Meanwhile...

To say that Elizabeth Harding was tired would be an understatement. She and her husband, James, and their four year old daughter, Annabelle, had just arrived from England after nearly two months at sea. It had been a grueling undertaking, but they had been willing to make the journey in hopes for a better life in America. Elizabeth, or Liz as her husband called her, had been born in London to moderately wealthy parents who were able to provide her with a stable life and a proper education. She took up work as a governess and soon met James, who owned a shop nearby. The two quickly fell in love and made plans to marry, but Elizabeth was guarding a secret...she was a witchborn. She had discovered her abilities one day while out walking in the woods as a teenager. She had spotted a Redtailed Hawk and wished that she could fly like he could and then suddenly she transformed into one! She was terrified at first and quickly changed back into her human form, but then, after she had calmed down, she tried it again and once again was able to transform into a hawk. She flew through the trees and was able to view the world like she never had before. After some experimenting she discovered she was able to transform herself into any animal she wished just by thinking about it. She kept her ability to herself for several years, never telling anyone...until James. Elizabeth did not want to keep anything from him. They were completely in love and she wanted to be honest with him, even if it might mean his feelings for her changed. She finally worked up the courage and told him. At first he thought it a joke and laughed until she transformed into a cat right before his eyes. He was stunned, to say the least, but that feeling quickly changed to utter amazement and curiosity. He did not love her any less...in fact he probably loved her even more.

They were married the following week and less than a year later she gave birth to their daughter, Annabelle. Elizabeth had nearly died during childbirth and was told that she would not likely ever become pregnant again. Elizabeth and James doted on their daughter and loved her more than anything else in their lives. Annabelle quickly proved to be intelligent and curious about the world around her. She was beautiful and very loving. Together, they all lived peacefully for sometime until word reached their ears that someone suspected her of being a witchborn. They claimed she could change forms and had sacrificially killed children and drank their blood in order to become pregnant with Annabelle. Knowing time was short, they packed a few belongings and quickly left London. They began traveling around England, never staying in once place for very long. Amazingly in their travels they met another witchborn who told them of a place he had heard of in America that protected witchborns. The next day, they started their journey to the coast where they boarded a ship and traveled to America. They had now been traveling for two weeks, trying to reach this sanctuary for witchborns and it was starting to wear on Elizabeth.

"James, what if this place doesn't even exist?" she said as they stopped to rest. "What if we've come all this way for nothing?"

OOC-I can't remember exactly what time period this is set which is why I wrote "America". I also don't think that Elizabeth and Nathan should know each other.

James just returned from checking their horse. Well, the one he had stolen anyway. It was favoring its right foreleg and it looked like one of its shoes might need replacing but money for them was not in abundance and food was expensive out on the road. James handed her a handful of figs and he handed Annabelle a small apple for her to eat. Never in his life had he thought that this is where his life would leave him. Silently and not even hearing her he looked down at the few figs he had managed to pluck from a tree that they passed just yesterday. He had stole, lied and struck a man for his coat and scarf. Strangely he licked his lips as his stomach no longer held an appetite and he put the figs back into the small brown bag that sat opened between them.her words had irritated him and he looked up at her and tried to moderate his tone.

“You are wrong to despair in front of the girl,” he said. “It’s hard enough,” he began but turned away as tears filled his eyes. His grandfather had built that shop and his father before him and now it was burned to the ground. He would never say it was her fault but part of him felt it anyway. His eyes shifted down to Annabelle who munched hungrily on her apple and he looked at how dirty her blue dress had become. Alot of their things had been taken by highwaymen and those that he and Liz could not subdue had made off with their things including Annabelle’s clothes. His brow crinkled as he fought the will to just give up but being a man...being a father and a husband he just didn’t have that luxury.

“In any case we can’t stay here, we have only to continue on and see what there is to see,” he said but just couldn’t bring himself to look up at her right then.

Liz looked down as a few tears filled her eyes. Life for them had been hard...very hard and it was taking a toll on them. Even though James had had a choice not to marry her when he discovered she was a witchborn, she still felt guilty for everything. This was not the life she wanted for their child, though Annabelle never seemed to stop smiling. Sensing her mother was upset, Annabelle got up and walked over to her and crawled onto her lap.

"Why are you sad Mommy?"

Liz wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at her daughter. "I'm not...I'm just tired that's all," she replied as she wrapped her arms around her. She felt her left hand and had to fight off more tears when she felt the empty place where her wedding ring had once sat. She had been forced to give it to a Highwayman and it pained her to know it was gone. She kissed Annabelle's cheek.

"I love you so much my darling. You make your father and I so happy."

Unfortunately it was a short respite as they knew they had to get back on the road. Liz rode with Annabelle and together they wouldn’t be enough weight to bother the horse even if it did have a bad leg. They walked for hours but it was beginning to get dark. There were large, round hay bales just on the other side of a wooden fence that James thought he could move. They were tall and would do much to hide them to a degree until the morning. They were in a pasture far away from the farmhouse they belonged to.

“Hay Bales again!” Annabelle groaned. “They’re scratchy mumma,” she said as james stepped away to move the fence aside. He returned and flashed a look up at Annabelle and then Liz who was looking at him. He shifted his eyes down quickly though to take up the reins and guide the horse inside the fence. He heard Liz get down as he put the fence back and she helped Annabelle down and grabbed their bag. Wordlessly he moved and took up the horses reigns again. “She can sleep on the coat,” he said as he clicked his tongue to get the horse moving. He tied it off behind the hay bale then looked around one last time as he began to hollow out a place for them in the tall, round hay bale. When she fell asleep he’d go back out and look for food and fill the small waterskin with water if he found that too.

As usual he let Liz take Annabelle and get her situated. He came in and laid on the opposite side and closed his eyes almost immediately. He wanted to talk but they’d have to wait until Annabelle fell asleep. He was tired but he didn’t sleep much at all these days.

The day was long and the hours seemed to stretch on, as did the road. Finally, as it began to get dark they spotted a small farm with a large pasture. Several times now they had used hay bales to sleep in. It was scratchy, but they were large enough to hide them and provided some cover. Liz shushed Annabelle as she began to complain and remained silent as James led the horse inside the fence. Quietly, she dismounted and helped Annabelle down. Annabelle began to rub her eyes and yawned and Liz knew she would fall asleep quickly. She laid out James' coat and put Annabelle down upon it. She then whispered loving words to her and sang very softly the song she sang to her every night. Annabelle yawned again and closed her eyes and within a few minutes she was asleep. Liz found it difficult to sleep, despite her exhaustion and she looked over at James. Her green eyes gazed upon his handsome face and she couldn't help but smile as she thought about the first time they had met.

It took some time but James managed to try and think better thoughts. It would not do to be spiteful toward the woman he loved. Once he heard Annabell’s breathing he opened his eyes and looked at Liz. Her grin and the way she looked at him. She was always the most beautiful when she looked like that. Gently he reached over and touched her cheek. “I want you,” he whispered. It had been a long time since that had happened as well but he was still a man who loved his wife. That wasn’t going to change anytime soon. It was perhaps odd to think of sex right then but he did and decided to let her know that he still thought about her as a beautiful woman at least.

Liz looked deeply into James' eyes and he would be able to see just how much she loved him reflected in her own. James was her true love and together they were strong enough to tackle anything that came their way. His comment caused her cheeks to flush slightly and she gently chewed her lower lip. It was clear she wanted him as well, but this was not the time or the place.

"Soon," she whispered back. "Once we reach this place I will be able to give myself over to you completely. We just have to hold out for a little while longer."

“I’ll take that as a promise,” he said and smiled over at her. Even so he still leaned over Annabelle and kissed her lips. “One I intend to collect,” he said as he breathed his breath into her mouth. He did touch her high up on her leg but that was as far as it was going to go he knew. Even hungry and tired as he was he still held a great deal of passion for her but that was who he was. Any other man would have left them long ago but not James, not ever.

He kissed her for a short while then got up to go take a look around. He handed her the pistol and kissed her hand as she extended it toward him. It wasn’t long before he disappeared from her view into the night as he did almost every night since they got off the boat.

The farm was much like any other but he kept close to the fence anyway to hide his silhouette. He jogged for several meters before he saw pear and apple trees. And pecans. How long had it been since they had pecans? He couldn’t guess but he filled his bag with them, pears and apples. He also picked a cabbage and several decently sized cucumbers. With his bag filled he started back but paused when he saw the water pump. James licked his lips, he had only been taking a little water and saving the rest for his 2 ladies. He stepped up to the pump and pulled the handle a few times to get the water going.

He drank and drank and dunked his head under the flow and washed his face. There was a bucket near the pump and he moved that under the spicket and filled that and their waterskin with cool, clean, fresh water. With the filled bucket and a filled bag he came back to them and set the bucket down by his wife.

"I thought that perhaps you'd like to wash up." He said as he pulled the scarf out and ripped off two pieces of cloth from it. He handed one to her and took the other one and dunked it into the water. He washed his neck, his chest and then unbuckled his belt. he washed his private areas last then righted his clothes and checked his boots. One of them was almost worn through at the heel but he had no others so they'd have to do. He never complained he saved that for Liz and Annabella.

Liz smiled at her husband and returned his kiss. She felt his hand upon her upper thigh and felt her desire begin to grow. However, she knew nothing could happen between them. It felt good, however, to know that he still desired her. Then, as he had done every night since they got off the boat, he got up and handed her the pistol. She then watched as he disappeared into the night. She settled back into the hay next to Annabelle and watched her sleep. She was so small and innocent. She did not deserve this life. She promised herself that she would somehow give her daughter the life she should have. They would find this place and their lives would start anew.

A little while later she heard James approach. She could see he had found some food, but more than that he had found some water. He carried a bucket full of it and the thought of washing was suddenly more appealing to her than anything else. None of them had had a proper bath in weeks and she eagerly took the piece of cloth and dipped it into the cool, clean water. She washed herself as best she could and the cool water felt good against her skin.

"Can we save some for Annabelle?" she asked quietly as she redressed.

“Ofcourse we…” He was about to say as he buckled his belt but he caught what Liz was doing and where that cloth went and his breath caught. Their eyes met for only a moment and then he shook his head and lowered his gaze. These weeks without sex was so silly to think about compared to all of their other problems but he found he thought about it alot more than he should. He lifted back up his gaze and continued to watch her as he slowly buttoned up his shirt. He mouthed the words, “Damn you,” in a grin then moved to start getting the food out.

He did take a little water to wash the cucumbers. He tossed Liz a pear and he ate an apple. Annabella stirred and sat up rubbing her eyes and James handed Liz another section of red cloth to wash her up with. It might not seem like much but the clean water and the filled bag of food was a luxury they had gone without for too long. He had to get them off of the road. He had to find a way to provide a better life than this. He just had to! He thought. With two stones, one as the base and the other as the block he cracked open several pecans then parceled them out to Liz and Annabelle. He ate one and his eyes bulged at how wonderful they tasted. He could only imagine how they’d be roasted. It had been days since they’d had a fire too and he averted his eyes when liz began to clean up Annabelle.

Liz couldn't help but notice the way James looked at her. She could tell what he was suddenly thinking about and she blushed slightly, although there was just a hint of a grin tugging at the corner of her lips. She wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her, but it just wasn't possible right now. But when it was...

She caught the pear he tossed her way and she took a bite out of it. It was juicy and perfectly ripe and sweet and she ate the entire thing in only several bites. Just as she was finishing the pear Annabelle began to stir and awaken. She took her into her arms and kissed her before giving her some of the pecans to eat. Annabelle was growing and her appetite was as well. She let her eat some pecans and a bit of apple before removing her dress to wash her. Annabelle giggled and smiled as she put her dress back on. It was dirty, but at least she was clean for now. She kissed her again and smiled at her.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded and she munched on her last pecan. "Morning daddy!" She said in her tiny voice. "Morning sweetheart," James said as he sat up and yawned. He only got a small bit of sleep but that was the way of it on the road. When he simply couldn't go on Liz had stayed awake but typically it was 2 or 3 days like that and then he rested for a few hours. He yawned and drank a bit of water. They had a lot of miles to go and he'd not have his ladies thinking he was a wimp.

James readied the horse and then he had them mount as he opened back up the gate. it wasn't long before they were back on the road again but he really needed to ask someone for directions. It was always risky to talk to people. They had accents and he knew people were looking for them. So he did the talking mostly and stepped away from his wife and daughter to make it seem he might not be with them when he asked. The larger roads made traveling easier but it also did the same for the men who were after them.

For the majority of the morning they made a slow going but at a steady pace. He had had to rest a few times but it wasnt too long and they had gone several miles before he had had to rest again. The horses limp got worse though and as he checked his coin purse he moved to Liz who was was now walking next to him. "We don't have enough Liz...I...I think we'll need you to get more money," he said. He hated, absolutely hated to steal but it had been an easier way than begging and people tended to remember beggars so they had to give that up fairly quickly when they were chased by other beggars who felt threatened by them having a child to draw sympathy.

For the first part of the day Liz rode on the horse with Annabelle. The sky was overcast, but thankfully it wasn't raining. They had to keep moving because they were certain that they were being followed. Liz tried not to think about what they might do to her, or to Annabelle or James if they were caught. She had done nothing wrong and yet now they were constantly on the move and barely able to provide food for their daughter. It was an unfair life, but Liz was thankful for all that she did have. She had a wonderful, loving husband who had remained by her side through it all, and a beautiful daughter. They were all she truly needed in her life.

After a few hours she noticed that the horse's limp became worse. She dismounted the animal to relieve some of the weight and walked alongside James. She watched as he checked what money they had and could tell by the look on his face that they didn't have enough. She sighed and looked at him.

"I wish you would just let me transform into a horse. You know I can."

James stopped and then faced her. They had gone over that he didn't know how many times. "No...your not doing that, your not an animal!" he said angrily. "I'll carry her if I have to!" he said and he was truly upset this time because he knew her logic made sense. But that only made it all worse for him. His feet hurt so badly and he was so tired. His patience, his strength was beginning to fracture. That upset him too because he knew it was happening. He knew and there was nothing he could do about it.

The downside to her doing that was that she still got tired from it. her abilities didn't seem to tax her but energy, calories she spent in her animal forms carried over to when she changed back. Sometimes she could barely move she was so sore and tired. And many of the forms she had taken took practice to do properly. She just didn't 'become' the animal and know how to swim or fly as the animal. That took practice and time and effort and muscle memory. There were a few she knew well though and a horse was one of those forms. The draft horse was what he knew she was referring to. In that shape she didn't burn energy fast and she seemed to be able to carry burdens without tiring for miles and miles.

The bear form she took to ward off the highwaymen was of a large grizzly. Not typical for this part of the country he suspected but it was convincing and made Annabelle cry in fear and sent the highwaymen running. And she had to disrobe before she changed or she'd ruin what she wore. That and she always was naked after as well which was also part of the problem.