She was a magical creature, formed by magic, kept by magic, led by magic. And magic linked her to another, the one who called her south. Around her, rodents and others she would normally see as prey scurried away from her in fear. They needn’t have bothered. Her mind was on something else. Something that lived to the south. Something that drew her on relentlessly, mercilessly. Beyond hunger. Beyond pain. She paid no heed to the passage of time or the distance that her even pace was devouring. She only knew Maida. The link that had been formed led her south, to Maida. How could she have been so stupid, so selfish, so misguided as to have run when the link was being forged? What was she thinking? To have Maida in her life was a gift far beyond anything she could have imagined. The foolish dreams of independence, of freedom, were behind her now as she drove herself south, back into the welcoming warmth, away from this hateful cold. Her mind exulted at the knowledge that Maida drew closer with every pace, every bunch and release of her muscles.
