Chapter One

Light shone through the dark forest and the undergrowth crept over the trunks of the trees, the light looked almost green as it spotted the luscious earth and pillow like moss covered all the rocks that lay near the stream. The winds blew the leaves from the trees changing the light patterns on the ground while a yellow chocobo ran into the clearing squawking loudly. Eva's dark waves of hair whipped in the winds as she walked after the animal humming softly, stopping every now and again to pick herbs from the ground.

Stretching her back and sighing aloud at the deafening crack she prepared to lie down against one, particularly comfortable, moss mound. Closing her eyes with a number of whispering blinks Eva slowly drifted into oblivion against the moist vegetation.

Constant running thumped, ugly growls and sinister clawing tore at flesh and howled. Crimson blood seeped from the wounds and corpses upon corpses repeated themselves in a never ending pile of pain. Eva felt no ache or loss, no harm but the dark wisps of breath which slithers about her neck, chocking her. Hollow laughter pulled her body closer against it.

"Can't breathe..." Eva groaned breathlessly.

Eva woke gasping. She gulped a lungful of air and threw her hands up to her throat, tearing at the illusion which was restricting her airway. Eva sighed and flung her head back drowsily squinting with one eye and smiling grimly at her running chocobo.

"Can you sit with me for a bit?" Eva muttered groggily snuggling further into the moss, showing her hyperactive chocobo just how comfy it was.

The animal just ignored her and continued to run around the clearing in a sort of panic. Sighing again she mumbled about never letting her chocobo near her herb basket again as she watched Luella chase a small forest rodent.

"You are so lucky that I didn't find any poisonous herbs today," Eva laughed, and lazily approached Luella she began patting her soft feathered head, trying to calm her down. Luella just started at her with a wide eyed expression, and twitched closer to Eva's face who laughed loudly at the action.

Dragging Luella to the nearby stream Eva allowed her take big gulps of water, hoping that it would dilute the potent herb enough to calm the hyperactive chocobo. After a few bucket loads of water Luella began to breathe at a normal pace. Suddenly Luella's head shot up and she darted closer to Eva standing in front of her.

"Oh come on! That herb should be diluted enough now,"

"Denzel!"

"Keep running Marlene!"

Hearing the distant panicked voices, Eva jumped smoothly on Luella's back, and rode quickly towards the two young voices. Bursting through the forest, the trees blurring at the fast pace but the ground seemed clear to Eva, she noticed deep claw marks of uplifted soil and small imprints of children's feet and the story became clear.

Shadow creeper…

"Faster Luella!" Eva urged her companion while removing her steel longbow from her back. Gaining ground on the creature just fifty feet before her, as soon as Eva saw a clean shot she pulled, aimed and shot at the shadow creeper in one quick motion.

"Come on faster, Marlene! MARLENE!"

The arrow hit perfectly, striking the base of the creature's neck just before it came down with its strike on the small child that lay sprawled on the ground. The shadow creeper fell, appearing to have crushed the small child before disintegrating into the air.

"Are you okay?!" Eva called as she rode closer to the children. Eva dismounted and slowing approached the two, not wanting to scare them anymore than they already were.

The boy jumped up and stood protectively over the little girl. His eyes were wide and shifted from the dark forest to Eva's face for any signs of hostility.

"I come in peace," Eva smiled softly giving the peace sign. "May I see if you are hurt, I'm sure you don't want your wounds to get infected?" Eva kneeled down next to the little girl and saw she had a rather larger grazes on her palms and knees from her fall.

She also looked up at the young boy who seemed to be completely scratch free.

"Are you hurt?" Eva asked the boy who shook his head a little embarrassed and speedily shoved his hands in his pockets. Eva controlled her smile, and put on a straight face while she whispered to him.

"No need to be brave. Please show me your hands,"

Blushing red the little boy stuck out his hands so Eva could inspect them.

"Luella, could you please come, I need my bag," Eva ordered her chocobo. Luella trotted over and nudged Eva's head affectionately as she began to rummage through her herb bag.

Eva found her healing sage quickly and applies it to the young girl's hands and knees and to the boy's wounds as well. The young girl seems to come out of her shocked state giving Eva a grim smile.

"Thank you Miss..."

"Oh, good, I was getting a little worried, thought you might have fallen on your head," Eva smiled at the little girl and pats her on the head. The little girl giggled.

The little girl smiled,

"I'm Marlene and that's Denzel," Denzel just nodded and said his thanks.

"Where are your parents?" Eva asked, and then noticed the guilty look which they both have. Eva sighed and motioned to her chocobo.

"Do you have a chocobo or …?" she only received another guilty look. Eva sighed again and slouched.

"I guess I'm the taxi driver today then, where do you live?" Eva asked calmly.

"Can you take us to Seventh Heaven; it's in Midgar's Sector 7?" Denzel asked a little nervously.

"The bar?"

"Tifa is the owner there. She looks after us,"

"Oh, okay then, I know where that is. Hop on Luella, I think she can hold us all," Eva said as she slid Luella a sorry look.

Eva lifted Marlene and Denzel onto Luella and jumped on behind them.

"Umm miss, what's your name?" Marlene asked shyly.

"Oh right, Hello, my name is Eva, nice to meet you both"

Please review and let me know if I should continue.