Darci blinked. And blinked once more. She got up, her legs aching, and her eyes stinging. Carefully, she got her bearings. Strong black trees surrounded her, with silver leaves waving in the empty breeze. She shut down the panic welling up inside her and took a cautious step forward. Then another. Then another.

       She nearly jumped when the trees parted to reveal a golden path. All her life Darci was taught to follow anything of a golden color. So she did. The air was still, and no sound was present aside from the light pawsteps of the angel. Darci's ears pricked as she heard a rustle from the bushes.

        The bushes continued to rustle, almost like a movie. Darci was scared, but also in a strange sense, curious to what was making the noise. A blur of cyan blue leaped onto her, pinning her down. She struggled and squirmed under the pressure of the big paws, and eventually gained the courage to look up at her attacker. She never should have.