I slowly got to my knees, realizing before long that I had changed back into a human. I slowly, and painfully, crawled over to a tree, throwing my arms around it, digging my fingers deep into the bark, slowly dragging myself up to a position that was half way between a stand and a crouch. I carefully pulled myself from tree to tree, stumbling every other step because a searing pain flashed up my right leg every time I took a step. I assumed it was broken along with my left arm and a few ribs. My skin and clothes were covered with dried mud from the forest floor and blood that was slowly seeping from the recently reopened wounds that now covered my body.

                Painfully, I made my way back through the forest to the tower I had been attacked at the night before. I cautiously eased myself out of the cover of the trees, afraid that someone else might be hiding here, and limped painfully to the door. When I reached the steps, I reached down, slowly and painfully, to grab the keys that rested on the front porch where Keegan had dropped them the night before. Trying the keys in the lock seemed to take forever because my body was slipping into uncontrollable fits of shaking. When I finally got the right key in the door, I unlocked it and almost collapsed right there in the doorway. But I dragged myself inside, deciding against limping around aimlessly trying to find the bedroom; I walked over to the couch and carefully lowered myself onto it. Every movement hurt.

                Keegan! I called out in my head, in one last attempt to reach him.

                Aurora? asked a voice. It was Keegan’s and the soothing sound of his voice relaxed me.

                Yes? I asked.

                Where are you? he asked back.

                I’m back at the tower, I answered.

                I’ll be right there, he said, and then was gone. I drifted into unconsciousness soon after.

                Keegan arrived at the tower a short while later. I had been asleep on the couch the whole time I waited. But a sharp knock at the door woke me.

                “Come in!” I yelled. The door opened and someone, hopefully Keegan, stepped into the house.

                “You really shouldn’t leave the door unlocked, Your Highness,” Keegan playfully scolded me.

                I turned around and glared angrily at him.