"And that fateful day, we took the child in, and made our home her home." said Fafnir, one of the caretakers.
"You two were too soft!" said Josephine. "Winged children are a form of immortal!" "She is worth much less than us, unless as a bargaining chip. Maybe if the gave her to the Empire immediately, we would be safe and protected. Immortals are bad omens."
"Josephine, stop." said Fafnir. "Can't you see she's crying!" Camille was indeed crying, stabbed by Josephine's words.
"IF I AM WORTH SO LITTLE TO YOU, WHY DON'T I LEAVE!" yelled Camille as she ran towards the boulder blocking the entrance.
"You'll be killed!" yelled Ella. Tears streaming from her face, she dodged Fafnir's attempt to stop her, and pulled a level, rolling the boulder away. She ran outside, in bright daylight, prey for the hunters, and hunter for the prey.
She ran so far, she couldn't see the cave behind her. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees. She stepped into the woods, leaving all hope of coming back to the Hidden behind her. She walked a mile or so into the deep woods, and it began to get dark out. The sounds of the evening crickets carried through the breeze, as if they multiplied. Camille was getting tired. A few minutes later, she sat down at the base of a tree to rest. She felt herself brush against the tree before she sat down, and wondered why.
"Thank the gods I brought my khopesh," she said to herself, lonely. She took of looking for prey to eat. She first saw a squirrel, but it dashed at the sight of her blade. A few missed squirrels later, she saw a berry bush. She took a few berries, grateful she didn't have to cook anything, and sat down again. She took some moss and made herself a very uncomfortable bed, and slept. The morning came too fast, but not fast enough. When the sun came, her bed was empty, just her khopesh on a rock next to it.
