[Celtic]

A woman sat on the sides of the alleyway, feeling crushed and overwhelmed by her surroundings. Every single word a person uttered, muttered or mewled was crashing into her with the force of a tidal wave. Every scratchy thread of clothing making itself painfully present on her skin. Every speck of dirt standing out as if shining bright under a UV light. She was too aware of everything in that moment. She wished she could speak or cry out but she was being stifled by her own senses. She was trapped in the small corner of her brain, leaving just a shaking, rocking mumbling husk for others to observe.


A dog was standing at alert in front of her, taking care not to touch his charge. He'd tried to get her away from everything, back to safety and to quiet before it overtook her, but no such luck. They couldn't run fast enough away, and they were stuck here now. He was scared, his hackles were raised and he glared down every person that walked too close or stared too long. His person, his safety was unable to help, and he could only do so much. One ear was always pointed back, keeping tabs on his person.

[Celtic]

The longer she sat there, the further she retreated into her mind. She had to get away from here, she couldn't stay. Here she was rotting, losing herself, so she left. A word, a name came floating from the upper corners of her mind's eye, getting louder as it floated nearer. "Ah-na, ah-na, ah-na, aH-NA" It kept repeating itself as it circled around her and then floated away, revealing a clearing at the edge of a house.

A giggle came from her own throat, a happy sound, a young sound. Her gaze moved upwards to view an adult that was familiar, handing her flowers. "Oh, Ana. You're growing so much!" The adult's voice swelled with pride and then she was being picked up and spun in a circle.

The dog was in a very different reality. His person had lost her marbles completely this time, and her childlike giggle was loud and attracted unsavory attention. He growled a warning to the man that approached.

[Celtic]

She was being shaken next and she heard her sister's voice, "Ana wake up! Ana! Wake up! We need to go, Ana please!" She felt her arm reach out to slap her sister away-- she was so tired. She couldn't possibly open her eyes. But the shaking continued, until she heard a loud scream and everything fell silent. Her eyes flew open then, sensing something was wrong. "Milly? Mildred?" She cried out. Her eyes were open now, but there was nothing. Just blackness greeted her. A void so great she was sure she had been consumed by something.

Then a dog barked, and she felt something brush against her leg. The blackness retreated, split in two. She was awake.

[Celtic]

The dog was doing his best. A man was cajoling at him, waving a piece of dried meat that made his mouth water. It'd been a couple of days since he'd eaten anything substantial, but he didn't trust this man. He couldn't. Not with his mother like this. He had no choice but to continue snapping and barking, all while retreating closer to the woman. His fur brushed her leg, and he was out of space. He bared his teeth, drawing his top lip up in a snarl. Then, he heard stirring and coherent rustling from his charge.

The woman blinked her eyes and rubbed them. She was so tired, her whole body ached from being held tense for so long. But when she saw the man, almost kneeling in front of Minimus, adrenaline spurred her awake. She spoke only one word, "Sleep."

[Celtic]

The man wavered slightly and staggered forward before falling to his knees and then finally, the ground. His eyes closed and Minimus relaxed. He quickly snatched the piece of dried meat he had been taunted with and chewed it, reveling in how good it tasted. The woman, in a scratchy voice, pat the top of the dogs head and muttered, "Good boy." She wondered briefly how long she'd been trapped in her dream state, tortured by old memories, before waving the thoughts away. Ruminating only made things worse.

Ana brushed herself off slightly, creating blumes of dust in the air around her. She desperately needed a bath and her clothes needed a good wash, but there wasn't time for those luxuries anymore. She was still running for her life.

[Celtic]

"C'mon bud, let's find our way home."

Home was a loose term now-a-days, but it generally meant somewhere safe. Minimus fell into step with Ana, keeping contact with her leg as they walked. He was still on high alert, but slightly less so now that Ana was functional. She was so grateful for this little dog, she'd likely be dead without him. No, she would certainly be dead without him.

They walked briskly through the alleyways, taking many twists and turns, passing shanty houses and countless dirty children. Some stared at them with huge, wide eyes, holding out their hands for something, anything. Some played in the dirt, using trash as substitutes for soccer balls. Others still just sat and did nothing, already vacant from a life of hardship.

[Celtic]

Ana hated this place. These children had no good reason for their suffering. She'd seen opulence and prosperity in so many places. Why did these kids have to suffer with nothing? Her sister, Millie, had made herself enemy number one for a time after she conducted a study on the outside of the castle walls on how many children died of starvation. Their parents just repeatedly said, it's sad but that's the lot of the poor. They'll make it one day. Millie and Ana had argued passionately about how they didn't need to starve, and then one day, the castle guard no longer allowed either of them beyond the walls.

The beginning of the dark times.

Again, Ana shook her head. Reminiscing would do no good here. Not now. She needed to stay focused, they needed to get home. Again she picked up the pace, realizing she had slowed to barely a crawl. The distractions were getting harder and harder to fight every day. Soon there would be nothing left of her but a husk of old memories, and a dog that would die protecting that husk.

[Celtic]

The woman's head remained tucked their entire trek home. She wore a dirty scarf around her hair, obscuring part of her face from the side views. The scarf may at one time have been a nice piece of clothing-- it was light, but impeccably stitched. Blues were woven throughout the scarf, although now most of it was a dingy gray-ish brown hue. Most of the woman's clothes were that way. They draped like expensive cloth did, tailoring was evident but either it wasn't tailored to Ana or Ana had lost quite a bit of weight. Her dress hung too long and the ends were frayed from dragging on the ground.

Her dog never left her side, even as his gaze lingered hungrily at every stall, every home they past that might have food. Through his fur you could tell he was thin, not quite a deathly look, but still a too thin that was concerning. The two were not a happy sight for anyone.

[Celtic]

Their destination was just as bleak looking as they were. Once you reached the trees, take a sharp left and walk for about 10 more minutes. At that point you'd reach a large tree that had a small lean-too set up. It was just a piece of plywood covered in a tarp, but it was home. A small fire pit sat behind the lean-to with a single cast-iron pan.

When they arrived, the woman wearily sat next to the fire pit and the fenref picked up a handful of sticks in their mouth bringing to the woman to act as kindling. Almost robotically, Ana struck flint into the pile, watching carefully for a spark. Fire was life. They needed fire.

[Celtic]

The fire was lit and she put the little pan over it to boil some water for the rice they had left. Her eyes strayed to her companion, how the fire illuminated the gauntness in his ribs. "Oh Minimus, what are we going to do? We can't survive much longer." Her voice was soft and pleading, she was running out of options quickly. Ana could feel the darkness tugging at the edges of her mind and her eyes swell with tears. Minimus crawled over and leaned into her, licking her face. A smile tugged at her lips and the darkness retreated a few steps: she needed to feed Minimus before she could surrender tonight.

"Thank you, friend." Her body pushed back into him, using the dog as a crutch and the two huddled there for a few moments, watching the pot of water slowly heat until steam was rising off the top. Ana grabbed the burlap sack that appeared empty at first glance, and poured what was left into the water. Maybe a cup, slightly more of a rice poured out, instantly clouding the water with starch. Water was far to precious now to rinse their rice-- and she'd grown rather accustomed to the gloopy mess her dinners had become. This was their life now.

[Wild Pet Found]