Chapter One (part 4)

It was a couple hours before Echo was woken by Dymetri groaning as he rolled over. He was waking up. Quickly and quetly she leaped off the bed. The cat stretched one last time, paws reaching foreward, before she shifted back into human form. He still didn't know she was a werecat and she wasn't sure she wanted to see his reaction.

The teenage girl smoothed her light green night gown, and walked lightly to the side of the bed where the elvin prince lay. She reached out slowly to trace her finger along the proud set cheek bone. At her warm touch, his eyes flew open. The orbs were a liquid gold dancing with tiny stars and they werent reflecting anything. He seemed to have the very galexy in his eyes.

"Echo?" He whispered. She nodded to him.

"Thats my name, dont wear it out." Echo smirked at him. It was one of her favorite lines to use for some reason.

He looked confused for a minute as he took in her appearance. "Where'd all the bandages go? And I swore I could see more scars than I cared to count. Most of them are gone." At his words she looked down to inspect herself.

Most of her scars had healed and what ever cuts that had remained after she took off the bandaging, had healed completely. She closed her eyes and tried to sense where the scars were on her body that was covered by the night gown. It was simply out of modesty for the prince in front of her but she was curious to know what marks were left along her white skin.

She could feel a healed gash diagonal accross her back. It started at her left shoulder and ended at her right hip. Another scar shone brightly in the girl's mind's eye along her right forearm. She was supprised that she hadn't bled to death. Echo had come dangerously near to slicing the main vein in her arm. Another in her left thy, where the main artery is, was in danger of being torn open. She could feel some small scars on the bottoms of her feet.

She looked at her hands one last time, following the last scar she could find that was between her forefinger and middle finger. It ran from the middle of her palm, through the fingers, and ended and the center of her wrist. She sighed. It was the farthest she had ever run, and she put myself through a meat grinder to get to the middle of nowhere.

A shiver ran down her spine. She couldnt even begin to imagine what she looked like when Dymetri had found her. He was looking at her now, cautiously, like he didnt want her to feel self conscious. In his eyes, reflected his heart, and there she saw nothing but gentle care, a little anger bubbling below the serface, and agonizing worry. It almost hurt her to look into his eyes. Echo had always been good seeing people's hearts in their eyes, it was a talent that she had. She just wished she didn't have it anymore because of the hurt she most often saw.

Without warning, her knees buckled and she colapsed on the floor. Tears pouring through her eyes. Echo's mother's face shone bright in her memory. It was her heart she saw that made Echo want to forget her talent forever. Her eyes held anger, hate, and to Echo's dismay, betrayal. She had done everything she could to keep her mother from being disapointed in her. To keep her believing in the teen's trust, that she would never betray her mother or father. But it was there, and it tore her apart.

Dymetri was startled by her sudden break down. He lept out of the bed and knelt beside the shaking girl. She could sense him wanting to reach out and comfort her, but his better judgement made him pause. Before he could come to a decision, a sob tore from her throat, ending in a quiet gowl as she darted to the window. As she made her way accross to the open window, she changed swiftly into her tiger form. It was her prefered form. Her night hair resembled her black stripes while her white skin was the soft white fur of which the black stripes made their intricate paterns.

Shock reflected in Dymetri's face. Her fur was on end and her body shook with the silent tears that she barely managed to keep from escaping her eyes.

"Echo? You're a--" Before the elf could finish his sentence, Echo shot him an almost apologetic look mixed with gratitued for the care he and his family gave her and leaped out of the window.

She fell five stories before landing with a thud in a crouch. She looked back towards the window in her borrowed room where Dymetri was looking out at her. He looked hurt, and even from here she could see into his eyes. Echo shook her head, trying to rid herself of the picture of his perfect face, and raced off towards the trees.

-Back into the forest I go.-