't breathe.

As her mother's arms wrapped around her, Rin stood beside them, equally as shocked. A few tears ran down Xhez's cheeks before she could speak again.

"She was captured?" Xhez asked. Every syllable in the question was a struggle to squeeze out of her lips.

"Yes," Saria replied.

Balling her hands up into fists, Xhez followed up with:

"What happened?"

"It was a couple of days ago," Saria explained as Xhez and Rin listened intently. "Vortell and I were on our way back to our pond after we paid the Bright Ones a quick visit. We wanted to get back home as fast as possible, in case you came back while we were gone," Saria explained, her tone soft and sad. "So, we walked back during the day."

"No..." Xhez deflated.

Saria quickly tried to justify that decision.

"We... We knew it was dangerous, but the thought of you arriving to find us missing was too much to bear. I... I told Vortell that we should try it. I thought nothing would h-" a choked sob cut her off as she cried into Xhez's shoulder.

The sprite embraced her mother, clutching her tightly.

"As we walked," Saria continued, "we were attacked by a small group of humans. There were just four of them. They caught us by surprise. Vortell, bless her Spirit, was able to kill one, but she pushed me away then, telling me to run while she held the remaining three off. I tried, but, I stopped after I was a fair distance away to look. I saw that Vortell was being carried away, but, her Spirit was still reaching mine. She was still alive, but, there was nothing I could do. I've never been the fighter she is."

Given that she knew that to be true, it was easy to imagine things playing out the way her mother described them. As much as she wished they hadn't taken the risk of walking back home during the daytime like that, she couldn't be mad at them.

Ultimately, it wasn't their fault. They were just the victims of others' aggressions.

"I understand."

Despite the thoughts currently scratching away at her mind, inflicting a deep sadness upon her Spirit, Xhez felt she wanted to take a second to appreciate that Saria was still okay.

That said, she couldn't just stand here crying with her all day.

After all, Vortell was *captured, not *killed.

Knowing that, Xhez tried to collect herself. She pushed away her worries and simply asked:

"Where did they go?"

Saria pulled herself away from Xhez to look back at her daughter quizzically.

"Huh?"

"The people who took Vortell," Xhez explained. "Did you ever hear them say where they were going?"

"Uhm, n-no," Saria quickly answered. "I only saw them carrying Vortell away. They never said where they planned to take her."

Nodding, Xhez's mind quickly scrambled to think of something else. As soon as she did, she breathed a sigh of relief. This wouldn't be guaranteed to work, but she had to try.

"Where did Vortell fight them? Can you take us there?" Xhez asked her mother.

"W-Why...?"

"We need to try to get her back, mother," Xhez stated. "Vortell was taken, not killed. She may still be alive."

"But, what will we do if we run into them again?"

It was a valid question, but one that Xhez hoped she had an answer to. She turned toward her partner, the person who'd accompanied her here.

"Rin," Xhez said softly. "Could you-"

Before the request could escape her lips, Rin answered:

"Yeah," she nodded. "Let's go get her back."

The warmth Xhez felt at that moment nearly rivaled her current anxiety. She turned toward her mother with steeled eyes, firm with determination.

"We have to try to rescue her. Rin will help. She is strong. Stronger than Vortell, going by what I remember. If Vortell was able to kill one of them, Rin should be able to help us fight them all off."

Skeptically, Saria cast her eyes in Rin's direction. She didn't reject the idea, however. Probably because it was the only option available to them.

"Stay here," Xhez told Saria. "Rin and I can go try to get mother back on our own. There is no need to put you in danger."

"B-But, how?" Saria asked.

"Just trust me," Xhez said with a smile. "I know what I'm doing..."

[...I hope.]

"For now," she continued, "just show me in your memories where you and Vortell fought."

"Um, alright. Please, be careful, though... I cannot lose both of you."

"You will not. I promise."

With that being said, the two sprites touched their foreheads together and held hands as Saria began displaying her memories to Xhez. It did not last long, as Xhez did not want to experience the moment they were attacked for too long. She was nervous enough already.

Once she saw what she wanted to see, she closed the spiritual connection and pulled away.

"Rin, come."

"Right behind you," the brunette replied and the two of them were about to leave before Saria clutched one of Xhez's hands.

"Be careful," she pleaded.

"I will be."

On that note, Xhez and Rin walked away from the pond toward the place where the attack went down. On the way, Rin asked:

"So, uh, how exactly are we going to find out where your mom was taken to?"

Xhez then explained her plan to Rin. Part of it, anyway.

"I will look through the memories of the human who died. Maybe my mother will be taken back to a camp somewhere," she speculated. "Once we know where they might be headed, we can get her back."

She didn't explain the other half of her plan.

Mainly, because she didn't want to risk frightening her friend.

The feelings in her heart were so dark, Xhez nearly scared herself. She didn't want to find out how Rin would react to them.

"Okay," Rin nodded. "It's a pretty good plan," she stated, placing a gentle hand on Xhez's shoulder. Her touch was soothing. "We'll find her."

[I know we will... I just hope we are not too late.]