A/N: sorry for the long wait for this chapter, i had no computer for a while and wasn't able to work on it. i know it's a bit short, but there will be more coming soon! hope you enjoy it. :)

Over the next few days, Cara was not herself. She was always on the verge of tears, and never smiled. Her head was always down, and she rarely spoke to anyone. She only left the house when she had to. She always kept Dahlia's agiel with her, in the sheath around her leg underneath her skirt so no one would know it was there. It was her constant reminder of Dahlia, of what she had lost.

Cara was sitting in her room one evening when she heard the shouting of men and women, and the shrill screams of young girls. She went to the window and pushed aside the curtain so she could peek out. She saw people running, picking up small children on the way and bringing them inside. She looked towards the woods, and saw four Mord'Sith walking purposefully toward her house. Her heart leapt as she recognized Dahlia among them. Two of them were slightly shorter than Dahlia. One had light brown hair and blue eyes, the other dark hair and dark eyes. The other was about Dahlia's height, with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Cara dashed out of her room and out the door of the house, and ran straight into Dahlia's embrace.

"Cara, get back here this instant!" her father shouted after her. Cara ignored him and kissed Dahlia happily on the lips.

"Hi Cara," Dahlia said, smiling down at her.

"I missed you," Cara said, smiling back.

"I missed you too," Dahlia answered.

As Dahlia loosened her hold on her, Cara noticed some people from the village giving them strange looks. Dahlia glared at them, and many of them scattered, going back into their houses. When most of them had disappeared, Dahlia turned her attention back to Cara.

"Cara, do you still want to be trained?" Dahlia asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Cara answered. She thought Dahlia didn't look particularly happy with this.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Dahlia asked.

"Yes," Cara said again.

"Okay," Dahlia said. "Come with us." She held out her hand to Cara.

Cara hesitated for a moment. "Can I say goodbye first…?" she asked slowly.

Dahlia looked unsure. These circumstances were far from normal, and she didn't know what she should or should not allow. She glanced at the other three Mord'Sith.

"I suppose that would be okay," the dark-haired one said.

Cara nodded her thanks and ran back to where her family was standing just outside the house. Each of them had a different expression on their faces. Grace looked slightly confused, while her mother looked worried. Her father looked downright furious.

"What is she doing back here?" he asked angrily. "And why did she bring more of them?"

Cara ignored him, instead walked up to him and hugged him tightly. She then proceeded to hug her mother and Grace, much in the same fashion. She looked sadly at them, and spoke one word.

"Goodbye."

Her father looked, if possible, even more furious. "You're not going anywhere with them." He spat. "You're staying right here where you belong."

"I can't," Cara said simply.

"And why the hell not?" her father asked, growing even more furious.

"Because I love her," Cara answered.

"You can find someone else," her father tried to reason. "What about that Daniel? He seems to like you."

"I'm not interested in Daniel," Cara said, annoyed. "Now goodbye."

She turned and walked back to Dahlia and the others, not looking back at her family. As she walked, she heard her father shout after her. "If you leave with them, don't even think about coming back."

She had barely reached Dahlia and the others when she heard shouting. She looked around and saw a horde of men running toward them. Some had weapons, swords and knives and such, others had just sticks or shovels.

"Cara, I need my agiel," Dahlia said urgently as the other three drew out their weapons, taking a defensive stance.

Cara gave Dahlia a pleading look. "Don't hurt them," she begged quietly.

Dahlia sighed. "Alright," she said, motioning for the others to put their agiels away. "In that case, we have to run," she said.

It didn't take long for Cara and the others to lose the villagers. It had been a long time since Cara had run that far, and by the time they stopped, she was exhausted. She sank down onto a tree stump, holding her side and gasping for air. The Mord'Sith were barely out of breath, but they stopped nonetheless to let Cara rest.

"While we're stopped, would you care to introduce us all, Dahlia?" the blonde asked.

"Of course," Dahlia answered, sounding as if the question were ridiculous and unnecessary. "I think you've all figured out by now that this is Cara," she said motioning to Cara. "Cara, this is Hally," she pointed to the blonde, "Raina," she pointed to the dark-haired one, "and Berdine," she said, motioning to the remaining Mord'Sith.

"I can see why you like her," Raina said, scrutinizing Cara. "She's very pretty."

Berdine looked slightly annoyed by this comment, and Dahlia glared at Raina. "I like more about her than her appearance," she said.

"I know, I know," Raina said. "I was only joking."

Cara raised an eyebrow. She had never thought of Mord'Sith as being the sort of people to joke around.

Hally noticed Cara's expression and smirked at her. "What? You think Mord'Sith are all kill and torture?" she asked. "We know how to have fun too."

Cara smiled slightly, beginning to like the other Mord'Sith. Perhaps they weren't as bad as everyone made them out to be. Cara watched as Berdine walked over to Dahlia and put her arm around her, eyeing Cara appreciatively.

"You certainly did well, Dahlia," Berdine said. "She's cute."

Dahlia crossed her arms and smiled slightly at Berdine's teasing. Raina rolled her eyes as she walked over to them and pulled Berdine away from Dahlia.

"Berdine, are you trying to make me jealous?" she asked, putting her arms around Berdine and kissing her nose.

"Always," Berdine replied, smirking, then kissing Raina gently on the lips.

Hally rolled her eyes at Raina and Berdine, then turning to Dahlia, she spoke. "We should start moving again." She was suddenly serious, her jovial mood from before completely gone. "It will be dark soon, and it would be nice to have a meal and a place to sleep."