There were many words to describe the earth. Burned. Blasted. Empty. Barren. Bruised. There were many things that you saw when you looked around. Hopeless and Desperate. Nomads and the Banded.

It was an earth that had been wiped clean of civilization allowing the plants, in one form or another, struggle to create their own haven. It was an earth that was populated by only the densest groups of humans, or barely none at all. Cities didn't go out, but up. Walled in from the dangers beyond. People feared nature and were trying to live life once more. Following their same dangerous instincts in forests of steel, rock - rubble.

There are many words to describe the wanderer. Beautiful. Blessed. Graceful. There are many words to describe her character. Hard. Cold. Deadly. She was a product of the apocalypse. Seen the horrors great power can do to not just entire nations, but the entire plant. She was a product of humanity's worst characteristics. Had the memories of the past, the problems of the present, and a developing power the future of mankind would face.

These powers were from the earth. The whole world was rebooting. The plants had new abilities. The animals had new abilities. The humans... despite their tendency to abuse power... had new abilities. Though small and fragile, this new world was trying something different.

Earth would protect itself. Cleanse itself. Clear the poisons from the world and the humans who threatened that process.

Humans would protect themselves. Harden themselves. Destroy what wouldn't be controlled including the earth that threatened their selfish dominions.

And so the story begins.

Amber walked to the edge of a cave. It was a very unique cave. On the outside it was a part of the forest. At the entrance, technology salvaged and adapted kept the wild creatures and humans out. At the back a tunnel. The tunnel led to an underground world where water was crystal clear and plants grew normally.

Still, the world before her cave was much more of a challenge. Close by was the forest. Deadly to humans but not to the rest of the living world. Beyond that she could see walls of steel rising high in the air. Inside a city build on the ruins of an old civilization she barely remembered.

Pulling her silk jacket tight and belting it snug, she stepped softly to the edge of the cliff edge. Taking her pole in both hands, she briskly jumped off the edge and landing on a large tree branch below. Every level of the forest had it's dangers. She preferred the ones in the trees to those above or below. Running along the branches was her preferred method of transportation and what she did with ease now. Despite having a normal name, Amber, she was known to those nomads who passed by every now and then as... The Wanderer.

A slender girl with hair so light it seemed silver white, made her way across the barren land towards the woods. Her skin, tanned by the blistering sun, made her straight hair seem so strange and out of place. Behind a pair of battered sunglasses flashed intelligent, deep blue-green eyes, the color of deep, still water. Those eyes seemed to take in everything around her.

Her birth name long forgotten, she had been dubbed Silver at a young age. She hardly remembered remembered life before and knew much more of this world. She was a survivor, which in itself was a bit of a miracle, as she had lost her parents in the apocalypse that had done this to the world.

At her side padded a large, black dog that looked to be a mix of Irish Wolfhound, Scottish Deerhound and German Shepherd. It was a scruffy, mutt of a dog but not one that you would want to mess with, despite its happy demeanor at the moment. Its eyes though, much like his mistress', were taking in everything around them and his ears were pricked for any sound of danger.

Reaching a cross-roads in the tree branch highway, Amber paused. Which way would bring her towards a nomadic group? She wanted to do a little blundering today. Maybe find some new tech she didn't have to help her little refuge be a better retreat from the wilderness. Picking a direction, she headed swiftly on once more. Her muscles toughed and nourished, it was no hard feat.

Soon she came upon a small clear pool. Soil and water were poisonous. Only deep underground where the earth had somehow filtered everything clean was it safe. Either that or a more human method such as technology or those white tablets more and more humans carried. Whatever the case, there was a guy down there and he wasn't looking up. She grinned and aimed her pole over his neck before dropping down on top of him.

Silver reached the tree line and paused, knowing of the dangers within. She looked down at the big, black dog at her side, looking to see what he thought. The dog was alert but relaxed, not sensing any danger close by. He turned his big, brown eyes up to meet the hidden blue-green ones of his mistress.

Dog and girl stared into each others eyes, seeming to communicate silently for a moment. Silver nodded to the dog and stepped into the dimness of the forest, walking practically silently along. Her eyes were constantly scanning around her for any danger, her ears alert to any new sound. Her eyes drifted to the dog at her side every few seconds.

She knew that people feared the forests and the animals within, but Silver had always found it easier to read and understand animals than people. She figured that there might be untouched tools and technology buried in its depth, which was why she continued to forage further in.

Her pole fell with a SMACK across his neck. The rest of her body landed on his, letting him be her cushion the rest of the way down. He was out cold. She paused and listened. A buddy of his heard the crash and called through the undergrowth, "Hey, you okay?" He wasn't so dumb then to go by himself. She fumbled through his clothing, finding little more than radio like trinkets. Slipping into the brush as his friend came into view, she slipped behind a tree trunk and listened to his friend's urgent efforts to revive the fallen comrade.

As he was distracted by that, she grinned and wielding her pole took him out too. A nice CLUNK to the head did fine. She found little more on him. Useful small stuff for locating possible water or overly radioactive places. But not as useful. Still she kept them and climbed back into the trees. Staying long enough to see them stir a little, she lit out of there as fast as she dared.

The dog at her side raised his head and let out a soft, nearly silent growl. He had heard something. She strained her ears and heard a scuffle up ahead in the woods. She caught the dog's eye and held a finger to her lips, before moving on silently. The two crept quietly through the woods, finally coming to a halt in some cover from which they could observe the cause of the scuffle.

She saw a group of three guys, one big burly one looked to be the boss and the other two, thin scrawny guys didn't look like they liked the idea of being in the forest. They were turning constantly, throwing nervous glances all around them. A mischievous smile slides across her face as she eyes the three.

Deciding to have a little fun with them, she rustles the bush and the dog at her side lets out a deep growl. The two scrawny guys gazes fix on the bush and the elbow each other nervously. The big guy snorts and yells something to them about being spineless sissies. Staying low, Silver moves swiftly and silently to another bush, the dog still at her side. She rustles it and the dog growls again. The scrawny guys spin to look at the bush, the nervousness in their faces blossoming into fear.

Working her way from tree to tree, Amber began gaining elevation. This happened for two reasons. The first was the group sloped up a little. The second was because she was climbing up the tree limbs as the trees grew taller. Finally reading a limb that was a high as she could go and still be next to the cliff face she had reached, Amber paused to catch her breath. Double checking to make sure all her stuff was together and secure, she wiped her hands and then started to climb the cliff. With the top of the tree behind her, she reached the ledge to the entrance of her cave. Grinning, she pulled herself up.

Walking to the entrance, she disabled her lasers long enough to step inside and reactivated them. There was an annoying high sound generator that didn't bother her, but kept away any flying animals that might get in. It was terrifying what vultures had turned into after the last war. Human technology had unleashed something that morphed them within a generation into larger birds with wicked talons and beaks. They didn't feast on the dead unless they killed it.

Walking halfway to the back, she stopped at a table she had managed to build. In her spare time on rainy days, she had carefully etched the normal creatures of her past and what they had become now into the thick wood. Wood that had been no easy feat to get up here in the first place. Pulling out her newly gained gadgets, Amber put them on the table for messing with later.

Heading on to the back, she reached the tunnel going down and further into the mountain. It was a stony staircase crudely made. It circled down gently, lit by a blue glow further in. Coming down and around into her cavern room, Amber smiled at the lovely sight before her. In this room, untainted by the polluted water and soil outside, the plants grew normally without their new thorns and poisonous spores. She could grow herbs and vegetables of old. She missed fruit, normal fruit. Trees wouldn't grow here though without natural sunlight. Checking one of her glass bulbs with blue liquid inside, she saw that the glow would last longer yet and left it alone. Constantly upkeeping those was important.

Getting a pack to wear on her back, Amber headed back up. She might not be able to grow fruit, but she could forage what passed for fruit nowadays. There was an apple tree in the forest she wanted to get to. It would make a nice snack. She just had to use her boot knife to hack off the shell that now surrounded the apples. They were more like coconuts with how hard it was to eat them.

Silver continued to circle the three men, rustling the foliage as her canine companion growled and snarled. After only a few minutes, the two scrawny guys couldn't take it any longer and bolted into the forest. Silver became silently as she crept up on behind the big man, who was yelling curses and commands at the backs of his fleeing companions.

Nearing her target, she slipped the two swords from their sheaths on her back and struck. The big man tumbled to the ground and her feet, dead. He never knew what hit him. Silver mostly didn't kill unless forced to, but when she met scum like this thug she had no qualms in removing them from the planet.

She wiped her sword blades off on the fallen man's clothes and returned the weapons to their sheathes on her back. Finally she knelt and dug through his pockets and run her hands over his clothes, looking for anything useful. She found a knife, which she added to her belt, and a few gadgets which she pocketed. She also found a hunk of what now passed for bread, missing the soft, delicious bread of before. She pocketed the bread also and removed the his canteen too. Finally finding nothing else of use, she stood and surveyed the area around her, deciding where to head from there.

Amber stretched as she walked into the open area of her cave. Yep, the day was young yet. She had plenty to do. Survival was never easy. There was no time for a vacation. Vegetables along would not keep her fed and well. Sunny days were rare. The seasons had changed and not for the moderate side of life. Winter winds and summer's purple lightening storms were not times to look for fruit or hunt. Reaching the entrance, Amber disabled and re-enabled her safety protocols before crouching at the edge of her cave once again.

Looking out over the forest below and the strange city's skyline in the distance. Now that time had passed, the shadows of the forest below were hidden by shiny leaves. Not having those shadows took away the sense of depth perception. That is, if you didn't know what you were looking at. She had spent plenty of time getting used to this view. And right now she was looking in the general direction of the apple grove she meant to visit. It was a ways away but Amber didn't mind. Shouldering a backpack, she leaped lightly off the cliff edge.

In less than a second, leaves sped past Amber's head. Landing on the first solid limb below her cave, she began working her way from tree to tree through the forest. Keeping carefully out of sight from the sky to avoid the flying predators and also out of sight from the living below, Amber made it to the apple grove. Originally it had been planted and cared for long ago so that there was space between the trees. However, a blast of some sort had twisted and leaned the original trees of the forest including these apple trees. Now they were almost choked out by the prickly and tougher trees that had grown up at a monstrous rate after the apocalypse.

Pausing to monitor the grove, Amber surveyed the air, ground, and trees for signs of anything that might be out of place. Anything out of place that was alive or alluding to something else alive. So far nothing too scary was around. The one corpse she saw was days old, not hours. She carefully and slowly climbed down until she dropped at the bottom of her tree. Staying in the shadows, she worked her way towards the first apple tree.

It was a gnarly and prickly thing. Amber muttered under her breath as she pulled herself up and began sawing off an apple from the tree. The thick husk was attached by a thick stem. Getting it finally off, she opened her backpack and put the heavy thing inside. Then she got to work on another. She could safely transport half a dozen back without being too loaded down.

(So sorry, just realized that I never posted. I thought that I had.)

Silver, the big dog at her side, picked her course and continued deeper into the forest. Her eyes were constantly scanning the surrounding forest for even the minutest movement, every sense on high alert. Her hand often came to rest on the dog's back or her eyes would slip down to him, checking to see if he alerted to anything.

Even with her acute senses, there had been plenty of times that having the dog at her side had saved her life. She had been a loner until the day she had rescued him from some of the vicious beast that now roamed the world. They had been partners every since, protecting and looking out for one another, kind of like the cops of the world before.

(sorry, trying to figure out where I want to go with this.)

(No worries. I'll just keep describing the world my character lives in and what she knows.)

Amber was just heading back, her bag full of the apple montrosities when a wind tugged at her silk jacket. Pausing, her long pole balancing her on the tree limb she was standing on, Amber listened. Trees further away were making their dry scratchy rustling sounds as more wind came whipping through. Not knowing what was in the wind, she quickly pulled up a simple face mask. As the wind hit, pieces of dust and pollen whipped past. Glad not to have those contaminants in her body to poison her further than she was, Amber began making her way up instead of towards the cliff face she called home.

Reaching a viewpoint, she turned and stared at the approaching storm. Boiling black clouds with purple lightening raked across the distance sky. Realizing that the rain would be acid at best, Amber turned and began making a hasty retreat down. As horrible as the trees were now, their large roots provided one thing that saved many a creature. A purification system. Not caring how she got down, Amber was soon bruised as her feet hit the ground. Normally cautious of other creatures, she didn't spare a second glance at her surroundings as she took her pole and slammed it at the earth at the base of one large root.

Technically it was several large roots as it was their coiling masses that covered the ground by such large trees as hers. Still, that also didn't matter. Nothing mattered except to break through before the storm hit. It didn't take too long to crumble away the top layer of soil. Not looking back, she slid in and dropped. It was a good 10 feet drop. Landing with a thud in yellow sand, Amber rolled over and looked up. These trees with their deadly pollens held a secret she didn't bother passing on to those clustered in their crumbling cities. The sand beneath the trees was purified soil, free from the pollutions of humans. The system of roots took the pollutions into themselves. The trees carried the harmful substances in the earth's place. What water got down here was as safe and clean as that which she had in her cave. Amber was safe.

Silver heard the wind pick up and begin to rattle the trees at the same time the dog tensed and let out a soft growl. "What is it Black," she asked softly, speaking for the first time in a long while. The dog growled again, looking up into the trees as Silver sprang into the lowest branches of the nearest tree.

Black whined and paced at the base of the tree as Silver climbed nimbly up through the branches. Finally she got up high enough to see the dark storm clouds moving towards them, throwing out purple lightning periodically. Silver watched the clouds for a moment, not liking the look of them. After a moment she began to hurriedly make her way back down through the trees, dropping from one branch to another.

As she got down far enough to see the black canine again, she found him digging below the massive tree roots. Trusting her companion's instincts, having been saved more than once by them, she dropped out of the tree and moved in next to the dog to help. They dug frantically at the earth and suddenly it gave way, dumping them into a sandy-floored cavern underneath the tree.

Amber lay in the sand for a few seconds letting her heart rate slow. Then she slowly sat up and winced. The apples in her bag had bruised her back in the landing. Forcing herself to stand up, she steadied herself with her pole. The sand easily slid off her silk jacket but Amber had no doubts there was some still in her hair. Looking around the cavern, she wondered how many large trees were connected. How many more caverns like her own were there or was this one large underground world beneath the forest?

Shrugging the thought away, she stepped away from the opening above her. She didn't want the rain that did get through the hole to touch her. Judging carefully the direction of the cliffs, she slowing began walking. The fall really had bruised her back. Just enough to make her sore. She hadn't gone very far when she stopped. The light from that hole was her only light. Turning back and looking at it, she sighed. She would have to wait out the storm here. Setting down on the soft yellow sand and sliding off the bag, Amber laid down to rest. The likelihood of anyone else down here was rare. Most animals would simply go to their own homes. So what harm could there be in resting?

Thunder roared overhead causing her eyes to snap open before they even closed. Purple light casted dark shadows from the entrance. She was glad there was distance between her and it. Still, it was eerie. The wind picked up and the unmistakeable sounds of rain slowly filled the air. With the winds that accompanied these storms, it wouldn't take long to dry out once it stopped. It was having the rain stop that was a problem. Seeing some dust and pollen from outside floating in from the wind, Amber pulled her face mask up over her nose and cradled her head on her arm. Staring at the opening up on the ceiling, she lay bored. The other hand fingering her pole absent-mindlessly.

Silver backed away from the opening overhead as she heard the storm get nearer. She knew of the acid rain that often fell and she didn't want to risk getting any on her body. As she backed away from the opening, she expected to back into the cavern wall but as she moved farther and farther from the opening, she still found no wall. Curious, she turned her attention from the opening above to the area behind her.

How big was this cavern? Was there perhaps a whole underground network down here that no one knew of? The questions filled her mind as she tried to peer into the darkness before her. A flash of purple lightning and a boom of thunder drew her attention back to the opening momentarily. She shrugged, knowing that they were down here until the storm passed and sometimes it could be days before an acid storm would peter out.

She dropped her pack to the ground and dug in it. Her hand hit the cylindrical object of her desires and she pulled it out, not needing to see its red coating to know it was what she wanted. She shouldered her pack again and ignited the flare, looking down at her canine companion before proceeding forward, unsure of what she might find.

Amber was feeling restless. Relaxing outside the security of her cave was not her style. People died for less. Clenching her pole and standing up, she began to practice fighting. Every time thunder clapped outside, she pretended an animal was attacking. Keeping the pole moving at all times could be exhausting if you didn't train regularly. Ignoring the dripping of acid rain from the hole she made high above, she worked around the expansive clearing. Pillars that held the ceiling sometimes became her targets. The pieces of bark barely splintering as her pole came in contact with them.

Soon she had worked up a light sheen of sweat. Her entire focus centered and as alert as in real combat. Muscles warmed up, it was easy to flex around fast and swift. She didn't need strength. Not when a limber body well groomed to defense suited her so well. Brown hair forming a long braid flew around as she spun. Her long silk jacket flapped with each leap. Soft boots making no sound except for the slight thud of her weight coming in contact with the earth again.

Silver grasped the flare in her left hand, pulling one of her swords with her right. Looking down at the black dog next to her, she gave him a nod and proceeded slowly forward. The pillars holding up the earthen ceiling made weird, long shadows in the light of the flare. Every sense in woman and dog were alert, awaiting any whisper of danger.

In this world, you never knew what you might find. Savage animals, many far mutated from their relatives of the past. Mankind now over-ran with the nefarious lowlifes, thugs and murders. The ones that broke Silver's heart were the twisted and crazed creatures, mere shell of their former selves, driven insane by experience the breakdown of the world they knew. Brains unable to handle what they had seen, their bodies and minds had just snapped. They wandered aimlessly like some sort of zombie, unconcerned or caring about the world around them.

She felt a shiver and a mix of sadness and wariness at the thought of those poor creatures. She shook it off and turned her attention and thoughts at the cavern before her. She moved lightly and quietly forward across the sand, sense ready for anything.

It had been quite a few hours since the rain had started. Amber had rested periodically, stretching in place of the exercises. It sounded like the storm was tapering off. The rain had miraculously stopped. With that strong wind outside, it might be safe to leave when the storm left. That is, if it didn't start raining again. With her luck, this storm had an eye and she was barely halfway through it. Whichever the case, time would tell.

Seeing a glow in the darkness, Amber paused. Was her vision going? Had she allowed the pollution outside to get to her that she was going senile? Surely not. Her body functioned too well for that to be the case. Looking around, she saw that her exercises made it hard to tell how many and where to. Questions another person might have. Slipping back away from the dimly lit area, she stepped behind a pillar.

Peering out from the shadows, she tried to see what the glow was. Surely there wasn't a lightening fire down here. That would be dangerous. The whole roof was composed of wood. Still, these trees were tough things. Maybe there was simply another person. That was dangerous too. She didn't trust humans. Leaning back, she tried to hear what her eyes couldn't see.

The black dog at her side tensed and let out a soft, nearly imperceptible growl. Silver froze and stepped behind a pillar, listening tensely for any sound of another person or people. She looked down at the dog, knowing that his senses being more acute then hers, he could tell how many there were. Silver waited until the dog's brown eyes were fixed on her. Then, her fingers held together in an "o" she lifted her hand, spreading them as she lifted, signaling the dog to tell her how many there were.

Black raised his big head and sniffed deeply, looking around. Finally he dug a single furrow in the sand floor, "one." Her mind began running through options and possibilites. Did she try and make contact, which was so dangerous with people now a days, or should she backtrack and waited for the storm to finish and get out of here? Silver looked around her at the potential battle field. Not liking the look of it, she lightly tapped her hand to her thigh, telling the big, black dog to "come" and began to make her way back the way she had come.

(Sorry, hope you don't mind.)

(Not at all, just gave an opening in case that was what you wanted. Will fast forward to after the storm. Just finished cramming for a test, so will have to get some sleep before I can post a response.)

(That is fine.)

Long after the light had gone away, she stayed in the shadows. Listening, keeping her breathing even and shallow, listening for sounds between heartbeats. So far nothing. Even the storm had finally passed. The wind hadn't let up. So just running outside probably wasn't wise. Staying down here wasn't a good plan either. Walking softly from the pillar and skirting around the circle of daylight streaming from the hold above, Amber eyed cautiously the far side while listening for sounds from behind. Nothing. It was perfectly silent. No sense of being watched either.

Turning, she looked up at the hole. How to get out? Taking out some thin nylon rope and tying it to the middle of her pole, she launched it through the hole and pulled back. It caught at the entrance allowing her to climb up. It was hard since she was hauling the backpack of apples. Still, she made it, using the pole as a bar to pull herself back outside. Immediately pulling the silk mask hanging at her neck up and over her nose, Amber stood and surveyed around. It was quiet. Too quiet. The wind and it's poisonous dust and pollen didn't seem to harm the animals. They had evolved too much.

Taking to the trees, she worked her way up onto a strong limb and started back for the cliffs. Keeping on cautious eye above and another to the side. There was a predator about. She knew it. It was too quiet. Hopefully it was below her though. Anything else could get her too easily.

Silver got back to the hole and stopped, waiting to see if she had been pursued. Finally, hearing nothing, she turned her attention to the hole and now realized her problem. Getting in had been easy but getting out wouldn't be so easy. Once again she swung her pack down to the floor and begin riffling through it, finally pulling out a rope with a hook on the end of it. Taking aim, she threw the hook up through the opening, hoping it would catch on something, perhaps the tree roots. She pulled back on the rope and the hook caught on something.

Next came another problem, she could easily climb the rope but the dog could not. She called him to her side and tied the rope around his middle. She looked up through the hole one last time, trying to get a reading of the world above. Finally she hefted her pack, pulled her mask over her face and with a whispered word to the dog, began to climb. She reached the top to find that the hook had indeed, caught in some of the exposed tree roots. She unhooked it and ran the rope around the trunk of the tree, giving her extra leverage and help. She quickly pulled the dog up and untied him, stashing the rope back in her pack.

Amber was feeling exhausted. Every nerve on alert, she worked her way carefully toward home. Still, it was quiet. The wind was dying down. Rumbling thunder slowly becoming a distant dream. Stopping and leaning in the shadows of the tree, Amber rested her back against the trunk and pulled down her mask. The soft silk falling to lay below her chin. Waiting there, she eyed the ground far below. It was more than broken bones if she fell. Not even the large roots were close enough to slow such a fall. Nothing stirred. It was silent.

Without moving much more than her eyes, she started scanning the leaves overhead for passing shadows or any clue to what was waiting out there. Cover became sparse between here and home. She would be going to higher branches hundreds of feet up with no more cover above to protect from sky predators. Amber couldn't take a chance... There! She saw a shadow passing branches above. A vulture on steroids came briefly into view before veering out of sight. It hadn't seen her yet, but she couldn't go on and stay out of sight long.

Weighing her options, Amber had a choice to make. Stay right where she was at and spend the night in the tree. Or search for covering down below. There were not many places she wanted to go. Dangers lurked any human nomads, especially the rowdy group she had been picking on lately. There were caves in the direction of the cliffs that might work, especially the shallow ones. Still, she wasn't eager to be in such a place where fighting might be restrictive. Going underground was equally unattractive since returning to the surface was a moment of incredible vulnerability.

Sighing, Amber slowly slid down the trunk until she was sitting on the large branch. There was plenty room to lay down. Such large branches were not a problem. Staying in the middle, she eased her bag off and placed it in front of her. Laying her pole across her lap, she forced herself into a meditative napping state. Completely sleeping was stupid. Her best bet to get home would be right before sunrise. Between now and then she needed to stay alive and energized.

(Feel free to do what you want. I posted as much as I wanted for this time period and am ready for predawn...)

(Okay, will do)

Silver noticed the unearthly quiet and immediately tensed, just as Black begin to growl softly and bristle. Silver's blue-green eyes began to scan the sky above and every tree top near by. Just as she slipped her swords out of their sheathes on her back, she saw the massive vulture. Black was crouched and snarling at her side as the bird winged into sight. Silver backed out of the clearing and into the trees, the dog at her side.

With a soft command, she sent him towards a tangle of brush around a fallen tree. With her companion safely out of the way of the vulture, who could easily carry away a large dog, Silver turned her attention to the threat. She kept backing until she felt a tree at her back. She stood silently, waiting with hopes that the vulture wouldn't notice her. Thankfully the massive bird flew on.

Once the vulture was out of sight, she joined Black by the fallen tree and noticed that there was a hollow dip in the ground next to the tree. She settled into the hollow, pulling a plastic tube of liquid chemicals out of her bag. They were another awesome find. When you broke the tube inside, the chemicals mixed and the sticks began to glow. With the dog at her side, she settled back to wait for dawn.

The air became coolest and the sky blackest right before dawn. It was this subtle change that alerted Amber to come out of her semi-awake state. Taking deeper breathes and flexing her muscles, she woke up her body slowly. Warming up, she slowly stood. Her silk jacket not making the slightest rustle. Pulling her silk mask up, she slid the straps of her leather bag on and crouched on the branch. Her leather pants the same dark brown color of her eyes and hair. Then she waited.

Soon the sky began to change to a lighter blue. This was about timing. If any vultures were in the area, then being careful was necessary. Amber didn't understand their habits or why they came when they came. She only knew that they left after finding live meat to eat. She didn't plan to be that meal. Nimbly balancing with her pole behind her, she worked her way from tree to tree. Gaining height, the branches were becoming smaller. Less leaves protected her. Yet the dawn was coming.

Cover gone and the tops of the trees mere yards away, Amber paused. The cliffs rose up in front of her. Home a black hole in their impressive side. Still she waited. The gray dawn suddenly blossomed into rays of yellow and a golden glint touched the horizon. Now! She worked quickly towards the cliffs and leaped onto a small shelf in their sides. The sun's absolute rays chasing the darkness away left the world a brilliant contrast of brightness and darkness. Scaling the rock face, she mountain climbed up. Reaching her ledge in safety, she stood there and turned. Hers was the advantage now. The forest far below.

The camp of rowdy nomads was smokeless. Several forms rising up to fly away. The vultures had scouted. They had found their meal and were now leaving. She sighed. It was unfortunate for them but a blessing for her. She would go raid them in a few hours. For now, turning, she headed towards the cave entrance and the security devices there.