Dandilion

[AdmiralStarNight]

Caitlyn, that night, had trouble getting to sleep. Only after staying awake well past midnight had she been able to finally to go to sleep becasue her brain had stopped functioning, which meant she hadn't even known she had fallen alseep. Her cat, Amer, curled up on her chest to comfort her in her slumber and keep her warm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was late in the next day, anyone could telll that, even without a sun to reference. It must have been well past noon and Avia, Zeke, and Kayia had taken up a game a cards, all of them eating small pieces of some random food they always kept stashed down here.

Avia, even though she was a slave, was worried about her master. Caitlyn never acted like this, and it was obvious that General Andrew was the cause of it... and the man had only been here a day and a half!

Caitlyn always let the slaves wander around the house area, because if any of them tried to escape, all she needed to do was wait for them to reach the fence, which was also cover in concertina wire and patrolled by army units... after all the Draco Estates were also army training grounds, so the army didn't want any riff-raf coming in and doing stupid stuff to one of their premier playgrounds.

Avia watched the general for a few seocnds as he started to draw on another piece of paper. This wasn't going to pleasant if he kept challenging Caitlyn like he was...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days past in similar manner as the first one did. Caitlyn would let her usual slaves out, and still stay clear of Andrew as much as possible, before letting them back in at night. Warner had taken up sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms because, he said, 'he was grown up now,' the young boy had taken up to trying to help Zeke do his work, usually nothing more than dragging a few branches or small rocks around which he used to make roads for his turck to drive on.

It wasn't until the 7th day that it changed, it was eary by Draco Estate standards for Caitlyn to be up without someone waking her first. The sun was just rising and it's light cast a long shadows as Caitlyn moved around the house, Amer on her shoulder and sidearm in her belt she unlocked the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She had already pulled the gun from her belt, clicked the safety off and chambered a round before she spoke.

"I have a job for you," she said in cold tones, her voice sharp and crisp. "I have new tree arriving today to plant in my yard and Zeke can't move the thing alone. Your going to help Zeke plant the the tree."

Amer's fur bristled at his owners voice and his ears flattened.

"I think even you could handle that, General." Her attiude had done a complete 360. She was once again the same woman Andrew had met at the ball, she didn't look scared anymore.

[Scottish Girl]

Andrew barely looked up as the door opened and he folded he paper, slippin it into his pocket. Andrew was sitting on a chair, his legs on the tables and he folded his arms, the back of the chair resting against the wall.

He yawned and shook his head, taking a different price of paper he had been drawing on, a satellite view of what the house roughly looked like, and continued drawing. He looked up slightly as he heard the click of the gun, and laughed when he heard what she had to say,"Right, why?" he said, not looking at her as he continued to draw.

He sighed softly, clicking his tongue,"And I thought you would have learnt by now I am not scared of guns. You have already shot me in that leg, go ahead and shoot me in the other, but if you do that it means I definitely can't move the tree. I'm a general for god sake, most people if they had me would not make me move a tree! At least give me a challenge," he said with a grin.

[AdmiralStarNight]

Caitlyn smiled a little, "A challenge?" She leaned back against the door, Amer shifting on her shoulder, a paw on her head, tail lashing back and forth.

She tapped the SIG on her hip, thinking about exactly what she should do. Then she remembered her own property and snorted in laughter.

The perimeter was meant more for keeping people out, then keeping people in, but it was one the reasons Zeke or Avia, the two who had the ability to escape, hadn't tried yet. The fences were at best, 12 feet high then burrowed into the ground for 6 feet and cleared of trees which could be used to climb over. It was topped all around with specially made concertina wire that was always electiractly charged. The Army provided patrols for the whole length of the perimeter, and perminant arm guards at the front gate.

After all, this house wasn't just Caitlyn's house, it was an Army training ground. While Jackson was no longer around to train troops on his house grounds, the Generals had requested that they continue to train on the grounds on a less frequent basis, which Caitlyn had approved with only a small bi-yearly rent payment. And the Army didn't like regular civilians running around their grounds.

"Tell me General, do you like working with concertina wire?" she asked finally, her voice holding a small note of amusement.

[Scottish Girl]

Andrew looked up curiously, putting the preice of paper down and standing up,"I'm curious, continue," he said, curious but rather worried. Andrew had seen the fence, poking up from behind the trees. Andrew had learn how to get over fences in the marines. He had learn that if you were quick enough you could climb over an electric fence, although it had taken him a while to learn. Andrew shook his head softly, remembering than agony of that fence.

Andrew was in the higher marines. The higher marines went deeper into the countries, whereas the the lower marines gated around the border. It took two years to train to be a higher marine, but only a year for the lower marines. Andrew looked at her,"What would I have to do?" he asked curiously, wanting to know before he did it. It had been almost two years since Andrew had been training in the marines, but the ice you are in he marines you will always be in the marines.

[AdmiralStarNight]

"Well," Caitlyn said, keeping her voice soft enough that her other slaves won't hear, though they were all asleep at this time. "My property is quite large, if you haven't noticed."

She tapped a foot on the door, the Caitlyn which Andrew had confronted that first day was still there, and still a little intimadated, especially by what she was going to suggest, After all she doubted even he could survive forever, the man was still a soldier, and a good one at that.

"Its got forest and a lack of animals that can't fly over the fence. Would you like to test exactly why I have this lack of wildlife in my property?" She said, unconsoiusly shifting her shoulders in a nervous movement as he stood.

"Tell you what, if you can find a way off my property you're free to go... unless a patrol catchs you, then your free game." Caitlyn said finally, walking over to snatch the paper from the table and return to her position by the door. "Hmm, looks familiar, not bad, needs a little more work." She said with more confidence than she was feeling. The she opened the door and stepped back. "I just hope you like elecrticity, oh and dogs, that's a requirement too."

She brought up the last thing only as an afterthought, becasue Forres wasn't set to be taken home for another three days, and the tainer had told her exactly what commands he responds too. While Ivy may be harmless, Forres wasn't and combined with an electrical fence that could put out enough voltage to kill a human (Jackson loved that setting on his fence, he found it amusing when slaves tried to climb it. Caitlyn usually kept it to where it could stun for long periods of time,) it wouldn't be easy. Especially if he happen to stray into the gunsights of am Army unit.

[Scottish Girl]

Andrew folded his arms and raised his eyebrows, honking about it. He sighed,"Yeah sure, you got a deal. If I can't get away I won't resist," he said, holding up his arms to say he was being honest.

Andrew put his hands back into his pockets and walked past her, stopping just as he was walking past,"you are about to see something amazing, did you really think I became a general just because my daddy was rich? I was top of my unit for big years, watch and learn," he said as he strode past. It was still slightly dark outside, but Andrew could see the sun starting to rise. He turned around,"So if I escape you wont come after me?" he asked suspiciously, stopping at the front door, his hands still in his pockets.

[AdmiralStarNight]

"No," Caitlyn answered, "It probably helped though, family influence can get you places even when you don't need it."

She stood in the doorway, studying him, wondering if he'd be able to survive, she never promised him his survival, that was the catch. He might be able to get over the fence, though she doubted it, once she got to electrical current flow controls. And she usually was in communication with her amry guards, she never promised not to tell them about it.

"No, I won't go after you, the Army might though." She said, "Though if you had any inforamion about me or my father, you know the Von Williams family has Army connections. They'll probably bring you back here. If you manage to survive getting out in the first place."

It was a plain enough offer, though she hoped he didn't get himself killed, or kill to many people in the mean time. And one thing Caitlyn seriously hoped he didn't do was come anywhere near the house while she wasn't paying attention, the last thing she needed was for Andrew to get one of her guns or attack her.

[Scottish Girl]

Andrew grinned,"Nah, me and my dad never got along," I got to be a general because I can do this," he said, and without another word he was off, springing into he the trees. Andrew was sort of fast, not so fast he could out run dogs, but he was fast enough it would be hard to arch him. He continued running for half an hour before coming to a skidding halt.

He looked up at the large electric fence and swallowed softly,"Don't let fear into your heart," he whispered under his breath and spend ten minutes looking around and thinking. He stepped forward and picked up a stick, hurtling at the fence. He watched very carefully and found the fence electrified in under three seconds,"Okay, I need to be fast," he said and took a few step backwards, taking a deep breath. He opened his eyesFor freedom," he whispered and ran. Two trees stood opposite each other, close to the fence. The top of their branches were no where close to the top of the fence, but hey ho, he would try. As fast as he could be climbed up on of he trees to the top, then jumped onto the other, higher one with a leap. He rested on that tree for under a second before leaping again, over the fence. Andrew misjudged the height slightly, and the barbed wire caught his leg, scraping a large cut up it, and with a crash he fell to the ground on the other side.

Andrew pay there for over half an hour, his leg bleeding badly, and his ribs bruised. He sat up with a groan and turned his attention to the cut. He took off his jacket and ripped it appart, wrapping it around his cut and tightening it tight. He looked up into the trees and spotted a CCTV camera pointed in his direction. He stood up and wrote onthe mud wih a stick, I Told You! With that Andrew turned around and ran through the trees.

Next came the sound of barking, and at that, Andrew had a simply solution. He was in the middle of the forest, so he climbed a tree. It took his twice as long, Jumpin from free to free and he hurt himself badly, but the dogs couldn't get him, nor could the men who followed, shooting into he trees randomly.

[AdmiralStarNight]

Caitlyn watched as the General disappeared from sight and she grimmaced slightly.

She hated the thought of killing anyone, for as much as she had learned her father's temper and attitude, she was mostly like her mother, even though she had no memory of her.

But she did not intend to keep one of the promises and she whistled loudly and Forres bounded up to her with Ivy in tow. Warner had waken and he ran over actually hugging her and asking. "Where did the General go?"

"He ran away." she answered frankly and detached him from he waist. 'Now stay out of trouble. Ivy and Forres are coming with me. Wake up Avia to make you breakfast." the boy looked oddly disappointed. He hadn't seen much of Andrew, but he looked cool.

Then she ran to her room. She quickly got changed, putting on her custom made forest camo working uniform. She loaded her sidearm and put it in its holster. With that she turned around with two dogs following her, made her way to the front of her estate.
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The Army had the advantage of knowing exactly where it was going, and, despite the fact that Caitlyn was a civilian, she had convinced a small squad of men to help her. It had taken about 20 minutes for them to estamite exactly where the man could be.

Caitlyn had gained a proper metal whistle to help command Forres, while he would respond to regular whistles, he might mishear something, a dog handler had told her, and she had strung the thing around her neck while she moved through the forest with the squad.

She had remembered, one time, playing a sudo-wargame with Ansten in this forest, while no one had been armeed, Ansten had made a point of embarrising her multiple times in order to teach her how to properly hide in the forests of her home country. She had gained a healthy respect for Army tactics, and while she would never be as good as the people who trained for it over long periods, she had a sharp eye for hiding places.

As the squad moved through the forest, she kept a loaned helmet on her head, her face hidden in it's shadow, she didn't talk, as women in the Army were non exsistant, and her uniform, while comfy, didn't show her body figure off as well as most of her regualar clothes did. For all anyone else knew, she was just a young soldier fresh from civilian life, the kind that you exspected to see as logistic support rather than feild forces.

Ivy had stayed back at the estates after Warner had complained that he would be lonely while she was gone. Caitlyn had wanted to bring her, more for her tracking abilites, but Andrew had seen her, He had never seen Forres.

Forres walked along side her, trotting obedinetly as if she was his owner. That was when his ears perked, they swiveled slightly for a few moments beofre the dogs shot off into the dark. Caitlyn had already had thw whistle in her mouth and a sharp short high note sounded and the dog knew the command.

The dogs loud resounding bark as he ran through the trees were easy to follow, with the Army squad close behind and Caitlyn taking up the flank.

The dog had stopped at a tree, one that was full of leaves and he sat down near something. One of the men in the squad nelt down next to it. It was dark, though it was only a few drops. "Blood. Can't be that old. Obviously the slave's or else your dog would have ignored it." he said to Caitlyn who only nodded in mute reply. She had a feeling he would have hurt himself.

Caitlyn rubbed her forehead smearing some dirt on her face by accident and not really caring. She was silent hearing only her own heartbeat and the movements of the squadron.
He had to be around here, or else Forres wouldn't have stopped.

"Hey," One of the squad members joked, "Wonder what would happen if I were set fire to the tree, I'd find it real funny if something fell out burning."
"Yeah, well, you wanna burn down the whole forest, you knucklehead?" One of the others replied. "Anyways, you'll hurt yourself."

Caitlyn listened to the banter with half her attention looking around the forest with eyes that were slowly adjusting to the brightening spots and shadows of the forest.

[Scottish Girl]

Andrew was in a bit of trouble. He had fallen down from a tree and hurt his arm, and was now behind the tree they were talking about. He stood pressed against it, breathing deeply but quietly. Andrew watched carefully as the dogs sniffed at he blood. Suddenly he was off, running through the forest like a back rabbit. Andrew got a fair distance without the dogs noticing, then as he heard the barks behind him he once again climbed a tree, and continued on from tree to tree.

Andrew took a rest on a large one. He sat down on one of the branches with his leg out, looking at the painful cut. His arm he could ignore, and his ribs, but the cut was his biggest problem. Andrew looked down at the dogs nervously and took out the map he drew that was in his pocket and looked at of closely. The river was to the east, he had to just figure out how to get there. Andrew contemplated going onto the ground, but he heard gunfire and a bullet went quizzing past his ear,"Trees it is," he said and continued onwards.

Ten minutes later Andrew arrived at the lake which he ran through to cover his track from the dogs. He hen sat on the other side, washing the cut and rest. Andrew could see the soldiers and the dogs further up the river, and they could probably see him, butWndrew was not going to move, because he knew that those soldiers hated going through water.