Disclaimer: I do not own DQMW...I'm just borrowing the characters...

……

Daniel jumped out of bed and opened the door, peering out in to the night with groggy-like eyes.

"Jackson, what is it?"

"Its Ellie. She's disappeared."

Daniel was suddenly awake, the images in his dream still fresh in his mind. He quickly dressed and followed Jackson.

…………

Sully rode ahead, holding a lantern in one hand and the reigns in another. He couldn't see anything except the black expanse of night in the woods.

"She couldn't have gone very far." Michaela said

"No," Sully agreed, "but I bet she's good at hiding."

"Why would she just run away?"

"Maybe more happened in town today than we know."

…………..

Ellie ran through the trees, not really paying attention to where she was going, just as long as she got away from everyone as quickly as possible. She fought off the tears that threatened to fall from her face.

She just kept running and running. Unfortunately, she didn't see the tree root sticking out from the ground, and her foot when straight into it, causing her to fall.

……………

Jackson was quiet as they rode. Daniel would glance over at him every few minutes, hoping that the boy who was still so young but had seen so much would start to talk.

And finally, he did. "She left for me."

"How's that?" Daniel asked.

"What happened in town today, with that horse…I think she probably heard someone talking about it later."

"When she went over to Loren's." Daniel said, understanding where Jackson's train of thought was heading.

"She's always felt guilty about me standing up for her. Now, there was more than just me to do it…"

"There's no shame in standing up for someone you care about."

"I know that, and you know that, and I'm pretty sure Sully and the doc know that, but Ellie…" Jackson stated.

Daniel nodded.

"She's always been sensitive. Ever since the first time I met her…"

…………

Ellie tried to stand up, but her wrist would not let her put any weight on it to let her push herself up. One tear fell down her cheek, but she fought the rest of them off. She sat up and tried one more time, but as she did so, she heard movement.

"I won't hurt you." She said in a soft voice.

"That is good, because I will not hurt you either," said a voice of calm and wisdom.

Not expecting it to be another human voice, Ellie looked up startled to see an Indian man standing in front of her.

"Hello, my name is Cloud Dancing. And you must be Ellie."

Ellie nodded, surprised. "How did you know?"

"The spirits told me I would find you here."

…………..

Sully dismounted from his horse, Dr. Mike followed.

"She didn't come in this direction. We need to head out on foot until we can find her tracks or Wolf can pick up her scent."

Dr. Mike nodded.

"I hope she's alright," she said.

"Me too."

…………

Jackson was quiet again, but Daniel was curious about how he said, "met her."

As if reading the older man's mind, Jackson began to talk. "Ellie and I, we aren't sibling's by blood. My parents, well, my pa was a minister. He got sick doing missionary work, and my ma caught it from him. There was no other family, so I was sent to the orphanage. I was about 7 or 8, so I could remember a lot about them. My pa taught me that everyone was special, that everyone had something about them that made them unique, and that that uniqueness was important. My ma had a heart of gold. If I hadn't remembered them, I don't know if I would be who I am today…when Ellie came to the orphanage, she was only 3 or 4. She used to play with the squirrels, and chipmunks and birds outside. She got made fun of because of that. When I would see her with those animals, I heard my pa's voice, talking about the uniqueness. Ellie…she had this, I mean, she still has it…this light inside…a divine spark, if you will, that I didn't want to see taken away from her because of those around us who couldn't understand. I just wanted to protect her, so…I would protect her, and when I was 12, I took her with me away from there."

Daniel reached over and patted Jackson on the back, "You're a good man, Jackson."

……………..

Cloud Dancing had helped Ellie up and to the small camp that he had set up while waiting for her. He looked at her wrist, and began to doctor it.

"You will want Dr. Mike to take a look at that, but I do not believe that it is broken." He said, taking out some strips of what had once been a garment, and began to wrap it.

"Are you a medicine man?" she asked.

Cloud Dancing nodded. "You have been with Indians before."

Ellie nodded. "A few winters ago…my brother and I, we were up north, and the weather got real bad…an old man found us, and brought us back to his tribe. He was kind and gentle, but there were some that did not want us there because we were white. They had had so many bad experiences with the white man, I wasn't surprised. We stayed with them until spring came. The man, he said I reminded him of his daughter, who had died years before. He would call me "Little wolf". It wasn't a real Indian name or anything, just a nickname I guess…he could tell that things were changing, and that it would not be safe for us to stay with them…he said he didn't want to see me hurt like his daughter had been…so, when the snow started to melt, we left. I knew he did not want us to go, but I suppose it was safer. My blanket is all I have to remind me of that time."

"And that man, he understood your gift."

Ellie looked over at him.

"You can speak to animals." Cloud Dancing stated.

Ellie nodded. "Yes sir, though I wish I couldn't."

"Why is that? That gift you have is very special. You should be proud of it. You shouldn't have to try to hide it."

"But if I didn't have it, I wouldn't cause people so much pain." She squeaked out, the tears now starting to fall from her eyes.

"You think you hurt them because they defend you to those who do not understand?"

Ellie nodded, wiping the tears from her face.

"Their defense of you is not a burden."

"How…how can you be so sure?"

Cloud Dancing placed a hand on her arm. "When a good man cares for another, they will do whatever they can for that person. The love they share outweighs the hardships that may occur."

Ellie took a few steadying breaths, letting Cloud Dancing's words settle in her mind.

"You are a wise man, sir." She said.

"And you are also…in other ways."

Cloud Dancing looked off into the forest. "I believe our friends have arrived." He said, smiling.

He stood up, and knowing that it was Sully who approached, he called out with his bird call.

Both of them heard the footsteps still. Cloud Dancing called again, and after a few moments passed, a different bird call was heard. Cloud Dancing returned it with his one more time.

"Cloud Dancing?" Sully's voice was heard calling out.

Cloud Dancing led Ellie out of the clearing and towards Sully and Michaela. "Yes, it is I, my brother."

When all four people could see each other, Cloud Dancing said, "I seem to have found what you were missing."

"Ellie!" Dr. Mike said in a mix of relief and disappointment.

"I'm sorry." Ellie said, looking down.

"Why'd you leave?" she asked the girl.

"A misunderstanding," Ellie said quietly.

"Thank you, Cloud Dancin'," Sully said.

"All will be explained in time, when we meet up with the others. Dr. Mike, you should take a look at her wrist. I believe she may have sprained it." Cloud Dancing said.