Paw prints in the Sand

[scrii]

Phaxx felt insulted by this other wolf, and she was hurt. Biting her lip and trying not to lash out in her pain, she said nothing, knowing that Smartie would taunt her more. All she did was shake her head lightly, and she kept her gaze diverted. Breathing deeply, she began to think that she shouldn't've come down to the beach. What had seemed like a perfect night had become a time of confusion and awkwardness. What could she say? She was easily hurt, especially by those who appeared suddenly behind her and taunted her in the dark. Since when were we not allowed to feel fear? she thought. And since when were we thought fools or wimps for not being strong bricks?

Smartie's words echoed in her head... little wolf... scared of the dark... attacked... following my path... Phaxx just wanted to run away, but she was too afraid to. She was frightened of this stranger, and she felt useless because she could not stand up for herself. I hate myself, she told herself firmly. Why can't I be like Smartie? Everyone who I cross paths with teases me for being a wimp... for being just who I am. But why can't 'me' be something that I'm proud of?

(Phaxx's emo mode. I would feel this way too in her situation.)

[smartie]

Smartie continued to gaze into the darkness of the forest as a chilling breeze blew across the beach. The bitter cold bit at her nose and she snorted, and shook her head. The female looked at the wolf, who had gone quiet. Smartie was unaware of the mental pain that the other was in. She was also unaware that her words were hurtful. The female then moved elegantly to the other side of the wolf, and looked around, her head hanging low. The night sky seemed to become darker, as clouds had begun to form. This perfect night was now filled with fear, anxiety, and Smartie was unaware of it all. Her tail did not sway anymore, and her ears fell to her head as she advanced forth to wards the forest. She took several careful steps, her hues glimmering in the night. There was something rustling in the bushes that bordered the trees. Something was hiding in the darkness, making that noise, and it was irritating Smartie. Her heart was pumping faster and faster, and she could hear each heartbeat in her head. Suddenly she too felt scared, because the night was so quiet, except for the noise in the bushes. Her fear of not knowing what was there made her stop, and she looked back to Phaxx.

Her eyes may have reflected this fear, because Smartie did not know what as in those bushes, and it could have been following her the whole night. If it was perhaps a wolf, then Smartie only became more frightened. If this... whatever it is... is a wolf... why did I not sense it? Her nose twitched and the scent of Phaxx filled her nostrils. Damn. I am downwind from the wolf. It must have caught my scent, and it being upwind I did not sense it... But why did I not hear it before? Smartie was lost in thought and she did not notice that the bushes had stopped shaking and the beach was quiet. Her ears pricked up and she looked around, but only her pupils moved; they darted around quickly, as she tried to find any unwanted presence around her.

She turned to face Phaxx, and she moved to wards her, her tail curled at her side, and her ears flat on her head. She shut her eyes so that the other would not see her fear of that darkness. What if this... thing comes out and attacks us? What if it goes for this little wolf? Would she be able to defend herself. Smartie was deep in thought when she stopped behind Phaxx; back to back with her. I will have to defend her... that would put me in danger of being hurt. Damn it. Why did I come back to her. Did I feel sorry for her, seeing as she looks so helpless? Smartie did feel sorry for her, as well as being racked with guilt. She was feeling guilty about how she had treated this wolf, who must have only wanted a friend. Smartie turned around and looked at Phaxx, and she moved so that she stood now alongside of her.

" I am sorry." she whispered.

[scrii]

The night grew thick and hung heavily over the black and white wolf. There was an dense feeling of fear and it was scattered in the air, pushing Phaxx down. She could sense, rather than hear or see, Smartie moving around her, and the stranger in the shrubs. Her heart beat violently under her soft ebony fur, and her eyes closed in a few tense moments of stress and suffering. Her head was whirling and she couldn't think straight. Her vision become watery and blurred. Then she felt something behind her, then to the side of her... relief flooded over her and her eyes slid open again as Smartie's voice came through the thickness of the dark night. Sorry... The word rang in her head, and more relief flooded over her... no one had ever, ever apologized to her, for anything. She would have smiled if the situation had not been so dire.

Phaxx turned her peridot eyes to the wolf beside her, and she forced an awkward smile. She took a deep breath, tried to confront her feeling of strange fear and anxiousness, and built herself a lopsided tower of courage to say just one sentence. "...Do you know what that is...?" she whispered with strange weight to Smartie. The femme dearly hoped that the other wolf did... for she found courage even harder to summon when she did not know of her foe. Why does life have to be so hard? she thought to herself. Her eyes flicked from an emerald-green to a pale yellow colour as she tried to pierce the heavy, dark air, to no avail. A dull but frightening sense of panic and fright washed over her, and she could not do anything... What was hiding, under the cover of doused lights and behind the too-calm sound of the tide?

[smartie]

Smartie placed a paw upon the back of Phaxx as she lowered herself to the soft sand. Smartie held her glare upon the darkness, trying to catch a glimpse of an outline. She scanned the border of the bushes carefully, and she was deep in concentration when her thoughts were distracted by Phaxx. "...Do you know what that is...?" . The striped female kept her paw on the back of Phaxx and she whispered to her ear, her voice gentle and calm. " I don't know... what is up there... perhaps you should stay here and I shall investigate?". Lifting her paw now from the back of the other, Smartie took several paw steps forward, her eyes narrowing as she stared. Her tail flicked behind her angrily as this not knowing was starting to irritate her. The leathery nose of Smartie wrinkled and she snorted, moving again several more steps to wards the bushes. Her ears twitched and she looked round at Phaxx and she saw how scared the other was. I can't believe I was so ignorant to this wolf. I mean... look how sensitive she is... and I went and said all that to her... That was not very nice of me to do that..."

Her ears folded on her skull and she inhaled one deep breath and moved forward. Smartie could feel her heart pounding off of her chest, her blood racing through her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she neared closer to the bushes, and the persistent rustling. And then it stopped. Smartie growled beneath her breath, her eyes glinting and she watched how the bushes a few feet to the left began to rustle. Trying to play with my mind are you? Well, I know exactly what game you are playing whatever you are... you don't scare me or fool me now... Smartie snarled, her lips wrinkling, saliva spitting from her clenched teeth as her throat rumbled. Her tail erected in the air, and she lowered her head to her chest in a defensive stance. She could hear the sound of the ocean above her snarls as it came into the shore, nearing closer to were Phaxx remained. Smartie observed how the bushes ceased to shake, and how everything became quiet. Yes, pretend you are gone only to try and fool me. I am no idiot...

Her head turned to face Phaxx, and she stopped snarling to look at her. " Looks like I scared it." Smartie however, doubted her words. Whatever it was, most surely remained in those bushes. Her voice was reassuring however, as Smartie tried to calm the other, make her feel safe. But after her words the rustling started again, and Smartie turned back. Give it a rest will you? Dam nit how can I reassure this wolf with this persistent racket? Smartie huffed, her head looking to the ground; at her paws. She grappled the sand, the particles ran between her digits as she slowly released this grasp. Stop this racket now, damn you! she thought, but Smartie retreated several paces backgrounds, and began to snarl again. Her distance was now safe from the trees, enough to keep her safe. But whatever was hiding in wait in those trees, it certainly had no intention of shifting.

[scrii]

As Phaxx felt Smartie's paw on her back, then as she retreated, she shifted her weight around uncomfortably. She knew she should go with Smartie... but the other wolf had said to stay... Her mind moved quickly over these things, wondering whether she should follow, or if she would trip and either get herself or Smartie attacked, or make whatever it was move... which meant that they would never know what it was. Phaxx hated the feeling of never knowing what something was, especially when it teased you, right in front of your nose, and it slipped away, just like that.

The tide seemed to flow slower and slower, as if the tension and darkness of the night pulled on it, gradually bringing it to a stop. The femme shuddered. A beach without the smooth, calm sound of the tide seemed unimaginable and unnatural.

Phaxx could hear Smartie move around and snarl from the shrubs, and she flicked her ears nervously, still having that silent debate with herself about whether she should go... She felt guilty for leaving Smartie in probable danger, but on the other hand, she would probably stuff it up and embarrass herself, and besides, she was sure a wolf like Smartie could handle anything that came. But it just seemed strange to feel so helpless, to be able to do nothing while she argued with herself like a deranged pup. Maybe I am a deranged pup... she thought bitterly to herself, wondering if that's all she would ever be. Foolish, frightened and forever worrying...

[smartie]

Smartie was angry, really angry with whatever concealed its presence within those trees. Her tail flicked involuntarily behind her, and her ears lay flat on her head as she began snarling again. Don't make me come in there... she thought and she moved two steps forward, her snarls becoming louder. She could feel her noises vibrate in her throat as she persistently aimed her viciousness at those bushes. Advancing forward she did, at a quickened pace she moved, and now she was only a step away from the bush. " Whatever you are, get out of here now! she bellowed, and then she waited silently. The rustling stopped, and all that could be heard was the wind whistling through the trees, and the water that was calm and still. Did it go away? Doubt it... Maybe I should... and she moved into the bushes, and she peered into the darkness for the beast behind this charade.

Eyes narrowed as her hues glinted in the light, the brown colour of it became darker; the colour swirling on her eyes. Her tail swayed slowly from side to side now, her tip flicking upwards every now and then. Her form leapt through the bushes, disappearing from Phaxx's sight. " She'll be OK, I am sure she can fight if this thing comes at her, and if not... well... she can run, and then I will run after her... and I will catch the thing that chases her, and make the wolf safe again... Perhaps then the night will go back to normal and I can enjoy the night again...Probably not though... it is already ruined, and the sun is beginning to rise on the horizon, however it is slow, and dawn is only breaking... Smartie was lost in her thoughts, and she wasn't as alert as she would normally be. If she was focusing entirely on the matter at hand, she would have seen a shadow fly by her, out towards the beach.

Leaves blew up in the wind that the creature had created due to its speed, and this attracted Smartie's attention. She looked up, because she had been looking at the ground, looking out for paw tracks. She had not found any however, but she believed she found the culprit now. Smartie was quite a distance from Phaxx now. She was deep within the forest, and she had foolishly left the other one in the state that she was in. Smartie had watched Phaxx only momentarily, to realise that she was really scared, but her expression told Smartie she was battling with her mind. Just as I used to do... She is not unlike me that wolf is... and she turned, and followed after the shadow that raced through the forest, back to the direction of Phaxx.

[scrii]

Her mind was in a flurry of thoughts. Sounds, words, strange flashes of memories which dashed through her mind, like a frightened school of fishes. What was happening to her? This had certainly not happened to her before, yet the experience seemed so familiar... her eyes were shut again, her ears flicking in time to her tailtip, and her eyes could be seen darting around nervously beneath her closed eyelids, almost to a strange, unheard rhythm. Phaxx was not going crazy, but... maybe... she was? Her mind was in such confusion, thoughts rattling about in her head and making it hurt terribly. Then, suddenly, there was a loud swish from the bushes and her eyes snapped open, her head swinging towards the sound. Her ears were pricked and her entire body had gone rigid, her senses as alert as possible. Where was Smartie? The other wolf had vanished... or taken? Phaxx dearly hoped that it was not the latter, for she felt that she was responsible for whatever happened to the other wolf... she had barged in, ruining the peaceful night and turned it into a string of unwelcome events. The black wolf shook her head, derailing the trains of thoughts so her mind was free to think, clear of the steam which had been building up and confusing her. She felt free to think now, and she did think, not about her guilt, but of what had caused the rustle in the shrubs and about the fate of her... friend. She stood, her emerald eyes strong and determined to face whatever being might be coming towards her. If she had not gone to help Smartie, she could at least help herself.

[smartie]

From the bushes would leap a black figure, another black wolf, coal black white piercing brown eyes. That beast would snarl and spit at Phaxx, laughing uncontrollably at her. And he would conjure up a possible attack on the female, who had built up the confidence to come in, and try to help her friend.

She could feel her heart racing as her slender, but yet powerful legs tore her across the forest terrain. As the female's paws grasped the moist earth, she almost immediately let go, flicking dirt and grass, and some sand behind her. Her tail waved franticly behind her, as her eye scanned the forest for what she was following. The scent of another, and unwanted presence wafted to this she wolfs nostrils, and she feared that Phaxx would be in great danger.

What if she has remained on the beach? Or what if she has come into the forest, distracting by the voices in her mind? Oh no... I should not have left her. Smartie would appear to be lost as she wandered almost aimlessly through the trees. Smartie feared that she had run past the black figure that she had been following.

She hoped that she had not run past were Phaxx had been, and so she stopped abruptly. Her paws she thrust in front of her, and her eyes winced shut as she stopped, skidding on the damp earth of the forest. Her body swiveled and she turned around, rotating one hundred and eighty degrees, and she ran back the way she had came.

It felt to her, like she had been running for ages now, as her mind thumped at her skull, and her heart raced with her as she ran. Her eyes peered out only momentarily at every opening to the beach, were she hoped Phaxx was. Smartie as beginning to tire now, she had over worked herself, and she had run so fast that she had missed the opening to Phaxx, and any potential danger.

With her tongue lolling, Smartie panted quickly, her heartbeats bumping against her chest that heaved with every gulp of air the she inhaled. Her eyes were wide, and she looked around, but she could not sense Phaxx anywhere. Had she run past her friend? Now the black wolf will think that I abandoned her... Oh no...Oh no oh no... she thought and she went on the move again, trying to find a way out of the forest.

[scrii]

Phaxx swung round, for there was an maniacal laughing sound which seemed to ricochet off the sand and the shrubs. Where was it coming from? The black femme began to feel real fear now... it hung in the air, and instead of shattering and replacing the tension that had been there, it seemed to intensify it. Wherever she turned, it seemed just behind her... yet she did not want to turn her back to those shrubs, which rustled strangely as if they had a life of their own...

She just wanted to shut her eyes, curl up and hope it was all a dream... but she knew that would never happen. Only in stories were nightmares so real and terrible. She just wanted to cry out for help... but would not that mean she was weak? Fool, she suddenly thought. I am a fool already and I am even more a fool for not realising my identity... A strange anger built up inside of her, and her emerald eyes seemed to flash with a fiery passion of furious hues. A ferocious snarl erupted from her throat as she swung towards the bushes. Her mind had sharpened and every muscle in her body quivered, completely ready for whatever came at her, as that strange energy pulsed through her veins and bones, quickening her mind and sharpening her eyes which gazed angrily at the bushes, waiting...

Then a heart-stopping growl ripped through the air, tearing apart whatever fear and tension was still suspended there, and the skies seemed to howl with rage. Phaxx's head was pounding, and her heart was unusually still. Come what may, she said, gritting her teeth, her maw still in a menacing snarl. But time and her heart compeletely stopped when she saw what then erupted from the shrubs...

[smartie]

Slender legs powered by lean muscular bodice took this female across the forest floor. Moss covered vines hung from the palm trees, and from fallen palm trees, and from some other weird trees that were here. Coconuts were littered across the floor of the forest, were the vegetation was rotting. Putrid scents came to ones nose, quite to her dismay, and she wrinkled her nose in such a way, that she could no longer smell the stench.

Streaks of silver ran quickly through this beach forest, weaving between each tree that stood. Shrubs with nettles and thorn vines blocked most exits to beach, and any attempt to leap over them would only result in an injuring the lowered leg or paws. Skin would be torn, blood would be shed, and a pain that was partially intense, would be felt by one foolish enough to try and jump it.

She had to think fast now. She had most surely ran past what she was seeking, and past the disturbed wolf as well. Grey female remained unaware of the others new found confidence, and so thought of her being attack could not be helped, and creeped into her mind. Forepaws were thrust out before the female, and she skidded to a halt again. Like a carpet the mud seemed to curl up at her feet. Thick splodges of filth then clung to her hind paws, as she stopped in a sitting down stance. A look of disgust she threw at the forest floor, and then slowly she rose.

Flicking her petite paws to remove it of the slime that clung to them, she moved slowly to wards an exist in the forest. A small sand like path had been created here, almost too conveniently. Smartie had seen this, hence her reason for stopping so suddenly. Her legs had taken strain from this, and a searing pain shot up her fore legs as she placed tender mitts upon earth. Peering out of the forest did the female, and she looked around for Phaxx.

Phaxx was not there however. The beach was quiet, and the sand remained undisturbed. Terrible thoughts did linger in her mind, and she had to get back to Phaxx to help her from any possible danger that may come to her. Perhaps she was in the heat of battle, fighting with the beast that attempted to taunt them; but she could also be running, and that may be why, Smartie could not see her. What had really happened, though Smartie, being so tired and caught up in scolding herself for leaving Phaxx did not know this, was that she had ran past the she wolf. To get to Phaxx, Smartie would have to turn left from the trees, and run along the beach in that direction.

Smartie chose to go right.

[scrii]

Searing claws raked her face as the dark figure pounced, causing her face to feel as if it was on fire. A heavy shove knocked her on her side, the air rushing out of her lungs and making her panic for a split second. No! she cried to herself. She could not let herself become vulnerable! Phaxx pushed herself on her feet swiftly, and swung around to face her opponent. But it was not there. Panic swept over her again. Where ARE you?! her mind screamed to the air, her eyes darting from left to right, piercing the absolute darkness. Where are you....

...here I am... An eerie voice echoed in her ear, and she spun around, snarling viciously. Her ear tingled with a strange aura, and it felt as if it burned, as she spotted the silhouette hulking in the darkness several metres away. It could easily pounce on me from there... she thought quickly to herself, directing her gaze directly into the two brownish, glowing orbs set into the darkness of the night.

The dark fur bristled stiffly on the back of Phaxx's lowered neck, claws glinting hardly in the cold moonlight. She snarled viciously. Her tail swayed rather rigidly behind her, and she dared not listen to the quiet tide in case that it might calm her nerves. The she-wolf knew that she had to feed this fire inside, the burning pillar of fury, and she did so with negative thoughts of herself, comparing herself to others, reminding herself of her killed parents, of all the ones she had loved that had died because of her... Her eyes seemed hardly a green colour any more. They seemed to glow a faint reddish-orange colour, dark and menacing. What is it doing...? she growled, for the figure was crouched in the darkness, as if it was waiting for her to leap. But Phaxx was no so easily fooled. Hit with a sudden idea, she pretended to let her guard down, and sat, facing the direction of the silhouette, her face assuming a calm expression and her eyes a dreamy gaze. Almost instantly, the figure leapt, snarls flowing from it's mouth like jets of poison.

Phaxx leapt to the side swiftly, her tensed muscles springing to life. But then the wind changed, and she caught a familiar scent... She gasped and her guard disappeared, the column of fire fizzling as it was put out by her worry. "Smartie!" she gasped. Where are you?? she asked again. But she soon wished that she had not paused. For now she could hear the tide, gently soothing her mind, dousing her fire... No...! she cried, trying to feed her flames again, but the silhouette had disappeared again, vanished into the night. Tears began to streak Phaxx's black fur. "Coward!" she howled to the darkness, her voice full of pain, regret and worry. "Come where I can see you!" Then came a faint swish. A flash of pain in the back. And Phaxx's blood started to stain the sand beneath her limp body as she lay on the Scatterstone Beach.

[smartie]

As Smartie was about to move to the right of her, snarls and cries came to her lobes. the twitched and Smartie's eyes widened. Phaxx! Then her eyes narrowed, glinting, and she swiftly made her way to wards the snarls. Please be alright... Clouds of sand burst around her paws as she slammed them on the ground, running with such elegance to wards the echoes.

The moonlight shone brightly upon the land, and the waves seemed to be calming down. Her gaze did not avert to these sounds of the ways, and she kept her glare upon the horizon, her pupils scanning for Phaxx. In the far distance she saw it; Phaxx fighting for dear life, then falling, and a black figure stood over her. NO! Smartie screamed at herself, scolding herself again for leaving Phaxx behind.

As she neared ever closer, the black figure seemed to be lowering his maw to the throat of Phaxx, and Smartie pushed on, her powerful legs aching from the running, and her muscles began to cease up, tense. Painful as it was, Smartie did not stop. Her tongue lolled from her maw and she gulps mouthful of air, she needed to stop, to breath. Legs were tired now, and Smartie had begun to slow down. Time itself seemed to slow down, and she felt like she could not reach Phaxx. The black wolfs lips parted, and the teeth glinted in the moonlight. Lowering ever close to Phaxx neck.

Smartie could see the blood of her friend in the sand, glistening, crimson, slowly trickling from the fallen female. With a final push from her hind legs, Smartie leaped; her small body flying at the wolf. Rotating her body in mid air, she spun her shoulder round, and crashed down on the wolf, who was jerked to the side. They landed, tumbling in a snapping frenzy, Smartie lashed out with such ferocity, that she scared herself. The black wolf appeared to be a male. His scent was however drowned by the smell of blood. The jaws of the black wolf clamped down hard on Smartie's shoulder and she uttered a cry of pain.

Blood splattered across Smartie;s maw as she ducked her head to to the males throat. But he quickly bucked his head to her, knocking her from on top of him. Smartie landed, eyes shut on the sand. Blood was leaking from the gash in her shoulder, and she was still. Quick as a flash the male was over her, and he attempted to snap at her throat. Smartie's brown hues opened quickly and she rolled her hind up, kicking her back legs at the brute, who was then sent flying from her.

Breathing heavily did the bulky female, her eyes wide with anger. her gaze then rested upon Phaxx as the male slowly regained his footing, and she moved in front of the female, her tail high, bristled; her scruff too bristled. Her shoulder was soaked in her own blood, a darker shade of red, almost purple. The male wolf then flew for her, but Smartie countered his attack and rolled under him.

As he leaped over her, she jumped up, hitting him higher into the air, to bring him to a slam on the ground. The male was fast however, and he caught her hind leg in his grasp. Smartie cried in pain. The black wolf had his own hind legs near to the head of Phaxx, and he stood, tightening his grip on Smartie; who yelped in pain.

[scrii]

Shouts... cries... thuds which jarred the ground... save her... help... friend...... friend? Smartie!

Phaxx's eyes snapped open and she leapt to her feet, immediately regretting it, for the back of her head flashed in pain and it burned down her spine. She cried out in pain and crumpled, half-lying on the ground. Her eyes were screwed tight, trying to counter the pain and unconsciousness. No... I have to help her... she growled to herself, and she saw the figure near her, on the ground. She growled, momentarily forgetting her pain as she saw her friend in his grip. NO! she snarled, and she leapt on the figure, who she now realised was a huge black wolf. She tore mercilessly at his throat, with her maw, with her claws, with everything she had inside of her, the pillar of fire inside of her replaced by an icy knife of hatred, tearing at her assailant. At his eyes, his face, his throat... Anything to save her friend, Smartie...

[smartie]

Smartie turned and kicked back her leg as the black wolf released his grasp on her leg. She limped slightly as she turned, as watched as Phaxx attacked his throat. Smartie snarled at the male wolf, and she leaped upon his back, forcing him to land of the ground. With her light weight she was tossed aside, but the male recoiled in pain as the teeth and claws of Phaxx slashed at his throat. Wolf neck being thick as it is, Smartie ran, head lowered, at his side. Skull locked with the ribcage of the male, causing him to fall to the sound.

Heavy body did land with a painful crash, and Smartie dived on him, so that Phaxx could tear away at his throat. The male whimpered in pain as Phaxx tore his neck to shreds. Soon however, his body became limp, due to the merciless act by Phaxx. Smartie began to pant slightly. A wound was gashed along her shoulder, and several teeth marks punctured her hind leg. She winced in pain as she limped to Phaxx, leaning against her for the support of both of them.

" Phaxx... Are... Are you alright?" Smartie said, licking the she wolfs ear that must have been torn at some point in the fight. Smartie looked at the dead male, tired and exhausted. her body then fell to the ground, and she was breathing heavily from all the running and the fighting, that had been against her own body, and her physical limits.

She was not dead however, she was extremely tired, and hungry and thirsty. She had put energy into something when she did not have that energy, thus tiring herself, and no doubt she would be sore when she re-opened her eyes, whenever she was too. Her muscles were tense, and pain seared through her body. Blood had stained the perfect white sand. Phaxx was no doubt exhausted too, she had suffered a great deal more than Smartie; she had more wounds and had almost had her throat gashed by the male.

Smartie wanted to comfort her friend. She was however, to tired to lift a paw, or even flicker her eyes.

[scrii]

Her paws and face were bloodied, mixed with her blood and the dead male's. She was so exhausted... she watched as Smartie staggered towards her, and she forced a weary smile.
"I'm... alright..." she said faintly. "Nothing serious... As Smartie fell to the ground, Phaxx, too, could not help but collapse. The blood-sodden sand embraced her fur, and she could still feel the blood sluggishly seeping from the back of her head. It hurt, but she needed a rest... She was sure the white which ran through her dark fur was red now... Her legs ached from where she had so mercilessly torn at the male, who lay dead less than a metre away.

Phaxx coughed and retched up small pools of blood, and her eyes were dull. "Smartie... thank you..." she gasped tiredly, then forced another smile. "Tomorrow morning... she started, but she could not say more, for she had fallen fast asleep, the gentle call of the tide pulling her into the land of dreams.