Gabrielle yawned, stretching out her arms as far as they would go, sighing contentedly when they popped to relieve the strain. Gods she was stiff. She had forgotten just how hard the ground was to sleep on. Camping outside as a child was different; the experience had been enjoyable because of the mystery and she didn't mind the ground. As a young girl she couldn't understand why her father had regularly complained as he pulled himself to his feet after a night of sleeping on the ground. Now, as Gabrielle pushed away her furs and did the same, she fully understood.

Her legs felt stiff, the muscles cold and hard, and her back ached from the lack of luxury that her expensive bed usually offered. She rubbed her eyes as she looked around. After making sure that Lila was still resting in her bedroll, she saw that the fire looked as though it had long since extinguished, only the wisps of smoke that drifted into the air remained as the tell-tale sign of a night fire. The trunk still sat safely nearby, as did her boots.

She smiled, glad that no animals had come in the night to steal any of their belongings away. Stumbling stiffly over to Lila, she nudged her with her foot.

"Five more minutes…" Lila muttered sleepily.

"C'mon Lila, it's time to get up." Gabrielle yawned, glancing up at the sun and saw it hovering directly above them like a blazing orb. There were no clouds to blot the rays and no breeze to cool her skin. If she hadn't have felt her top she wouldn't have known she was sweating. She had no way of telling what time it was. "Lila?"

Lila mumbled something under her furs and kicked it back, squinting up. She saw Gabrielle and looked around for a moment before sighing and falling back into her bedroll, covering her face. "It wasn't a dream," she moaned.

Crouching beside her sister, Gabrielle smiled and pulled back the cover. "Nope, it wasn't. We need to go look for some fresh water and start fishing. You want me to teach you, don't you?"

"Yeah," Lila admitted. She moaned as she lifted herself out of the bedroll. When she looked over and saw her sister gathering up her own bedroll she frowned. "What are you doing?"

Gabrielle paused, looking down at her bedroll and furs in confusion. "I'm rolling them up so we can get moving. I don't think you're awake yet, are you?"

"I don't mean that. I mean…aren't we keeping them here?"

"Neither of us is familiar with the forest. If we leave our stuff here we'll lose it. It'll better we take it along with us."

Gabrielle noticed the longing look on her sister's face as she looked toward a break in the trees a distance away, a break that would take them back to the village. She patted her shoulder and smiled when she turned to her. "Don't worry, Lila. I've left markings on the trees so we'll be able to find our way back. All you have to do is follows the X's."

Suddenly, Lila's interest peaked and she started looking along the trees. Gabrielle watched as Lila would brush her fingers over the X's and smile with relief. "Thanks the gods. For a moment I thought you were just leading us blindly through the forest."

"Have faith, Lila."

With a seemingly renewed sense of excitement and security, Lila hopped over and began helping her sister pack up. Gabrielle realized that she wasn't so happy that they were packing up to move away, but rather because Lila was certain there was a way out when it was all over. She suppressed a sigh and continued rolling up her belongings.

When the sound of clunking sounded nearby, she looked up and saw Lila standing with her old satchel bag open, scroll rolling everywhere. When she saw one heading her way, Gabrielle reached out and picked it up.

"One of your stories?" Lila guessed. "The older ones?"

Gabrielle shook her head. "It's a blank scroll. I decided to fetch some along just in case inspiration struck. You never know what you may find, right?"

Lila reached out to take it and put it safely in the bag and closed it. "That's a good way of seeing it. But at the same time, you may find nothing."

"Gods Lila, you can be so negative sometimes." Gabrielle tucked the bedrolls away and shut the trunk while she slipped her feet into her boots.

"I like to think of it as being realistic."

Neither of them said anymore on the subject as Gabrielle tugged the trunk along, Lila following close beside her. Gabrielle found the sound of the rushing water again from last night and now that there was light, she could clearly see that it was a river. The water surged through the V shaped valley so quickly that, when it crashed against the sides or the pointy rocks protruding out of it, the water would create foam.

The sides looked dangerous, and after remembering last night that the soil was too soft, she decided that it would be safer for them to follow the river, but at a safe distance. Every now and then they would trip over rock or have to lift each other over fallen logs. Gabrielle made sure to mark the trees with a clear 'X' so she would know how to get back. She even let Lila see her while she did it so she would feel reassured.

But, after following the same direction for a while, they eventually came to a dead end. A falling dead end. Gabrielle watched as the water rolled over the stony edge in a waterfall and straight into a rocky pool at the bottom. After a quick glance around, Lila pointed out a safe route through the trees, following the edge that would lead them down without the need to propel themselves off the waterfall to get down.

Once they were able to get down, Gabrielle looked back up at the waterfall and gasped in awe. "Wow, it's a good job we decided not to jump from there, Lila. Look!"

"It's as high as a temple!" Lila exclaimed, shielding her eyes from the sun.

The roar from the water crashing into the foamy pool below almost completely drowned out Lila's words, and Gabrielle found she had to strain her ears to listen. She looked over her shoulder and saw the edge of the river where it became shallower and calm. Smiling, she nudged Lila and gestured over to the pebbly side.

"Grab a couple of sticks and lets go fishing!"

~X~

Xena frowned, watching her mother with concerned eyes while she spoke to pack leader.

Akan looked angry. Something had obviously bothered him. That was obvious as soon as he came bounding out of the trees and burst into the pack, disrupting the wolves as they'd played. Without a word they had broken from their game and padded away, their tails between their legs, afraid because of the vicious look in Akan's eyes.

He paced back and forth as he growled to Kaia; his lip curled over his teeth and his yellow eyes glowed menacingly. At first it looked as though he was angry at Kaia, but a glance in her direction told Xena that she was only reacting to his words. Her mother didn't look angry; more concerned and confused than anything. Every now and then she would turn, looking over at Xena, a strange look in her light blue eyes, before looking back.

It set Xena on edge. She hadn't been able to relax since Akan had called Kaia away, leaving Xena to sit and wait with her friends.

Joxer watched from his place beside her. His growing disquiet didn't help her keep calm herself. 'What do you think they're talking about?'

'I don't know. Mother doesn't look very happy about it, whatever it is,'

'Maybe Akan wants us to move on? He's been edgy lately, hasn't he?'

Xena narrowed her eyes at the pure white wolf. Akan had been doing nothing but ignoring the other wolves, looking down his nose at them when they tried to talk to him. 'I don't know about that. He's always that way. Especially with me.'

Joxer sighed and looked around suddenly, as though only just noticing someone was missing. 'Where's Autolycus?'

At his question, Xena felt a smirk form. She looked at Joxer and quirked an eyebrow before looking back at the two alphas. She watched from her place upon the ground as Kaia shook her head as Akan gestured over in her general direction with a nod of his head. Xena's ears started burning. They were talking about her, she knew it.

Feeling her curiosity reach boiling point, she stood and started pacing around in front of Joxer, absently stroking the top of his head whenever she passed him. Then, finally, Akan grunted loudly and moved, breaking through the trees and disappearing.

She expected Kaia to come back to her and tell her what that was all about. But she found herself stunned for once when instead; her mother glanced sadly at Xena once more before turning and following her pack mate into the trees.

Joxer stood. 'Wait! Where are they going?'

Xena wanted to know too. Her curiosity burned like a fire in her mind. What was that about? What had caused Akan to burst through the trees as he had, already seemingly fuming over something?

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long for answers. Not long after her mother and Akan had left, Autolycus slinked out of the trees with a strange look on his face. A mix of pride and confusion flickered in his brown eyes. When he reached them he sat back on his hind legs, his eyes narrowed as though in thought.

'What did you find out?' Xena asked, lowering to crouch so their eyes were level.

'There's talk that there are intruders in the forest.'

'Intruders?' Joxer echoed.

'Good job, Autolycus,' Xena said, reaching out to tousle his fur.

Autolycus smiled wolfishly. 'I had to make sure I was extra quiet so they wouldn't hear me. They should call me, The King of Sneaks or something. Mr Alpha isn't the happiest wolf at the moment from what I heard, and what I saw from the look on his face. He tried to keep it hush-hush, but he kept growling angrily. I'm surprised you didn't hear him from over here.'

'What about the intruders? Are they dangerous? How many are there?'

Autolycus was quiet for a moment, his smile fading. 'I'm not sure about that. Akan didn't say, he just insisted that we will have to move if they don't leave.'

Xena frowned. 'Move?'

Joxer shook his head. 'But we've always been here. Ever since I was a pup. We can't just leave!'

'I know. That's why he also said that if they don't leave at all…' Autolycus fell silent, the rest of his words trailing off.

Xena shuffled forward, straining her ears to listen. 'Go on, "if they don't leave at all"' she prompted.

'He'll kill them,'

Joxer whined. 'Surely there's no need if they don't come anywhere near us? Besides, what kind of danger are they to us? We're the strongest pack in the forest! We can take down any animal; bears, boars-'

'They aren't animals!' Autolycus barked, effectively cutting off Joxer's rant.

There was a pregnant pause where the void was filled with the sounds of other wolves growling nearby, and the sound of the leaves in the trees rustling in the breeze. Xena noticed her friend was unable to look her in the eyes. He kept turning away every time she tried to catch his sight.

'Autolycus?'

After a while, Autolycus seemed to realize that he couldn't escape her and looked up. Xena was surprised by the strange look of guilt in his eyes. He looked away again, as if he was unable to hold her gaze, his ears flat against his head. She couldn't tell what it was but something about it all made her heart pound. From fear? Excitement? She waited for him to continue, but somewhere inside her, she felt she already knew that he wouldn't say the words to confirm what she already knew in her gut. The guilty look in his eyes and his words, the vicious reaction to the intruders from Akan, and the sad, almost afraid look in her mother's eyes. It was the only thing that would explain it that would make sense.

Joxer remained oblivious and hadn't made the connection she and Autolycus had already linked. He looked from her to Autolycus, fidgeting where he sat. 'What? What is it? Don't keep me out of things, guys. What are the intruders?'

Xena thought the word, and as soon as she did, she felt in her heart she was right.

'Humans,' she whispered.

~X~

"It looks like I've finally found something that I'm better than you at, Gabrielle!"

Gabrielle resisted the urge to scowl as her sister danced in front of her, waving the fish from side to side in her face. "You're better than me at other things,"

Lila stopped swinging the fish around for a second. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

"I don't know, but you must be. Nobody is perfect at everything."

"I guess I am better at stitching than you are. Me and mother were always having to fix the rips and holes you and father always ended up with from working on the farm."

"You were also better with the animals. Don't forget that horse incident."

Lila laughed. "Oh yeah. It's a good job you were small enough to duck out the way or else that mare would've kicked you." She bit her thumbnail as she thought. "Ah, what was her name?"

"Argo," Gabrielle said immediately, remembering the stubborn animal.

How could she forget the caramel coloured horse they'd rescued? The mare had been caught in a trap, the sharp edges of the clawed metal cutting in around the hoof. Lila had had to try and calm the animal whilst Gabrielle attempted to release her. But her feeble strength had meant that it had taken longer than necessary and the animal had overreacted as soon as she was free. She'd whinnied loudly, narrowly missing Gabrielle's head with her hooves when she kicked out in a panic.

"I'm beginning to think that the horse had it in for me as soon as she saw me," Gabrielle said with a smile.

"Animals can't knowingly hate. They don't think as we do," Lila argued.

"I don't believe that." Gabrielle threw her small catch aside and kneeled by the trunk. "I think that, like us, animals can feel and love and think. Maybe not in the same exact way, but on some level."

Lila chuckled, throwing her fish to land heavily on top of Gabrielle's. "Idealist."

"Cynic," Gabrielle replied teasingly.

While Lila started collecting wood to cook the fish, Gabrielle continued to rummage through her trunk until she found he satchel. She grabbed it and lifted it out once she found it. "This feels a little light," she noted, weighing it in her hands. "Earlier, when the scrolls spilled out, did you get them all?"

"I think so,"

Gabrielle stood, lifting the flap and counted the scrolls inside. Her insides turned cold. "Oh no,"

~X~

Xena flew through the trees, her veins rushing with adrenaline. Her heart pulsed away, making it easier for her to lose herself as she raced through the canopy. She ducked and weaved in and out of branches, hopping to the next tree and leapt from vine to vine when the distance was too great. She would not slow down, no matter the obstacle.

Humans. There were humans in the forest!

She had to see them with her own two eyes. She had to see what they looked like, even if for a moment to sate her curiosity. Then she would send them away to save them. They did not belong here and they would die for it. But she couldn't allow that to happen.

The image of Akan standing above them, his teeth bared and his yellow eyes glowing attacked in her mind. If he ever caught up to them…

Xena let go of the vine, propelling herself ahead with all her strength so she could fly over to the next tree. Her muscles burned, and her heart thrummed painfully, but she couldn't stop. As she landed in the tree, she ran along the thick branch; the leaves shook from her quick, jostling movements when she sped across.

She stopped dead.

The scent filled her nostrils, but she didn't know what it was. It was scent was very faint, sweet and yet at the same time natural, but it was foreign to her. Never before had the smell graced her nose in all the time she'd spent in the forest. She knew it was because it was not of the forest.

Her heart sped as she continued.

She followed the smell to a small clearing. Jumping from her place in the tree, Xena padded around. They had been here. The humans. A small pile of blackened wood lay smoking away within a circle of rocks, and the grass nearby was flat, as though it had been slept on. But that wasn't what Xena couldn't stop looking at.

She tilted her head curiously, frowning when she saw something catch the sun and wink at her from within the grass. Lying under a tree was a small, cylinder object. At first Xena thought it may be a shiny branch, but as she approached it and took it in her hands, she knew it wasn't. It felt nothing like the branches she spent most of her time swinging from or using as weapons. This was different. The shiny ends felt flawlessly smooth and cold to the touch as she rubbed her thumb over them.

She was sure she'd never seen anything like it in her whole life. Concluding that it wasn't a branch, Xena tried tasting it to see if it was edible. She frowned, spitting out the frail, dry thing from her mouth and watched as the piece she'd torn floated to the ground. As it dropped, Xena noticed something on it. Black stains marked the inside of the piece; the strange shapes made to sit in a line. She looked at it for a long time, but she couldn't make sense of it and ended up creating a pain in her head.

Turning away from the strange, thin tatter, Xena lifted the object to her nose and smelled it instead. She immediately registered the scent she had picked up and followed to the clearing. It was all over the object, but stronger this time. She didn't think it was the source, but it didn't make it any less intoxicating.

She was so engrossed in the object that she almost didn't hear the rustling nearby. Panicking, Xena jumped up and ran to the nearest tree, lifting herself up until she was hidden by the leaves.

Just as she found her hiding spot, a form broke through the bushes.

I swear I'll stop teasing soon... :D

Thank you for reading. Any comments/reviews/feedback is welcome and appreciated. If you have any issues regarding spelling/grammar or inconsistancies, please don't hesitate to inform me in a PM so I can make ammendments. Stay tuned for the next chapter...