[h2]Lillian[/h2]

[i]That was when she saw it.
It was one of the largest animals she had ever seen. But it looked so small with its body crushed beneath the trunk of a tree. It was completely exhausted, and badly wounded, pinned half in and half out of gushing water, its claws sunk deep in the bark of a tree, holding on with the last of its strength. It was seconds from drowning. The animal had jet-black fur and a long black tail, and its bright yellow eye were staring straight at her.[/i]

The train whistle blew, and it was pure luck that Lillian had heard it. Had she not just finished the chapter in her book, she would probably have missed it and ended up on her way back to Ward. That would have been a problem. She closed her book and stowed in her satchel and stood. She stretched out her back and legs. The ride may have taken a few hours, but due to a very welcome distraction, it seemed to take only a short while.

After a moment, her car door slid open. She peeked out around the corridor, someone was opening the doors to the other cars as if to usher them along. Lillian scowled, picked up her pack, and exited.

Toran.
Lillian had been back here since the family vacation. It was quite a contrast to Ward. That alone made her feel energized. Enough so that she felt like exploring.
One step off the train made her regret everything, however, and she had to fight the urge to get back on the train. People. Everywhere. Why did she choose to come to the center of this city again? Ugh. She immediately walked out of the station and headed toward the outskirts.

It didn't take long for her to reach the forest. She remember most of the way, but once Lillian got closer to the edge, she got a little disoriented. Still, she found her way. How beautiful. The morning light shimmered through the leaves which left a dappled trail of light across the ground. She smiled and looked at her pack. They probably wanted some exercise. A pale blue light followed by a bright purple light preceded her Reishund and Omu. Her faithful furred friend began to bound about, stretching out his limbs. His white fur bounced as he began sniffing the trees. Omu, on the other hand immediately perched atop Lillian's head and looked down at her, squawking. They were a bit too excited.

The commotion from Reishund seemed to cause some distress with the nearby wildlife. A small flash of purple was all it took to get Lillian's attention. She followed it around a bush and gasped in awe of what she found. A beautiful Kujaku, stood before her. Omu was at a loss herself. She was rather taken by her fellow feathered avian. Reishund was too excited to care, his tongue flopped out the side of his mouth as he raced over to see what it was. It was a bird thing. He looked up at Lillian then back at the bird and barked.