A piercing cry cut through the humid night, causing a young woman to leave her bed. She stumbled through the darkened hold to a side door and opened it to find the source of the noise. A small child with curly brown hair lay on the ground, wrapped in an apron. Next to it, a pup yipped up at the woman, apparently trying to protect the child. "What the..." the woman stepped outside and looked for a mother. Finding none, she scooped up the child, a girl, and brought her inside. She shut the door on the pup who barked and scratched until it was opened again. Upon inspection, a small note was found on the girl who had fallen asleep. It told the woman that her name was Aislinn and that was it. "Aislinn." she whispered to the sleeping child while the pup looked curiously up from the floor.

"No, I won't let you touch me again!" Pytar lumbered up the stairs and charged the door, finding it locked. "You filthy child! I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life!" Hiding in an empty upper room, Aislinn held the reason for Pytar's anger. She'd stolen some of his marks, planning to run away. When he'd found them missing she was the first he'd gone after. "Listen girl, give me those marks back and I won't hit you."

"I don't believe you!" she shouted, knowing his temper. Slamming his shoulder into the door, Pytar eventually knocked the faulty lock from it's resting place and the door flew open. "Get out here now!" he shouted as he searched the room. An overturned table revealed her hiding place, so Aislinn dashed for the door. Pytar grabbed her arm and hauled her up off the floor, snatching the marks from her hand. Loud barking came from downstairs, accompanied by the sound of scrabbling claws. "Steal my money eh? Well now you get your punishment." Pytar flung her down the short flight of stairs and hurried after, yelling at the drudges trying to assist her.

Upon landing at the bottom Aislinn groaned, barely able to pull herself upright. "How dare you steal from me!" he growled and kicked her in the side. "Shards..." she breathed, spitting blood onto the floor. "I've had enough of you, girl. This time you won't walk away!" Grabbing her collar, Pytar drug her upright and slapped her in the face, than dropped her back onto the stone floor. Pulling back his fist, Pytar began to rain blows on her back as she struggled to get up and defend herself. "You'll be a nuisance no longer, bring me a knife!" he commanded the drudges as the watched. Frozen, none moved until he shouted again and one was brought by a small boy just doing his job.

Finally Aislinn managed to roll over, looking up to see Pytar grinning maliciously down at her, knife raised. With deadly force he brought it down to plunge it into her heart when she weakly raised her hand and shouted. "No!" Suddenly the knife flung itself from Pytar's hand, embedding into a wooden chest a few feet away. Confused, Pytar wrenched the knife from where it had landed and inspected it. "What trickery is this?" he hissed at the girl, who was just as astounded as he. "I-I didn't..." she studdered, still wide-eyed with fear as he stood back in front of her. "You can't escape me, so stop fighting!" Again Pytar made to kill her, but again, the knife flung itself away, this time out an open window.

"I don't need the blasted knife!" he shouted and picked her up, hand around her throat. Shadows began to lurk around the edges of her eyes as Aislinn struggled for breath. "Stop..." she wheezed, her hands trying futilely to pull his off her. An invisible force heaved Pytar violently across the room, sending him through the door. Thair, Aislinn's canine burst through and stood protectively in front of her, snarling.

Pytar rose, hands out in front of him defensively. "Leave my hold now! You're some kind of...creature!" he shouted as Aislinn hurried past, running for all she was worth into the surrounding forest, Thair close on her heels. When she thought she was far enough away, Aislinn stopped next to a creek, fighting for breath. "What did I do?" Holding up her blood-stained hands, Aislinn inspected them. Nothing unusual yet she'd somehow sent both Pytar and his weapon across a room.

The creek water was cold but it felt good as she splashed her face to rinse away the dried blood she felt. Her wounds stung when the water hit and Aislinn was suddenly glad for all those healer classes that Pytar had made her sit through. Herbs soothed the cuts and stopped the ache in her side, but as the sun began to set Aislinn's stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning.

A search of her person left her relieved that her belt-knife hadn't been broken in her earlier scuffle. "Why didn't I use it!" she cursed, pulling herself up from the floor of the cave she sheltered in. Never having hunted before Aislinn wasn't sure what to do, and several times missed catching a wild wherry or some other small creature before she gave up and settled on berries she'd found and recognized as good to eat. "How come you can't catch anything?" she asked her canine. He just looked up at her and wagged his tail happily.

That night when she and Thair were safely curled up near the back of the cave, Aislinn gazed up at the darkness in thought. "How am I going to make it out here? I could steal from the hold for awhile, but I'd eventually have to move on. Pytar will kill me if he ever sees me again...." Thoughts slowly faded away as Aislinn slipped off into sleep.