Chiaki wasn't sure how she survived the flash flood and going over the waterfall. All she knew was when she finally was able to escape the muck filled water, she couldn't see said waterfall. Thanking her ancestors for her survival she shook with cold as she crawled just a little further onto the shore. The flood water spread out over the low area, slowing its speed and depth.

"Need to get someplace dry." Chiaki mumbled to herself. She knew that she was lost and it was not a good idea to move when you got lost. But she also knew that she wasn't in a safe place to just stay still. It was dark, the area was flooded, and thankfully the local animals had been frightened away from the riverside.

She was covered in mud and the snake skin swimsuit gave no protection against the chill. Chiaki stood shakily, squinting into the dim light. She only needed to get to higher ground, hopefully with something she could use as shelter.

Slowly she moved away from the flooded plain, leaving deep foot prints in the mud as she walked. Ten paces, twenty, thirty... up a small rise. Less wet, that was a good sign. Thankfully it would be difficult to loose sight of the flood damaged river bank, so Chiaki was willing to wander a little further.

Once she found a spot of actually fully dry moss covered ground, she knew she had walked out of sight of the river. She could still hear it though, in the distance, and knew she would be able to return there in the morning and follow it back upstream. With little else to do, Chiaki fell asleep.

The flapping of bird wings woke her the next morning. The sound of rushing water had subsided drastically during the night and Chiaki could hear water from two different directions. She stretched, dry caked on mud cracking and falling from her body. She felt warm, probably a low fever from the flood water and cold night. The moss she had slept on was now muddy and wallowed. Around her were tall ferns growing. In the distance a tall mountain stood in stark contrast to the bright blue sky.

Standing, Chiaki moved through the ferns, pushing them aside as she headed towards the louder sound of water. Exiting them, she found herself at a large clear pond, with tiny waterfalls at the far side. She sighed, knowing she'd moved in the wrong direction. Still, this water was clean and obviously not connected to the river.

"Goodbye mud layer." She said to herself again. She realized she hadn't spent very much time fully alone in this world. Sure she was alone in the house at the villages, but people were right nearby. Now she was actually alone. Stripping out of the swimsuit Curtis had made her, she tested the water. Warmer than the river, still brisk for a bath though.

Leaving the muddy clothing on the bank, she waded in to wash. The muck on her body washed off quickly, giving her time to work with her mud caked hair. She didn't notice she was feeling faint until she began to waver in the water. Her vision went dark.

-COUGH!-

-COUGH!-

-COUGH!-

Chiaki sat up suddenly, coughing the water out of her windpipe. Hands helped her stay upright as she then took in large gulps of air back into her lungs, and another coughing fit took over. Those same hands rubbed her back. She felt like she'd drowned, hadn't she been washing at the waters edge?

"Female, are you alright?"

"He-cough- im fine -cough-" She continued to cough, bringing a hand up to her face and finding it was again covered in mud.

"I should take you to the nearest village, you are hurt!" The male voice finally registered to Chiaki. An unknown male voice.

Chiaki turned to look at her rescuer. Pale creamy skin, white hair. At first her mind tried to jump to Qianhuang, but the voice was different... and this guy had green eyes not blue. "Who?"

The male paused before he picked her up. "I'm the white king, Bai Di."

"Bai Di." She repeated, it reminded her of Bai Qingqing, because of the same beginning. Or was it ending, wasn't Bai the girls family name? "Thank you for keeping me from drowning Di." She said pronouncing 'Di' and 'Dee'.

The male blushed, the dark colored ears on the top of his head twitching. "You are out here all alone, let me become your mate and I can keep you safe!"

And there it was, Chiaki had a feeling that had been coming. She brought a hand up to her mating mark with Qianhuang. "I have a mate, as you can see. Two, in fact." She moved her hand to her thigh where Curtis' mark was."

"Your mates must be pretty weak if they didn't protect you."

"Did you miss the flash flood last night?" Chiaki asked, agitated.

Bai Di's eyes widened. "You got caught in that yesterday? How did a female survive such hardship?!" He quickly scooped Chiaki up. "Now I really must get you to a doctor!"

He held her close to him as he ran towards the mountain in the distance, away from the still swollen river. Chiaki closed her eyes, his skin was radiating heat and it felt like she was against a furnace to her cold skin. She knew the direction of the river now, she knew they were heading towards a village near the mountain. She could tack her way back later. Still, she felt feverish even as she felt cold. Cold skin, hot face. She hoped the doctor in the village would understand she only needed some rest and something to reduce the fever. She hoped she hadn't caught some kind of sickness from the mucky water.

Chiaki didn't realize she had drifted back asleep with the steady pounding of Bai Di's heart in her ear. Until it was suddenly not there, nor was the heat of his body. Her eyes snapped open ans she tried to sit up.

"No! No, don't try to get up!" The face of an old male was right there in-front of her, hands gently pushing her back. "Just lay back, I'll get you a fur to cover yourself with." The old male said. "Bai Di, arriving with a pretty female mate here at the Rock Mountain Wolf Village, in all my years." He mumbled to himself, though Chiaki heard him.

"He's not my mate." She protested. Then realized, that wasn't the best thing to let the old male know.

"Really?! There are some fine young wolf males in this village, you should take some time to recover here and meet them-" A cold shiver ran up the spine of the old male, behind him Bai Di was glaring at him with deadly intent.

"Elder Langzhu, your talent as a healer-" Bai Di growled.

Langzhu gulped at the fierce aura coming off the male. "Tigers." He grumbled. He examined Chiaki. "She inhaled water, seems like she coughed most of it back up. She shouldn't be allowed to sleep laying flat, sleep sitting up instead. Feverish, could be from the water or the cold night outside. I have am herb than can help warm her body, and another that can sooth the fever." He turned to Bai Di. "She really should remain here for at least a day."

Suddenly a male burst into the room carrying a small female. "Healer Langzhu! Please look at my female! She fainted!"