Quitetly, Quiggly stepped into the darkness as he stealthily approached and steeled himself to find her hidden body. His skin glistened with a ghostly sheen, and as he continued his stalk through the hazy mist, he could see his breath making ghostly puffs in front of his face. The air was so clean, and the crispness of the night reminded him that he was in the middle of a very clean, beautiful, and remote space. He saw the trees swaying as a gentle breeze wafted through the nearby trees, where Quiggly was hidden, trying to conceal herself, but he still found her somehow, his hands reaching out to her, ready to scoop her into his arms. Quiggly was so tiny and frail that it was like lifting a baby bird out of its nest, and just as delicate and clean. He gently hoisted her out of her tiny home, and cradled her gently in his large arms as she lay there limp in his embrace. He had a beautiful view of her frail form as he carried her into the cool, dark night air. It was as if she was suspended, weightless in his arms. Her light-blue eyes blinked like tiny glassy jewels in the dark. It was only the second time he had seen the tiny being, and as he carried her toward the black water, he hoped that he would never have to leave her in this lonely place alone once again. He knew what they had done, and as he quietly walked over the spongy earth, he thought of the life that had been spared; but the life had not been his own. He could imagine the life that had been lost, how that life had passed over to be in the care of her delicate body. That life was what made him wish that this young being had been spared. His thoughts returned to the past, when all of the life was innocent and pure, and for that, he had been grateful. He was pleased for the sacrifice that had been made, and he would never turn away from any who had sacrificed a part of their own life for someone else's. However, as Quiggly's tiny hand grasped around his arm and she softly cried, he knew that he could not be consoled by any human sacrifice. He was always saddened by anyone's death, no matter the cost. He had lived through the end of that life many times over. Each time he had had to relive the death, the last moments, and the painful memories. He felt as if all of his own lives had ended, as well. He was now like a ghost, floating through his lives as they had come and gone. He thought of his past once more, and with his emotions, his anger built. He clenched his hands as he recalled the terrible loss, the helplessness, and the feeling of having no power. He remembered how it had been hard to keep away from her. It was like an invisible force that had been constantly pulling him. He had tried to get away, and he had had many moments that had nearly ended badly, but somehow, each time, he had managed to find himself close to her again. He remembered the pain of her death, the sadness, the emptiness, and the feeling of being left alone. He had no purpose and nowhere to go. This was an invisible cage around him that he had no idea how to escape from. He walked aimlessly through his life, like a ghost, remembering his childhood, his youth, and all the way back to his very first memories, but never truly having anything else. Each time the tears escaped from his eyes, he wiped them with his hand and wiped away all memories of the life he had lived. He could see the darkness as he carried her through the lonely black night air. He could see a faint light somewhere, far away in the distance. The light was shining from the back of a small boat, or an oar. It was a light that he was familiar with and one that he had often seen. The boat was rowing against the strong current, searching for something as it moved through the dark. Quiggly's tiny, frail body was so easy to carry and to take care of, that he became stronger and stronger as he carried her. He was in charge of the dark water, the calm night, and he was in charge of the life that he had carried away. The boat that carried the light moved on through the darkness. The boat was made up of two human beings. The captain was a man who was tall and strong, with black eyes. His expression was cold, angry, and hard. The captain had a thick black beard that had thorns growing out of it, and it looked like many blades. His thick, tangled locks were twisted and matted with many strands of black hair that were sticking up, like black flames in the darkness. His other partner was not human. The other was a ferocious beast that stood on the boat. His black fur clung tightly to his muscular body. He had three thick claws that dug deeply into the surface of the boat as he made the small craft rock over the bubbling water. The long, white teeth of the beast glistened in the darkness as he pulled the oar and pushed against the current that was moving toward the water. He let out a sound that was like a long, mournful whine. Quiggly, the tiny being, was on the boat, the captain's prisoner. Quiggly was not a prisoner, but the captain held her captive because she could not stop him. His oar turned the boat with ease as he reached out with his free hand and grabbed Quiggly as he held on to the rudder. Quiggly could feel the captain's grip on her as he pulled her close to him. She could feel the sharp points of the thorns on his skin. Quiggly tried to resist the captain's powerful grasp and tried to move away from him. She pulled as hard as she could, but he held on to her with all of his strength. With every small, hard, strong movement, the long thorns piercing her skin cut her more. They felt like little daggers, piercing her delicate skin. Quiggly tried to kick as hard as she could, but the captain was heavy and she could not free herself from his grasp. She could not move. She couldn't resist. Quiggly was very thin and frail. Her slender limbs could not get around the captain's grasp. She tried to kick the captain as hard as she could, but her attempts were to no avail. She tried to fight the captain, but the captain held on. He was stronger than she was, and he was holding her down. The captain was heavier than the tiny being, and the small craft began to move as he began to pull the oar. The boat sped up, and Quiggly was being dragged into the current of the black water. The boat was pulling away from Quiggly's side, and it was drifting further out. The captain continued his stroke, and Quiggly was slowly carried away. She could still feel the prick of the thorns, and she was so weak and frail. Her heart was beating. It was thumping in her tiny chest. She could feel the heat as the thorns pressed hard into her skin. It burned. She could feel the tiny daggers, as they stabbed into her soft skin. Quiggly was struggling to breathe, but she could not breathe. She was afraid, but she could not be afraid. The tiny creature looked up into the eyes of the captain, but they were like black flames, and the glare of those fierce, cold eyes struck fear deep into her heart. She was not afraid of the cold and lonely water. She could not be afraid of anything. The captain and his fierce companion had taken everything that she loved away from her. They had taken her life away from her. She was empty of any meaning, and she was unable to think of anything but his strong arms that were holding her in place. Her heart could feel the thorns as they stabbed into her. She had never felt the cold before. It felt so awful and so powerful. The captain's grip was firm, like a thousand fingers gripping her frail body. The oar continued to slice through the waves as he pulled against the current. The ship was moving quickly. It was almost flying through the air as it moved through the dark. They flew past the tree, toward the sea. The tree was close, but it was too far away to be able to make it out. It was out of Quiggly's reach, but she could still see it from the boat. The sound of the captain's heavy oar as he pushed against the water was deafening, and the boat was cutting through the water like a swift knife, but Quiggly was not paying much attention to that, as she could see what was happening on the other side of the dark river. Quiggly could see a little piece of land in the distance, a very long way from the island she had been on. There was another part of the world that was not filled with light and life. There were no trees, and the sky was dark and darkening quickly. It was