A/N: I just felt like writing… so I'm winging this one. No idea of length or anything. Here goes! I hope you enjoy!

The moon was high and bright and round as a plate. Faolan sat beneath a tree, her arms wrapped tightly around her body and her fingertips red with cold. The three year old wore clothes that were far too thin, and her eyes held a shadow of fear uncommon in a girl of her age. Red hair whisped out from beneath her woolen hat and hung in a way that suggested it was partially frozen.

"Please," she whispered, her voice inaudible in its quietness. The entire woods was eerily silent, the way it gets in winter. Then there was a creak as the wind blew a tree the wrong way and Faolan's eyes darted upwards, blue and bright in the darkness. She heaved a small sigh and inched her knees closer to her body.

Just as her eyes were beginning to get heavy and she no longer shivered from the cold there was a low, long howl, starting deep and getting higher and higher as it continued. Fao's eyes turned wide and the puffs of breath steaming out into the air momentarily stopped as her ears honed in on the tone. But then it was gone and the woods were silent again.

Faolan did not let herself go back into a doze and she slowly stood up, keeping on hand on the tree that had been sheltering her, its branches hovering over like the arms of a druid. And then a large clump of snow slid from the tree above her and landed on her hat and she sneezed, a single, loud, intrusive noise and she froze, listening once more before carefully wiping her nose on a sleeve.

The howl began again and this time she knew it was closer. But the adults always said wolves didn't like humans, and would usually avoid them. However, Fao was very aware of the fact that she was small for a human, smaller than a wolf, in fact. And despite the intimidating ways of an adult, a child her age was not much of a match for a wolf.

"Please go away," she whispered, her voice a little louder and she looked up at the moon, holding in her heart a hope to the moon, for help. Her mittened hands clenched together and she gazed up for a long moment before the howl started again, short, loud, and so close…

Faolan peered through the trees and her eyes met the glowing green ones of a wolf. They were such an odd shade… Fao gazed, and as she looked at the sleek and yet terribly wild creature before her she felt no fear. And then she noticed the saliva dripping down from the fangs protruding from the creature's mouth. And she realized that this wolf was very big, much bigger than even the largest dogs that the Lord owned- the Bull Mastiffs. And it was taller than the Great Danes.

And that was when it leapt. A scream erupted from Fao's mouth, higher than the howl had ever been, as she fell backwards in her sudden need to run away. But then a large paw was pushing onto her back and she could get up, and warm, hot breath was seeping through her scarf, damp and moist and hungry.

A low, angry, revenge filled growl erupted and Fao closed her eyes tightly against the snow digging against her face and a sudden, terrible pain erupted in her shoulder as needle sharp fangs pierced easily through her clothing and into her skin. And someone, in the distance, was screaming.

"There they are," someone said behind me and I peered the way his finger was pointed, even though I had already seen them. Yes, I could see them, dark shapes winding through the bare winter trees. Even in the darkness of the night I could see them.

Crouching down against the cold leaves I turned to my comrade. His eyes were intense, and deep and we held each other's gazes for a long and intricate moment before he pulled out a map and spread it out. A piece of red chalk appeared in his hand and he made a few, quick marks. I nodded in agreement and he folded it up.

"These need to get back to command," he said in his short and demanding voice, but it was not cruel. It was confident. I nodded and took the map- and the other parchment behind it and shoved it into my jacket.

We straightened and I saluted to him and then crept over to where my horse was tethered. The gelding wore no bit and the bridle itself was made of cotton. He had no saddle, and he was quick. Quick, fast, surefooted, and silent as a cat. I pulled myself up onto his back with a movement of many years practice.

The gelding tensed up and prepared to move but I tugged back on his reins and turned to look back at him. He was standing a few feet off and I nodded to him, and then, on a spur thought, gave him a tense smile.

"Good luck, Captain," I said and he, oddly, saluted at me, returning my smile with one of his own.

And I turned, pressing my heels into the gelding's sides and slipped off through the trees, dark and as shadowy as the troops that were at this moment coming closer…

:Faolan: a voice said and a flash of memory moved through Fao's mind. Of something, after the pain, shouting "No!", a young voice, but older than hers. The girl peeled open her eyes and realized she felt absolutely awful. There was a white shape above her, and she was warm, something she hadn't been in a long time.

"You shouldn't be here," Faolan said to the white shape, squinting her eyes and then rubbing them. There was a dull ache in her shoulder, "You're too soon. I'm not ready."

:No, but you need me: the voice agreed, feminine and familiar.

Fao's hand edge up and touched her shoulder. Her fingers were bare, and to her surprise she found that she was bare as well, and the only thing covering her shoulder were some herbs pressed between large leaves. The entire concoction was damp and the leaves were torn. Why hadn't they tied it up with a piece of cloth?

And then she felt a deep pain down inside of her, emotional and physical and the memories of what had happened before welled up before her and something erupted inside, something screaming, something crying, and something roaring for blood.

"NOOO!" Fao heard herself screaming and she was flinging blankets from the bed she was in, and the concoction on her shoulder slipped down, leaving reddish yellow streaks running down her chest, some blood and some something else- but she didn't notice. A red haze seemed to come over her sight- then something white, the shape, was pressing a soft nose into her chest, pushing her down like the paw had held her into the snow and she convulsed in horror, her screams momentarily muffled in her chest and her eyes wide and unseeing.

:Faolan: the voice said and warmth wrapped around her mind, holding tight the cold shivers in her mind and the pushing back all emotion.

"What's happened to me?" Faolan whispered a few hours later and the nose, soft, white, and covered in soft hair retreated, leaving a cold spot on her chest, but then a quilt was pulled back over her body and through the blurry haze of her vision she saw the white shape step back.

:You're healing: the voice told her and Faolan would have pinned it to someone of about thirteen years old.

:From what: Faolan asked, touching her shoulder again. The leaves were gone and now she could feel dried blood and two deep punctures. Her stomach rolled and she leaned over, letting loose the contents of her stomach onto the floor of wherever they were.

:You'll know when you've healed: the voice told her, and then, as if reading her thoughts, said, :My name is Raul.:

A/N: So whatcha think? Don't worry, I'm not quiting with Companions Don't Cry but I'd like some input on this one too!