Okay soo... yup

The girl ran through the forest that covered as far as the eye could see, jumping over bushes and ducking under fallen trees. She was only able to see a few feet in front of her due to the thick fog that rolled through the forest. Her legs hurt from the constant strain as she forced herself to keep running and not to collapse under searing pain radiating from her back and the throbbing from her injured leg and shoulder.

She'd been walking home from her therapist's office, (she never said anything to the man, it was pointless to go in the first place) back to the hospital she was being forced to stay in until she healed completely when a dark van squealed to a halt in front of her.

That was the last thing she remembers before waking up here in a cell strapped to a bed.

As she ran through a tall bush she was nearly taken out but a taunt metal chain across her path. She had already dodged several booby traps ranging from spiked pits to metal wire snares, so it was no surprise the traps would get larger in number the closer she got to the edge of the forest. She woke up chained to a bed and the deepest metal box underground that money could buy it was a sure bet that they would keep her there by any means necessary.

She skidded to a stop mere inches from the chain ( she knew just by looking at it that would have definitely cut something open if she had hit it, one side having been sharpened into a deadly jagged edge.), panting for air she almost didn't hear the growling over her need for oxygen. Spinning around she came face to face with the largest dog she had ever seen; it towered above her short frame.

She lifted her hands and muttered "Good doggy, nice doggy." over and over again as she backed away slowly. The 'dog' rolled its eyes making her stifle a laugh, knowing it would come out a bit hysterical and she was trying to hold in her meltdown till after she got away from the crazy git chasing her.

'Oh god they must have dosed me with something.'

The 'Dog' growled at her before its head snapped to the side as he sniffed the air. She paused in her escape as it listened intently to something in the distance. The smell of dark magic drifted closer and closer through the fog making Joan's face scrunch up.

She knew exactly who was coming and she refused to stay here and wait for him. She started to move but the giant dog whined making her pause again.

"What's wrong with you, don't like the smell either?" She asked eyeing the 'dog'. It answered her with a growl before pawing at the collar around its neck. She looked uncertain for a moment, so much could go wrong, yet so much already had what difference would it make if she saved the dog.

Wolf, she decided, the large dog was more like a giant wolf, its sleek gray fur shinning off the moonlight. Its pale blue eyes shinned bright as he studied her in an unnerving manner.

Letting out a frustrated growl she marched over to the newly dubbed wolf. "I swear to the goddess if you bite me I will smite you." She hissed. The creature let out an amused huff of air before lowering down to her level, lying as flat as it could so she could get a good look at the clasp on its collar.

She reached out tentatively and grasped both sides of the collar between her hands. She gasped, gritting her teeth to keep silent, as it let out a current of electricity strong enough to burn her hands. She ripped the collar off and flung away before cradling her hands to her chest. The palms of her hands were tinged pink, barely a little stinging. It was her fingers that hurt, the flesh an angry red, they throbbed.

The wolf (though she still suspects it's something completely different.) whined at her in a curious tone.

"It's fine, just a little sore." She murmured moving back slightly, forcing herself not to flinch when the movement caused her hands to brush together. "Well your free, better run before he finds you again."

It nodded before turning, disappearing in the fog like one would sink into water, just a flash off its fur before it was gone.

"Right well, that was odd…" She remained there for only a minute, her mind distracted by the strange gray furred wolf.

Turning she headed off into the trees again running as fast as her legs would carry her, her leg throbbed in pain as an old wound began to get irritated and she knew if she didn't get out or find somewhere to hide she would collapse and he would find her and she'd end up locked in that cell again.

She spotted a clearing through the fog and made to avoid it knowing it would be dangerous and tacitly unsound to cut across it, she came out of the trees on the edge of a cliff too wide to jump across and too deep to climb down; she knew if she tried to jump it she would most likely end up skewered by the large sharp spikes at the bottom.

Cursing she turned and headed towards the clearing, she looked around looking for any sign of movement and listened for any sounds. Upon hearing nothing and only being able to see a distance of ten feet in front of her she started forward moving as silently as she could.

A sharp laugh broke the silence.

"Thought you could get away from me lass?" The loud thick accented voice boomed in front of her. A short man with graying hair and piercing green eyes stepped into the clearing. "And ya let the dog out too." He laughed.

She flinched back, her back burning as she remembered the pain the man inflicted on her, they had been looking for something, but she didn't have a clue as to what it was.

"Yes well, he didn't seem to enjoy the collar much." She said to him while her eyes flicked around the clearing looking for a way around him.

"No 'e didn't I imagine, though it was for everyone's safety you know, can't have wild animals running about killing innocent people."

"Is that why I'm here?" She asked curiously. She didn't remember much from before she woke up strapped face down on a metal bed and a knife digging into her back.

"Not at all, your here because your interesting, and he does love the interesting, he almost squealed in excitement when he saw you take that knife without a sound, such exciting dangerous creatures always make him happy and boss likes his toys happy." He said with a large grin on his face and a crazy gleam in his eyes.

"Who is he?" She asked backing away.

The man laughed stepping forward. "Doesn't matter, I'm just the man that has to keep ya here." He said watching her amused. "You know this reminds me, we 'avn't properly introduced ourselves, you can call me Hope." He says taking a bow.

"Joan, I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you, but really it's not." She says spotting an opening and taking it, she sprints forward dodging around him. She realizes too late that it had been a trap {Gave me an opening so I would take it without hesitation, distracted me with information about his boss, fuck} as his arms wrap around her waist and she starts to struggle.

"Now now Joan, it's not very smart to struggle with the man that's holding your life in his hands."

He knew he had been lucky that the girl had stumbled across him. If she hadn't he would have been stuck there for a long time, chained to this forest like a dog wearing a shock collar.

He had been expecting someone {Smelled her, honey and toast, orange marmalade, wood chips, gun metal… interesting}, had expected someone completely different , not the petit woman with mousy twin braids trailing down her shoulders {Letting it grow out after having the same hair cut far to long for her liking} that came sprinting out from the thick bushes. {Eyes too large and blue for the haunted look in them, irrelevant}

He couldn't help feel a little bad for her, he could smell the blood on her clothing {inflicted recently by scalpel, purposeful, looking for something, strange} and had seen the way she limped slightly {knife wound, old, combat knife, psychosomatic} and the way she favored her shoulder from an old wound {bullet through the shoulder, nearly bled out, but there was something strange about the wound, further examination required}, not to mention the burns on her hands now from pulling the collar off him {Didn't make a sound, used to holding in signs of pain}

Not only that but she was interesting, he could tell she wasn't human {something in the way she holds herself}, that left the mystery of what she was, a strong fighter {army, the muscles in her arms suggested intense training} medic {steady hands, even when in pain, no especially when in pain}, brave {her stance when finding him suggested she would fight him If necessary though she knew he would have won, she went so far as to threaten to 'smite' him, also a clue she wasn't human}. All that added up to something interesting to him.

He was second guessing leaving her behind, she was weak from blood loss and might not last much longer if that man found her, then her interesting story would be gone leaving him without answers.

Growling he turned around and followed her scent back the way he had come. As he neared the place where her scent was strongest he heard the sound of a struggle.

"Get off me!" He recognized the girls voice, it sounded panicked and pained.

"Joan stop this, honestly." A man's voice said, high and cheery. He knew that voice too. When the clearing came in sight a low growl ripped itself from his throat. Hope was sitting on the girls back, knife in hand while she struggled under him trying in vain to get free.

"Fuck you!" She hissed thrashing again.

Hope tisked, bringing up the hand holding a large pink pill he placed it against her closed lips. "It's nothing personal luv; I just have a job to do."

He lunged, crashed into the man and tearing him away from the girl. He growled tearing into the man's arms as he tried to fight him off.

"Bad Doggy!" Hope shouted summoning strength from the runes under the earth. Ones that Sherlock had missed noticing.

Joan rolled as the body on top of her was knocked away. She sat up and couldn't believe her eyes, the wolf had saved her.

"Bad Doggy!" Hope shouted and the clearing they were in erupted in a bright red light {Dark magic, he's using it to gain strength!}, Hope sent the wolf flying. Joan rolled to the side as a sharp whip of magic was sent her way. Once back on her stomach she placed a foot under herself and stood up, wobbling a bit as her leg protested.

Hope raised the sickly pink whip high over his head; the look in his eyes was pure insanity.

Some part of her reached out unconsciously forcing her body into firing stance, legs set apart slightly, hands out stretched as if holding a gun. A black murky tendril of light manifested itself in her palm in the shape of her trusted {and currently missing} Sig; the pain of its manifestation is dull and unnoticeable under the other aches of her body.

She doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger, doesn't stop to question her strange new ability, all she is aware of is the need to save. A bright light, the same molten gold as the manifestation of her healing ability, bursts forth leaving a trail where it cuts through the fog.

The last thing she saw was Hope jerking forward as the bullet entered his body above the heart {too close to not be fatal}, and a glowing pair of gray eyes watching her before she vision sharpened then went black.