Here deep in the forest Eve walked in a shadowy world with occasional sunlight playing on the ground at her feet. Many of the small brushes had flowers, Eve couldn't imagine being farther away from human civilisation.

She couldn't slow down to enjoy the beautiful surroundings however, because when she did, Kal swept the thin tree branch in front of him, striking her sore bottom. She already had a few red stripes across her cheeks, they were a constant reminder of her ungrateful behaviour.

She wondered how long he was going to treat her like this and when he would return to his good-natured self. Perhaps never she thought, his life was changed now. He would never be able to go back to his friends because of her, back to the man he loved. She wanted to believe that he was cruel, that she didn't deserve this treatment, but she knew this wasn't true. What did Kal know about her after all? That she was a gaeth, found in the woods, but that she didn't do as she was told and lashed out at the people that helped her. No wonder that he no longer treated her as a friend.

“Kal, where are we going?” She asked, trying to spark a conversation.

“Somewhere nobody knows us.” He answered grimly.

Eve relaxed a little, so he wasn't going to turn her in, that was something at least.

“Kal, can we stop soon, I'm tired.” She said, using the sadness in her voice to try get some sympathy.

But then she heard the swish of the branch and pain suddenly blossomed across her bottom. She jumped up and moaned. Kal wasn't in the mood for talking or slowing down. She increased her pace again, staying well in front of him.

When the sun finally hid behind the trees again Eve didn't know what hurt more, her feet or her red striped bottom, but Kal finally told her they were going to stop for the night. He threw away the switch he had been using on her and looked her in the eye. “Can we go on without that tomorrow?” He asked her.

Eve didn't know what to answer, but something told her he had finally regained his old composure. Instead she threw herself in his arms and hugged him.

Kal stepped back in surprise, but then held her. “You're the strangest gaeth I have ever met. Did you know that?”

Eve nodded against his chest and Kal stroked her hair.

“No more complaining?”

She shook her head.

“No more throwing sticks?”

She shook again.

“And you're going to do as you're told and travel at a decent pace?”

Eve looked up at him. “I promise.”

Kal smiled and reached down her back, finally pushing her dress back down, the thin fabric just long enough to cover the red welts on her bottom.

They found a group of trees bunched together that would hide them from sight as they slept and Eve tried to make herself comfortable as Kal went in search of fresh water to fill his bottle. Safely away from his eyes she pulled the small pot of cream she had been hiding under her dress since she left the farm. With a blush she remembered the last time she had used it, but now she only had time to smear a thin layer across her sore backside. She had to save some for the future, her new friend wasn't cruel, but he was strict...

When he returned to their hiding spot they decided to get some early sleep. She eased herself against his back, feeling safe with his body against hers. For a moment she wondered if it made him feel uncomfortable. But then she shrugged it off, he couldn't be half as uncomfortable as she was with her bottom sore and stinging beneath her dress.