As Gemini passed, Shail found himself holding his breath. Which was a thing he never did, finding breath an all too precious thing. Once she reached the inner cave, he pulled in one deep breath and ran. The morning outside was bright, but it didn't sting his eyes after looking out at it so long. Up the hill he ran, skidding down the far side in the loose sand. He ran that way on instinct, his feet seeming to know it was home.

But it wasn't. Not anymore. Shail gasped for breath, his emotions as much at fault as his running. He made it farther this time than his last attempt to run. Because of it, he felt oddly confident and his mental state didn't care about his body. As long as he could run, he would. Just, where to? He had nowhere to go now. Even if he returned to the village, they'd surely throw him out in order to avoid the djinn's wrath. He was hers now, no one else's. Not even himself?

The truth hit him too hard. Sliding to the ground, he collapsed against some rock outcroppings unfamiliar to him. It didn't matter though. They could offer shelter against the day. Even as he wheezed, fighting back a cough, he thought about Gemini and that cave. Would she look for him? It was for the best though. Didn't he say at the start that that cave would never be his home. He would escape. And now that he had, it didn't feel the least bit liberating.