The more the woman stared at him, the more frantic he became. He scurried across the grass on his elbows and heels without even a backward glance for fear of the Princess Morganna's face. His bit back several whines and once he thought he was far enough from them, he glanced backwards only to catch their eyes again. He jerked his head away to avert his eyes, whimpering now as he made himself scarce, wanting to put as much space between them as was possible within a few seconds.

Ambling through the trees that made up the very edges of Cedarwood forest, he ran. He ran until his limbs ached and his paw pads felt as though they were on fire. Just like Morganna had inwardly thought before him, he, too, made up a plan to return to her, to find her again. If she was telling the truth that she was no descendant of the Corvinus clan, then perhaps he would find himself in her favor in hopes of protecting himself from the Corvinus's themselves. Power was power, and though Tannis feared it with every fiber of his scrawny being, he knew that a royal like Morganna could provide him with a sort of diplomatic immunity that would shield him from whatever and whoever else was out for his hide.

Along the banks of Heartleaf Creek and in the shade of the empress trees that lined its edges he collapsed to the ground, sorely wishing that he had asked for permission to stay...

(Fin.)