Keep moving. Keep running. Don't stop. To stop would mean death. Gaia was blind to everything in her mad dash to safety. Only when her gimp legs would not allow her to move any further without intense pain did the russet pup find a place to hide. There was a thick gathering of bushes not to far off. It was an obvious hiding spot but that didn't stop her as she ran full force into the leaves. Heart beating wildly, eyes wide with fear, breaths coming in deep gasps, the child gazed back at the way she came as if expecting to see the wolf of flames right behind her. But there was nothing. It didn't take long for the adrenaline to fade and when it did the pain on her back ran down her spine. Though she could not see it, there were large puncture wounds on her back. It was thanks to her thick scruff that more damage had not been done and the bite marks would fade into memory. At the moment they were swollen and painful as the blood dripped from each slowly.

A few minutes went by and Gaia remained in her hiding spot, too frightened to leave. She had run all the way to the south end of the valley and was now farthest away from her den as she ever had been. Little did she know that she would never go back there again. A kind of rage began to bubble within the back of her mind as she realized that her parents, Iblis and Rhae, had never come to save her. They weren't there to protect her from the white witch. Why? What could be more important than saving their only daughter? Was it because they were too busy taking care of the new pup? Did he come to replace her place in their little family? If she wasn't afraid of making a sound, Gaia would have growled in contempt.

Suddenly, a figure appeared on the horizon and Gaia pressed herself back into the bushes. It was a white wolf and for a moment she thought her captor had come again. But the sounds of barks and whines came before the scent and she realized that the demoness had gone and the angel who saved her had returned. Seeing the kind smile on her face was all the invitation Gaia needed to emerge from her hiding spot and follow the older female to the safety of a pack. It had taken most of the day for them to travel and she had to stop many times to rest her back legs. By the time they reached the land of Iromar, Gaia was exhausted.

She collapsed in a heap and didn't struggle at all when the other wolf began to clean her wounds. Each lick stung but she didn't utter a sound. In fact, the once very talkative pup hadn't muttered a single word since the attack. It was only after her cuts were licked that she cuddled close to her new found friend and finally spoke. "Thank you for saving me, My Lady," she said, using the formal way of speaking that her father often used. "Where are we? Is this place a pack? I've never seen one before. What is your name? I'm Gaia, daughter of Iblis and Rhae..." She hesitated after announcing her parents. It wasn't because they were the enemy of the pack she now resided in, for she didn't know that, it was because she had found it hard to say their names. The anger bubbling in her stomach made it hard to think of them as her parents. "But I don't think I am their daughter anymore." she said finally. Bright, bi-colored eyes gazed up at the white wolfess as she waited eagerly to hear what was in store for her now.

Gaia - Two - Loves none - Stole Zaqar's soul - Iromar