AN: ok, here's Wintersky's first take on Nightheart, as promised. It shows their first meeting from his POV, so bear with me, ks?

GinaStar: I'm glad you're enjoying it. if you still like it by the end of the story, then you'll probably like my idea for a sequel. I'll give more details in a later chapter.

Wintersky watched out of the corner of his eye as the girl hid in the shadows. He could feel her gaze, and could tell she was afraid of him. He turned to his bird for answers.

:Where did you find her?: He Sent.

Kreeak tilted his head. :In forest. Running from men. Had bondbird, should help.: It took Wintersky a few minutes to figure out what the last part meant.

:You mean, we should help her.: There was a vague sense of assent, but not as much as there would have been if his guess had been right. :Or is it because she also has a bondbird that she'd feel obligated to assist us?: There was a surge of agreement, so obviously that was the correct answer.

He decided that his best option would be getting the girl over so he could get out of his situation. Turning to face her, he noticed that she immediately tensed. 'She's afraid? Now, what could she be afraid of?' Apparently, he needed to proceed slowly with her, just like he would with a young animal.

"I take it you're the one Kreeak found?" Not like it wasn't blatantly obvious, but he wanted to calm her down before asking for her help. And it seemed to be working. She lost a bit of her tense stance, and nodded slightly.

"Yes, so it would seem." Her voice was slightly melodic. 'She'd make a good singer.' Wintersky thought absently, before forcing the thought from his mind. Now was not the time for that.

He watched as she walked forward slowly, as if she was expecting him to attack her. Still, he prided himself on knowing just how to calm people down, and it looked like that skill would come in handy now.

'Alright, play it cool.' "Well, I wish I could have met you without being pinned, but what can you do, huh?" He said, giving her a wry smile. 'If she sees that I'm a bit of a joker, she should calm down a bit.' And she did, giving a small smile, before kneeling beside him.

"Can you still feel your leg? Or is it numb?" She asked, looking at his trapped leg.

He eyed her in surprise, and vague amusement. "Well, I can still feel most of it, at least down to my calf. The rest is numb." She raised her head to look at him. "Don't tell me you're a Healer?" 'Although,' he thought. 'that would explain why she's out here all alone, and doesn't seem to be too fond of being near me.'

But he was startled by her sharp response. "No, I just want to make sure I don't damage your leg further. I don't exactly feel like dragging you around." She looked away, and he stared.

Before he could say anything, a huge eagle soared down and landed on her shoulder. He stared. "Is that bondbird yours? It's not often that I see a bondbird eagle." And it was true. The only eagle he'd ever seen bond with anyone was the one back at his Vale. And it was quite evident that they were close to each other. The eagle back in his Vale was nowhere near as close to the smith it was bonded to.

"Yes, her name is Skyee." She sounded quite proud. "She'll lift the branch as much as she can, and I'll pull you out. Got that?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's not like I'm really in any position to argue." And it was true. With his leg pinned, he couldn't really argue with any plan she made.

Still, he was in a great deal of pain before they managed to get him out, although he tried his best not to show it. He almost fainted from relief when his leg was released, only to discover that his ankle was broken. He suppressed his pain enough to watch her use a small dagger to rip her pant leg to make strips and bind them around his leg, using the rope from the blanket she was carrying.

It was only after they'd stood up that Wintersky finally understood why she was out here on her own. She'd helped him stand up, before her head jerked upwards and she swallowed a curse.

Looking at her, he couldn't help being curious. "What's wrong?" She'd obviously heard something from her eagle, but what, he couldn't imagine.

She almost snarled out her answer. "I'm being hunted and it looks like they've almost caught up." He could practically feel her hatred for these pursuers. "I thought I'd finally lost them by coming this way." They started walking towards the trees, with Wintersky trying to keep up with her since she was setting as fast a pace as she could without dropping him.

Understanding of her situation dawned on him. "Oh, so you must have been a prisoner from that caravan that passed through here a week ago." Should I tell her why I'm here? Hmm, probably. I want her to be able to trust me. She's probably the only way I'll be able to get home and report. Of course, she could have been a rogue that was being transported to a trial, but somehow I doubt that's the case. "That's actually why I was sent here, to investigate the caravan. My people don't often see such things, so they sent me to check it out. But I never thought I'd meet someone like you." Hm, not sure if I should have said that last part. She might not understand what I meant.

Nightheart frowned, so she obviously wasn't impressed. "Look, we have to go. You know this area; which way do we go?" Well, at least she wasn't arguing with him.

Wintersky raised his eyes thoughtfully. "If we can get back to my Clan's territory, we'll be safe. Your pursuers won't be able to touch you."

She froze, causing Wintersky to stumble. "Your Clan's territory? You mean, more people?" Her froze was turning shrill, as if she was afraid to even think of the idea.

He suppressed a frown. Such a thing would only scare her further, and he needed her total cooperation. "Unless you have a better idea, that's our best bet. And if you don't want to be recaptured, I suggest we get going." He pulled at her arm, forcing her to move.


AN: i hope you liked it! i was really worried about how this chapter would turn out, but i think i did okay. lemme know, oks?

Next time, Nightheart's past is revealed, and we learn just how she bonded with Skyee, and wound up being hunted. it'll be up by next week.