Walking down the windswept path, she kicks a stone out into the underbrush. A frown across her face, she is obviously thinking deeply. He watches her as she passes him, unaware of His presence. The moon casts its shadows through the trees and a beam touches her face. She glances up, sensing someone. She turns a slow circle, seeing nothing. A movement to her left, and she turns that way. A fawn comes out of the shadows, sniffing the air. She waits. It shuffles forward and she reaches a hand out to stroke its coat. He smiles at her actions.

This was not the first time He had watched her. He allowed himself to remember the past.... her successes, her failures, her joy in her chosen path. He smiled to himself as he remembered the results of her efforts. She was one who was willing to learn, to explore, one who searched for knowledge. He had been watching her a long time.

His senses warn him of danger approaching. He watches as she crouches down at the side of the path, scanning the trees and surrounding area. Almost like she senses something. The fawn quivers with fear. She glances at the fawn and firmly slaps its hindquarters, sending it jumping into the foliage. She continues to scan the trees.

He watches as the men approach, stealthily creeping through the underbrush, blending in with the surrounding forest. He glances at her. She is still scanning the area. He feels powerless as he watches the confrontation.

The men jump out of the trees. Two men behind as the others confront her. She looks around the circle of men. Five time-worn men who wanted to spill her blood. Five men who now had to die for they knew of her existence. She sighs.

He watches the confrontation, surprised with her skills and her ability to survive. She acquits herself well, taking them down all before collapsing from her wounds. As He edges closer, he has to pick his way through the bodies lying on the forest floor. He picks up her inert form effortlessly, holding her close like a child. She moans softly.

One of the men stirs as He passes out of the area. He does not pause, but summons the animals He knows are waiting in the darkness. He hears the screams as they take their share of the bounty. He smiles and looks down. There is blood running down her face and bruises all over her body.

He resists the urge to drink as He strides towards his haven.

***************************************************************

She wakes to darkness; it is uncanny and full of presence. Fighting the cloud of unconsciousness, she turns her head. The pain is forgotten for the vision before her. He is the most beautiful creature she has ever seen in her travels. His ebony hair flows to his shoulders, palest white skin, set off by deep brown eyes, dark eyes that hide dark secrets.

Closing her eyes, she thinks it is a dream. But the pain in her body is too forceful a reminder. She opens her eyes again. He is still there. Unconsciously, she is delighted, but forces the feeling down.

He waits, not wanting to frighten her. He can sense that she is uncertain and confused. He waits for her to speak. She does not.

Silence prevails. She wonders why he does not say a word. Opening her eyes again, He is still there. The pain is becoming bearable. She experiments and tries to sit up. The pain explodes in her body. She falls back on the bed, waiting for the pain to die down. Looking at anything but Him, she notices that the room is very dusty, with little in the way of furnishings and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. The curtains are heavy and keep out all light, making it difficult to tell what time it is. She is not restrained in any way and the door does not appear to be locked.

She lies quietly, trying to remember how she came to be here with Him. Vaguely, she recalls the past battle. She tries to remember if she has ever seen Him before. Her temples pound unmercifully.

Not able to resist, she turns towards him again.

She is startled when she does not see him. She slowly searches the room, trying not to raise her head. He is nowhere in sight. She collapses back onto the bed, trying to think of ways to escape. The blackness threatens to overcome her again and she fights violently. Ultimately, she cannot resist and surrenders.

**************************************************************

He watches from the corner as she searches the room for him. He admires her strength of spirit as she tries to fight the pain. After she lapses into unconsciousness, He walks forward. He brushes her hair away from her face, noting the bared features. He tucks her blankets securely into the bed He has rarely used.

He smiles as He softly utters the words that would bind her to sleep until the next rising. As He turns away, He catches sight of his reflection. Smugly, He leaves the room.

********************************************************************

He comes to her on the next rising, anticipating her reaction to His presence. He enters the room, confident she is still sleeping under the force of his will.

Upon opening the door, He sees the bed is empty. He slams the door against the wall, unknowingly breaking pieces of drywall, which fall to the floor.

He strides into the room, noting that her clothing is no longer at the end of the bed where He had heaped it last rising. He scans the surrounding area with His senses, He cannot detect her presence within His haven. Shaking His head, obviously he had underestimated the strength of her will.

He slams out of the room in much the same way as he slammed in. The only sign of His presence was the piece of drywall on the floor and the mark of the doorknob in the wall.

***************************************************************

She slides to a halt at the corner, trying to gain her bearings. The landmarks she can see are unfamiliar. She glances into a storefront, noticing that the lighting on the street does not illuminate the area well.

She tries to calm her breathing, wondering why her responses are so sluggish. Never has she experienced sensations like these before. It is like trying to swim through thick mud or waking from a deep sleep. She shakes her head to clear it. She looks back, fearing to see Him following. She sees nothing. She breathes a ragged breath as she turns the corner.

A darker shadow detaches itself from the surrounding shadows right in front of her. She gasps as she stumbles back a step. Defiantly, she stands tall as He takes a step forward. Again, His beauty strikes her, her chin lifts a notch. He smiles at her anger and courage. He takes another step forward.

She jerks her eyes from His approaching form, searching for a weapon nearby. He stops and smiles as he leans a shoulder against the light post.

"Are you running from me?"

"I run from no one."

His eyebrow went up. "No, I don't guess you do."

Under the shield of her eyelids, she scans the area. He is alone. She senses his hand coming closer as He reaches towards her and lifts her chin. She is powerless to resist and looks up into his burning eyes. He smiles at the spirit in her face.

He reaches for her arm but she jerks away. He smiles and reaches again. She stumbles back as he catches her hand. He smiles again, she obviously wants to fight, but is at the end of her strength. Tenderly, He wipes some dried blood off of her cheek. Her clothes are dirty and blood streaked, and she is in desperate need of attention.

She shudders, uncomprehending the feelings coursing through her. Pain is reigning, and curiosity mixed with trepidation, but no fear. She looks up at Him, for he towers above her. He smiles. She retaliates by swinging her fist into his side with all her might to loosen his grip.

No sound. No reaction. Her hand feels like she punched a brick wall.

"Come." He clasps both of her hands, curtailing her movements. His hands are cool to her fevered skin. He forces her to take a step forward, then another, watching her fight with every step. He watches as she fights the terror arising within her.

"I won't hurt you."

She nods, still fighting. "I haven't heard that before." She fights the tunnel vision. The pain is becoming a constant clamor in her brain. She fights the approaching black cloud.

"I won't hurt you."

She looks up into his face. "That's right. You'll just kill me."

"Not quite," came the response. She does not hear him.

For the second time in as many days, He scoops her unconscious body into His arms and strides towards His haven.

***************************************************************

She wakes and the pain is diminished. Not opening her eyes, she tries to move. He had not taken any chances this time, but had bound her to the bed. She wiggled slightly, testing her bonds, they felt solid. She notices that he left her clothes on this time, binding her over them. Slitting her eyelids, she tries to scan around the room.

No one is here. She opens her eyes all the way. No one is here. She raises her head and sees the chair, right where he had left it last time. No one is here. It is a litany of safety. She lowers her head to the bed, squirming to test her bonds. They are solid and unyielding. She shrugs and sighs, and starts working on the rope with her nails, trying to pick the strands apart.

***************************************************************

In another room, He is pacing back and forth.

"Still debating I see." A deep voice resonated throughout the room.

He looked up and smiled. "Only the best shall come."

Lounging in one of the few pieces of furniture in the room was a large, bear -like man. His face was almost bestial in shape and he slowly extended his hand. His fingers were elongated into claws.

"Just do it." He shrugged, slowly easing out of the chair. "You always did take too long to make a decision." With that, he vanished.

"Stubborn. She is very stubborn." Sighing, He sat down into the abandoned chair.

***************************************************************

She sighs. "This is not working." Her voice sounded loud in the silence. Her fingers ached from the strain. Only a few strands were loose, but not enough to slide her wrist out. She yanked, then hissed as the rope cut into her already-abraded wrists.

A slight sigh came to her ears. She looked up. He was there.

"What do you want?"

Silence.

"Look. I'm not some begger off the street. You cannot hold me. Let me go free."

"Oh, I shall. Utterly free."

He crosses the distance and makes a gesture over her bounds. They fall to the floor. "Will you hear me now?"

She rubs her wrists as the circulation returns, sending pins and needles up her arms.

"Hear me."

"I'm listening."

"But are you?" His eyebrow arched.

She sighed and closed her eyes in exhaustion. The pain was not nearly as bad as before. She opened her eyes. He was still patiently waiting.

"I'll listen."

She leaned back and He started to talk, his voice drawing her into his words.

"The beginning.........."