She dashed. Through the field, into the wood. It was a blur of green and brown after that. She lost sight of her tall green friends among the trunks and brush. She wove around natures obstacles, pushing through where no real path was. Thorns bit her skin, seeds clung to her boots, spiderwebs pressed into her face as she pushed through them all. 

She realized she was alone. Her legs and her lungs burned. She braced herself against a tree, trying to catch her breath. There was no sign of the beast that had been chasing her, or her companion.

She thought she heard something in the distance. But wasn't sure where it was coming from. She was to tired to run any longer. She had to hide. The only way to go was up. She ducked under the skirt of a tall white bark pine. She found it's trunk, and climbed.

In some ways climbing pine trees was easier, the branches were much closer together. It was harder because sometimes they were too close to easily progress, but she was small enough to find a way to wiggle through. Her hands and arms were soon sticky with sap. The pine also afforded her much more cover than a coniferous tree might. She settled in a place she thought was safe, and waited.

She wasn't sure how long she had waited. She fell asleep with her forehead resting on the prickly branches. 

[i]She dreamed she was home. Her dad coming home with a huge bag of fresh cabbages. He smiled and strode toward her. She was happy, and so glad to see him. But... it was to good to be true. 'But daddy... your legs... you can't walk.' She frowned, knowing that none of this was real. And that a nightmare awaited her when she opened her eyes.[/i]

She woke, hearing footsteps. A monster, stalking around the forest?

No, no monster, the footsteps had a voice. A familiar voice: [i]"Haven? Haven, where are you?"[/i]

"Mal?" She was afraid to call out to loudly. "Is that you? Be careful they... [i]they[/i] might hear you." She began to slowly descend from the sticky pine-tree.