"I'm sorry...Edrea, Fletcher, Ezra."
She didn't know how she knew that this was the end, but somewhere deep inside her she knew that it was. It broke her heart in two to have to give in like this, but she was weak. Everything that she had once had was ripped away from her--friendship, mostly. But she knew that she couldn't live like this. Always running, always fighting, always struggling to stay alive. It was over. The struggle was over, and she was torn. On one hand, she felt a sort of relief that she could escape but that was matched by her intense guilt. Mai felt like she was running away, even though she had no choice in the matter. Her body would lay still by the pond for as long as it was untouched, and she would not be returning to her home.

She lay curled up by the base of a willow tree, but sensing that her time was limited she dragged herself to her hooves and waded into the pond one last time. She wanted to be clean when she...passed. She could barely bring herself to even think the words. She was dying. Mai returned to the tree sopping wet, shaking out her fur. It was a sad attempt at grooming herself, but it would have to do. Then she curled up in a ball beneath the tree, waiting.

Then Mai felt warmer somehow, lighter. She looked at her hooves in astonishment. It was like her spirit was...separating, being released from the solid form. A tingling spread through her body as she got up. But she could still see her physical form laying there on the ground. She was transparent now, and she could see the ground through her hooves. But she was still jumpy like she was before this had happened so she quickly scaled the tree, hiding herself from sight just as she passed out from the effort. Being in this form...it made her head spin.

---

Mai is going to be in this form until Saturday, because she's not quite able to let go yet and her spirit is still attached to the Forest. She will be ingame, but she won't be able to be 'touched' at all and she won't be able to touch anyone because her form isn't solid, it's almost like she's a ghost. She'll probably be really confused and pretty unresponsive at times, too.