When The Party's Over: The last straw was when she tripped on that hidden rock.

She stumbled and held her arms out to try and steady her balance, but to no avail. The little scarecrow hit the ground only a second later, getting a face full of dirt and a mouthful of regret as she slowly got up and dusted herself off. Her expression, made up of fabric and wishes, had turned sad, somber, and dirty among the trials she'd faced in the last few hours. Weren't adventures supposed to be fun? She wondered as she wandered further into the woods, hands now kept timidly by her sides as her boots trekked across the dusty dirt trail. Her boundless energy had proven to work against her during her little excursion into the forest, having hit and bumped herself many times over on wayward rocks or branches that she didn't have enough time to see coming whenever she was running through the leaves. Now, her eager dash at the start of midday had turned into nothing more than a slow, cautious walk through the thorny brooks. Her face and clothes were dirty - dirtier than they usually were, anyway - and she didn't have any kind of lick or wisecrack to jeer at anybody who would come near. Not like anybody did. Even the animals seemed to avoid the path, and the birds that she passed on the higher up branches would quickly scatter to the skies and leave whenever she crossed paths with them.

She was all alone, and right as the sun was beginning to set.

Her arms reached to her sides to gently hug herself in the cold, stagnant evening air, and she felt a pang of sadness working through her heart as she aimlessly wandered further, now looking more inward than out. Did she really just leave all of her friends for the chance at a supposedly bright adventure? But she couldn't have just turned around and went back home! That meant her promises would have meant nothing, and she always kept her word, right down to the letter. It's what made her a good leader, after all. So why wasn't there anyone around to lead...?

She stopped and took a moment to catch her breath. She didn't need to, seeing as she didn't have one, but something inside her was calling for a break, and some bubbling water heard from far away made its way to the little holes that made up her ears. She walked slowly, casually up towards the source, right through some of the bushes in the winding footpath. There was a small hill cresting the ground in front of her, and when she'd climbed it with timid grace, she finally found the brook that called to her.

It was a simple river. Nothing spectacular, just a narrow stream about five feet wide and with a little bridge made of hefty stones slickened with river water to help travelers cross to the other side. Travelers like her. She looked down at the rocks, noticing just how big they were. Each one looked nearly as big as her entire torso! They were lined up in a loose, but significant patterend column. It was a kind of organization that the winding trees and mangroves weren't privy to, and that piqued Little Wick's curiosity away from her sorrows. She crouched down towards the edge of the stream and looked over at the stones, watching little spouts of the stream splashing over a few of the smaller ones. She watched the water run down further to the right of her, flowing and twisting further into the woods until its path was obscured by trees and bushes that she couldn't see past. It was rather peaceful here, and the dimming light from the setting sun provided a little glow to the area that made her little straw heart dance with a jump of excitement. This was the kind of sight that she was hoping to see while out on adventuring! It was the kind of view that made her want to immediately go run and tell her friends all about it...

...But the coven was far, far away at this point.

LIttle Wick's curious wonder crossed with the somber memories of her friends evened out into an equilibrium of tepid waters that gently flowed through her head, ebbing much like the stream in front of her. She felt a moment of pause, and she wanted to enjoy a moment like this for just a little longer, so she looked around and found a large, wagon-sized rock being hugged by a couple of trees that looked a little bothered by its presence there, like they had to grow around it. She liked thinking that was the case, like they were all grumpy about this big, fat rock in the way of their business. It was much funnier that way.

With a skip and a hop, Little Wick made her away over to the rock and got a good enough hold to climb it. Her foot had slipped once or twice, but she'd made it to the top and eagerly stood atop the stone slab, looking rather proud of her climbing work. She politely sat down criss-cross applesauce near the edge, then realized that nobody was gonna judge her for manners around here, so she simply threw her legs out as they dangled over the edge of the rock face, leaning back and keeping herself propped up with her arms.

She gently swung her legs back and forth over the edge, feeling the colder breeze make its way through the leaves as the sun dipped further behind the horizon. Night was gonna fall soon, but Little Wick wasn't scared of the dark. No, she was the dark! She commanded the dark, and used it for some of the best tricks ever! Nothing was gonna keep her down. Besides, she had plenty of lights she could use with a mere flick of her wrist, holding up one of her palms to demonstrate it to herself. A small, fist-sized puff of pink and orange flame manifested an inch above the palm of her hand, whipping around a little in the gentle wind before Little Wick wiggled her fingers a little to put it out. She reckoned that also meant the candle under her hat was probably glowing a little by now, too. For now, the stream was easing her woes, and it seems like this adventure wasn't gonna be so bad, after all.

Just a little longer... She thought, puffing up her chest and taking a deep breath in and out while settling atop the big rock. Despite just being a big 'ol rock, it was...surprisingly cozy. Sturdy. Orderly. Unlike a few of the other things in this forest. Normally, she despised those qualities in just about anything, but something about seeing it here, in a whole wood full of chaos and middling little bugs and animals, was...comforting. She admitted it to herself. She reached up and gently tugged at one of the ends of the knots keeping her little cape on her neck, and with a little touch of magic, it unraveled itself and wrapped around her as best it could like a cozy little blanket. A touch of comfort in this entire place that was now new and foreign to her. She felt comfortable here...enough to start nodding off.

Just.

A little.

Longer....