It seemed odd that she would be so excited to see water, especially after hiking through the rain for the past few hours. But there was a chance this water was more drinkable, and the stream it followed could lead towards the mountains. Toward Rocki.

She hurried forward, following her ears closer to the sound. A few moments later, she almost fell down a steep bank into the stream but pulled back in time.

"Curse this fog, it makes everything so difficult to see," she muttered as she carefully lowered herself to the side of the rain-swollen stream. She hesitated to drink the water, seeing how cloudy it was. Then she remembered what Xinn had told her—all the water was opaque.

With that in mind, she cupped her hands and filled them with water, groaning in relief when she poured the cool liquid down her scorching throat. She refilled her hands, gulping down the water over and over again, until her throat finally felt moisturized. It wasn't the best water she had ever tried, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

She sat back on her heels and shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. She found she could raise her wings to partially block out the rain, but it didn't do much good since she was already soaked. At least it was slowing down, hopefully for the rest of the day.

She glanced up the stream. I think that leads towards the mountains. Sort of at least. If I'm lucky, the water is coming from a mountain spring and by following it, I can find my way towards Rocki. She rubbed her face, spreading the moisture around her face instead of actually drying it off since her hands were equally as wet. I'm so sick of being wet. I'm sick of being away from home. Tears pricked her eyes. Great, more water.

Something rustled on the other side of the stream.

Aley's head snapped up, eyes immediately latching onto a creature that was already watching her. It had a moose-like shape—big body, muscular but elegant legs, cloven hooves—but its short hair was dappled with grey and brown, and its antlers were small and thin. It had a trunk, not quite as long as an elephant's, but still without hair. The eyes were big and gray, framed with two sets of horse-like ears that focused on her.

What in all of the Star Wars?! She couldn't move. She didn't want. If she did, would the creature try to attack her?

The animal lowered its head slightly, head turned just a bit so one gray eye could pin her down. Its trunk wriggled at her—trying to get a scent? It blew out a breath, then glanced upstream, nodding its head, which sent a drizzle of raindrops flying about, and stomping a hoof.

Aley stared at it.

The creature once again looked at her, something she imagined as kindness in its eyes. Even though it was all the way on the other side of the overflowing stream, it still reached out its trunk towards her, taking a small step.

Something cracked and fell in the forest, immediately drawing the animal's attention. It stared for a long, fearful moment into the distance. Then it shivered rain off its coat and turned around. It trotted into the forest, blending into the mist until it completely disappeared from sight and the sound of rushing water covered its hoof falls.

Aley stared after it, then shook herself and stood. I should get going too. Who knows what else will find me while I'm just sitting here. Although, something will probably find me while I'm moving too... probably for the best that I don't think about that.

Whatever that creature was, it seemed to encourage her to go upstream, like she had planned. So, that's the direction she started off in. The stream cut deeper into the forest than she would have liked, but she still got occasional glimpses of the mountains, and she seemed to be heading the right direction. Following the stream was better than trekking through the desert without provisions.

She walked for hours in the light, but unrelenting rain. She walked until her feet hurt and then walked some more.

Finally, the sun almost brushed the horizon, signaling the end of the day.

"Good enough for me," she muttered, shaking raindrops off her wings. She kept walking, but kept her eyes peeled for a good place to spend the night. I'm positive I'll fall out of a tree if I try to sleep in it. I don't like the idea of an open area because I'll be in plain sight, or right by the river because it might overflow some more.

The sun went down faster than she had anticipated and she still hadn't found anywhere she felt safe at. I'll walk through the night if I have to, but I'm not in love with that idea. Hey, is that a cave?

The stream had begun to wind around a small hill that was loaded with trees and rocks. A couple feet away from the river, at the base of the hill, was an opening she could barely make out in the last, faded light of the day.

She trotted over to it, holding a wing up to shield her head from the drizzling rain as she peered into the "cave." It looked just big enough for her to crawl inside of.

"Yes!" she hissed excitedly, carefully creeping into the space. It was warmer without the slight breeze and chilled rain, and smelled like wet cat She let go of a long sigh, curling up with her head facing towards the entrance. Her tired legs practically groaned in relief as she rested them.

As she laid there, exhaustion fell over her heavily, loosening all her tight muscles. Even her mind felt like it was covered with the same fog as outside. Sleep had never seemed so appealing, not even after a long day of performing at the theater.

Sleep asked her to come rest in it, so she did.

#

Something snarled.

Aley gasped, shooting upright and hitting her head on the short roof. She grunted, squinting one eye in pain. The other eye landed on the entrance to the cave, and the animal blocking it.

It looked like a skinny raccoon that was the size of a dog, completed with the clawed hands. Its huge ears were pinned back angrily, black eyes bulging at her as it showed its sharp teeth. It shifted its feet, growling loudly at her.

Aley froze, staring at the creature. Oh no. Is this its cave? Crap. Crap, crap, crap. She didn't move but began to croon gently. "Heyyyy there. Is this your house? I'll just get out if you move out of the way."

Her word had the opposite affect she was hoping for. Instead of settling down, the creature grew more agitated, snapping its teeth at her.

Great. How do I get out now? Are you supposed to be more confrontational or less when cornered by an angry animal? "Hey!" she snapped, waving an arm at it. "Get back! Shoo! Let me out!"

The raccoon-thing flinched but didn't budge.

I have to get out. The cozy cave now felt like it was trapping her inside. She adjusted so she was sitting up with her back against the wall. The movement agitated the animal, and it jumped forward. However, she was already in the process of lashing out with her feet, so she managed to kick the angry creature back.

It yelped as it hit the ground, scrambling back to its feet, but Aley had already shot out of the cave and towered over it with her wings spread, hoping her large size would scare the critter away.

She could see now that it was about the size of a golden retriever, but it had short brown fur that faded into tan at it's rear. It had a huge tail that stuck straight out as the animal took up a defensive stance.

"I'm getting away from your house, see?" Aley said, slowly taking a few steps back and to the side so she was away from the cave. "All good?"

She screamed as the animal leapt at her, turning to run. It managed to scratch her leg before she could get out of range. It pursued her, snarling furiously behind her as she dodged through the trees.

Good time to learn to fly! She jumped, flailing her arms as well as her wings. Although she managed to make them flap, they didn't take her off the ground any farther. She hit the dirt again, her foot landing on something sharp. She shrieked, stumbling so hard she fell.

The creature jumped on one of her wings, scaring her so much she threw them backwards and knocked it off. She spun around, trying to push herself up, but wow her one foot hurt. The raccoon-thing was crouched, assessing its next move.

Ohhh, I'm going to die. I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die. Her breath was coming fast and heavy as she tried to get up again, but pain spiked through her leg, preventing her from moving too much. The creature growled.

"Savioress!"