Karli sped through the woods full tilt. Keeping as well to the most dense patches of trees that only her size would permit, she was having problems escaping the ogre who simply demolished whatever trees looked to hold him up.

He was an ugly one. Perhaps it was just the fact that to look at him, as close as the chase had started out, was to stare straight up his nose. His lack of clothing and blotchy skin seemed only to help blend him into the terrain as the sprite aimed to lose him.

More then once she accidentally doubled back on herself, running straight into his path and careening off to one side would have to start building the space between them back up. This was one such occasion. Having come knee to face with a troll, Karli screamed and scrambled back. The creature swung an abnormally large weapon in her direction, hitting more trees then air and luckily not herself at all.

"Lumbering idiots," Karli huffed, losing breath. Noticing a drop off, she figured on speedy distance and leapt, praying the drop wasn't going to be too large.

The distance to the ground was astounding for one her size. It was cut short and cushioned however, by the same ogre she had been trying to flee from in the first place. Cursing loudly, she struck, ricocheting off his shoulder and was flung a good dozen feet. The ground was unforgiving, ripping her shoulder out of socket as she tumbled a short distance more.

The ground shook as she picked her head up, looking in front of her and not behind her where she know the ogre was approaching. There was no way to escape. By the time she scrambled to her feet and started off she'd be nothing more then a spot on the bottom of the beasts foot. Closing her eyes, she prayed to every deity she heard tell off. The ogre stopped and she braced herself for all the pain that would follow.

She waited. Each second felt like a minute. Her heart raced, pounding in her ears as the adrenaline stocked her full of the chemical she so direfully required. Time dragged on. She opened her eyes. Listening, she heard nothing, not even a breath behind her. Turning her head and propping herself up on her good arm, she screamed as the lifeless visage that was the ogres stared back at her, scrambling to her feet. She nearly tripped over the massive creatures dismembered body as she flew into a frenzy once more, taking to flight.

Running through the trees once more, tears threatening to blind her as she clutched her injured arm, Karli threw herself against the trunk of a tree mercilessly. Screaming in pain as her shoulder was put back in place the sprite reeled to one side from the collision but didn't stop. Wanting nothing more then even a hole to find shelter in, she kept her eyes and ears roaming.

No more, she kept telling herself. No more. Safe please. I just want to be safe, she reconfirmed with herself as she spotted a trail off to one side and made a mad dash. Leaping over a dead tree, she landed a little unevenly and flailed to regain her balance before running smack into a human female, rebounding off her backside and landing on her butt.

"I do say!" the woman near roared, turning to face her. "If you don't bring the wrath of the gods down on us who will?" the woman complained, standing from her duties of washing clothing and placing her hands on her hips as she glared down at the sprite. "If washing these clothes wasn't bad enough, I have to watch my back for little people flying out of the woods," she continued, crossing her arms.

With a nervous chuckle, Karli scrambled to her feet and ran in the opposite direction of the woman. Wanting nothing more to scream, she with held the sentiment as she tore past a few more people along the path. Worst thing then being trouble is looking like it, she reminded herself, forcing herself to slow down somewhat.

"Excuse me," a young boy addressed her as she neared.

"No time," she replied brokenly. "No time. At all," she echoed herself as she noticed what looked to be the walls of some huge establishment. Wait, that wasn't an establishment...

"You!" Karli blurted rather accusingly to an odd man just ahead in her flight. "This place," she huffed, pointing to the walls that were well into view now. "These walls," she couldn't find her breath. "Moorgate!" she decided on, with a questioning look to the strange man.

"Yes that's Moorgate," the man replied, but she was already disappearing from sight.

The gates couldn't arrive quick enough. She brushed one of the guards as she tried to pass, who grabbed her by the seat of her pants and lifted her off the ground.

"And where are you coming from?" the guard who had her inquired as the other guard muttered about his boots.

"Out there," she replied, pointing back out onto the causeway.

"That's no place for a child of your age," the guard told her, frowning.

"I'm not a kid..." she breathed, beginning to catch her breath.

"Either way, you don't seem capable of handling the monsters outside these gates." With that he placed her down inside the city. "Run home now, you hear. I'm sure you'll have a more pleasant day and save your parents the worry if you'd just stay home and play with your dolls."

With a quaint 'screw you' on her lips, Karli bit back the ill sentiment. She was inside the city. She was safe.