Episode 4: part 3
Three Days later…
The Onyx Pyramid; High Noon
Something amusing manifested in the casting pool. Mumm-Ra choked out a short, dry laugh at his minions' expense. Somehow during their travels, Pumyra and her two canine escorts found themselves scrambling for their lives across the field of High Noon Geysers (named so because the geysers blow every day at high noon, naturally).
"Hurry my pets, serpentine." Mumm-Ra coaxed, waving a withered hand over the water. "Death shall not release you from servitude anytime soon."
Meanwhile; The Field of Noonday Geysers
A mad dash turned into a deadly game of hopscotch as the pressure beneath Pumyra's feet purged upward with all of great nature's fury. Her heart pounded in her chest as she pushed her muscles to carry her faster. With speed and precision she landed safely on a patch of sand quickly being engulfed by lava. She made a desperate leap to the next safe spot; doubting even Mumm-Ra's enchantment could protect her if she sunk in the bubbling lake of molten rock. She struggled to see through the rising steam and avoid being scolded at the same time. Kaynar and Brindle were nowhere in sight. "Damn it, lost them!"
The dogs are on their own. She couldn't afford to search for them. A ring of geysers around her swelled, ready to explode any second. Pumyra lunged forward, twisting her torso in midair. She barely slipped through the streams of molten discharge.
In the distance she could just barely spot a lush green clearing through the chaos. She felt the earth rumble below her. She crouched down low while inwardly whispering a prayer for luck (judging the distance between her and the clearing she would need it) then sprung forward with all her strength.
By a thread she landed on one hand just shy of the spreading lava. "Whoa!" She felt her balance falter towards the hazardous direction. Thinking quickly, she shifted her weight then pushed upward to spring back on her feet.
Without bothering to look back she fled over the sand dunes. Panting heavily, she clawed her way to high ground, struggling to maintain a foothold in the sand. Pumyra crawled onto the grassy oasis with what little energy remained within. Nearby a tiny spring gushed cool water. Pumyra desperately cupped her hands and drank. Wiping her lips dry, she looked back at the geyser field. The land in the distance resembled a post-apocalyptic nightmare beneath a blackened sky. She breathed a sigh of relief, but the feeling of set relief was short lived. Her large bronze eyes scanned the landscape for any sign of her canine cohorts.
She spotted Kaynar propping himself against a sapling. Apparently he too made it across the noonday geysers relatively unscathed besides a badly scolded right ear which he scratched gingerly.
"Is this a big joke?!" Pumyra flashed him a cross look as she approached him. "Are you TRYING to heard us into the grave?!"
Kaynar didn't acknowledge her, but instead continued to stare intensely out at the shady yonder.
"Welcome home."
" Kaynar?" What in blazing hell is he staring at? Pumyra wondered inwardly before directing her gaze across the clearing to a thick cluster of trees; the outer edge of a large forest it looked like. Leaves a shade of green so dark they appeared almost black even in direct sunlight filled out the thick skeleton-like branches. They shrouded the ground in shadow. She squinted, struggling to focus. Something bipedal walked out the trees into the light; it's features masked in a silhouette. She blinked for a split second and the figure was gone. She quickly dismissed it for a trick of the light and turned her attention back to Kaynar.
Pumyra's ear twitched, annoyed. "Have you seen Brindle? Kaynar…? Third Earth to Kaynar…? KAYNAR!?" She swatted him across the back of his head for emphasis.
"WHAT?!" He jumped, startled, shouting unnecessarily loud. "A geyser popped right next to my head! I can't hear a thing!" He grimaced, pulling his finger out of his ear. "You seen Brindle?!"
"I lost her in the field! She wouldn't ditch her sled!" Pumyra explained. "Then she -HEY!"
Before she could order against it Kaynar charged for the field of geysers.
Pumyra slapped her palm against her forehead. "Stupid, reckless…" She exhaled an irritated growl, left with no other option but to wait. "Dogs…"
Being highly familiar with the territory, Kaynar managed to sniff the sled dog out quickly. He found her staggering from heat exhaustion, barely able to pull her sled through a rapidly narrowing path. She panted heavily, lungs choking on the hot rising fumes, inwardly cursing her heavy double coat. Unable to see him through the steam or hear his steps over the eruptions, Brindle jumped back, startled as Kaynar popped out in front of her, hunting knife in hand.
He pressed the blade lightly against her torso and with a quick upward flick of the wrist sliced through her leather harness. Now unattached to her sled, Kaynar snatched Brindle up, threw her over his shoulder and ran for safety.
"Stop! What are you-? NO!" Brindle punched and kicked in protest, but Kaynar ignored her. She watched with a heavy heart as her sled and all of her worldly possessions on it sink into the bubbling pools of lava.
Just when Pumyra was beginning to think she would have to continue alone Kaynar emerged once again carrying a live Brindle over his shoulder. She wouldn't outwardly admit it to him, but the rescue was rather sweet. Impressed, Pumyra smiled and chuckled approvingly. "Wow, he really did it. Good boy."
Meanwhile; Inside the Onyx Pyramid.
Mumm-Ra frowned, extremely displeased with his general's good deed. He expected his enemies to risk their necks for a female, but not his minions. "The ancient spirits broke him of such useless emotions years ago or so they had claimed." He pondered inwardly. "But he is only an animal. Some weakness is to be expected. No matter…" Mumm-Ra excused the cur's sickening display of affection this time. "The moons have yet to rise in full."
The Oasis…
Panting heavily, Kaynar dropped Brindle to the ground like a sack of rocks. Still a little woozy, Brindle swayed a bit as she pulled herself upright. The two dogs' eyes locked ablaze.
"Stupid Bitch!" Kaynar spat, pointing a threatening finger. "Don't EVER make me do that again!"
Pumyra frowned. That tender moment just ended abruptly.
With no real warning Brindle threw a punch across Kaynar's muzzle backed with all her body weight. Kaynar spit out a few bloody teeth, cracked his neck back into joint. He looked shocked for a split second then in retaliation back handed her with a dense thwack, knocking her sideways right on her knees. "What was that for?! I just saved your life!"
Brindle sprung to her feet much quicker than Pumyra expected. Bearing her canines, she drew back her fist once again. "I'll teach you to call ME a stupid bitch-!"
Pumyra wedged herself between them, forcing Brindle's fist still with one hand and forcing Kaynar to keep an arm's distance with the other. "Knock it off you two!"
"She hit me first!"
"Move, kitten lips! Don't make me kill you just to get to him!"
"No one is killing anyone right now- especially over a shitty old sled!" Pumyra felt like a nanny scolding two rambunctious pups.
"My whole LIFE was on that sled!"
"No big loss then. Move on; we have a job to do." Pumyra reminded her with a snarl in her voice.
Kaynar roughly shoved Pumyra aside, driving the spear tip of his halberd right up against Brindle's throat. She reached for her billhook.
"Na -uh, paws' off!" Kaynar scolded her. "I'm not taking another step until YOU-" He jerked his axe forward at Brindle to make her flinch. "explain to me what I did! I help you out of the pit; you cheat on me and abandon me! I save you from the geysers and you try to knock my head off! What did I do, Brindle? What happened to us?"
"What happened to-? What happened…?" Brindle backed away very slowly, cocking her head. Etched on her face was not a look of fear, but pure bewilderment. "There was no us…" She stated for the hundredth time as if exhausted to do so. "I never cheated on you. I was WORKING hence why they threw me in the pit in the first place! As for why I left; you're possessive, needy and unstable. No bitch in her right mind will EVER want anything to do with you EVER- And if you could get a grip on reality for five minutes you would understand WHY!"
Kaynar continued to point the spearhead at Brindle's throat, but his hold on the handle began to quiver. Pumyra gently tipped the blade downward with her pointer finger. "Are we done here?"
Kaynar's ears fell flat. He bore his canines at the females a moment then withdrew his weapon. "We're close" He stormed off in a huff to start sniffing head.
Pumyra shook her head then looked to Brindle. "Are you alright?"
"I don't need YOU to protect me from HIM." Brindle snarled.
"Never said you did." Pumyra shrugged indifferently then smirked. "Way to break a male's spirit back there. And I thought I could be cruel."
"Can you really blame me?"
"Not at all, but if he has another "episode" I will hold you accountable."
Brindle frowned, failing to see the humor. "Fair enough. Well, better catch up with him I guess before he gets any cute ideas."
They entered the woods together. It did not take long before the dense trees blocked out the majority of the sun. A sour aura filled the air. Something about their surroundings felt…eerie.
"I can barely hear anything." Pumyra thought aloud, unsettled by the extremely short distance her voice carried. Surely she had spoken at a normal room volume, but even to her, her words sounded like a faint whisper. She could feel dead leaves crunching and twigs snapping under her footsteps, but her ears barely detected it. Insects flew past her head, but didn't buzz, just offended her peripheral vision. The forest lacked the sound of thriving fauna completely.
"I suppose this is why they call it the Forest of Silence."
"Ha ha. Cute. I think you're right though. This must be the place. Wish my guide dog was here to confirm this!" She tried to shout but the air absorbed the echo. "Bastard. How do I keep losing him? Make yourself useful. Sniff him out."
"Sniff him out she asks. The air is so stagnant I can barely smell what's two feet in front of me!"
Pumyra sniffed the air; completely stagnant. "I can't smell at all." She admitted.
Brindle's tail drooped. "This place spooks me. We should turn back."
"Not after what we went through to get here. Do the best you can. He has to be close."
Brindle exhaled a begrudged sigh as she started to sniff about. She stopped at a thorny thicket that appeared to be trampled through very recently. "Over here!"
She did the honors of clearing a safer path with her billhook. The two emerged out the other side and spotted Kaynar staggering about anxiously. His ears shifted about at all angles. As if being followed he constantly glanced over his shoulder, paranoid of something neither female could detect nor identify. A startled yelp periodically escaped his throat.
They exchanged puzzled sideways glances. "What's wrong with him now?"
Brindle shrugged. "How should I-" She sighed, hanging her head. "I'll ask." Ignoring a gut feeling not to, Brindle approached him. "Kaynar, is-? WHOA!"
Kaynar spun around unexpectedly, swinging his axe, missing Brindle by a thread.
She jolted back, holding her hands up. "It's just us, relax!"
The male eased off just a little. "What do you want, you whore?"
"Oh grow up!"
"There's no us, so why are you following me?"
"She's following me. I'm following you. Is something out there? A feral predator?" Pumyra motioned to the deep dark interior of the woods.
Kaynar shook his head. "No; nothing yet." He replied absently. "I found the River of Despair. We're on the right track, look." He pulled back some low hanging branches revealing a wide river.
He allowed the females to duck under then the three of them approached the bank. The sight of the murky black rapids sent a chill up Pumyra's spine.
"Stay by the river. It's your only hope of finding a way out. If you follow it against the current it will take you to the heart of the forest. I doubt Lynxanna is still alive if she's been here. Hard to tell. All warnings go unheard and all scents go cold in the Forest of Silence they say. You'll probably go mad before you find out." Kaynar's muzzle twisted into a forced smile. He burst out in a short fit of laughter. His expression abruptly sobered. "Well, good luck, Kittie. Rot in Hell, Brin."
"Hold it!" Pumyra yanked on shoulder pad, forcing him to turn around. "Where are you going?"
Kaynar elbowed her, freeing himself. "To Dog City to get Mumm-Ra his damn army. Where else?"
"No you're not!" Pumyra snapped. "Until we find Lynxanna you're with us."
"I made it out of this accursed forest ONCE. No force on this planet can make me go back in." He refused motioning dramatically with a wave of both hands. "NO WAY!"
"I've had it up to here with your mad dog bull shit." The puma warned, raising her claws to him. "You have ten seconds to pick up Lynxanna's trail again before I sick your eyes out!"
"I can't…" Kaynar shook his head no. He started to shake like a Chihuahua. His eyes grew wide and teary. "You'll ditch me. You'll leave me to rot in here…"
"No we won't." Pumyra assured him.
"Yes you will; first chance you get. You'd both let the black dog take me…" He wiped away a tear quickly.
Pumyra lowered her claws. She never expected or meant to make the jackal cry. She backed away, pulling Brindle close then whispered. "Tell him we're level and everything's fine. He listens to you."
"Since when? Were have you been this whole week?"
"Just do it. He's scared."
"I'm scared!"
"Do you want to get this over with or not?"
"You owe me- You AND Mumm-Ra." Brindle caved in. She put on a sympathetic face then approached Kaynar, gently taking his hands. "Kaynar, sweetie, I'm sorry for-"
He ripped his hands away. "DON'T touch me! Don't even sniff me!"
"Listen, I admit I treated you wrong. What I said before was just out of anger." She embraced him seductively, hugging him and resting her head on his chest. "I know you have no reason to trust me anymore, but we need you now. I need you…"
A whimper escaped the jackals throat. He hesitantly accepted her embrace. "You can't expect me to go back-"
"I don't know what happened or why you're acting like this, but everything is going to be alright. I'm here for you. Guide us through the woods and I'll be right here guarding you." Brindle promised. "You believe me, don't you?"
Kaynar gave her a tight, affectionate squeeze then licked her cheek gently. "No." He whispered in her ear before roughly shoving her to the ground. In the blink of an eye he was on top of her driving his hunting knife into her upper chest.
"Stop!" Thinking quickly Pumyra fired a stunning pellet at him. The impact knocked him off her, leaving his right arm numb and limp. Pumyra tackled him, wrestling in an attempt to subdue the crazed jackal, but Kaynar is a little more underhanded than she bargained for. He kneed her hard between her legs, possibly shattering her pelvic bone. She gasped out in pain and for a split second found herself unable to move.
Kaynar rolled her on her back, pinning her with all his weight. "I'm- through- taking- orders- from- CATS!" He snarled, stabbing Pumyra in the chest and stomach repeatedly. The blade seemed to swing down in slow motion. Her bronze eyes stayed fixated on it. In out in out in out. Gods help her, the blood!
Kaynar pulled his knife from of her breast. It slid out with a wet suctioning smack. He panted heavily, hovering over Pumyra's ravaged body. She glared up at him with intense hatred as blood poured from her countless stab wounds. She tried to speak, but could only spit up blood. Kaynar reached behind him for his axe; his muzzle twisted into a sick grin. He snarled under his breath, "You thought you could screw with me? Mumm-Ra's magic won't put you back together this time…"
Her peripheral turned dark and blurry. Pumyra focused, struggling to stay conscious. Something appeared behind Kaynar; another jackal with pitch black fur and eyes darker than oblivion. He hovered rather than stood as if his body were made of mist.
"Do it, you wretch!" The black jackal barked in Kaynar's ear. "What are you waiting for, coward?! Dice the bitch! LOB HER HEAD OFF!"
"Fuck off!" Kaynar cried. The black jackal disappeared. "I'm the alpha up here you bastard!" He pointed to his head. "They die how I say! This is for ME, NOT you!" In a split second decision, Kaynar tossed aside his axe. Rather than chop her into pieces he decided to drag her towards the riverbank by her mane and toss her in the murky water.
Clutching her bleeding torso, Brindle watched, leaning against a tree. Barely holding onto consciousness herself, she reached out for Pumyra, but the pain of doing so caused her to double over again.
"I never wanted to hurt you." Kaynar looked down at her with sad eyes. He knelt to eye level to gently stroke behind her ears. "I can't stay here. You're still my bitch. I'll come back for you." He kissed her forehead then raced off."
"I'm going to murder you…" She decided it best to go after Pumyra first. Ignoring the sheering pain piercing her insides, Brindle crawled towards the river.
The water turned red around Pumyra. She could barely muster the strength to kick her legs or flail her arms, not that it was doing any good. She was sinking fast, loosing strength even faster and worse yet she wasn't alone in the water. Something massive swam towards her. Something with six lobster-like legs, a shark like body, an electrified eel-like tail and multiple rows of long razor sharp teeth. It circled her, waiting for just the right moment to strike. Pumyra aimed her crossbow at the river beast, praying her aim was accurate in the water. She released the bow on her gauntlet, nailing the giant lobster-shark in the nose.
It gurgled and hissed in pain then dove to the bottom of the river to scurry away on the rocks. Pumyra could feel herself slipping when a hand reached out and started to pull her upwards.
"Come on!" Brindle cried, struggling to pull Pumyra to dry land. They both collapsed by the river bank, panting heavily. Pumyra could feel her body starting to mend already. She forced herself to sit upright, then rolled Brindle on her back. "Hold still, I have to apply pressure."
Brindle winced in pain as Pumyra tore some material from her clothes and made a makeshift bandage for her stab wound. "This is your fault you know." The feline teased. "You had to push his buttons."
Brindle stared at the puma in disbelief. Her bleeding slowed to a small trickle. Her wounds looked as if they disappearing right before her. Kaynar must have stabbed her ten fifteen times and yet this cat was coherent enough to mend HER singular wound. "How…?"
"Never mind; I'll explain later. Thank you for diving in after me."
"No problem." She fibbed.
Pumyra pulled herself to her feet. "I'll be back to dress the wound better shortly. I'm going to find Kaynar-"
"And what?"
"Beat some sense into him if I have to."
"No, wait, I'm co- Yow!" Brindle tried to lean forward, but couldn't block out the pain well enough.
"Stay put." She ordered. "Keep applying pressure; try not to bleed out before I get back." With that, Pumra left Brindle to her own devices.
"Where did you run off to now you bastard…?" Pumyra growled inwardly, zigzagging through the trees. The forest growth grew thicker and thicker as she ventured deeper into the woods, preventing her from maintaining her top speed. Soon she found herself climbing over and ducking under low branches. They scratched at her backside, pricking her in her partially open wounds. She snarled in frustration, ripping down a rotten limb that brushed against her face. A swarm of spiders scurried out of the wood, crawling all over her.
She cried out, brushing them off frantically. When the itching sensation of thousands of tiny spider legs crawling on her hide ceased, she panted heavily, looking around. Already she lost her way and Kaynar's trail. "DOES IT REALLY HAVE TO BE THIS DIFFICULT?!" She cried towards the sky in the hopes Mumm-Ra would acknowledge her plight.
A cold gust of wind flew past, sending a chill down her spine. Pumyra turned around. The woods looked still. She faced forward, nearly jumping out of her skin when a tawny jackal pup shoved past her legs, whimpering. She noticed several lacerations on his body. "Hey, pup, wait!" Pumyra followed him. Something about the puppy didn't look…fresh. "You're hurt! It's dangerous out here! Wait for-" The pup turned a sharp corner and disappeared. "I've lost my mind…I've lost my mind…"
Pumyra slowed down a few paces. She looked around. Small figures scurried through the underbrush, all pups with similar wounds as the first pup she encountered. They limped unnaturally quickly leaving dark red footprints in their wake. She trailed them a ways before catching her foot on a raised root and toppling sideways down a steep clearing. She landed on her stomach, scratching her hands and knees. "That was unbecoming for a cat." She scolded herself inwardly. Three pups ran right over her, determined to get somewhere…
Pumyra chased the pack to a diseased clearing in the center of which stood Kaynar. The pups surrounded him, practically swarming him. They clung to his legs and torso with bloodied fingers, foaming mouths and gnashing teeth.
Kaynar tried to shoo them away, begging them to leave him be. He looked as if he could pass out from fright at any moment. The black jackal hovered beside him. "How sweet, they remember your scent."
"Send them away; I can't take this anymore!" Kaynar begged him.
"Don't be a pussy." The black jackal licked his cheek. "You've missed your pack haven't you? Your blood misses you too." The black jackal held one of the zombie pups by the scruff on his neck in Kaynar's face, allowing him to claw at his muzzle. "Can't you hear them? They're wondering where you've been. Why did you leave them like this? Tell them."
"No." Kaynar clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head. "Leave me alone."
"Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Little bitch; you never did have any balls." The black jackal taunted, yanking Kaynar's ears. "Buck up, boy-O, it's time to soak the ground again. You know how. Soak the ground for me like a good boy."
"Why…?"
"Why what? Why you? Because you're mine! Your pack left you in this forsaken forest for ME. They didn't appreciate you-? How could they? How could father look at his litters and see a murderer amongst them? They left you behind so I took you in. I loved you like a son and made you a better version of what you were always meant to be. The moons will be full tonight, blood pup. Are you ready?" He sniffed him. "I can smell it in your soul. You're so ready. Soak the ground, Kaynar. Make me proud."
The red jackal nodded. A silent tear rolled down his cheek. "Sounds fun. Can't wait."
"Kaynar?!"
His terrified, pleading eyes locked with hers. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
She ran to his aide, but just when she was within arm's reach, the pack of ghostly pups burst into blood splatter. The soil beneath Kaynar's feet turned red and soupy. He plunged under in a puddle of blood right before her eyes.
"Great Leo!" Pumyra knelt down to reach for him, but her fingertips touched only solid ground. "Kaynar! KAYNAR! Gods, what's happening?"
She felt a presence in the distance. The silhouette drifted towards her, the black jackal again. She held in her fear and pulled herself to her feet, staring the evil spirit down. Now she recognized him as one of the idols Mumm-Ra kept in his chamber. He even spoke of his name once. "Let him go, Anubis. Enough is enough, don't you think?" She spoke making no effort to hold back hostility.
The demigod did not answer, just stared emotionlessly.
"This is counterproductive. I need Kaynar. Mumm-Ra-"
"SHUT UP..." Anubis ordered, pointing a threatening finger at her nose.
"Excuse me? We're-"
"SHUT UP." Anubis repeated. "Don't utter my name! You cats are all so fucking pompous. You maintain a niche at the top of the food chain for a few insignificant generations and you think that entitles you to some authority in this realm. I have news for you, cat, you're DEAD which makes you MINE when Mumm-Ra's through with you so SHUT UP, FUCK OFF and wait for me to take you when fate deems fit! Until then, I have no business with you." Anubis lowered his fingered then leaned forward, retching. He blasted her in the face with white foamy projectile vomit.
Disgusted, Pumyra wiped off her face, dry heaving. She looked at her hands. They were spotless aside from some blood and dirt. She felt her face. No vomit.
"Why did I let those lizards break me out?" She head Kaynar mutter behind her.
He stood in his original spot, dripping with blood, trembling. "I fucking hate the black dog…" He added, slowly slumping to the ground in a state of mental collapse.
"I think I hate him too…" There was a long silent pause. Pumyra struggled to process what she just experienced. Finally she brought herself to ask. "What's going on? What happened to you here?"
"I don't know! It's so hazy now..." He confessed. "It was a lean summer. My father didn't want our pack hunting in the cursed forest, but it had been months since we made a big kill and we were hungry…We tried to track, but couldn't smell or hear a thing. I fell and lost my brothers and the black dog found me…" Kaynar's voice trembled. "I was lost for days. He kept following me and the voices got louder and louder…they led me in circles for a while then to the campfire. The flames were dying. The pack was asleep…"
"Are you going to be alright?" She asked to prevent him from going into further detail. She could picture the rest of the story well enough.
"No…" Kaynar shook his head, holding his hands over his ears. "They're never going to let me go. I should have stayed in solitary. The voices I can handle. They're even funny!" He laughed, then looked back and barked "Yeah, eat my pair too!" at someone and looked back up at Pumyra. "But I can't handle this place. It's too real. Don't ask me to go any further, please…"
"Come on, get it together." Pumyra urged, pulling him to his feet. She placed his axe in his hands. "I think I can take things from here. Head back to Dog City. Do what you need to do."
Kaynar nodded. "Thank you." He wiped away a tear on his gauntlet, sniffing. "I went a little nuts back there. You think Brindle is still mad?"
"Most likely."
"Would you apologize to her for me? She listens to you."
"Sure. I'll- I'll send her your way when she cools off." Pumyra didn't like making promises she might not be able to keep, but she felt too drained, physically and emotionally, to debate the matter. "Good luck, okay? Take care of yourself- and Kaynar…?"
He looked over his shoulder "What?"
Her expression hardened. "The stabbing I'm willing to forget, but don't EVER knee me in the cunt again."
He gave her a quick nod yes, then staggered off.
Pumyra held her hands over her eyes a moment. She inhaled and exhaled slowly. "You can do this…He's counting on you…" She told herself over and over until her nerves settled well enough to turn back for the river.
High over her head another cat had watched the whole scene unfold from the treetops. "The silence already got to them. They're seeing things." She assumed inwardly as she followed the young puma.
The forest absorbed any noise her movements may have made, so she stayed close, taking mental notes on the stranger. She hopped from branch to branch, light as a feather, eager to assess the new situation at hand.
When Pumyra came to a stop the other cat crouched low in the foliage and listened as she and a white bitch argued over a matter she couldn't quite make out. From what little her ears managed to pick up it seemed the young cat and dog would be parting ways soon. The puma would stay behind and continue "the search…"
"Damn. I knew he would send for me eventually. To hell with the mummy; I've come too far now. I won't go back without a fight..." Upon set realization the cat pounced for the next tree and fled to the shadows where she would wait…