Warning: The following chapter deals with emotional abuse and gaslighting, as well as an anxiety attack. Reader discretion is advised.

Of course, the peace couldn't have lasted.

The early hours of the morning bathed everything in a misty gold as Fawn ran across the fields with Teriyaki. Her legs burned and her lungs were heavy, but the air was cool against her face and the rising sun warmed her hair. She felt alive as she ran through the tall grass, pumping her arms vigorously, her legs moving as if she wanted to break free of gravity altogether.

Teriyaki kept up the pace, occasionally leaping up to get a better look at Fawn's location and rushing to join her. Fawn laughed as the fire bird reached her at last, spitting a harmless spark against her calf. It barely even burned her, amounting to nothing more than a brief sting, as if she'd kicked up a pebble that smacked her leg.

Ji-Min had already gone to fetch the usual coffee order, and some donut holes for the two other kids. Andie was tending to Gracie, who would be ready to pass her egg any day now.

This left Cecilia and Garrett to tiredly shuffle out of the house.

Cecilia yawned and stretched, blinking in the sunlight. "It's so nice out today," she murmured, shielding her eyes from the sun and looking out to the expansive fields. "Don't you just love mornings, Garrett?"

Garrett shrugged, still looking dead on his feet.

"Garrett, come on! It's such a nice day, don't you think–" Cecilia's attention was suddenly taken by Snickers, scratching and whining at one of the gates separating the main area from the wider fields.

"Awww, little guy," Cecilia crooned, hopping down the stairs and approaching the gate. "You wanna go out?"

And with that, she opened the gate, allowing Snickers to run into the fields. Then she continued her walk, intent on greeting the other Pokémon.

But Snickers, unseen by Cecilia, did not go out. He took a few tentative steps out, raising his little head high and sniffing the air. Slowly, he scanned the horizon, seeing Fawn and Teriyaki in the distance. This didn't seem to bother him, and he just sniffed a few more times.

Then he decided he didn't feel like going out after all; huffing quietly, he turned around and trundled back to the house.

Back in the fields, Fawn was finally tiring out, her run slowing down to a trot, and then a job, and then she finally stopped entirely. She leaned forward, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Teriyaki ran around her to peer up at her face. "Chick!" she cried.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm exhausted," Fawn panted. She swallowed a few times, wiping her forehead. Then she straightened up to full height again, smiling down at Teriyaki. "You ready to head back? All your energy's spent?"

"Torchic!"

"Alright! Let's go back." Fawn walked back to the gate, taking her time and going slowly. Teriyaki happily trailed after her.

Ji-Min pulled up in the car just as Fawn and Teriyaki were reaching the gate. Ji-Min got out of the car, frowning when they saw the gate open. They put their breakfast on the car's roof, then approached the gate. "Snickers? Ginger?" Ji-Min called, looking around.

Both Pokémon poked their heads out the open front door.

Ji-Min's relief was short-lived. "The door's open too?" they muttered. Neither the front door nor the gate was supposed to be left open unattended… They were sure the gate had been closed when they left, and they knew they shut the door behind them too.

"Fawn!" they called as the teen came into view, her own steps faltering and a frown on her face as she noticed the open gate. "Fawn, you shut the gate behind you when you went on the run, right?"

It was a simple question. So simple. But Fawn tensed up.

"Yes," she said, voice already taut as she frowned at Ji-Min.

"You're sure it was closed properly?" Ji-Min followed up, calmly and casually. "Sometimes if you close it too lightly the latch doesn't fall–

"I closed it! I closed it properly, the latch fell, I heard it click!" Fawn walked through the gate, Teriyaki on her heels. The Pokémon looked up at Fawn anxiously, sensing the shift in mood. Something was wrong. Teriyaki nuzzled her legs, peeping up at her in questioning.

"See?" Fawn continued, voice rising. "See, I know how to close it, I didn't misremember–"

"Okay, Fawn–"

"I closed the gate," Fawn continued, furtively looking between the gate and Ji-Min. "I swear I closed the gate!"

"I'm not mad," Ji-Min said, sensing the beginning of something awful. "If you forgot, it's okay–"

"I didn't forget!" Fawn cried, her voice suddenly rising several octaves. Her face went pale at first, then started to turn pink. Her hands curled into fists, rising to her sides as she continued to speak, louder and faster. "I didn't forget, I know for a fact I closed it! Someone else must have opened it!"

"Okay, Fawn…" Ji-Min acquiesced. "It's okay. Everything's fine, let's forget about it now–"

"No! No, I know I closed it, I'm not misremembering, I swear to Arceus I closed it! I'm not misremembering, I'm not wrong!"

The noise was attracting the attention of everyone else now. Cecilia, walking back to the house, slowed to a stop, staring with wide eyes. Garrett ventured out of the house, lingering on the porch, looking ready to bolt back inside any moment. Andie had already been leaving Gracie's barn, but stopped when she saw what was happening. "Fawn? Ji-Min?" she called quietly, picking up the pace toward them.

Fawn was trembling, breathing heavily. "I'm not wrong, I'm not, I know what I did!" To punctuate her statement, she pounding her fist on the gate. It jolted from the force of the blow, and Ji-Min knew there'd be horrible bruising on Fawn's hand afterward.

"Fawn, you're getting worked up," Ji-Min said gently, kneeling in front of her. They held their hands up, not wanting to risk touching her and making it worse. Ji-Min began to breathe deeply, hoping to prompt Fawn into doing the same. "Please, you need to calm down…"

"I'm not misremembering, you're wrong, you're the one who's wrong–"

"I know. Okay, I'm wrong. It's okay." Ji-Min raised their voice, but did not yell. "Fawn, you need to breathe. Stop talking, take a deep breath."

"I closed the gate," Fawn gasped out.

"I believe you, Fawn. Now just breathe…" Ji-Min took a long, deep breath, finally taking a chance and gently taking Fawn's shoulders. "I got you, just breathe…"

Fawn's own breathing was harsh, heavy as her chest heaved violently. It took a few moments for her to respond, Ji-Min slowly breathing in and out themself. But finally, Fawn managed to swallow, and took a deep, shaking breath.

"That's it… now let it out slowly…" Ji-Min exhaled deeply, prompting Fawn to do the same.

Slowly, the tension left Fawn's body, her trembling fists slowly relaxing until her hands hung limply at her sides, and her head hung low, her hair falling past her face like a heavy curtain. She looked rather like a marionette that had suddenly had its strings cut, and if it weren't for Ji-Min's hands on her shoulders, she might have collapsed.

Teriyaki piped up then, and Ji-Min looked down to see that Fawn's legs were trembling.

"Okay, Fawn, honey," they said calmly. "Let's go to the Torchic coop, okay?"

Fawn nodded mutely, allowing Ji-Min to steer her towards the coop. Teriyaki followed dutifully, occasionally rubbing her face against Fawn's leg. Ji-Min glanced over her shoulder at Andie, who nodded back.

"Kiddos, I need to sit with Fawn and Ji-Min for a minute. You two stay put."

Cecilia and Garrett looked at her with concern, but it was Cecilia who spoke up first.

"Will you be okay?" asked Cecilia, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "That was really scary!"

"She's calm now, we just wanna talk to her."

"But what if she hurts you?"

Andie leveled a stern gaze at Cecilia. "Kid, Fawn's not that kind of person, and besides which, she's fourteen. There ain't a lot she can do. Now sit tight." And with that, Andie headed into the Torchic coop.

When Andie entered the coop, Ji-Min and Fawn were already sitting down on a bale of hay. Fawn still looked limp; her shoulders were slumped, she was leaning heavily against Ji-Min's side, and her eyes looked listless and dull. Ji-min had an arm wrapped around Fawn's shoulders, gently rubbing her upper arm with a thumb. While the other Torchic kept their distance - clearly sensing that Fawn wasn't here to play with all of them - Teriyaki had settled herself on Fawn's lap, feathers ruffling as she peeped up at her.

The only sign of movement from Fawn was one of her hands gently stroking Teriyaki's downy little back.

Andie slowly approached them and sat on Fawn's other side, making sure to leave a little distance between them. The last thing she wanted was to make the girl feel boxed in.

Especially after what had just happened.

The little group sat in silence for a while, allowing their minds to settle.

Finally, Andie spoke up. "So," she began, calmly. "Do you feel like telling us what that was about?"

"Andie," Ji-Min hissed over Fawn's head.

"Fawn. You don't have to talk if you don't want. But if you're gonna stay here, we need to know more. Especially after what just happened. Nobody's angry at you, you aren't in trouble. We believe that you closed the gate and latched it."

"You said, 'are you sure?'" Fawn murmured, voice hollow and still bitter.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't think that would upset you. I asked because Ji-Min themself forgets sometimes. That's all," Andie explained patiently.

Fawn was quiet.

"Did something happen back at home, Fawn? Is there someone who made you feel like this?"

More silence.

"Honey. We just want to know so we know what to avoid in the future. How to help you. You don't even have to go into details, just a yes or a no will be fine. Okay?"

Even more silence.

Teriyaki peeped quietly, nuzzling at Fawn's hand.

Fawn slowly took a breath. "I… I want to talk about it," she murmured. "Just… just don't interrupt me? Please?"

Andie and Ji-Min shared another look over the girl's head. They nodded, and Ji-Min hugged Fawn closer. "Okay. We won't interrupt."

Fawn took a few more breaths, the adults waiting for her to talk. "I dunno where to start…"

"Wherever you feel comfortable," Andie said.

"Yeah… yeah, okay… Uhm, so… So I had a Pokémon once… My parents always said…"

Some Time Ago, in Oldale…

"Wooow, Raquelle, you got a good one!" A group of neighborhood girls crowded around, marveling at the Totodile held in the brunette's arms. Raquelle puffed her chest out in pride, her dark brown eyes sparkling. "Look how sharp the teeth are!"

"Forget the teeth, look at those eyes! They're the eyes of a powerhouse!"

The Totodile beamed with pride as well, patting Raquelle's arms. "Toto!" it rasped.

"So are you going on a journey in Johto?" asked another girl, one with short red hair and a spray of freckles across her face.

"Yep! Gramma said I can go when school's done for the year. That way the weather will be nice and mild while I'm on the move." Raquelle looked around the group, beaming. "You guys won't forget me, right?"

"Girl, of course not! You didn't forget Stacie when she went on the journey, did you?"

"Well, no–"

"Or Kimberly? Or Gita?"

Raquelle laughed. "No, I guess not. Sorry!"

At that moment, Fawn spoke up. "We'd never forget you, Raquelle." She grinned, hands in her pockets as she looked over the Totodile. It was a great Pokémon, she thought, though she herself would rather have a Torchic. But it was Raquelle's decision, not hers.

Raquelle looked over to Fawn, and her smile turned to a look of confusion. "Hey, Fawn," she started. "Why didn't you go on a journey?"

Fawn's smile faltered. "Oh. That's… Mom and Dad didn't let me."

"Didn't let you? But you're old enough!"

"Yeah," said one of the girls, turning to look at her. "You're able to go when you turn eleven, right?" But of course she knew full well that was the case. Everyone did.

Fawn just huffed, shoving her hands deeper into her pockets. "Yeah, I know that. And believe me, they were saying for years that I'd get to go when I turned eleven. We even put my name on the Trainer Registry and everything! But then my birthday came and yeah. No visit to the lab, no Pokémon, no journey."

The girls all shared a look. "Did they say why?" asked Gita, a girl with rich brown skin and a long black braid.

"Just some junk about how I'm not 'mature' enough and 'can't handle it.' And then they said they never actually said I could go anyway, they just said maybe. But that's not true, they totally promised I could go!" Fawn couldn't help raising her voice a bit. The other girls flinched and Fawn ducked her head again. "Sorry," she grumbled. "It's just. It's total crap. They're all talking crap."

"I'm sorry," Raquelle murmured, petting her Totodile. "I shouldn't have asked."

"Nah, it's not your fault… Besides, hey, I do have a Pokémon, at least!" Fawn brightened. "He's a Cubone, his name's King. I found him in the woods by the school. I think he might've been ditched by a Trainer."

"And he's the cutest thing!" cried Stacie, a girl with long strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes. "I met him when Fawn came to AmazeBurger, he's so adorable!"

"Can we meet him too?" gasped Raquelle.

"Sure, just lemme know when." Fawn's watch beeped and she checked the time. Her jubilant expression suddenly shifted into a frown, and she blew out a stream of air that lifted her bangs up. "Great. I gotta head home, sorry. It's almost five."

"Bye, Fawn!" the girls chorused, even Raquelle's Totodile called "To'dile!" and waved a little hand, but Fawn was already running for home.

Fawn stood in front of the front door, taking a few moments to collect herself. She stared at the doorknob as if it were an Arbok coiled and ready to strike. If she'd had her way, she would just slip through the backyard, through the back door, and straight up to her room. But no, her parents would only hold it against her somehow. And then she'd be punished with grounding, worse than a curfew.

After taking a deep breath, the teen opened the door.

"Fawn, is that you?" Rose Lamar called out, the instant the hinges squeaked.

"Yeah, Mom." Fawn closed the door behind her, walking into the foyer. She left her shoes on, ignorant of the dirt that clung to them. She would be heading back outside anyway, so why bother taking her shoes off?

Fawn headed into the kitchen, where a woman with shoulder-length caramel hair and bright brown eyes stood over a pot on the stove. She glanced at the Meowth clock on the wall, then turned to smile at Fawn as she stood in the doorway. "Ah, good! You came home in time."

Fawn bit the inside of her cheek, feeling the blood rush to her face. "How long do I have to do this?" she grumbled.

"Your dad and I told you, dear, until we know you can be responsible." Rose frowned, pointing her wooden spoon at her. "We didn't appreciate you sneaking off last night. We know what trouble goes on at night."

"I didn't do anything! All I did was go to AmazeBurger with King."

"Without permission? Without telling us where you went? And with whose money?" Rose raised her eyebrows. "You came back with ketchup around your mouth, and I know you didn't use any allowance."

"I met Stacie and her family and they treated us."

Rose sighed and shook her head, returning to her pot of spaghetti. "And with how much of a gossip that woman is, I'm sure she told everyone. So now the whole neighborhood must think I starve my family."

Fawn said nothing, curling her hands into fists inside her pockets.

"By the way," Rose continued, "your father checked around, and we're very lucky. The Mawhile was a wild Pokémon after all."

"I coulda told you that. There wasn't a Trainer anywhere."

Rose turned to frown at Fawn, who just glowered right back. "As I was saying… the Mawhile was a wild Pokémon, so you won't be in trouble for attacking it–"

"Why the hell would I be in trouble?!" Fawn interrupted, flinging her arms out. "It's a Pokémon! I'm a human. If it wanted to, it could have hurt me, not the other way around! I didn't even hurt it that bad!"

"Fawn, you grabbed a branch and started beating it around the head! You could have seriously hurt it, or worse!"

"It was a stick! A thick stick, it wasn't even a branch! And it was trying to attack King - who didn't even want to fight it! I had to do something!"

"Fawn–" Rose began, only to be interrupted by the door opening.

"I'm home!" a jovial voice called into the room, closely followed by its owner. Alan Lamar, a bear-like man with a bushy brown beard, fluffy brown hair, and hazel eyes, stopped to survey the scene. He was halfway through taking off his coat, and his brows lifted to his hairline when he looked down and saw Fawn. "Well, look at that. The little lady didn't miss curfew," he chuckled, reaching to pinch her cheek.

Fawn grimaced and tried to swat his hand away.

"Dear, would you talk to her?" sighed Rose. "She's still fighting us about her curfew, and she still doesn't think she did anything wrong."

"Because I didn't."

"Don't argue with your mother," Alan reprimanded immediately.

Fawn's face reddened deeper, and she opened her mouth to protest, but another sharp look from Alan made her shut it. Instead, she shoved her hands back into her pockets, and stormed for the back door. "I'm gonna go train with King."

Alan and Rose called after her, but Fawn didn't want to listen to them. It wouldn't matter if she did, anyway. She knew what they'd say: get back here and apologize, drop the attitude, you used to be such a good girl, this conversation isn't finished.

Whatever. It didn't matter. She'd have to hear it all at dinner, anyway.

And this time, she couldn't go out for burgers again.

Fawn let the back screen door slam behind her, and took a few deep breaths.

There was a rustling noise, and beneath the little makeshift shelter, King poked his head out.

"Bone?" he called.

Fawn smiled, feeling her heart grow lighter. "Hey, buddy," she called softly, reaching the center of the yard and crouching down. "C'mere." She held her arms out.

"Cubo-bone!" King happily ran out from his shelter - not much more than a piece of plywood nailed to a larger block of wood that'd otherwise be used for the fireplace - and into Fawn's arms. Fawn laughed as King nuzzled her, the coolness of his skull feeling good against her hot face. Already she was starting to feel calmer, the redness in her cheeks and forehead slowly fading.

"How you doing? Those bruises are healing pretty nice, huh?"

"Bone!"

"Stacie's parents know a lot about healing Pokémon. I'll tell them the spray they gave us is working great." Fawn's bright smile faltered a bit as she thought of Stacie and her parents.

They'd been happy to treat her and King to burgers the night before. Fawn had joined them in the dining area, and Stacie had excitedly filled them in on Raquelle getting her first Pokémon the next day.

Though they were excited for her, they still shared a quick glance at each other, then at Fawn.

Fawn knew what they must have been thinking: why didn't she have a Pokémon? Why didn't she go on a journey?

She was tired of repeating her parents' words: "You've been too moody lately. We don't think you're mature enough to go."

"You can go when you prove to us that you can handle it and be mature."

"Putting your name on the registry of trainers isn't a guarantee, it's just for future reference. You should know this."

"We never said you were going in the first place, we said maybe."

"Stop making a mountain out of a molehill, Fawn, if you'd behave yourself then maybe we'd let you collect those badges."

Fawn shook her head to clear those memories away. No. She had King. That was fine. "Okay, King. Today I want you to attack those trees." She pointed to some sturdy-looking leppa trees in the corner of the yard. "Just throw your bone at them, and try to knock some of the fruit down."

"Bone?" King gave her an anxious look, bringing his paws together and trembling.

"Aw, it's okay to be nervous. You're just throwing it at a tree, it won't hurt anybody. And honestly they're not even ours." Fawn shrugged. "These were here when we moved in."

"Cubone?"

"Aw, you're not strong enough to break it in half, don't worry. You're still little," Fawn laughed, briefly picking up King and snuggling him. "Come on, aim for that leppa, right there." She pointed to one of the leppa hanging on the lower branches; not the lowest, but still within King's reach.

King looked timidly at the tree, as if it really were an opposing Pokémon and not a harmless bunch of wood and leaves. But with Fawn's encouragement, he seemed to steel himself, and threw his bone at the tree boughs…

…only for the bone to stop just short of the tree and circle back to him.

"Cubooone…" King sighed, deflating a bit as he caught his bone.

"It's okay, King, just try again. Throw it really good this time."

King nodded, lifting his head and curling one paw into a little fist. He seemed to take a moment to psych himself up, then threw the bone again.

This time, he put enough force into it that it was able to reach the branches. As it curved in its path to begin its return, it knocked against one of the biggest leppas, which fell to the ground with a faint thump.

"You did it!" Fawn cheered as King caught the returning bone. She swept him up into her arms, lifting him high. "Alright, awesome job!"

"Cubone! Cubone-bone!"

"Fawn Lamar!"

Fawn's jubilant smile shifted into a scowl, and she slowly turned to look back at the house.

Alan was standing there, the kitchen light silhouetting his form, frowning at the leppa tree. "Did you make him knock down our leppas?"

"It was just one…" Fawn grumbled.

"See, this is why you're not on a journey," Alan shook his head. "I know you're mad about the curfew, but property destruction is only going to make it worse." He stepped aside and motioned into the house. "Dinner's ready. Put King down and come inside."

Fawn reluctantly did as she was told. King trotted after her a few paces, grabbing for her leg. "Cubone!" he cried.

"It's okay, boy. I'll bring you some leftovers for dinner," Fawn said, reaching down to pat his head. "And I'll drop by the convenience store and bring you leppa butter sandwiches tomorrow. To celebrate defeating the terrible leppa!" she quipped.

King sat back on his haunches, watching as Fawn went back inside, missing the way her smile shifted into a scowl again.

The morning started out fine.

Fawn woke up early and dressed. She went to the backyard and greeted King with a few pats to the head before he sleepily returned to his shelter. She grabbed what little cash she could and headed to the convenience store.

Some time later, she walked home, carrying a plastic bag full of leppa-butter sandwiches. Fawn unwrapped one, and took a big bite. Leppa-butter oozed out, like an overstuffed jelly donut.

Rose was already awake and gardening in front of the house. Fawn ignored her as she walked past, through the side gate. "King!" she called instead, hoisting the bag high. "I got your breakfast."

Silence.

"King, c'mon, buddy, you can't sleep all day." Fawn dropped the bag and got on her hands and knees, peering under the shelter. "It's time to eat."

The shelter was empty.

"King?" Fawn called. She rose to her knees, looking around the yard. Was he hiding in the bushes? "King, it's time to get up!" she called out.

None of the bushes rustled. She didn't hear the Cubone's familiar call.

"King!" she shouted, voice tight. She scrambled to her feet, dizzy with adrenaline and from rising so fast. "King, come out!"

"If you're looking for the Cubone, he's not here," Rose called from the front yard.

Fawn's blood ran cold. She ran to the front, her chest tight and her face hot with anger. "What did you say?!" she screeched, skidding to a stop by the garden.

Rose nonchalantly stood up, folding her gardening gloves and placing them in her back pocket. "I said he's not here. We took him to the PokeCenter and put him in the trading network."

The trading network. Where Trainers requested other Pokémon in exchange for their own, or could even make a special request for a Pokémon in exchange for supplies, like potions, or berries. The latter was especially common for people who were gifting Pokémon to young children, or needed a Pokémon to work.

King had been taken? Just like that?

Fawn's heart pounded in her ears, nearly drowning out her mother's words. All she could do was stare. "You're lying," she said, tongue heavy and numb. "You're lying!"

"Fawn, don't you dare call me a liar," Rose said, voice hardening. She placed her hands on her hips, leveling a stern gaze at Fawn. "Your father told me what you did to the trees, how you're teaching him to destroy property–"

"I wasn't! We were just using them as targets!"

"-and it's obvious that you did it to get back at us for punishing you. You'd already shown you couldn't be trusted to go on a Journey, and not only did you attack the Mawhile but then you started teaching that Cubone bad things."

"I told you about the Mawhile! I wasn't teaching King bad things, we were just training!"

"Don't you cop an attitude, Fawn! See, this is why we sent him to the Trading Network, this is why we waited til you left. We knew you were going to overreact."

"You sent him into the trading network without even asking me! How could you do that–"

"Lower your voice, Fawn!" Rose snapped.

"No! No, you shut up, you're lying!"

"You need to calm down–" Rose grabbed Fawn's shoulder.

The teen let out an angry cry and jerked out of her grasp.

And then the next second, Rose was crashing into her own garden, crying out as she nearly landed in the rose bushes. If she'd landed there, she surely would have been tangled in the thorns. But even with that near miss, she was cradling her wrist. "Fawn!" she gasped, trying to push herself off the ground. "Fawn, how could you do that?!"

"I– I didn't–" Fawn's voice shook, not with regret, but horror. Horror at what had happened to King. Horror by what she'd been told. Horror by what Rose and Alan did. "I didn't do anything - you threw yourself on the ground."

"Fawn, that's–" Rose reached up for her.

Fawn bolted out of the yard and down the street. She could vaguely hear Rose shouting after her, but it was drowned out by the sound of her heart pounding, and her shoes thudding on the road.

…

She had hardly reached the corner when Alan, on his way from the PokeCenter, caught up to her. He seized her shoulder, and brought her back to the house.

Rose and Alan had been furious that she could have pushed her like that. Rose spent an hour in the bathroom, applying alcohol and ointment to various spots on her body, wrapping gauze tightly around her wrist. Fawn sat at the kitchen table the entire time, under Alan's watchful eye, in case she tried to argue.

Finally, Rose came out of the bathroom and said she didn't think she needed a hospital. Nor did they have to involve the police. Fawn had thrown a temper tantrum, and would be grounded for a month. No phone, no electronics of any kind, no visiting friends. She wouldn't even be able to see Raquelle off when the younger girl went on her journey.

She'd proven she couldn't be trusted.

Fawn said nothing as she was sentenced, merely hung her head in a show of humility.

A few nights later, she woke up in the dead of night, stole Alan's backup bank card, and slipped out into the night.

The Fawn of the present-day leaned heavily against Ji-Min. Andie leaned in from her other side. Teriyaki trilled sympathetically.

Andie was the first to speak. "Kiddo?" she murmured. "May we hug you?"

There was a long pause. Then Fawn nodded, and she was caught in their embrace.