"Where am I..." her voice cracked softly as she held the baby close to her body, staring out at the expanse of desert that lay before her. She had never been this far out from Aberon. Shuddering as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, she looked around bleakly. There was no way she could survive alone, might as well with a baby! She had very little food and water... and she couldn't see anything besides desert. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the sleeping baby, sighing very softly. What was she supposed to do now? She shivered, the cold getting to her now. The baby was swaddled in its own blankets as well as pieces of material Evie had ripped from her torn dress. She gave her steed another spur on and the tired horse obliged.

They walked for what seemed like ages, and finally Evie pulled herself off the great horse and walked beside him, giving him a rest. Her feet hurt - she could feel the beginnings of blisters forming. The sun was completely down now and the desert was freezing cold. She clung close to the horse, glad that the baby slept soundly in her arms. Leaning her head against the horse they kept walking for what seemed like an eternity. Whether it was just minutes or hours that went by, Evie could barely tell.

The first thing she noticed was the change in the air. Instead of the dry, arid air that stung her nose the air was now much more humid. Lifting her weary head, she looked around, seeing the beginnings of a forest. Crying out in disbelief she began to run towards the trees. The horse sped up with her, the two of them close to exhaustion. They reached the trees but Evie kept running. There had to be a river... or something... how could the trees grow otherwise? She almost cried when she saw the reflection of the stars on the ground. Running faster now, she splashed into the banks of a lake, the water swelling around her legs. The baby gurgled, crying out softly and wiggling about in her arms. She dipped her finger in the water and held it to the baby's mouth. He sucked eagerly on her finger.

Sighing in relief, Evie placed the baby at the roots of a tree, nuzzled up by her horse. With that, she pulled off her tattered dress and walked into the water, splashing water up over her naked body. The water was cold and it nipped her skin, but it felt good. She washed the soot and dirt from her body, finally sitting down on the shore and letting the soft ebb and flow of the lake water rush over her torso. She felt better... or as good as one could feel knowing that their father had died to save her. Biting back tears she lay down, looking up at the stars. She remembered something suddenly and sat up, then walked over to the baby. Again, he was fast asleep. Smiling down at him weakly, she grabbed the small bag that her father had thrust into her arms. She had forgotten about it until now. Nervous, she pulled the strings on the top, peering inside of it.

Evie screamed, and then bit her tongue. Uhoh... now she had let anyone who was in the area know she was here. Cursing her lack of self control, she looked back into the bag. She couldn't believe her eyes though, and kept blinking. Inside, nestled up, was a small white dragon hatchling. Evie stared in amazement, gasping as the creature moved. The dragon yawned, stretching and then sat up, popping its head out of the top of the bag and placing its front feet on the edge of the bag. It squeaked and Evie immediately shushed it. It made a soft gurgle, trying to leap from the bag. She held out her hand tentatively, and the little dragon sniffed it apprehensively. With that, it nibbled on her fingers. Pulling them back suddenly the dragon gave out a squeal and fell back into the bag.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... oh... I'm sorry..." Evie peered back in the bag, watching the little dragon look up nervously at her. She tried to smile at it, but it merely stared at her. After a few tense minutes, it uncoiled its body and sat back up, pulling itself onto her hand and waddling up her arm. Evie giggled slightly, watching it. Was this her father's? How could he keep something like this from her...? After the initial shock it WAS kinda cute... she picked it up gently and brought it to her eye level. It yawned again and then leaned out and bit her nose.

"Ow!" she exclaimed and she could have sworn the hatchling grinned at her. Evie was about to speak more when she heard twigs snap. Gasping, she slid the dragon back into the bag and pulled her dress on quickly. She reached under the skirt, and hung the tassel of the bag on a piece of bone that supported the bodice. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the baby, picking it up in her arms and then lying down beside her horse. Hopefully nobody saw her... and nobody would until morning. Then they'd be off.