A young woman ran through a beautiful forest, the ground covered in brilliant green firs and shrubs. The trees were thin and their branches high up, facilitating her flight. She looked behind her, fear and an undetectable emotion running across her face simultaneously. She jumped over a fallen log, landing gracefully and running off into the deeper part of the forest. She crouched down in the thick foliage, heart pumping as her pursuer's footsteps gave way to the sounds of the forest. She stayed hidden under the tree branches, checking that she had escaped her hunter. She backed into the trees, disappearing into the deep shadows. A growl pierced the silence, wounding it like a fierce animal pouncing on prey.

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Keira woke up with a start, her heart thudding loudly under her nightshirt. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, sitting up and looking around. She swung her legs out of bed, her toes flexing as they touched the cold stone floor. She crossed her room to a curtain. Pulling it back, she blinked at the bright light coming from the large window. She looked out at the beautiful day, smiling to see that the leaves were finally giving way from green to their bright fall colors. She opened the window, took a deep breath of the fresh forest air, and backed into the shadows, opening the smaller windows. She made her bed haphazardly, knowing someone would take care of it whether she made it or not. She pulled on a shirt and trousers, not willing to wear dresses all the time like the local villagers' daughters. Dresses didn't allow for running, exploring, or wandering through the forest. But then again, Keira was sure she was the only female who partook in these strange pastimes.

Keira loosely plaited her long dark hair before she left her room for the day. She always had mixed feelings about her hair, loving the almost black color and thick texture, but when she had to dress up on special occasions, she could never really tame it. That was always her mother's job. She padded down to the kitchen in bare feet, the floor cool on the balls of her feet. She took some bread and cheese from the pantry, knowing that she would not have to worry about water. Keira grabbed her bag off the wall, stuffing her spoils into it. She reluctantly pulled shoes onto her feet, making sure they were her lightest ones. She knew she would leave them behind her at some point, but it reassured the servants to see that her feet would be "protected" during her venture into the forest.

Keira walked out into the sunshine, the birds singing their usual song. She rolled her eyes, thinking about how annoying the black birds were sounding amongst the more beautiful melodies. She glanced back at her home, a large house with a certain hunting lodge look to it. She retreated into the cool shade of the trees, walked through the firs and low shrubs, smelling the forest's secrets and hearing its tales. She saw a young buck far off, its rack scrapping against the tree branches as it walked beneath them. Keira treaded into the denser part of the forest, stopping by the creek to put down her bag and take off her shoes. She splashed through the creek, taking off into the trees once she got to the other side. She ducked and dodged low branches and bounded over fallen trees. Her speed created a personal wind, her hair coming lose and whipping around behind her. Her breath was smooth and even, her heart healthy from her daily runs. She ran for hours and hours, not stopping until she was many miles away from her house. She was closing in on the nearby village and decided that she would skirt the small town, not wanting to attract attention. She slowed down near the pastures, gazing at the white fluffy sheep that milling around like rain-plum clouds.

Keira sped up to the top of a hill, pausing to watch the setting sun. She loved the light swirling together to create a symphony of color. As the sun melted below the horizon, Keira set off toward her home. She knew her way back and wasn't afraid of the dark, knowing what was lurking in the shadows was usually no more than a rabbit or fox. The other, more rare visitors to her forest were easily dealt with, too. She leapt through the woods, the moonlight glowing on her fair skin.

Keira halted at the creek, collecting her muddy shoes and the stale food she hadn't bothered to eat. She raced home, dropping off her shoes and bag at the door. She grabbed a warm meat pastry in the kitchen, munching on it as she silently padded up to her room. She undressed, slipped on her over-sized nightshirt, and crawled into bed. Blowing out her candle, she said a quick prayer for her parents, somewhere between her home and Wendell's castle.

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When Keira woke the next morning, she stretched her arms and covered her head with her blanket. It was bright in her room, someone having opened her curtains before she had woken. She huffed into her sheets, not very pleased that an impatient servant would be as rude as wake her this way. She turned over, meaning to swing out of bed, when she came face to face with a man around her age. Keira tried not to choke in shock that this man had been allowed in her private chambers.

"Glad to see you're awake. I thought you might never get up." he said, grinning.

"Can… can I help you?" Keira asked, trying to sound as calm as she could while he stared at her, as if through her nightshirt.

The man turned around and looked out the window. "Yes, actually. I was sent here to talk to you."

"Well, you'll have to wait a little more. I need to change into some clothes, if you don't mind."

"Yes, my lady." the man replied, not making any attempt to move. His gaze made Keira a little uncomfortable, like he knew something about her.

"Well, would you mind waiting while I change then?" she asked a little rudely.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was… I was… I'll wait for you outside." he said, standing up and walking out the door, not looking back.

Keira sighed and got out off bed. She put on something a little nicer than her usual rags, going for a blouse and skirt. She made a move to slip on shoes, but decided that she had no need to impress this man. He seemed to be no more than a messenger. She pulled her hair back and walked out the door, expecting to see the man. Instead, she found an empty hall. She wandered down to the entrance hall, walking out the door and almost into a broad back. The man turned around, grinning at her.

"My lady." he said, bowing and making a motion to kiss her hand. Keira yanked it away.

"What is it that you want?" she asked, placing a fist on her hip.

"Well, I want a lot of different things. But none of them is the reason I'm here." he paused a moment, looking her in the eyes.

"Well, are you going to tell me why you are here?" Keira asked. She was impatient to send this man on his way.

"Official business on the behalf of King Wendell, my lady." he said, standing up straighter.

"King Wendell? Are you a messenger then?" Keira asked, knowing it had to do with her parents' journey to the palace.

"Charlie Wolfson, at your service, my lady." he replied.

"Well, what is the message then?" Keira asked, fearing what the answer might be.

"My lady, the king begs your presence at his court. Your parents have gone missing during their journey to his court at the palace."

Keira stumbled back, catching herself on the side of the house. She felt like she had just been squeezed by a giant and thrown back to earth, falling like a dead leaf. She caught her breath, telling herself that she had always known they would be taken sooner or later. She slid down the wall and covered her face with her hands, pressing her palms into her eyes. After awhile she pushed her hair from her face, not wanting to look unladylike in front of one of the king's messengers, no matter how scruffy he was.

Charlie cleared his throat, bringing Keira back to reality. "King Wendell wishes you to help aid in their return, as you know them best and have other…" he paused here, looking into her eyes with a hidden meaning, "Abilities."

Keira paced back and forth, thinking it over. Her mind had quickly cleared, a trait she seemd to have gotten from her mother. Her parents had left the house about over two weeks ago. She wondered why it had taken so long for her to here about their disappearance, but then again the journey would have taken a almost a week and the messenger would have taken a little bit long to arrive, also.

"You are free to leave. Thank you." Keira said, turning around to go back into her house.

"I am to escort you and make sure no harm comes to you. The king would be greatly grieved to lose you." Charlie said, causing Keira to turn around and, not able to help herself, she smiled a bit.

"Well, we will have to journey on foot as my parents took the horses and you don't seem to have brought one yourself." Keira explained, already planning the journey out in her mind.

"That's fine, I travel faster on foot. Also, we can avoid the roads more easily that way." Charlie said.

"Yes, yes." Keira said, distracted. "You may go to the kitchens for a meal. I will get ready to go and meet you there." Keira said, disappearing into the house before he could say anything more.

Keira paced in her room, too distracted to notice that the day was already beautiful even though it had barely started. She changed into trousers and a shirt, plaiting her hair and snatching a traveling bag from the wall. She pulled on her lightest shoes, lacing them up good and tight. She walked down the staircase and into the kitchen where she found Charlie. He was eating a bacon sandwich, practically inhaling it with hunger. A large pitcher of water occupied his right hand, from which he frequently took long swigs. Keira just stared at him as he finished off the sandwich and picked up another. She had only seen one other person eat like this, and he was being taken away to somewhere she didn't yet know.

She cleared her throat. "Umm, we should be on our way." She wrapped some up sandwiches and placed them in her bag along with a few apples. She filled a water skin and held it out to Charlie.

"What's this?" he asked, his mouth still full of partially chewed bacon and bread.

"Water." She said plainly. She walked out the door, not really caring if he followed her or not.

Charlie ran up beside her, carrying the water skin awkwardly. "Why do we need this? There are plenty of streams on the way."

"Well, most people don't care for drinking from streams. I thought you might be one of those people." Keira replied.

"Oh, I don't care. I usually want to travel as light as possible." he said, flashing a somewhat goofy grin.

Keira just stared. She had never met another person who didn't mind stream water, besides her dad of course. She smiled back and, taking the water skin, threw it on the steps leading up to the front door. She took off into the trees, heading in the general direction the road went. Reassured by the sound of his footsteps that Charlie was following her, she sped up a bit. She always hated walking, but she would put up with it in the sake of not losing him. He matched her strides and, smiling, took off running. Keira grinned, always ready for a good race. Speeding up to her usual running speed, she quickly overcame him, giving a burst of speed to pass him up. She zigzagged through the trees, her breathing smooth and even. She jumped over obstacles and bounded over small streams. As she slowed down, Charlie came even with her. She liked having someone to run with, usually her father, and beamed. She increased her speed again, laughing into the wind. As Charlie huffed to keep up, she quickly grabbed a branch above her and swung up on it, perched like a bird. She chuckled as he looked around for her, scratching his head. She climbed higher into the tree, looking out over the forest from the top.

"Are you a lass, or a little squirrel!" Charlie called out to her.

As Keira climbed back down, she replied, "Neither," her face full of mischief. "We should keep going, we don't want to fall behind." she continued.

"Right. I was wondering, since we'll be traveling together for a long time, do I have to act like the king's messenger the whole time? Or do I have permission to speak and act freely." Charlie asked.

Keira looked at him. "Do you really take it that seriously when you're away from the castle?"

"Well, you being a lady of the king's court, yes." he replied plainly.

"Well, you can do whatever you like, within consideration." Keira set off into the trees again, pulling out a bacon sandwich and taking a bite.

They walked on until it was past nightfall. They entered a little town and rented a pair of rooms, bidding each other good night. Keira shook her head, pulling the sheets over herself that night. She really didn't know what to make of her companion. She blew out the light, snuggling down into her bed, grateful at least to have someone to travel with. It was a long journey to King Wendell's castle, even if you were the daughter of a wolf.