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[Thrax]

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Tahira stood on her tiptoes to get a better view of the courtyard far below the second story window of Whitehall. "Look Nana! There he is again!" she yelled excitedly. The fluffy orange squirrel had emerged from the woods and was running in its hopping gait toward the manor. The rodent seemed unafraid of the humans, mostly refugees, who inhabited the area. It would go up to them and, as if begging for a handout, would rub its tiny paws together in prayer-like fashion. In most cases the appeal would not go in vain, as someone would eventually offer a nut or a few kernels of corn then watch it run off to eat.

"I want to go outside!" Tahira herself begged, as she turned away from the window.

'Nana,' what the children called Poppy the house servant and their guardian, shook her head. "Not today! Wait until your mother gets home." Then they heard the front door slam. Poppy hesitated, then muttered with a concerned look on her face, "Anduril!" She rushed to the teleporter, followed closely by Tahira, and ran to the front door, opening it quickly---and nearly stumbled over Anduril who stood just on the other side, on the upper landing of the long stairway.

"Look Nana! It's Bounce!" Anduril shouted, having days ago given that name to the squirrel.

Poppy put her hands on her hips, hardly noticing Tahira who eased around her to stand by her twin to get a better view. "Don't you ever run out like that again, Andy!" she scolded. "You know it is dangerous to go outside without an adult with you!"

Anduril ignored the reprimand. "But *he* won't hurt us! And he doesn't ever come out when monsters are around! He knows they'll see him and eat him if they can."

Come to think of it, he was right, Poppy thought. Every day they had seen the creature, no harmful beasts had been seen all day in the immediate area. Nevertheless, she had her orders---no going outdoors unless the Baron or Baroness were at home---and neither were. "You can watch from up here, but no closer!" she compromised.

As if on cue, Bounce ran toward them. It hopped up the stairs, stopping a few steps below Tahira to rub its paws together.

"It wants food!" Tahira cried.

"Yeah, go get it something!" Anduril told her.

Tahira would have none of it. "No! It came here because of me, not you! See! It is looking right at me," she boasted.

"No it isn't!" Anduril argued. "It saw *me* first!"

"It saw you both," Poppy stated, hoping to stifle a quarrel. "I'll go get something. You both wait here---don't move from this spot!" she ordered, going inside. The kitchen was quite near and she knew it would take less than a minute to get a piece of bread from the larder.

As if it were unwilling to wait any longer, Bounce fluttered its long, bushy, tail once and scurried back down the stairs. "Come baaack!" Anduril yelled, starting to follow it.

Not to be outdone by her brother, Tahira, fleeter of foot than he, ran down the steps in hot pursuit. "We're going to get you something!" she cried. "Waaait!" The animal ignored their pleading, making straight for the woods. Tahira was right behind it, but stopped suddenly at the tree line. She was not so much afraid of the monsters she knew could be lurking in there---she knew she could easily outrun any of them---she was instead visualizing the scolding her mother and father would give her for disobedience, and for the surety of disciplinary action.

"Tahirrraaa!!!" Poppy yelled as she hurried down the stairs. Suddenly she tripped on something and fell, rolling halfway down to the bottom, to lie motionless on the ground. The herald, who had just returned from relieving nature, who normally stood watch outside, hurried to her.

Bounce returned to the edge of the woods, shaking its tail wildly before scurrying into the darkness of the trees. Torn between going back and taking her medicine and going a bit further to pet the creature, Takira decided that if she was going to be punished, she would make it worth her while. She went after Bounce.

"The long wait is over," Nizzre Velve thought to herself as she resumed her natural, drow, form and prepared to seize the child and bind it quickly. "Lloth's justice shall be satisfied."

[Tahira]

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Tahira turned pale when the squirrel transformed and was grabbed by the dark figure. She tried to yell for help but, was quickly overpowered by the drow. She was bound and blindfolded, hoisted on the female's shoulder and then to the withers of a horse. She lay limply as the horse galloped her fears began to overwhelm her. She should have listened to Poppy, her parents would be very upset for disobeying "nana".

She cried silently as they traveled, shaking upon the horse. It seemed like an eternity when she felt the horse skid to a stop and she was roughly pulled off the animal. Again she was over the woman's shoulder. She shook almost uncontrollably with fear, still crying, she spoke not a word. A door creaked open and she was dropped onto what felt like a bed.

Nizzre removed the blindfold from the child, then took a closer look and smiled when Tahira recoiled in fear, yet unable to escape. "You look very much like your mother.", she spoke to Tahira. "You will stay quiet and put until my mistress returns."

Tahira looked at the woman with her big hazel eyes, too frightened to move. She barely breathed and just nodded silently in acknowledgement. She watched as the drow left the room and slammed the door behind her, then she heard the "click" of a lock. She waited a few moments and began to try and free herself from her bonds. Struggling with them did not get her far, they were tied far too well for her to get free. Now tired, she did not lose her resolve but found exhaustion claiming her. Silently she offered a prayer that someone would help her, anyone, before she drifted off to sleep.