9Wolfclaw6

 Kia blinked, pushing her hair out of her face. A warm, comforting breeze surrounded her making her feel safe and happy. Beside her, Artemis gently rubbed his head against her arm, purring contentedly. Tall grass tickled her ankles as the strands bobbed in the wind and the trees around her - lush and beautiful - swaying and moaning in the wind. She felt like she could just start swirling and dancing through the field she stood in. It was so beautiful and carefree-- Everything was suddenly flushed of colour. Flowers withered and went dark, along with the strands of grass and wonderful oaks around her. The stream nearby went dead quiet as it

 "There's two of them, over there!" someone cried from behind Kia, and in her sudden horror, she seemd to forget how to use her legs. Thankfully, Artemis began shoving her forward, his brute strength enough to get her going again. "They're getting away!" A sharp shake of her head had Kia focused again. A quick glance around as the ran showed a tangle of trees and bushes - a forest. The perfect place to hide. "Straight into the trees!" she called only loud enough for Artemis to hear. She really didn't need to speak above a whisper, thanks to his good hearing, and he could speak as loudly as he wanted. No one else could hear him. They made

 Kia let out a string of curses as her foot snagged something in the darkness and she toppled onto the hard stone floor. Her thick metal cuffs cut into her wrists and she cried out in mixed pain and frustration. "Mistress!" Artemis skidded to a halt in front of her and spun around. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm okay. These damn cuffs! Ugh!" she rubbed at her wrists as if that'd ease her pain, or get the metal bracelets off. The cuffs were a military made device that sucked the magic energies right out of the wearer. The ones Kia had on were definitely doing their job. Getting that stupid grate pulled off used up all of her salvaged energy,

 "Kia, we should go..." "No, Artemis. Be quiet" "But mistress..." Kia waved a hand, silencing Artemis. He gave a quiet sigh and dropped to his haunches. Even though Kia was the only one who could hear him, she still needed to listen. And very carefully too. If she was caught, it would all be over. She peeked her head around the corner, blinking as blinding lights shone directly at her. She could barely make out the shape of a man sitting at what looked like a table. He stood and spun around as if he'd sensed her presence. Pulling back, she sighed in frustration. Whoever was over there hadn't seen her. But she had to be careful. Now was