Anise payed no heed to the bloodrats that were now swarming over the old man's body. Her attention was on the naysayer before her.

[quote=Simon]Simon let go of Tyaelaems hand and took two steps closes to Anise. . . "A-a-a-Anise ... I don't think that the pirate was ... l-l-lying about getting home ... ... that's w-w-w-with Tyaelaems help however"[/quote]

She glared at Simon. "How dare you!" Her voice was like venom. "Tyaelaem has helped me ever since we've met. He has only been doing his best." She was tempted to attack him too. Her only hope to get out of here was Tyaelaem's help. Anyone trying to separate the two of them was the enemy.

Tyaelaem hurried next to Anise and grabbed onto her skirt. When he brushed up against the sword the reaction was instantaneous. She reacted as quickly as possible by putting the sword into its sheath which was now affixed quite nicely to her waist. After she did, she knelt next to the Kith and with a worried expression said. "I'm sorry Tyaelaem I didn't mean to hurt you."

[quote=Tyaelaem]"I can take you home!" Tyaelaem screeched hoarsely, clinging to the tree branch, perched like one of the monkeybats that shuffled around him. The little bell swung gently. "All pirates lie! The eye on his palm, look at it, if he were alive it could steal your soul if he touched you. No one with that power would tell the truth. He wanted the lantern." With that he turned the eyes of his mask on Kituo.

"The egg reacts to your heartbeat. It wants you to free it from the iron prison, pull it out, smash it out, the forest is powerless to help until it's free. That's why the Sparrow King made the monkeybats attack you, he -- we -- want to free it. The egg can bring sunlight. It means the sky turns bright. I've never seen sunlight but I heard it's good, and the Elders say it's good, and you have it, there. It knows you're scared." He crawled a bit closer along the branch, which dipped under his weight. "We should go, Your Highness, before the trees start falling." This he said to Anise, raising his voice over the roar of the flames, though he kept an eye on Kituo. It was clear the rabbit could always run faster, due to the power of his mask -- and he would keep Kituo in his sight.[/quote]

Anise's heart soared when she heard that the lantern would help and she turned to face Kituo who was holding the lantern and some distance away. She started following Tyaelaem, but hesitated as she looked towards the purple light far off into the distance. The fire was a scary thing, but she was more scared of what might happen to Randold. "Tyaelaem! Randold is over that way! I saw him being carried by a group of pirates. I want to save him." Her voice was clearly uncertain and she wanted to hear his advice. "I want to help him get out of here too."