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The falcon’s brain could not deal with the riot of e wordlessly, it pluain, but this ti, the falcon dropped behind Daed to his own for the pain of his broken arers of his good hand digging into his brother’s neck and spinning hiently

"Elena," he said, whispered, and went for Damon’s throat

It was dark, and very cold, and someone was hurt Someone needed help

But she was terribly tired

Elena’s eyelids fluttered and opened and that took care of the darkness As for the cold she was bone-cold, freezing, chilled to the marrow And no wonder; there was ice all over her

Somewhere, deep down, she kneas more than that

What had happened? She’d been at home, asleep - no, this was Founders’ Day She’d been in the cafeteria, on the stage

Someone’s face had looked funny

It was too much to cope with; she couldn’t think Diseo back to sleep then The ice wasn’t really that bad She started to lie down, and then the cries caain

She heard theer and of pain Someone was very unhappy

She sat quite still, trying to sort it all out

There was a quiver of e of her vision A squirrel She could se because she’d never sht black eye and then it scarab for it only when she ca into bark

Now that was ridiculous What onearth did she want a squirrel for? She puzzled over it for a minute, then lay back down, exhausted

The cries were still going on

She tried to cover her ears, but that did nothing to block the That was it There was a fight going on

All right She’d figured it out Now she could sleep

She couldn’t, though The cries beckoned to her, drew her toward them She felt an irresistible need to follow theo to sleep After she saw hi back now She rememberedhim He was the one who understood her, who

loved her He was the one she wanted to be with forever

His face appeared out of the ht, then Forhih this ridiculous sleet until she found the proper clearing Until she could join hiht of him seemed to warm her There was a fire inside hih It was like the fire inside her

He see some sort of trouble at theShe was close enough to hear it with her ears as well as her randfather oak tree That here the noise was co from He was there, with his black, fathomless eyes, and his secret smile And he needed her help She would help hi ice crystals out of her hair, Elena stepped into the clearing in the wood