A sense of awareness and urgency drew her out of her dreams and she opened her eyes. She sat up slowly and looked around the room. Checking beside her, she found her mother missing and she slid out of bed. Walking into the hall, she looked around and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she found the trail and followed it.

She came to a stop by the stairs leading out of the ruins and found her mother staring at the waterfall. Kara checked the area for watchers and descended the steps. She moved quietly up to her mother and felt the woman's body relax as she joined her.

"You should be resting."

Kara looked at the waterfall and said "I didn't want to miss any time I had left with you."

Emily smirked and said "Then let's get going."

She watched her mother shift into the brown and white wolf and trot to the exit. She took a deep breath and assumed her white wolf. Trotting after her mother, they left the ruins and passed through the waterfall. Emily guided her away from her new home and into the forest protecting it. They ran deeper into the forest and came to a stop when a scent was picked up.

Kara sat down and watched her mother stalk the prey to its hideout. She found her mother fascinating as she checked for an escape and crouched down in anticipation. Kara lowered herself down as well and felt her muscles tensing in excitement. The rabbit came out slowly, searching for predators, and hopped free from the burrow. Emily shot her a quick look and allowed the prey to get away from its home.

The chase was all she could think about as she watched her mother slowly begin pursuit and she brought up the rear to stop the rabbit from circling back. She felt her blood racing as her mother chased the rabbit down and cornered it. It looked up at her and Kara felt something frightening slip through her just before her mother killed their food. She shook her head and looked away as she fought to push the weird feeling aside.

"Kara?"

She looked back at her mother and Emily brought her the dead food. One look of the fresh food pushed the sorrowful feeling from her and she dug in. The warmth was still in the body and she savored the taste as her mother settled down beside her. She hadn't known she had eaten rabbit before but after a taste, she recognized the taste. When her mother brought them food she had never asked what it was or how she got it but now she knew.

Licking her chops clean, she nudged her mother and stood up. Emily guided her towards her home but stopped out of sight.

"What is it?"

Emily looked back at her and sat down. She shifted to human and Kara slowly followed her example. Her mother looked her over and fixed her hair into another braid.

"I want you to promise me you will stay here and learn everything Leon has to teach you."

Kara turned her hazel eyes on her mother and asked "Why can't I go with you?"

"Becaue this is the only safe place left in this world for you right now."

She looked away from her mother and sighed "I don't care about being safe if I am alone."

Emily took her in her arms and whispered "I'm always with you and so is your father."

Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't even a preteen and her entire life was being uprooted and disected into millions of pieces. She knew this would eventually happen after laying awake at night listening to her parents all those evenings they thought she was asleep in her room. Knowing that from now on she was on her own was painful to swallow and she wasn't sure if she could accept it yet. She hadn't allowed herself the chance to grieve her father's death and now she had to say good-bye to her mother.

You are not alone, little one.

She opened her eyes and looked up at her mother. The woman met her gaze and she knew Emily hadn't heard it. Looking ahead of herself, she sighed and stood up.

"Do you need to talk with Leon?"

Emily nodded and said "We have a lot to talk about but it can wait until it's time for me to leave."

Kara shook her head and said "It's best if we get it over with now."

Her mother stood slowly and kissed her brow. She could see her daughter staying strong like she asked but it was almost too painful to look at her the last time. She promised to return but the job she was taking on was usually a suicidal job in their world. They became wolves one last time together and headed back to the ruins. As they slipped through the waterfall, Kara caught sight of Leon and Joseph waiting by the steps.

She shifted as her mother did and watched her join her father. Leon led Emily inside and Kara saw Joseph settle a stern gaze on her. The idea of him being her protector made her blood go cold and it froze under his black gaze. He didn't say a word as she approached the steps and moved past him. She heard the voices going toward the chamber she was in yesterday and she headed back to her room.

As she moved down the hall, she took calming breaths and slipped into her room without a sound. She found the place the same as it was when she left and she stood in the middle of it. Her gaze shifted up to the supposed ceiling and her eyes narrowed. She looked at the bed and checked for other types of furniture but found none. Frowning, she walked around the circular room, studing each crack and opening until she found another adjacent room to this one.

She found it had carved shelves along the wall and a hollow area in the far wall. Kneeling by it, she studied the opening and ran her hand along the bottom. Checking the shelves again, she found they made a hidden ladder up to the ceiling and she tried climbing up. The rock ceiling budged slightly and she pushed harder. The cold surface was starting to become hard to hold onto but she pushed harder on the ceiling with her shoulder.

She finally managed to shove the rock aside and caught hold of the opening just as her foot slipped. Pieces of the rocks hit the floor as she pulled herself upward and away from the opening. She looked up at the tree canopy protecting her from any possible precipitation and being seen from any danger. The sun shown through the swaying branches and she slid along the smooth cool surface until she reached a gap in the canopy cover. The scene before her was calming and eased the growing sense of lonliness inside.

"Kara?"

She looked back towards her escape and sighed. Sooner or later someone would find her up here and no doubt she would be scolded for sneaking around when she could hurt herself. She took one last look at the world around her and returned to the opening. Dropping inside the room, she found Joseph standing in the opening to her bedroom and she held his black gaze.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Adjusting to my new home."

His jaw tightened and she watched him survey the mess her escape had made. The rocks had shattered on the floor and she found him studying the hole above her.

"You should be more careful."

She stared at him, thinking she had imagined his easy dismissal and watched him leave the opening. A scolding would have been sound but instead he just warned her from a distance. The man was no protector if he couldn't snap at her. She took a deep breath and looked around herself. If she was going to stay here, even at her age she needed something more like her old home.

"Joseph?"

He didn't respond and she walked into her bedroom. He stood by the exit and looked at her.

"What?"

"This is my home, right?"

He turned to face her and said "You want to make it more like home."

She nodded and heard "You are no pup."

Crossing her arms, she took a deep breath and said "You and I both know we age faster than we look."

"Mentally, yes. Not physically. You are still a pup."

"I can hold my own."

He stepped closer and she steeled herself to keep from putting space between them and he stopped. She held his gaze as he knelt in front of her and his black eyes studied her hazel ones.

"I do not wish your life on anyone but you have to accept it."

She knew he was talking about her loss but she couldn't talk about it yet. She had to look away from him to keep from letting her grief get to her and he stood up. He studied her hidden face for a moment and walked back to the exit.

"I will talk to Leon tomorrow about possibly making this place more acceptable."

She looked back at him just in time to see him leave and let out a deep breath. The man terrified her but she knew he was doing his job. She didn't understand why she needed a protector anymore than any other child in this country but she couldn't offend her own family and push away the only help she was going to have in her life. Taking a moment to let her thoughts quiet, she looked around the place and walked out into the hall. The time alone had allowed her nerves to settle but her pulse was beginning to quicken with a need to run.

She stood in the hall, checking for signs of the three adults, and turned to her right. Walking further into the empty ruins, she broke into a run and shifted in midstride. Her paws ran over the cold stone and she raced through the unknown halls, trusting her sense of direction to get her back. Right now she needed the rush running in this form gave her to help her get through the rest of the day and the departure of her mother. She ran until she heard birds and stopped.

Looking to her left, she stared down a damp hall and slowly proceeded. The singing drew her out of the dark hall and into a brightly lit courtyard. It was overgrown with vines and shrubs and in the middle was a dried up fountain. She circled the fountain and heard the birds calling from an ancient willow tree in the corner of the courtyard. They were singing to their heart's content and she closed her eyes.

The sound sent her back to just the year before, when she would be out in the fields of flowers with her parents in the summer afternoons, and she felt her eyes dampen. Opening her eyes, she walked up to the fountain and shifted back. Slowly she slid her hand along the bottom of the structure and she looked over the old designs on the base. The birds stopped singing and she found them watching her. She was a predator in their eyes, trespassing on their protected home, and she sat still.

Their weariness matched her own and she looked back at the opening of the hall. Her eyes slid up the temple ruin wall and she found the broken trellis above her. It was open to the blue sky above her and she felt a slow smile capture her face. She heard the first attempt of a song again and avoided looking at the birds to encourage them. This was the one place she had always dreamnt of as her own sanctuary from everything outside in the twisted world they lived in.

She was certain there was a way to bring this entire place back to its beauty and make the ruins more acceptable for living quarters. She didn't know how it could be done but just knew it could. Something inside of her told her it was possible and that she had to try to make this place a real home for her and others to come. She wasn't sure if it was just something about being in a place she had a bloodright to call home or if it was something deeper. Feeling the branches move ever slightly with a warm summer breeze, she took in the afternoon air and savored one more minute in this place.

She stood slowly and looked around the courtyard, imagining what it will look like if she succeeded. Hearing the birds quiet at her movement, she walked into the hall and left the courtyard for another day. She didn't shift and took her time walking the halls she had traveled. She studied the details etched into the temple walls and stopped every now and then to study the architecture design on some of the walls. She found several enormous rooms on her way back that could serve as any possible purpose down the road.

When she reached her room, she could feel the approaching presence and stopped outside her door. She was beginning to separate the different scents of the three adults and recognized it as her mother. Their bond was never as strong as the one she shared with her father but she wasn't ready to watch her mother leave her side yet. Emily came into sight and seemed relieved when she saw Kara. The woman hugged her and looked her over.

"We were beginning to wonder where you were."

"I didn't run away."

"You weren't in your room."

She shook her head and said "I went for a run."

"Where?"

Glancing over her shoulder, she indicated the hall behind her and said "Exploring the place."

Emily studied the empty hall and took a deep breath. She had expected Kara to take in every detail of the place over time, but not this soon. She had hoped her daughter would just breathe better knowing she was safe.

"Joseph and Leon returned with dinner."

Kara turned her hazel eyes on her mother and said "You are leaving after we eat."

Emily nodded slowly and said "Traveling at dark is the best."

The woman caught her shoulder to ensure she didn't disappear again and they walked down the hall to the chamber from the day before. She figured it must be her grandfather's place because he was sitting on the steps up to the private room beside again and Joseph was lying on the floor eating in his black wolf form. He casted her a brief look as she entered the room with Emily and watched them take their fill of the food. Silently everyone ate in peace and filled their stomachs. No one said a word when the food was gone and they got up to walk outside.

Kara remained a step behind her mother as they descended the stairs out of the ruins and stopped when Emily did. The woman looked at her exit and then down at Kara. She knelt in front of her and took a deep breath.

Emily caught her daughter's face and said "I promise you I will be back as soon as I can."

Kara nodded and was wrapped in her mother's warm hug. She wanted to hold onto it, savor it when she knew she would need it most at night.

"Be strong for me and remember that I love you."

"I love you too."

Emily kissed her brow and slowly released her. She looked up at her father and he nodded one time. Her eyes slowly turned to Joseph and she held his gaze momentarially. He knew his position and she knew he would do his job. She looked down at Kara one last time and walked away as she turned into a wolf.

Kara watched her leave without a glance back and took a deep breath. The separation was already leaving part of her empty and cold, but she knew she couldn't say a word. She waited until Leon walked up the stairs and followed him inside. She left him as he walked toward his chamber for the night and she retreated to her room. Walking into the adjacent room, she scaled her wall and pulled herself up out of the room.

She ran along the rock until she reached the gap in the canopy and saw the wolf slipping further away from her. Closing her eyes, she let one tear drop from her eye and allowed it to run down her cheek. Right now it was all she could spare but when the time came, she knew she would break down and grieve the loss of both of her parents.