Eulalia swallowed back her fear and tried to walk towards Alex's voice. It was hard to tell where it was coming from because it sounded so distant. The rustling behind her continued and she could hear twigs crack from under someone's footsteps. She turned around quickly and spotted a figure slinking around behind her. She immediately turned back around and started running, desperate to get away from what could only be the vampire.

"Alex, I don't know where you are!" She shouted between gasps.

((So sorry, once again.  3x  I haven't been able to get on as frequently as I used to be able to.  o-o; ))

Alex struggled to his feet, taking a deep breath before shifting again.  In his wolf form, his teeth were gritted.

Don't worry, Eulalia, he though harshly, I'm coming to help you.

((Oops, sorry. Now I'm the one that kinda disappeared. xD haha))

"Alex?" Eulalia called again, turning around to look behind her as she was running. She didn't see anything behind her, and didn't hear anymore creepy noises, but she wasn't about to stop running. She started to turn her head back around to look in front of her, but she tripped on a large tree root that was sticking out from the ground. Eulalia fell with a thud and tried to catch her breath before standing up again.

She turned over and sat up, brushing the dirt and leaves away from her clothes and skin and took a deep breath, hoping Alex would find her soon.

Perking his ears, Alexander caught a loud thump with his sensitive hearing.  It was coming from up ahead, he though, as his legs pumped faster.  After a minute, a large tree came into view.  At its base, a large, gnarled root reared up, and a little ways after it, lay Eulalia.

"Eulalia," breathed Alex, coming to a halt as he shifted forms afain.  "Are you alright?  I'm here now."

Eulalia looked up at Alex with relief. She stood up with a bit of a struggle, her legs still shaky from nerves and the fall.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay..." She said quietly. "But we should really go. This place is really freaking me out."

Her wide eyes met his and she bit her lip, pleading with him silently to get moving.

"Yeah," Alexander agreed, coming up into a stand from his tight crouch.  Scenting the air, he said softly, "I-I think that he's gone.  Dang vamp."

He surveyed Eulalia quietly, trying to as.ses any damage that might have befallen her.  She looked alright, but he though that he should probably check.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Yeah..." Eulalia said awkwardly, looking down at the ground. "Just a little... shaken up, I guess."

She looked up at Alex and gave him a small smile.

"Thanks for... looking out for me," She sighed, shyly wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

Alex started for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around her to hug her in return.  It surprised him how natural it felt.

"You're welcome," he said softly.

Eulalia held on for a little while longer before letting go with a blush.

She cleared her throat slightly and looked away saying, "Well... Um, we should get going, yeah...?"

Alex nodded, trying to control his racing breath.  Annoyed with his lack of self-control, he turned away for a moment and ran a hand through his hair.  When he turned back around, he forced what he hoped looked like a comforting smile.

"Um...  I guess so.  I think that the park entrance is that-a-way," he said, motioning towards a patch of brambles that he remembered tearing through earlier.

Eulalia stared at him for a split second before asking, "Are you alright?"

She took his hand gently and started walking towards the direction he'd pointed out.

"You seem a little... on edge." She said, shrugging slightly.

Alex nodded.

  "I am," he confessed, moving to draw his hand away from hers, but then stopping.  Why did this feel so right?

Eulalia gave him a comforting smile.

"Why are you on edge?" She asked curiously, hoping that he was alright. "Is there something wrong?"

Eulalia eyed him carefully, not believing a word he was saying. She stopped walking and stubbornly crossed her arms.

"Don't lie," She grinned. "What's up?"

((Sorry for the inactivity.  </3  A friend's birthday was this weeked, and I had a lot of preperations to do bfore it, so I wasn't really able to log on.  ;o ))

Alex grinned back at her, giving her a playful shove.

"Really," he said carefully, "It's nothing."