Here we are, chapter 2! A note: Oblivion owns all of the places, but I own the characters Quindi and Ruidri! If anyone wants to borrow them, they have to go through me first. Thank you… and enjoy!

With my pack over my shoulder, I weaved through the already busy streets. I tried to block out the image of Ruidri's body from my mind. Luckily, I had some clothes that weren't one of the Arena raiment packed, but for now I was in a simple cotton dress that would blend in with the crowd. I had to get out of Imperial City, preferably as fast as I could. The other Arena members would find Ruidri's body soon enough, and the further away from it I was, the better. Though it's not like he would be missed…

The guards stopped me on my way out of the main gates, singling me out either because I looked so jumpy or because I was human.

"Where are you headed to, ma'am?" he asked in a slow, Imperial drawl.

"Camping trip in the woods."

"Alone?"

"Well, I can't exactly find myself when there are other people around, can I?" I asked as cheerfully as possible, even throwing in a forced laugh.

"Alright, you can go." He opened the door, and I brushed past him. Once I was out of sight of the city walls, I broke into a run. Birds crooned in the trees, and the sun started to warm the crisp morning air around me. If I didn't know what had just happened, I would be taking the day off to stroll in the forest or swim in the sea. Not today, though. I had to keep running.

I saw a stream up ahead, and knelt down by it. I splashed my face a few times with the icy water, then took out my knife stained by Ruidri's blood. My hands shook as I tried to wash the blood off of my knife. The water turned an orange coppery color for just a moment, then the stream was clear again. I put the dagger into my leather ankle strap, and pulled out my blood-drenched night-shirt and pants from the night before. Since these garments would take more than a simple dunk in the creek to get clean, I scrubbed at the clothing until my hands were red from the cold water and friction. I had gotten slightly hysterical without even realizing it; breaths shuddering through my chest, and body weight rolling from toe to heel as I rocked on the ground. My thoughts ran in a circle.

I killed someone…. I killed someone….I killed someone… I saw the blood seep from between his fingers as he bled to death…He was never coming back…He tried to rape me…I killed someone…

My stomach flip-flopped. If anyone found out about this… I couldn't go back to Imperial City, at least not for a while. I had to blend into another town or spend time in the wild, though I preferred a town. I referred to my map and decided that I would begin my trek toward Cheydinhal once my clothes were dry. I took a few deep breaths, which seemed to calm my stomach, and I flexed my fingers to control the shaking.

By the sun's angle in the sky, it was about 3:00 in the afternoon; If I had left at around 7:30 in the morning, then ran for a while, then washed my possessions, I had been running for a lot longer than I thought. I cupped my hands and took a long drink from the creek. The icy cold water was refreshing after the run and the long hours of the hot sun beating down on my skin, but it wasn't enough. I was hungry. I had a feeling that while living in the wild, my knife was to be bloody a lot more often if I had to hunt animals to eat. I saw a rabbit running in the forest about 10 yards away. I gripped my dagger; this was a good chance to improve my skills in the wild. I changed my position into a crouch, the rabbit's ears cocked to listen for noises. I slowly shifted my weight to my front foot, easing toward the bunny. It still didn't notice me, and I was in the perfect position to spring. I sprung forward with my arms outstretched. The blade hit right between the ears; the rabbit died instantly.

It was a gruesome way to live, but I would make it. It would just take some getting used to.

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