Feline pupils locked onto you unblinkingly, tracking your movements with cold calculation. You froze, caught in their mesmerizing stare, your fear morphing into a rage you couldn't comprehend. 

Who - or what - was observing you so intensely? Why were you brought here, left at the mercy of whatever lurked within?

With a guttural roar the storm redoubled its fury, winds howling like the tormented souls of the dead. You staggered, grasping for purchase as the world tilted crazily around you. Your sudden motion seemed to spur the watcher into action - sleek shadows retreated swiftly from the windows.

You had to get away, find shelter before the tempest swallowed you whole. But where? Nothing but wilderness and mist stretched in every direction. 

Turning, your foot struck something half-buried in the sodden earth. You bent shakily, clawing at leaf litter and debris to uncover your trap. Cold metal glinted dully under your fingers, an ornate oval brooch etched with swirling vines and flowers. 

You stared at it, transfixed. Dim recollections rose unbidden - delicate hands fastening this very adornment, melodic laughter like wind cheres on a summer's day. A loving face, fair features framed by long auburn tresses...

"Mother...." you whispered, unfamiliar syllables falling from your lips yet resonating in your soul. Tears mingled with raindrops coursing down your cheeks.