Lacey and her pack come to the City of Ancients One day later,
and found the bridge leading to the main road was out. The only
way across was to either jump, or go around which would take
another day. Lacey didn't want to risk the lives of the wolves,
of the lives of Ayanna or Gea. Lacey dismounted, and decided that
they would camp here for the night. Lacey handed Ayanna and Gea
her water flasks and walked eastward toward the forest with Anya.
Lacey left Black Star and the pups with Gea and Ayanna for
protection.
When they reached the privacy of the forest Lacey sat in a circle
of grass and leaned against a tree. "So Anya, where is the
rest of the pack?" Lacey asked curiosity in her voice. Anya
frowned. "We left them back in the cave where you left. We
did not want to risk their lives, especially when you said to
stay there. So we left Black Star's brother in charge."
Lacey nodded, Anya was very wise for her years.
"Why do you ask?" Anya said as she lie down at Lacey's
feet. Lacey stroked Anya's long white fur and scratched between
her ears.
"I just wanted to make sure they were safe."
Anya nodded. Lacey's explanation was a good one considering Anya
knew how much Lacey cared for the pack. She had watched them all
grow from pups and took care of them. The whole pack owed Lacey
their lives. Except for Anya who had been Lacey's friend from the
start, but they were like sisters.
Anya picked up her head to look at Lacey. "What have we
missed?"
Anya smiled as much as a wolf could. She knew something was wrong,
Lacey showed it in her face. Where Lacey's humor and spirit
should have been, was a quiet, dark, and evil feeling. Anya could
sense trouble and emptiness in Lacey. Lacey brought her head out
of her arms and stared at Anya. Lacey frowned. "Sometimes I
wish you couldn't do that." Lacey said.
"It's for the better" Anya replied and she wagged her
tail to rid it of the burrs that had attached themselves there.
Lacey told Anya about exactly everything she missed, and
everything that troubled her. Anya nodded. She knew how
troublesome Rufus could be.
"It is a good thing Shiva showed up, she can be a great
friend at times." Lacey rubbed her cheek remembering the icy
cold touch. And felt bad because she remembered at one time every
god or goddess was a human, then was chosen to be a goddess in
place of another. Lacey smiled.
"Yes, I suppose your right, friend. Though I am very afraid
even though we are out of danger." Lacey said, a frown still
tracing her face.
"Yes, I know, you are afraid of Sephiroth, but you shouldn't
be. He loves you and will understand." Anya told Lacey and
was about to speak some more when they both heard Black Star's
warning cry-or cry of help. Lacey jumped onto Anya's back and
they reached the campsite in minutes.
Black Star and the pups growled fiercely at the Soldiers that
approached them. Ayanna stood in the corner behind the wolves and
Gea behind that. Lacey urged Anya on and they jumped over the
crowd of Soldier and to the side of Black Star. Lacey whipped out
her shacrum and stood in a defensive pose. "How could they
have possibly caught up to us?" Lacey asked Anya, but they
both stood silent when Mr. Sunshine walked out from behind the
soldiers.
Rufus grinned. "You haven't kept your part of the deal my
dear."
Lacey clenched her teeth-this guy was impossible. Thinking
quickly she tied the key around Anya's neck and whispered
something into her ear. Anya barked at Black Star and the pups
telling tham what to do. Black Star whispered to the girls to get
on his back. Gea mounted Anya, and Ayanna got on Black Star.
All of the wolves jumped over the ravine. They safely landed on
the other side and turned around to see what would happen. Lacey
stood in the middle of the group of Soldiers. Her shacrum
glimmered in the light of the almost full moon. Lacey took the
Shiva materia out of her pocket and summoned her. Shiva came
thundering out of the sky and threw all of her ice energy at the
soldiers in front of her while Lacey spun around to fight the
ones at her back.
Too late. They put a sack around Lacey's head and bound her limbs-Lacey
was in deep trouble with no way out.
Rufus walked up to Lacey and ripped at her neck line. "Where
is the key!?" he shouted at Lacey, who was incapable of
talking because of the sack that was over her head. A soldier
jerked it off and smacked her acrossed the face. Lacey kicked the
soldier and spat at him in disgust. Rufus asked her again and
Lacey just grinned and pointed across the ravine to the snarling
wolves.
Anya and Black Star disliked the fact that Lacey told them to
leave her, but they had to listen. After they watched Lacey get
caught, they knew that they should leave. Gea shouldn't watch
them beat her. Anya and Black Star turned around and headed
toward the City of Ancients as fast as they could, where Kristin
would be waiting for them.
Lacey was kicked and beaten, untill Rufus finally stopped them.
In his fury and rage Rufus had almost forgotten that if Lacey
died so did he. Rufus kindly picked up the unconcious woman and
laid her down across the back of a chocobo. Rufus had her bound
upright to the neck of the bird and feet tied to the stirrups.
The chocobo was then tied to Rufus's Black chocobo. "Move
out, we must reach the city as fast as possible" Rufus
shouted and they were off, only a few hours behind Anya.
Lacey awoke to a pounding headache, bruised arms and legs, and a
cramped feeling. Finally she noticed where she was. She was on an
ocean blue chocobo and she was literally tied up. The chocobo was
led by Rufus hiimself and Lacey could see that they had passed
the ravine only an hour or two ago.
In the distance Lacey could see the City Of The Ancients. The
distant ruins were about as small as her pinkie, but she knew
when they got up there, they would be many times her size. Lacey
tried to put her hand to her head, but found that not just her
arms were tied, but her hands as well.
"Finally awake, brave hero?" Rufus asked as he saw
Lacey struggle with her hands.
Lacey turned to him and gave him a sneer. "What do you care!?"
She remarked with an acid like tone to her voice, Rufus could
tell she was not having a great time on the back of her bird.
Rufus slowed down so that he could reach Lacey's chocobo and
unbound her arms so that she could get the knots out of her
muscles.
Lacey stretched gratefully and sat up. "Don't try anything
stupid, you are after all a bit out numbered." Rufus said.
As if to prove Rufus's words Lacey looked around her at the
massive army marching all around her.
"Am I really so vicious that you need a whole army to handle
me?" Lacey asked, a bit of sarcasm in her voice. Rufus was a
bit hurt by this comment, he hadn't thought of that....
"No, but of course you do need an army to fight a war, this
is just on the way." Rufus replied. Lacey's face turned a
hazy color, and her lips were pallid. A surprise attack on
Natalie's army from the north, Lacey thought.
The army stopped at the ruins and decided to take a break. Lacey
was taken off her chocobo and was put next to a tree. She was
carefully guarded as Rufus and Hojo saw to her kick wounds.
"Just bruises" Hojo said as he looked at the rough
condition of Lacey's stomach and legs. Rufus looked at her with a
frown. "Don't make us do this to you. If you struggle we
will just drug you so that you stay unconcious for the rest of
your life." Lacey nodded in understanding. Rufus knew that
he could not kill her without killing himself so he left the
warning at that.
Lacey sat under the shade of the tree and slept, after all she
had been awake since the beginning of yesterday.
The pack reached the city of Ancients an hour after their
miraculous escape. They searched the city high and low until they
found Kristin looking at them through binoculars at the top of
her little cliff. She slid down slowly, so as to avoid being
eaten. Gea jumped off Anya and ran to her mother. "Mummy,
come down. It's ok, these are Lacey's friends." Without
hesitation Kristin sped up and finally reached the place where
Gea stood.
Kristin hugged her daughter with a crushing embrace and looked at
the person riding Black Star. "Lacey, thank you."
Black Star walked forward onto the light. Ayanna jumped off his
back. "Mam, you will have to save your thanks for later,
Lacey has been taken by soldier." Ayanna explained. "Oh,
I am sorry, my name is Ayanna."
Kristin introduced herself to Ayanna, then her eyes went wide as
Anya began to talk.
"My name is Anya, and this is Black Star and my pups. Lacey
was taken while saving your daughter. She told us to leave her
alone, so if you don't mind we are going to go and get her back."
Anya said, trying to remain calm.
Kristin shook her head. "You should stay, they are heading
here anyway and I have set certain traps for the shin-Ra. It
would be a lot easier this way." Kristin finished and walked
up to Anya.
Anya noted that this must be Lacey's sister and that Kristin
cared about Lacey as much as Anya did. "I see your point, we
shall stay and help, we will go find a warm cave to sleep in,
just whistle if you need us." Anya and the others trotted
off into the shadows of the city.