Wind blew at her face harshly. "Run,! Run! They're after you! Run, and don't stop!" Cries of agony and fear echoed in her mind. Silence hung through the air as she ran. To Ivy, escaping the horrible wrath of the forest was the first and only priority in her mind. She had run over green, lush grasslands, with cows grazing happily away; she had splashed into rivers to escape heat and other predators; she had even dashed upon frozen ice, just to catch a deer for dinner. But she had never, ever faced a pack of hungry, wild dogs, who gave chase when she escaped until she surrendered. Her heart beated across her chest, and she felt fear and panic rise upon her heart.

The dogs braked and lolled their pink tongues, swaying their long tails back and forth while licking their lips; it was obvious that she was going to die. They kneaded their paws at the ground, growling at their prisoner. For a split second, she panicked. Then spotting the tree above her, she began to climb upwards. The dogs franticly clawed at the tree, but Ivy kept her pace. The dogs stopped after a little while, knowing that they had lost their prey. Just then, Ivy caught a whiff of antelope scent; the dogs turned round in search of its trace. At last, the antelope revealed itself behind a bush. It scented the dogs and ran. For a moment, the dogs tensed up. Then the pack leader lifted its tail, beckoned the others and ran towards the antelope's scent trail.

Ivy settled herself down on the tree branches; it indeed was a close call. She breathed out silent thanks, and braced herself against the tree. "That was a wild run! I'm sure you had enough time to give your legs a stretch, eh?" Ivy's head shot right up and there, sitting on a higher branch, was her best friend and rival, Timber, "Hey." Timber jumped down to her branch, with ease, and sat down quietly. He then turned his trademark cocky smiled into a frown. "Where were you? And what took you so long? I thought you promised to wait for me in the woods at 7:00 pm sharp! Why are you so late?" When she didn't respond, he continued, "You didn't keep your promises! I thought... I thought we were friends!" Timber exploded with anger. Ivy still didn't respond, just turned her head away from him. His sudden outburst had shocked her indeed; he was usually either teasing her or provoking her into a friendly rival game. Suddenly she felt a pain in her chest. 'Maybe I was not destined to be loved, after all, I am just a slave for the rich.' She buried her head into her hands and burst into tears at the sudden thought.

Meanwhile, Timber was watching her with an angry look; not angry at her, but himself. In fact, he was worried about her. He cursed quietly and kicked himself when she turned away; he abruptly stretched out his hand to stroke her hair comfortingly when suddenly, she bursted into tears while leaning on the slim branch she was holding onto. Timber grabbed her icy cold hands and pulled her into a hug, letting her lean against his chest and sob. He cradled her shaking shoulder ever so gently and softly hummed to her, trying to comfort the whimpering bundle in his arms. He then leaped swiftly from the tree, softly crunching the snow under him and ran to their secret hideout, still holding onto Ivy.

Ivy softly whimpered against his chest, letting his steady heartbeat comfort her. The snow continued to drift as Timber carried her. She snuggled against his chest and he looked down at her warmly. The pair trudged in the snow and at last, arrived at the hideout. Slowly opening the door, the pair went in.

Timber slowly settled Ivy onto the sofa in front of the fireplace, then handed her a mug of hot coca, her favorite drink, before helping himself for a cup of coffee. "Thanks," Ivy sipped on her mug, the sweet taste of chocolate lingering on her tongue. Timber smiled back at her "No sweat, sis." He wiped his brow and sighed, "Phew! I thought you were mad at me! Glad that's over now... or is it?" He questioned, a smirk on his face. Ivy's smile vanished and she looked at the floor. He looked straight into her eyes and saw sadness, fear, sorrow and... Longingness? "I-I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean-to make you angry! I had to leave the house quietly, then I met a pack of wild dogs, the ones that you just saw on the tree, and they were chasing me into the woods! I guess I got lost... After you shouted at me, I thought you were mad at me for being late, and I thought I've lost my best friend... and love..." Ivy blushed and brushed her locks of golden hair away, avoiding eye contact. Timber gently lifted her hand and brushed it against his lips. Her eyes widened; she tilted her head, confused at his actions. Timber gently cupped her head, "You're not alone. Just remember that I will be there for you," He paused for a while and blushed, his face as red as a cherry, "You know, you look older with your hair down," and pulled her into a tight, yet loving embrace.

~End~