She ran into the cave knowing that she had only a few moments on Casavir. Her pack was easily grabbed but she couldn't try to leave the way she came and there was no other exit. Dammit!

Her head spun as she could hear those platemail covered feet getting closer and closer. Then she noticed the column. It glowed but what caught her attention was that there was a small hole behind it. If you weren't looking you would never find it.

She scurried into the hole and backed up enough to be hidden. There was no sense in moving now. Casavir had arrived in the room and if she moved he would hear her.

"Avera?" There was pain in his voice as he called out to her again and again. It hurt just hearing it. It made her want to go out and just reassure him that all was well but she wasn't sure of that. Duty? Did he return to his order and they gave him the duty of watching over her? She couldn't think. She was too upset about everything.

And she could feel that column starting to work. All she wanted to do was run over to him and say she was sorry over and over then molest him silly!

He moved about the room in a jagged motion until he finally punched the wall in frustration.

I can't do this to him, I can't. Just talk to him. I … I can't. I need to figure this out. I need to know how I'm going to deal with this. What about the dreams? What about the pledges you made?

I need a rest. I need a long, long rest. It's all too hard and it doesn't stop. Why couldn't that ogre just crush me better?

She watched as Casavir dropped to the ground. He sat there fingering the turning necklace she had given him so long ago. How long ago was that again? Months. It felt like no time at all. It also felt like a lifetime.

All she really wanted to do was go out to him and kiss that sad look off his face. But she fought with herself and finally Avera crawled backwards as quietly as possible. It was tearing her apart that he was there and she was not but she felt she had to leave. She moved as quickly and silently as possible to get away from him and that mating stone.

Even as she got away from the effects of the stone her mind fought. Was he just with her because his order wanted him to be there? Even though they had pledged themselves to each other, was it for something other than just her? She couldn't believe that Casavir would do that. Then again, she couldn't believe what others had done to her either. Even though she believed he loved her she didn't want to be part of anyone's "duty."

Nnn

He was choked. How could have she gotten out of the room? There was no other exit that he could see. Unless one was hidden. His mind stopped working for him and he looked into space while touching the necklace she had given him, half hoping it would give him a clue.

Then he shook himself out of it. They had to find her. He ran back out of the cave and stopped at the entrance. He put an arm against the opening and looked at the ground, mentally exhausted.

"Well that was fast." Bishop sneered, "What? You could only do it once today or you couldn't get it up?"

"Shut up, ranger." Casavir snapped in annoyance and turned to the dire wolf, "Where is she?"

Keza blinked in surprise then stood, "I don't know!" He turned to his brother who also got up.

"Gone from head."

"Dammit paladin! How did you lose a freaking hobbit?" He grabbed his pack as he never left it too far away from himself.

"They small. Maybe hiding in bedcovers?" Keza suggested.

"She is gone."

Keza sped past the larger of the men and they all ran back to the bedroom chamber. Bishop stopped them at the door for Karnwyr to go into scent mode. The smaller dire wolf sniffed about easily and found the small hole where Avera had slipped out.

"I couldn't even see that."

"Of course you couldn't find it. You paladins are almost blind when it comes to seeing things."

"No fights. Find Vera." Keza got between the men with a snapping of his fangs.

They took turns looking into the hole then looking each other over.

"Small." Commented Karnwyr.

"Maybe ranger fit?" Keza squished Bishop into the hole but he was too large so the dire wolf pulled him out by the foot.

"Thanks a lot." Bishop dusted himself off.

"Ranger don't fit." The large animal snorted.

"Send a cub."

Keza and Karnwyr glared at Bishop as Casavir started pacing. Clomp clomp clomp.

"Cubs too young to protect self." The father dire wolf growled.

Clomp clomp clomp.

"They seemed to be doing well trying to pull the hobbit apart."

Clomp clomp clomp. Clomp. Hey! She has a name! Glare.

"Too young." Keza looked up and listened to the air, "We track."

Clomp clomp clomp.

The ranger was getting more and more frustrated, "How in the nine hells can we track her? We don't even know where this goes to. Didn't you ever see it?"

Clomp clomp clomp.

"Saw but can't fit. Not send cub. Don't know where goes."

"Great." Snarled Casavir as he turned to pace the opposite direction again.

Keza flicked out a forepaw and tripped the paladin. Once Casavir was on the ground he walked around him and flopped onto his chest to keep him from pacing. He also pinned his arms so he couldn't make sounds with them either.

"Must search." Karnwyr began bouncing from paw to paw until he noticed his brother's eyes narrowing.

"Two areas she can come out. Unless tunnel very long."

"Then we must check them out." The paladin was trying to contain his composure and dignity even with the dire wolf holding him down.

"Right! Now if you can write it on the … damn. Ok." Bishop had become too used to people marking map positions. He pulled a map from his pack, moved Keza over a touch and put it on Casavir's chest plate. Part of it flopped over the paladin's face, "So where are these spots?"

Keza looked at the paper then at Bishop, "Map make no sense."

"What?" The ranger was confused. Karnwyr knew how to read maps. Keza was older so why couldn't he?

"What's lines for?" The dire wolf moved his head side to side to try and figure it out.

Bishop rubbed a temple while Casavir tried to blow some of the map off his face. He raised an eyebrow at the ranger in contempt.

Karnwyr walked over, "You never learned map?"

"Early Vera teacher scared of me."

"Oh. Gnomes too?" Karnwyr sniffed the map.

"No but they not teach map." Keza looked at another line and moved his face closer.

"Oh yes. Teach fight, sing and dance!"

The large wolf seemed happy that his brother remembered the gnomes,"Yes! Stupid elf taught map."

"No no. Elf left after you left. Dwarf for map." The smaller dire wolf sat beside the ranger.

"Likely better teacher."

"Ok you can't read a map and Karnwyr doesn't know where you mean!" Casavir yelled, "Why don't we just co-ordinate with you wolves sending each other images?"

The dire wolves looked at each other while the humans gave them pained expressions.

Keza nodded, "Yes that work."

"Go?" Karnwyr's feet were getting itchy to do something.

"Yes go." Keza stood and allowed Casavir to get up.

Nnn

The cavern was easy for Avera to travel through. It was just the right size that she could crawl through it without feeling cramped. She kept moving because she wasn't sure if Keza knew where it led to but she guessed that he wouldn't send a cub. They were only about seven weeks old.

She stopped once to rest for a while. Both of the dire wolves were probing for her. Daeghun had taught the pack how to probe to find her so they could watch out for her easier. But she could also close them out if she wanted to. She had to be careful though because sometimes a stray thought could escape … and with them probing they could pounce on that.

A small drink of water refreshed her and she was off again.

Her mind would not stop feeling guilty for leaving Casavir like that. He was probably worried out of his skull by now. Yeh and all for duty. That couldn't be. He's never good with words. What if he just slipped up on what he was trying to say? And what if he didn't? Damn.

Finally some light filtered into the tunnel. She had been using her chalice to light herself up so she could see the pretty rock walls but it was nice to see that she was almost out.

She peeked out the exit. It looked like another cave. It smelled bad. She looked about in one direction then went to turn the other way when a hand grabbed her.

Freaking hells.

"Hey a hobbits!" It held her in one hand keeping her arms pinned to her sides. Two more were in the room.

Not more ogres! Dang these things stink.

"Oh. But she looks stringy. So … small."

"Can boil her in stew. Help flavor other meat there."

Great. I've just become a seasoning. Hot spice Avera. How nice. At least there is nothing about red anim …

"Should we cook the foxes with her? Their hair same."

"I think we have other reds."

Forget I just thought that. She couldn't stifle her resigned sigh of long suffering. What are they going to do now? Grab some red squirrels and rabbits? How about a nice red breasted hawk. Yes yes we all have red so wheeeeee. What are they? Girls shopping for a dress? Oh that reminds me. Must hide when we get back. Shandra was in dress hunting mode before we left. Oh right … here and now … think of the ogres, stupid!

Now how to get out of this. She looked about the room for anything she could use to help her. Sure she could do a stand up fight but with three ogres she figured it would be a short excursion into the ouchie zone. And from what she had read from her books, they quite enjoyed eating their prey live.

Let's see. Broken furniture. Big broken desk in far corner. Nice sharp sticks for hobbit roasting. Nope nothing there seemed to help. Keep thinking gal! Daeghun didn't raise you to be an idiot. Just an emotionally screwed up little woman. But not an idiot!

What else did she know about ogres? They liked pigs, tomatoes and entrails. Oh that would help. Here, think of what you can remove from me with a spoon. Wait wait … barrels? There were barrels!

"Hey … uggums. What's in those barrels?" She pointed to some barrels in the corner. There were six in all and they were much larger than she was.

"Don't know."

"Can't read human."

"That's too bad. I thought I saw red peppers, tomatoes and pigs in barrels like those before. I think the labels look the same."

"You can read human?"

"Oh yes."

The one holding her walked over to the barrels and hung her upside down over them, "Like that."

"Ok, ogre, I'm just getting sick like this so do you mind putting me down?"

"Well … okays … you can't get away anyway."

Well aren't you a bright, assured of yourself, dimwit? Never believe your prey is defenseless no matter how small it is. So says Daeghun. Ha ha. Okay, maybe that is another good reason to have found Khelgar and everyone else. I would have been a chattering lunatic in no time doing this kind of crud alone. Actually, I would have been killed long before now if I didn't have friends.

He put her down and she walked over to each barrel to examine them more closely, "Yep yep! Pig and cow entrails!"

"Oh yum!"

Oh yum indeed.

The ogres moved towards the barrels as Avera backed up to get behind them. She moved a bit to the side for a good view between the ogres. She then plucked a little red globe out of a bag and tossed it at the middle barrels.

She threw herself behind a broken desk as the barrels went up in flames. The ogres screamed in pain. The closest to the barrels fell dead. The second closest was standing clumsily as the third was blinded.

Avera rushed out from behind the table and hit the second ogre in the leg. It fell and she hit it in the head until it was bleeding out from most of it's face and could no longer breathe.

The third ogre staggered about so she traded off her weapons. She stayed out of it's range, pulled out a few acid arrows then sent them into the beast in quick succession. It fell with a satisfying plop.

She stretched. Fire globes. Gotta love when there are a lot of them in one place.

The hobbit slowly walked out of the cavern and into a small tunnel. It was easy to get through as it went directly outside and there was nothing left to fight. She got into the fresh air then summoned Kathin. They found some bushes to hide in and she cuddled up to the cat. That was tiring. Kathin could watch out as she napped.

Nnn

The four of them walked around the eastern cliff face. They had traveled only a short distance from the dire wolf dens and it was all at an angle east. They seemed grim but determined in their trek. Every so far the dire wolves would stop and lift their muzzles into the air, as if they were sniffing for a scent.

"Will split soon. Search two areas." The larger dire wolf stretched out a few kinks in his back legs.

"Why does she always run?" Casavir couldn't understand how she could stand up to huge monsters but run from relationship concerns.

"Scared of feelings. Scared people hurt her. Fears hurt heart." Keza padded away.

"Never understood feelings." Karnwyr added, "When showed any, got hurt."

"So if she ran …" The paladin realized the problem.

"Less hurt if not there to hurt more." Keza announced.

"Specially after Erayne."

"Erayne?" Bishop cocked an eyebrow, "I know that name."

"Hunted you when met you." Karnwyr wolf grinned.

The ranger glanced at his companion, "Oh yes. Him. The one who couldn't track."

"Often you not remember." His companion stated.

"Yeh well, it was how we met you silly mutt." He ruffled the fur on top of Karnwyr's head and grinned. The paladin watched from the side of his eyes. That was the first time the ranger had shown any compassion in front of him.

"That must be the one who made her feel like a fool." Casavir shook his head, clearly not understanding why people would do such things.

Karnwyr snorted huffily, "Vera told likes. Erayne laughed and got town to laugh."

"It's a wonder she didn't kill them all." The smaller of the men scornfully smirked, "Every time I hear something it makes it sound more and more like she was an outcast."

"I came to the conclusion of her being an outcast as well." The paladin sighed, "Do you feel anything?"

Karnwyr started hopping from foot to foot, too excited to concentrate enough on telling everyone so he told his brother, "Have a bead!"

"Bead?" Keza looked confused for a moment, "Oh! Ranger talk!"

"What is it?" Casavir perked up as he saw that dire wolves were excited.

The larger dire wolf grinned happily, "Karnwyr has a bead on her location. She lost concentration."

"Ogres?" Karnwyr whined.

Keza swirled then looked into the sky, "Ogres. Yes." He nodded as the humans became agitated again, "Hop up, Bish."

"What?" The ranger backed up for a moment.

"Get on shoulders! We run. Paladin and Karnwyr come behind. Can't carry heavy armor. You light. We go fast."

Bishop took a look at those long, sharp spikes on the animal's shoulders then decided that if Avera could do it then so could he. He climbed onto the animal and grabbed tightly to the dire wolf's ruff as he shot around the cliff face. He was definitely fast.

He watched for any danger as the dire wolf's strides brought them towards a hidden inlet between the rock faces. They went slower to be aware of possible attacks. A cave entrance could be seen and as they got closer, Bishop could see that the foliage grew right up to and into the rock. They closed the gap and stopped a few feet away from the entrance.

Keza put his head up and sniffed. He turned slowly as Bishop got off his shoulders and stretched his legs to get them moving again. Then the dire wolf grinned and walked over to a bush. Inside it lay Avera with Kathin as her pillow. The cat nodded to Keza in acceptance.

"She here."

Bishop peeked into the bush, "I don't see ogres. Just a tired hobbit."

"You watch Vera. I peek in cave."

The ranger snorted but sat down against a tree trunk. Even though he did not like taking orders, it wasn't that bad to be told to watch over the hobbit.

"Come see ranger!" There was laughter in the mind voice.

Bishop stood and strode into the cave. He stayed alert. There was no sense in becoming too complacent. As he stepped into the cavern, he had to laugh. Three dead orcs and one of them with several arrows planted in it's face.

"How in the world did she char them?" The human looked amused.

"She know new spell?" Keza asked as he sniffed around the area.

"Not that I know of."

Keza sent an image of the hobbit napping against the leopard to Casavir and the man sighed in relief. He and Karnwyr were now close to the cave. The paladin put on a burst of speed when he saw the entrance. His armor clanked as Karnwyr directed him to the bushes the hobbit slept in.

He looked at her to make sure there were no visible wounds.

"This is something to be proud of." Bishop snorted as he leaned against the closest tree to the entrance. Casavir had not even heard him show up, "Come see." Even though he didn't like the paladin, Bishop had to show off what the hobbit had done. Three ogres and one hobbit. Who'd have guessed she could win?

Casavir reluctantly stood as Keza came out of the cave. The large dire wolf affectionately snuffled the man's hair as he went to sit by the hobbit and the paladin left with the ranger.

The corridor was short and ended in one large cave. He watched as the ranger looked about for loot then turned his attention to the three ogres, "You got them."

Bishop peeked up from a chest, "No. She got them. Has she learned any new spells lately?"

"Not that I remember. She hasn't had any time to learn any."

A snicker sounded from the ranger, "Not even the one you really want her to know?"

The paladin glanced up from the most damaged ogre but ignored the jibe.

"Hmm. I guess all the running around makes it difficult to learn spells. I'm sure that it is frustrating having to buy all those scrolls from Sand."

Casavir ignored him and went about looking over the ogres. He had more than enough of the stench of the room so he left. Keza and Karnwyr were lying next to the bush that held the hobbit and leopard. He knelt down beside her and watched her breathing.

"No blood. No wounds." Keza announced.

"I have no idea how she did that." His voice was soft as he touched her cheek, "I wonder why she is so tired."

"Stress." The ranger stood beside the paladin looking down at the woman, "It isn't like she hasn't had any in the last month or two."

Casavir nodded. Within the last short while she had gone from just trying to find out information about a shard to finding out she had a shard in her chest; learning that she may have to fight some huge demonic entity; getting appendicitis; having a lover for the first time in her life; going through concern that her lover may have been cheating on her; being accused of destroying a town; becoming a squire; searching for clues to defend herself; had her lover get upset over gossip; went through court; fought a monster of a man in ritual battle and won; obtained the pelt of the wolf she viewed as a foster mother; had at least four men circling her for romantic intention; argued with a knight and changed over being a squire to another knight; reconnected with a second foster sibling; and now thinks that her lover wants her only to satisfy some duty.

This all happened in the last month? Or was it almost two months? He had lost track of time. He didn't think that any of them had really noticed how mentally draining this all was for a little woman who had little contact with people her whole life. She was used to being shunned or abused by other people. She was not used to being accepted, loved or living in a city.

He shook his head as he put an arm behind her. She didn't even stir so he picked her up and held her close.

"We go back." Keza stood and shook, "Will check here later. Bring Vera. I check pack."

Karnwyr and Bishop loped ahead, "We're going hunting." The ranger called back.

Casavir watched as Keza ran ahead. Kathin stood and walked beside him as he slowly turned to leave the area. It was silent except for the sounds of animals and insects. But the man could not enjoy the beauty around him. He was too worried about the hobbit.

A little yawn escaped the woman as she opened her eyes. A smile graced her lips as she noticed Casavir and it raised his spirits. Then she dropped her gaze, biting her bottom lip in agitation.

Kathin disappeared as Casavir stopped and gently lowered himself and Avera to the ground. They touched foreheads as her feet landed.

"I'm sorry, Avera, that you took me wrong. I … I am not good with words and I did not mean to indicate that you were a duty."

She looked up at him and put a hand on his cheek, "Cas?"

He took a deep breath, "My pledge was to you. As yours was to me. I want to be with you because I love you. Not because anyone else wishes this. I wish for this. No honor is greater than being with the one that you love and standing with them through all that happens." He lowered his eyes then gazed at her from under his lashes, "Good or bad! No one can offer me anything as beautiful or satisfying as what we have together." He kissed her forehead, "I turned Hlam down as soon as he asked. There was no question in my mind about what I want. All I want is to be with you."

A relieved sigh escaped her, "Oh … I … doubted … not you … me. It's just … I'm not used to … well ..."

He chuckled as he rubbed his cheek against hers then kissed it, "I seem to have taken the words from a bard." He pulled back to look into her eyes and give her a hearty smile, "I hear that is not an easy feat to accomplish."

"Your words now sounded like a bard's." She gave him a kiss on the lips, "You often may not be good with words but sometimes you are exemplary with them."

"I take it you forgive me, my lady?"

"If you forgive me for reacting like that."

Casavir leaned down and pulled her forward to seal the deal with a kiss. They lingered there, not wanting to stop. Not wanting to let go as if they felt the other would suddenly disappear.

The sun began to dip on the horizon making them turn towards it. Casavir sat on the ground and held Avera in front of him. He kissed her neck and they watched the sunset together. It was the first time they did this as a couple. It was different when they were pretending to just be colleagues and friends. Even the times he had been giving her a back rub, lying to himself that it was only a backrub.

This time they could openly admit the strength of their feelings for one another under one of nature's beautiful inventions.