Gone were the long, exhausting hours of galloping the moors, searching for a single sign of Aria. Now came the more meticulous task of combing the area, vainly looking for a hideout or cave. Sienna grasped the scarf tightly in a numb white hand, her hope draining with every minute. The only feasible trail, the cashmere scarf, was being slowly lost. Inky was pacing anxiously, nervous to see his rider so unhappy. His once-glossy coat was shaggy and filthy, his mane tangled into knots. Inky stopped and pawed the wet ground every so often, at the same few places, digging up the soggy grass. At first Sienna had followed his lead and searched every new place Inky found, but now she had almost given up. So when Inky started to paw at a dark square of turf a few metres to Sienna's left, Sienna didn't investigate. It would be nothing, like always, she told herself.
Aria awoke, pins and needles prickling through her body, and a dull ache in her limbs. She glanced across at Lilian, who was already awake and alert. A day had passed torturously slowly, with Aria and Lilian moving from cave to cave every few hours, lest the Mountain Queen found them. Lilian, it turned out, had been stolen away from her home in 2008, and come to live with The Mountain Queen, who worked her to the bone, until one glorious day in 2010, when Lilian managed to escape by causing a diversion and sneaking away. Over the past four years, Lilian had been searching day in, day out for any sign of civilisation. But to no avail. The moors were creepy, deserted and bare.
Aria thought about all this as Lilian volunteered to go and hunt for their breakfast. Lilian must be trustworthy, otherwise surely she wouldn't protect Aria like this. Yes, Lilian was a friend. Aria was sure of it.
Inky started to whine and neigh, becoming anxious and nervy as time went on. Finally Sienna roused herself from her passive stupor, and went over to drag him away. When she reached Inky, the whites of his eyes were showing and his pupils were out on stalks. As soon as he caught a glimpse of Aria, he pawed harder and neighed loud enough to wake the dead. His hoof had created a hole about 4 inches deep, and as Aria bent down to examine it, Inky went wild with excitement. His hoof pawed through charred, black soil, and Aria frowned, trying to make sense of it all. On impulse, she grabbed a handful of the soil and sniffed. It smelled.. What?... Smoky.... Almost as if these were the burnt remains of a hastily covered campfire...
Aria hummed softly to herself as she cleared the makeshift bedding away. As long as they got away from the moors soon, life wasn't bad. She was free, with a friend and helper, and she was alive. Aria had had no contact with anyone, not even Sienna. She knew that Sienna would realise who had taken her, and do her utmost to help, but in all reality, what could Sienna do?
When Lilian entered the cave, their hiding place was scrubbed clean of any evidence, and any useful material was packed in their jackets. Aria glanced at Lilian noting the exhausted, anxious look. It was how Aria felt inside, drained and tired. A figure stepped in to the cave behind Lilian, and Aria distinctly heard the whisper of an apology, before the Mountain Queen strode towards Aria.....
