Sam loved Lala, but Daniel understood why once she'd borrowed one of his old boots and took to running. She was fast. She was reckless, too. On more than one occasion Daniel had to drag her to a stop lest she leap straight off the edge of a gully.

She would jump out—with absolutely no forethought to what she jumped into.

What was left of the dress by the time they spotted the body hurrying through the bushes and undergrowth broke Daniel's heart, but he decided to address that later.

"What is he to you?" Daniel asked.

She didn't much answer as she picked up speed but she grumbled something. The only word he could make out that sounded similar enough to his own language was, "Captive."

"Captive?" Daniel had trouble keeping up but as he came from a tribe of the woods and lands, it wasn't impossible. "Captive?" That word also meant, "Thief," in some clans.

Captive.

Lala was a wonder. Daniel yanked her from the edge of another gully before she went over.

"Mind your footing," he scolded. He pointed down. "When you see those trees, it means a fall. They're all over this area. No nice tribe lives that deep. Only the ones we banish and that's because it's nearly impossible to come back up. Should you fall down, Lala, I do not think I have the courage in me to follow."

Eyes wide, she huffed and puffed from the exertion but that wasn't what captivated him about her. Her eyes. In the light of day he could see them wide, the iris open. She looked drugged.

Daniel worried about the bandage around her neck; perhaps the plant was doing this. It was boosting her; something was boosting her.

At this rate he worried she would pass out.

Before he could take the bandage, a noise in the distance sounded and she took off.

Sam darted after her. He could easily overtake her but he obediently followed by her side. Sam took Daniel by surprise. The cat didn't like many strangers. He was one of the reasons Daniel made a house so far from his people—the other reason....

Leaves and sticks flew up as Lala and Sam ripped through the woods. Daniel remembered himself and gave chase. Seeing Lala jump on the man mid-run was surprising but hardly unexpected at this point. That was the last of the dress.

Lala landed on her companion's back. Though he struggled, she scrambled for a rock.

Crack.

Daniel slowed when Lala slammed it down on the man's right arm again, breaking it.

"Thief..." Daniel concluded.

Despite the violence, the man couldn't cry out, not properly.

Before she could bash his arm a third time, Daniel caught her fist, the blooded rock with it.

"No, Lala," Daniel said. "No. He's a man—he's your brother. You do not do this to your fellow man."

The colorful dress had a rip clean up the side of her leg. He looked her over and sighed.

Cradling his arm, the man turned on his side, crying.

Daniel watched on. He felt sick when Lala snatched some vines and used them to tie the wounded hand. That was cruel but then Daniel held his peace; she intended to take it, no doubt.

He'd heard of the ones in exile below them. Dark stories spread throughout about how they managed law—with cruelty and torture. This almost rivaled that.

It certainly did when Lala wrapped the vine around the man's throat and secured his single hand behind his back. Each time her companion walked, he'd aggravate the injury.

Daniel was the weakest healer in his people—his family simply put less importance on it rather than building. He built. But everyone knew of plants and basic medicine. If she kept on like that, the man would lose his hand. After a time, that injury would take on a color and with how she restricted blood flow, it would die soon enough.

"Lala..." Daniel began.

He froze when she struck the man with a closed fist. The way she kicked him in the face when he fell took Daniel aback. She was angry with him.

And then he remembered how he'd found them...she'd been naked. Maybe Daniel didn't know their truth, but as he was the oldest—the only boy with three little sisters, he decided to leave her to her anger. She'd perhaps earned it.

When the man was secure, Lala kicked dirt in his face. Sam was just as worked up; he showed his teeth close to the tearful victim.

"None of that," Daniel said, yanking the cat back. "That is not your way."

And it wasn't. Sam only looked a menace because of his size, but he'd been abandoned young, unable to fend alone. Without Daniel, it was hard to even catch small pray as Sam didn't much have it in him. Now here he was, reveling in a catch with Lala. That was the true nature of a jaguar—a true hunt. And yet, it disgusted Daniel to no limit.

And the dress.

Lala tore the other side to help for better movement. Daniel's heart broke yet again.

She met eyes with him and paused before making any other adjustments. The look on his face must have been why she slowed and said, "Omn ne. But I noa run."

Daniel didn't answer.

Brown eyes still on him, she said again, "Omn ne?"

He nodded. "It's all right. Its owner has no need of it."

Another problem presented itself as she looked up and around. The tall trees guarded them well. In this thicket, it would be easy enough to move. Daniel preferred going high up as he could see more of the land that way.

Lala wasn't having it. She refused to climb. Another glance at the thief told Daniel that he could probably tie the man and have Sam drag him up but that could cause all sorts of trouble.

Best to travel on foot.

Spinning around in all directions finally told him that Lala was lost. Despite that, she turned to him, her captive in her grip, and said, "Here nof. Thank you."

Daniel blinked at her. Her words...sounded less gargled.

"Thank you," she said again.

A part of him wondered if she'd been playing all this time. No. It had been no trick. Until now, she understood nothing he said. And yet...yet she spoke.

He puzzled as to why. Something else concerned him—her lack of movement. Did she mean to travel on alone from here on out? Impossible. Sam was gentle and most big cats belonged to some tribe but a bigger portion were wild and although they might not attack her, walking around with a bloodied companion was asking for trouble.

Sam startled. Lala cried out next.

A short distance away, a turtle rested. Daniel looked from it to them and back again.

"If this is what frightens you, I fear for how long you'd last." Daniel hurried over to catch it. Sam could do with the meat. Though Daniel ignored Lala's hand gestures ushering him away, he kept her in sight as he spent most of the time together catching food for Sam.

Now and then Sam would pounce, but it rarely amounted to much.

Daniel caught a mouse, finally, and gave it over.

Lala lingered around. By the time Sam had fed himself well, Daniel noticed her at his back, rather than trying to lead. She was lost.

He would bring her back up to her people then return home. Though it pained him to acknowledge the dress, he did so and said, "And I should want the dress back once we've arrive."

It was dirty at the ends because Lala crouched down often, trying to navigate. Daniel wasn't sure what she had in mind. He himself went low for tracking, not navigating.

Regardless, she did take on a darker color when she stood, nodding.

"Omn ne."

"It's okay," Daniel answered. "But I would like it back."

"Water...salt..." she continued.

Her words were so choppy that Daniel started to doubt his understanding. He mimed drinking and she nodded.

"I will try it."

"New...."

"No. I want this one." Daniel said it so quickly that Lala colored again.

And they walked; the man in Lala's grip struggled, crying despite his lack of words.

It was best to get up there before night came. Sleeping on land wasn't something Daniel relished.

Lala gripped the injured hand often, forcing her companion to cease in all struggles eventually.

Despite that cruelty, she yelped at the sight of each animal that scurried by. On one occasion she raced toward Daniel in a fright.

The deer's antlers were probably what startled her, but Daniel laughed.

"You'd think you'd never seen an animal before."

She was also bad with climbing. At top speed she could scale a rock rather well, but climbing a tree with no branches was a pitiful chore. Daniel had offered but she brushed him aside. A few failed attempts later, he had to do it on his own.

At the very top, Daniel took satisfaction in knowing they were getting better time than he expected. The trees were alight with flashes. Panicked messages coming from all sides. He could barely decide which to focus on.

"Three missing. Two children. Three missing. Have you seen them?"

Another set of flashes came back. "One missing. But no blood."

Daniel surveyed the light to find that no less than ten tribes were in distress.

One set of messages came with a wave of guilt.

"Daniel, answer. Daniel answer."

His own people worried for him. He hesitated but retrieved his mirror and used it to signal them. "I'm all right. Found two, bringing them back."

"Daniel, come home."

With that, Daniel gripped his mirror tight. He wasn't ready to go home. Still, if people were truly missing, strays were best to head into the tribes for safety.

Fifteen people were missing in all, many children. That left Daniel with a pit in his stomach.

And then a message came. "Man and woman missing. Young couple."

Young couple. That seemed to fit Lala and her captive...thief better. But it was over a day's travel. And then he regarded the mirror and felt like a fool.

"Idiot. Talk to her with this." Everyone knew this. She couldn't answer his gestures but she could answer the code, surely.

He'd get her tribe and cut his time in half. When he descended, he did so with excitement. They couldn't have complex conversations but it could clean things up.

His feet hit the ground and a force slammed into his head, knocking him clean over.

Daniel's eyes rattled but he managed to get to his feet. Something black barreled toward him. A monster, running on all fours.

It raised a foot and slammed it down. Daniel slid away. The crunch sound made him look at the dirt—it had sunken in. Three more stomps toward him had him rolling away to safety.

Sam cried out as he leapt.

Two more monsters emerged from the thicket. Daniel scrambled to his feet and hurried to Lala who watched him from a distance.

He grabbed her by the arm, but she reached for her captive, refusing to leave him. If they could communicate, he'd call her foolish. One of the three monsters charged.

Adrenaline rushed through Lala who warmed. Her eyes held panic, something uncommon for her.

Boom. A fourth monster emerged, ramming into the attacker.

Boom.

Boom.

Out came two on top of that.

Lala let her captive go, took a running start and jumped onto the back of the big beast. She rode it crouched down, screaming at it.

From the largest monster, a loud hiss broke through the silence. The great beast's head opened. A man sat within it.

Though the one Lala rode remained closed, two more opened to reveal women.

"You bring it. It's yours," one woman screamed.

The other woman pulled her hand over her face and some sort of black mask fell into place.

Before them, the man in the big animal yelled back. "Doth the base?"

With a smirk, she answered, "Up yours." She picked up the mask, spat, and sat back.

Both animals closed. Two of the four legs rose up and went up as if ready to box. The man's beast remained on all fours. After a long standoff, it turned and the two others joined it. The air around them looked strange and in the blink of an eye, all three faded from view.

Lala sat on the animal, comfortable as she laughed. "Wollon."

The woman's beast's head opened again. "Wollon? What's happened to your chip?"

Lala stood and gestured down at herself. "Noa body."

"Your armor? You've lost your armor?"

"Water ate the body," Lala said.

"Back at base we can get another one," the woman answered. "You'll need at least three of us to triangulate a proper signal for you till then. With just the two, it's gonna sound choppy."

Lala smiled. She pointed down at her captive.

"Here."

"Two? Good. They look strong."

At that, Lala's smile faded. She regarded Daniel then the woman again and said. "Noa. One."

Daniel was slow to rise from the ground. When he did, he gave Sam a great clap on the behind. "Go."

The animal took off. He had to get Sam away. A sinking feeling told him he wouldn't be as fortunate.

"Noa," Lala said again. "The one."

"Sorry, Maddie. He's already seen us." The hatch closed and the beast lumbered toward Daniel.

Whatever Lala said, he couldn't make out.

One of the other two beasts grabbed Lala's captive in one long paw and vanished from view. Daniel stared at the blank area. Then he looked at the ground. The track marks there faded.

When the beast's hand came for him, he could see why the tracks disappeared. A blade twirled on the bottom. It retracted when it gripped him.

Body crying out, Daniel tried to break free. The last he saw of Lala, she watched him with concern but didn't jump down from the monster she rode.

Her big eyes took him in until she said, "Omn ne."