The first thing I noticed was the suffocating darkness. No stars, no moonlight, nothing to pierce through the inky blackness surrounding me. It felt like I had plunged into the void itself.
My breathing echoed unnaturally loud, and the pain in my ankle was immediate and sharp, radiating up my leg every time I shifted even slightly.
Groaning, I sat up or tried to. My hands brushed against cold, uneven stone, and every movement sent a jolt of agony through my ankle.
"Great," I muttered, wincing. "Perfect. As if things weren't bad enough already."
The fox's soft yip startled me, and I instinctively reached out. My fingers met warm fur, and relief coursed through me. At least I wasn't alone in this abyss.
"Fox?" I whispered. "Are you okay?"
He barked quietly, nuzzling into my hand. His body trembled slightly, and I realized he must have been as shaken as I was from the fall.
"What even was that?" I asked, not expecting an answer.