Roxy stood up. Her legs wobbled, unused to the land, but she locked her knees and stood tall. The wind caught her silk dress, whipping it around her like a flag of victory.
She took the first step only to realize that her dress was ruined.
Roxy didn't care. She hitched the priceless fabric up to her knees, tied a knot in the excess material to keep it from tripping her, and kept marching.
"fifteen kilometers," she muttered to the rhythm of her bare feet hitting the earth. "That's just... what? Ten miles? I can do ten miles. I walked more than that before, even ran more than that when I arrived in the beastworld."
She started humming. The tune was off-key, breathless, and punctuated by the occasional grunt of effort as she climbed a small dune, but it kept the silence at bay.
"I'm coming home... tell the world I'm coming home..."
