Ella ached to stretch her legs after sleeping in her new home; it was a by-product of sleeping on the ground. Her deer pelt had proven to be very little padding between herself and the earth beneath her, and she cursed Ivan for taking her usual bedding with him. Climbing up out of her nest, Ella stretched to and fro before she glanced out of the one dirty window. It was still dark out, so she pulled on a simple pair of shorts and a flowing blue shirt, stepping outside with her usual coverings gone.

By the position of the moon, it wasn't even close to dawn; more like early evening. Luella frowned at that, wondering what had happened to her sleep schedule, and then heard Windle cawing from the garden around the side of the house. Ella made her way there, leaning over the fence. In the moonlight, she could see Darkness' sleeping form, and that of Lady and Stanton.

But where was Margie? The little goat had completely disappeared. Ella stepped into the garden worriedly. Windle cawed again, sleepily, and directed her to a back corner, where it seemed some over-grown shrubs had hidden a hole in the fence. Cursing quietly, Ella climbed through the hole and set off through the trees. Margie left a clear trail; it seemed she'd stopped and snacked several times along the way, and her tracks were deep in the moist earth.

Ella followed until she came upon a section of Jordheim she hadn't visited yet, and then out and into the territory proper. Margie's prints mocked her in that they did not hurry; the nanny was taking her time doing whatever she wanted. The hybrid followed them until she reached a clearing. Margie stood inside it, munching on grass quietly. Ella stayed out of sight and downwind, wishing she'd brought a rope--or a sack. Either would be more effective than her own two hands.

"Alright," She said softly, and began slinking out of the trees, dropping to crawl on all fours so that the nanny goat wouldn't see her. The creature seemed to sense something was up, because her head lifted and she bleated, stamping her feet nervously. Ella didn't give her time to take off; she leapt, and landed almost on top of the animal who was half her size, hands clasping and pulling until she managed to bring the goat to a stop, sitting on her middle and pinning her head down with both paws. Margie bleated pathetically.

"You're going to be a good girl and come home now," The canine said firmly. Margie flailed unconvincingly, and Ella blew her breath out in one large whoosh, puffing her hair out of her face. "C'mon, Margie, don't do this," She pleaded, "I've got things to do! I can't always be keepin' an eye on ya." Margie struggled some more, then lay still, giving a single, despondant bleat.

"I know you don't like the sheep," Ella soothed, looking for all the world like she was having a conversation with the goat. "But they're useful, and so are you! You got used to Darkness, didn't you?" Margie bleated. "And there you have it! We'll have no more of this running away nonsense." Ella got up, brushing herself off with a pleased smile as Margie climbed slowly to her feet, staring at Ella with dark eyes.

A moment later, she'd begun walking away, head held high with a distinctive stomp to her step. Ella walked beside her, careful to make sure Margie was headed home. If she made a run for it, Ella doubted she'd catch the goat; she would be expecting it. And Margie was too smart to be caught twice in the same night.