Rowan ducked beneath a low hanging tree branch in the darkness, peering through the black woods in front of her. She held her satchel tightly down on her hip so it wouldn't snag on the branches surrounding her that scratched at her face and caught on her clothing.

     She froze as she heard a faint growl from the nearby bushes, her head shooting up as she looked around wearily. Her fingers curled around the cold hilt of the dagger she had secured to her belt, preparing to draw it if she needed to.

     The wind creaked the branches above her, and she let out a small sigh of relief as she supposed it had only been the wind. She wondered if she should've asked Kaden to come with her. He probably would've told her off, but even still, she would've felt better if she could laugh at his fear instead of worrying about her own.

      The growl came again, and she moved out into the open with much hesitation. She took a deep breath, swallowing hard. She debated climbing a tree, but didn't want to turn her back away from whatever was clearly watching her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she scanned the dark bushes in front of her.

      A bone chilling howl rose up into the silent night, and she could feel her heartbeat speed up as she turned to face a tree. If there were wolves, she needed to climb. But it was too late for that.

     With a sharp bark, a large wolf sprang from the undergrowth, claws swiping at her. Rowan gasped, barely tumbling out of the way. She rolled quickly to her feet, holding her dagger firmly in both hands. It only took a second look at the huge, black beast to realize the knife was going to do her no good.

     So she ran, not watching where she was going as she tore through the forest, pushing through branches and running faster than she'd thought she even could. She could hear the pounding of the wolf's paws behind her, expecting to feel teeth sink into her heels at any second.

     The cold night air hurt her throat as she gasped for a breath, weaving around trees to make it harder for the wolf to catch her. She wasn't going to be able to keep this up for much longer.

     The sound of falling water in front of her made her renew her pace, praying for something that might separate her and the wolf. Then she skidded to the edge of what seemed to be an enormous gorge. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the long drop towards an icy, roaring river that raged easily fifty feet below.

     Rowan spun around to face the wolf, who had slowed into a prowl as it stalked towards her, its lip curled back to reveal white fangs. Rowan swallowed hard to moisten her dry throat. She weighed her odds. Wolf was certain death. Falling might let her live.

       She backed closer towards the edge, and the wolf stepped closer. Then a loud cracking sound broke through the air, making them both freeze. Rowan eyed the ground right behind the wolf, spotting a huge crack spreading through the soft, crumbly dirt. She realized that this ledge wasn't meant to hold much weight.

     The wolf yelped, scrambling back, but the sudden movement made the crack spread, and the cliff piece shuddered violently.

      "Stop!!" Rowan shouted, and the wolf, to her surprise, froze in its tracks. It eyed the crack wearily with yellow eyes, looking to Rowan almost expectantly. Now was not the time to worry about why it seemed to understand her, "If you move too fast," she said slowly, "This whole thing's going down, and us with it. Understand?"

      The wolf made no response, but it didn't move either.

       "I'm going to take a step forward, and you step back," Rowan told it in a voice hoarse with fright, "Okay? We need to keep the balance."

      She watched the wolf closely as she raised a foot, sliding it forward. She watched in amazement as the wolf matched her pace, but stepped slowly back. A wind brushing over them made them both pause, and Rowan held her breath, her mouth dry as she saw the crack widen ever so slightly.

     Then she took another step forward, and the wolf shifted back, but its paw shuffled straight through what looked like a mound of dirt. The wolf yelped suddenly, and Rowan realized with a jolt that ants were swarming on the wolf's back paw. And the wolf pulled away, kicking its back legs up to shake off the ants.

     Then the edge split from the rest of the cliff.

      Rowan shrieked as she felt her stomach drop as they fell, and she leapt off of the rock chunk so she'd land in the water. The impact stung her skin, but the icy temperature numbed it a moment later. Tiny white bubbles tickled her face as she swam desperately toward the surface, and the moment her head broke out of the water, she gasped for a breath. The night air filled her aching lungs for only a moment before she plunged into the water again, pulled down by a fierce current.

     Spluttering for a breath as she clawed her way to the surface again, she fought the fierce current to the side, where she pulled herself onto a ledge. She laid there, soaking and freezing cold in a shivering heap. Her breath came in frantic gasps as she rolled onto her back.

     Then she heard a yelp from the black waters, and lifted her head to see the black wolf struggling to pull itself from the water. It was on a ledge not too far down from her position, and she sighed, "Alright," she forced her numb limbs to move as she made her way down the rocky slope to the wolf, "But you have to promise not to eat me."

      Rowan leaned down towards the wolf, grabbing it by the shoulders in an attempt to pull the wolf up. Though she could barely lift the massive dog, her grip allowed it to scramble up onto the edge beside her where it flopped down, panting, its sides heaving with exhaustion.

      "Please don't eat me," Rowan laid down beside it, her body shivering violently, "I helped you, so you spare me." She was too tired to get up again, so she closed her eyes. Her limbs felt heavy and weren't moving properly from the cold anyway. So she let out a deep sigh, allowing sleep to engulf her.

The next morning....

     Rowan opened her eyes to a bright sun shining over her head, blinking hard as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. Then the sun was blocked out by a face leaning over her, and she sat bolt upright, "Ah!!"

"Sorry!" The girl scrambled back, "Did I scare you? I didn't mean to!"

Rowan blinked hard, rubbing her face, "Who are you?" she asked, looking the girl up and down.

The girl seemed to be only a little older than her, her skin a dark shade of brown. Her silky black hair was slicked back over the top of her head, long and untamed. Her eyes were a golden color, reminding Rowan of tiny stars. She had prominent cheekbones and long eyelashes, her body thin though muscled.

"Don't you remember me?" The girl tilted her head to the side, "You pulled me out of the water last night. I tried to kill you, remember?"

"The wolf," Rowan realized, scooting backwards away from her, "No... werewolf?"

"Yup," the girl nodded, "I'm Aliyah, nice to meet you. Sorry I attacked you, I thought you were Little Red Riding Hood! She keeps prowling around my territory baiting me, but I can never catch her!"

Rowan glanced back at the dark scarlet cloak she wore, "Oh... sorry about that."

"No problem," Aliyah waved this off with a hand, "You saved me, so I owe you one now. I'm also the reason you fell, so actually, I owe you two! Sorry about flipping out, I just really hate ants..."

"Oh, it's fine," Rowan said quickly, "I used to be scared of wasps. I'm Rowan, by the way," she added, holding out a hand. Aliyah gave it a firm shake, smiling toothily at her.

"Pleasure to meet you, friend," she said, "Now, what brings you to this place?"

"I'm trying to avoid my stepmother," Rowan replied, stretching her arms in front of her to wake herself up. Her body still felt stiff from sleeping in the same position all night long.

"Oh, could I help?" Aliyah asked excitedly, leaning forward, "I know a nice place you could rest for a little while!"

"You do?" Rowan brightened hopefully, "Where?"

"I'll take you to them!" Aliyah sprang to her feet in one swift movement, looking excited, "They're not too far! If we leave now, we can get there before sun high."

"Thanks!" Rowan grinned, following her towards the slope that would lead them out of the gorge.