The heat hit my face in a burning flash and the next thing I knew, I was running. Running faster than I ever had before. The village I had once called my home was burning, falling to ash, and for a second, I thought I was going to burn right along with it. But I couldn’t bear to let that happen. I was the sole survivor, so I had no one to depend on other than myself on my journey to find a new home. Run. That’s all I knew I could do at this point. So I ran, and ran, and ran. I had no notion of where I was going, how I was going to get there, or what obstacles would lie ahead, but I did know that I had to keep going, no matter what. I had to try, or my only chance at survival would disappear. My legs grew weaker and my movements grew more and more sloppy with each passing step. Eventually, I collapsed against a tree. I could not take even one more step, for I knew my legs would give out and I wouldn’t be able to get up again. I fell asleep, though it wasn’t a peaceful sleep, seeing as nightmares were all over my mind. Nightmares of my friends, my family, and everyone else who resided in the village burning. And it wasn’t a very long sleep either. I was almost instantly awoken by a loud growling. A wolf. It’s sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight, the teeth that would rip me to pieces if I didn’t get my ass up and run. Now! I leapt up and ran as fast as I could, though my exhaustion was too much to bear. I collapsed once more and the wolf pounced on me, I thought I was done for. But then… it happened. I heard footsteps, then a gunshot, and then the wolf flew off of me, blood leaking from a hole in its head. It was dead. Someone shot the wolf. “Who’s there?! P-please don’t kill me!” I exclaimed, on the verge of tears. “I’m not here to harm you,” a calm voice said. I looked up and saw a handsome man looking down at me worriedly. “I want to help you. But I have to know, why are you here? I mean, why are you alone in the forest at night? It’s dangerous…” Tears filled my eyes and I started to sob. “My village! My friends! My family! They’re all gone! Everyone, everything, it’s all gone! Burned!” I cried. The man’s expression was one of pity as he pulled me into his arms. A warm embrace. It felt as if it had been years since I had one of those. “So you don’t have a home?” He asked. I shook my head sadly, my heart breaking into tinier pieces every second that I thought of what had happened. “Well,” he said. “Would you like to come stay in my village? You can stay for as long as you’d like.” “R-really?” I stuttered. “Th-thank you so so much! H-how can I ever repay you?” The man chucked and smiled down at me. “Don’t worry about repaying me. Knowing that your ok is payment enough. Come on, it’s in our best interest that we don’t stay out here any longer.” He gently took my hand in his and I tried my best to hide the fact that I was blushing. _This man… _I thought. _He’s my home._ We started walking in silence, though it wasn’t an awkward silence, it was a calming, peaceful silence. I liked it. We eventually reached a beautiful village, glowing lights on every street corner. It was like a dream. “Wow… this is… gorgeous. You live here?” I whispered, clearly in awe. “Yep! And you, ma’am, are going to be living with me! I-if that’s alright with you.” He exclaimed, grinning joyfully. Out of pure instinct, I pulled the man into a tight embrace. “Thank you, sir! Thank you so much! You’re-you’re my savior! My home!” I exclaimed, blushing deeply. “O-of course, ma’am. Anything to help…” I looked up at him as he spoke, and he was blushing too. I took a moment to take in all of his handsome features, my heart fluttering. That’s when I noticed that we were still holding hands. My blush deepened, and so did his. I followed him into his house, and suddenly, he kissed me. It was a sweet, tender kiss, though I still wasn’t expecting it! But I definitely wasn’t complaining either! I kissed back, just as sweetly. I knew now that I had found a home, though it wasn’t a place. When we pulled away from each other and gazed deeply into each other’s eyes, I knew… this man, he’s my home, and I was happy with that.