With a happy sigh, Sarah moved slowly off the plane that had taken her to the airport where her family was waiting. She was excited to see her family again. It was the perfect time too. They were having their annual camping trip and Sarah was happy her parents were paying for her plane ride. There was no way she had the money for the round trip.

Once she was off the plane she headed straight to the exit. She only carried two bags. Her purse and her carry on. She had been able to get everything she needed for her trip in one bag. She blamed it on spending so much time with her brother.

'I've been blaming Eric for a lot of things lately,'[/color] she told herself. 'Oh well, that's what a little sister's for: annoying her brother.'[/color]

"Hey! There you are!" she heard her brother's voice yell out.

Sarah smiled widely as she turned around. She could see her tall brother running towards her. His skin was darker than hers and his almost blonde hair was long enough to be put in a ponytail. He had full green eyes, as apposed to her mostly brown ones. He was wearing a loose tee, worn jeans, and scuffed hiking boots.

To her, he looked exactly the same as she had left him.

With a running start, the brunette ran for her brother. When she got close enough she jumped up. Eric easily caught her and hugged her to him. They stayed like that for a bit before he put her on her feet.

"We need to get going. Mom and Dad are waiting in the car," Eric told her.

She nodded and picked up her fallen dufflebag. When she was ready, she and her brother headed to the parking lot, where the rest of her family was waiting.

A throaty laugh assaulted Sarah's ears as she watched her father laugh with Eric. Her father's head was thrown back as he laughed. His shaggy dark blonde hair was waving in the wind his movements created. Eric stood beside him, watching their father laugh as well.

Sarah glanced over at her mother to see her smiling softly. Her mother's smile made the young woman realize that her parents were alone. Eric had moved out of home before Sarah finished high school. He was living in Southern California. She, herself, had moved away from home. Her parents were the only ones left in her childhood home.

'I wish I could visit more often, but that would defeat the purpose of me moving to the other end of the country. I don't wanna stick my Mom and Dad's side for the rest of my life. That's not how I want to live my life.'[/color] Sarah looked at her aging parents with sorrowful eyes. 'Though, a few more visits a year won't hurt.'[/color]

With a sad smile, the youngest member of the family followed behind the others. The hike to their usual campsite would be over in another hour. The anticipation was steadily growing inside her. She always loved camping with her family. She was a little upset that she would leave in a week, but the trip was worth it to her.

Glee filled Sarah as she saw the river bank they would be camping on. With a glance at her brother, she pushed herself to run to the bank. She threw Eric a smirk before noticing that he was right on her tail. She laughed as she pushed her legs fast, getting to the bank just a second before her brother.

"You got a head start," Eric huffed.

"You have longer legs," she gasped out.

Eric shook his head. "You walk more," he tried.

Sarah laughed. "Don't even try that! I walk in high heels! Hurts the calves more than it builds endurance," she teased.

"Maybe I should wear heels to work," their dad interrupted.

The two offspring turned to look at their father. They took one look at his serious face and burst with laughter. As they laughed their Native American mother joined in. Their father grinned as he watched his children.

'I missed this.'[/color]

Sarah stood at the top of the hill the trail used to enter the campsite. The camp was typical. There were two tents: one for males and one for females. In the middle of the camp was a fire pit with chairs surrounding it. There were two table structures with the chairs. Sarah's father and brother were working on creating a changing area for them further from the fire pit.

Sarah smiled from her perch before hiking back down to help her mother prepare dinner. The camping trip was just what Sarah needed. The city had zapped her of all her energy and the break was wonderful.

'Maybe I can find someone in the city who'll go camping with me.'[/color]

nudge Sarah groaned. nudge Another groan.

"Get up," someone told her.

She groaned softly. "Go 'way."

"Get up!"

Sarah finally got up. She looked around her tent and saw that her brother was standing above her. "Fishing time?"

Eric nodded. Sarah nodded back and raised her hand. Her brother smiled and grabbed her outstretched hand. With a quick pull, she was on her feet.

"Let me get dressed and I'll be ready," Sarah whispered.

Eric smiled and left the tent. Sarah stretched before leaving for the day. She went into the designated changing area and changed into some clothes that were alright to get wet.

The quiet of the camp was interrupted by a scream of victory and a groan of defeat. The scream was Sarah's. The groan was Eric's.

It was a tradition between the two. The first one to catch a fish didn't have to gut or scale the fish that were caught. The first time it had been done had been when Eric wanted out of the chore. He won that day, but the next was little Sarah's victory. The two made it tradition since.

"Sounds like you're having fun," Sarah's dad stated as his daughter finished her happy dance.

"Very! It's my first full day back and I don't have fish cleaning duty!"

Mrs. Jackson laughed as her daughter went back to continue fishing. Eric was grumpy as he stood ten feet from his sister, but his mood changed when he caught a fish, much larger than his sisters. The fish then continued to be reeled in. It got to where Eric stopped fishing so he could start cleaning.

It was a good morning for the camping family.

The day had been full of fishing, eating, story telling, and fun. Sarah's first day back in Washington was great. However, there was a lingering feeling in her stomach that made her want to go back to the city. It felt strange to her. The whole time she had been in New York City she had been missing the forests and natural presence of, what Sarah could only describe as, Mother Earth.

Perhaps it was just her tribal blood in her that missed for the forests of Washington. However, there was now another part of her that wanted back in the city. It confused her to feel the way she did. She hadn't felt so separated since she decided to become an artist.

Sarah wondered, as she laid in her sleeping bag, if the part of her that wanted to be back in NYC was her father's blood. As soon as the thought entered her mind it was dismissed. Her father loved the forest as much as her mother. There must have been a part of her that had come to think of the new city as her home. The part of her that wanted to come on the family trip was only missing her family.

With a sigh of relief, Sarah snuggled into her blue sleeping bag before fading into the black of sleep. Her mind and body were too tired to think at the moment.

Sarah crouched quietly. The only sound was her breathing and the natural forest sounds. Her brothers bow was in one hand, an arrow notched in the other. She let out a puff of carbon dioxide before pulling back the string as she aimed at the deer that had just entered her line of sight.

On her next exhale, she released her arrow.

She watched as it sailed through the air as it went towards her target. Then suddenly, it hit. The deer was down. She had made her kill.

Sarah slung her bow onto her shoulder as she started to climb down from her perch in a tree. By the time she was on the ground, Eric was already pulling the arrow out of the deer and starting to pick up the carcass.

"Had to pick the big one didn't you?" her brother teased.

Sarah smiled before getting ready to lead them back to the campsite. When she turned, she caught site of something at the base of the tree she had climbed down. She stopped and just stared at what ever it was. For some reason she thought that it smirked at her.

"You go ahead. I wanna check something," Sarah stated with some uncertainty.

She wasn't sure exactly what was in the woods. However, there was something pulling her towards the shadowy figure.

"Sure, whatever, just be back before dark. You know mom worries," Eric told her as he walked off.

After she was sure he was gone, Sarah moved to follow after the figure she had seen. Her mind was screaming at her BAD IDEA! BAD IDEA! but she wasn't listening.

When the person Sarah had been following stopped, she did as well. They were in a shaded clearing about three or four yards across. It was rather small, but it gave Sarah a chance to study the person she had been following.

They were only a few inches taller than her. Long almost black hair ran down their back, with braids placed in random areas of the hair. She could make out animal skin clothes and shoes donning the person. There was a bow and quiver of arrows slung over their shoulder.

After long minutes of silence, the person turned around. When Sarah caught sight of their face, she gasped.

"Tonho," she gasped out.

As soon as Sarah had spoken, her old friend smiled. The dark skinned male was happy to see his childhood friend. The female herself was happy to see someone from her past.

"It's been a long time, Little Archer," he greeted.

The shocked female nodded. "It has. Several years, I believe."

Tonho nodded in agreement. Sarah smiled softly at her old friend. Tonho had been the one to teacher her how to shoot an arrow from a traditional bow. He was also a dear friend, a cousin even.

"You moved," Tonho stated.

"Yes, to the city. It's different there." As she spoke she remembered her thoughts the previous night. The feeling of home was in both her family and the city. She decided to tell Tonho such. "The city is my home now. I miss my family, but it is where I belong."

Tonho nodded. "It is where you belong. The spirits have led you there. It is your home, you are correct."

Sarah let out her breath. It was relieving to know that Tonho wasn't upset with her. He was one of the people she looked to for help. If he had said something to contradict her realization, she wasn't sure what she would have done. His agreement was a relief for her.

After a lengthy talk with Tonho about their lives since they last saw each other, Sarah headed back to the camp. Her mother was probably worried about her. Eric would probably been goofing off to keep their mother's mind off of it.

The forest was beginning to take a darker tone to it. The sun was setting, which caused shadows to go through the area with a quickness that was unsettling. Sarah was immune to it though. She had grown up in the forests of her home state. A few shadows weren't going to scare her.

snap

The sound made Sarah jump before she set off in a run for the camp.

Sarah laughed at her father, who was doing a rather bad impersonation of Tonho's father. Though it was exaggerated, it got the point across. Her uncle was rather serious when it came to the forest.

When Sarah had returned to the camp, she found out that she wasn't the only one who was visited. Tonho's father had stopped by the camp to see her mother and father. The visit wasn't much to talk about, but had caused her father to impersonate her uncle.

Her family was laughing together as they made some smores. Eric was almost falling off his chair. Mrs. Jackson was smiling as she watched her husband. Sarah knew her mother didn't like it when her father made fun of Tonho's father. Of course, Tonho had confessed once that his father did the same. Her mother just didn't know that.

Sarah tipped her head back and watched the sky through the trees. It was peaceful, if you could ignore her family.

'And in four more days I'll be headed back home,' she thought before returning her mind to her family. 'Strange to think of the city as home, but it is. This may be where my family is, but New York is my home.'[/color]

BOOM

Sarah jolted up from her sleeping bag. She looked around the tent for a moment, wondering what had woken her.

BOOM

She let out a small scream before realizing it wasn't a gun she was hearing. She sighed with relief as she finally understood that there was a storm going on.

"Sarah, dear, are you alright?" the twenty-three year old heard her mother ask.

"Yeah, Momma, it just scared me; that's all," Sarah told her softly.

BOOM

"I didn't know you were so scared of thunder," Mrs. Jackson teased.

Sarah laughed lightly. How was she supposed to tell her mother that the thunder reminded her of getting shot? Absentmindedly, Sarah touched her shoulder. It was still strange to think that she'd been shot.

"I just wasn't expecting it, I guess." Sarah's mother nodded before going back to sleep. Sarah knew however, that she wouldn't be sleeping that night.

BOOM

After a long night of listening to the booming thunderstorm, morning came. By that point in time the thunder and lightning was gone. All that remained was the light rain and wind.

Sarah had left the tent as soon as the sun rose and started to cook breakfast, fish fillets. She had the pot of coffee going and had already made herself some hot chocolate. By the time her family awoke, breakfast was cooked and ready for them.

Her brother and father were slightly shocked that she had cooked, but her mother had a knowing glint to her eyes. The look her mother gave her caused Sarah to feel guilty for not telling her mother about her injury. It was then that she decided to tell her mother on the hike they had planned for the day.

'I have to tell her. She might get upset, but I can't keep this from her.'[/color]

Sarah held up her hand to slow her mother. The other woman was quick to follow. Her mother knew something was going to be said. The young woman instantly felt nervous. The injury was long gone, but her mother didn't even know about it.

"I got something to tell you, Momma," Sarah stated.

Her mother nodded. She was a paitent woman and would wait for her daughter to speak.

"I, uh, a little bit ago, when I was in the city, well, these people came and, uh, well, attacked me. I had some, um, help and got away, but, uh," she quietly cursed herself for not being able to flat out say it. "I got shot, Momma."

There! She finally said it! Now she just had to see what her mother said. The young woman looked over to her mother through some loose pieces of hair.

"That is why you were scared last night," Mrs. Jackson observed. Sarah could only nod shamefully. "You are alright though?"

Sarah smiled. "Yeah, Momma, I'm alright. I had some help from a friend."

She left the specfics vague. Her mother now knew about her injury and was okay with it. The young woman didn't want to overstep her boundaries by telling her everything that happened.