"I have to be sharp to keep this one in line." Ryn glared nastily at Terald. "Why didn't you stop him? Do you have any idea what's going on out there?! Don't you even remember what I said to you earlier?"
"It wasn't like I could. He's gotten speedier, you know. Ran off in quite a hurry once that girl Aria told him something... Look, I admit, I was half-drunk..."

"You are still an IDIOT, Terald, booze or no booze. You don't let kids wander around by themselves."
"You're one to talk. There's a kid with you right now, and he doesn't look like he's in any condition to be standing."
"Don't test me, Terald. I just want to know which way Kenneth went..."
"You don't have to worry about that. Aria went to get him."
"Aria? The orphan I left with Estella...?"
"Yeah, she went to go get 'im."
Ryn stared blankly at him, then shouted, "YOU ASS! She's still a kid!"

"There was another one that ran right into her. Dunno his name, but I told him to make sure she was alright, no worries, Ryn." Terald placed a hand on her shoulder. There's no way things could get any worse than this, right?"

The young woman didn't look convinced, and she roughly brushed him off. "I wouldn't be so sure."
Terald stayed silent for a bit. Then a thought occurred to him. "Say, something's been bugging me, though. Kenneth knew that you came to speak with me before. About paying the old man a visit."

Ryn held out her hand. "Not now, Terald. Not now."

Kenneth followed behind Kane, taking care not to fall too far behind. He noticed something strange about the sky; it had been turning orange just a second ago as it was approaching dusk, but, now it was completely gray and steadily darkening. No... not this... not now...

Katrine looked behind her to make sure her daughter was still obediently following at her heels. The only problem was, she was gone.
"Tch. Stupid girl. Looks like I'll have to use it when she gets back again."

Aria shook her head. "Obviously you don't understand me; my friend decided he was going to interfere in someone else's battle. Someone he doesn't even know. It's not even about me; it's some %#*@$ about 'stopping senseless violence and destruction.'"

The coyote smirked and tipped his hat. "I wouldn't worry overly miss, with this shakeup most of us are active. Chance of bet your lost lambs have already been found by 'em. That being the case they're safe as can be, e'la. As the las here said, Johnny's taken a shine to the lepoid lass, no harm's gonna come to that one, no ma'am." His style of speech was rather backward and slang ridden, it was a chore trying to make sense of it.

John nodded, "I assumed, sorry. Stopping senseless aggression is a noble goal, but not something one person can do. Maybe he's just trying what he thinks is right."

Ryn gave him a strange look, not knowing whether to trust his words. "You know this guy?"
Terald shook his head. "He just showed up to fight some shape-shifting... demon thing... that got away. My head was pretty messed up, so I didn't really see much of what happened."
"No doubt because of that swill you keep drinking."
"It wasn't that... it was..." Terald trailed off for a moment. "... nevermind it's nothing."

The woman gave him an annoyed look. "Look, your pathetic attempts to come up with excuses are not funny, Ter. Since he's not here, I'm going to look elsewhere."

"Ryn, you should at least wait a bit. Besides, there's enough kids in the middle of that whole mess as it is."

Watts looked up as the ragged door was blasted off its hinges by a powerful force. Katrine entered soon after, paw covering her face.

"You're alone."
"That girl...
"You didn't find her?"
"I did. But she..."
Watts crossed his arms. "How come you didn't force her, Kat?"
"She... Kiri... Her mind is messed up enough as it is, Watts. She's too..."

"Mentally unstable? It's your fault, messing with her memories and all that."
"It's necessary. She'll expose us, with the way she acts."
"Look, you've taken great care to shelter her, but since she's no longer a little runt, she's been wanting to see everything.
"She has. She has her books. Why are you lecturing me, anyway, she's not your child."

Watts shook his head. "And you're supposed to be the psycoanalytical one. By the way, you still never told her who her father is.
Katrine gave him a nasty glare. "There is no need to. He's dead."
"Oh, yeah, that's right." Watts took a step closer. "You won't be able to keep that lie up much longer, Kat. You and I both know that."

"She is not going to find out. I've been taking care of it up until now, and I'll make sure it stays that way."
Watts took another step closer. "And you'll continue to rip her mind apart, bit by bit as you do that."
Katrine stepped back. "Stay away."

"Relax. I'm not going to do anything to you. Besides, I should get going. I need to make sure everything is in order."
"Master's orders? Where is he?"
"I don't know. He said he was going to pay someone a visit before getting back to us about our next move."

Aria scoffed. "Hell of a lot of good that does." She looked ahead. "Well, I'm gonna get goin'. Stupid kitty-cats don't bring themselves back."

She poked her head out from the darkened alleyway. No one was around.
Orange eyes darted back and forth, scanning the area. It wasn't like the other part of town, where most everything was in shambles. Everything here still looked new.

Cautiously, Kiri stepped out into the open, looking around. She had no idea where she was, she didn't even know what she was doing over here.
She finally sat down on the sidewalk and brought her knees up to her chest. Her eyes were still looking back and forth, as though afraid someone was going to pop out from the shadows.

"Being honest I wasn't tailing the Raven. I was tailing that kid, lost him 'cuz Raven had yerself in quite a stupor. Thought it polite to stick by and make sure ya got away." The coyote smiled carelessly then looked thoughtful, "Something's buggin me though, Ter, was it? Maybe none-a my business but seems to me birdman got you hard with his little trick. He didn't pick the boy for no reason either. Assume he's a brother or nephew, or a stand-in for the position. You care that much I'd wager you'd be out helping the tike, not arguin' with the lovely lady here. Guess it's an observation, not a question. Either case I'm free now, anyone for a drink?"

Sam raised his hand.

"He's with Kenji." John stated abruptly, averting his eyes from hers.

"The name's Terald," the cat corrected him. "And the kid that guy was pretending to be was my youngest brother."
Ryn looked confused. "Raven? Pretending?" Her hands shook as bits and pieces of the mental jigsaw puzzle arranged themselves into a clearer picture.

"I have to go," she said hastily as she turned and ran back the way she came. Terald scratched his head, looking awkward.

Aria paused and looked John directly in the eyes. For once, she actually looked surprised, but she shook her head and tried to shrug it off. "What of it? So the man's practically considered a god by all the stupid nobles and religious pricks. Never did anything for me."

The trench coat wearing coyote throughout the discussion didn't say a word, it wasn't his place. However, when Ryn took off, he looked at her running off for a second then at Sam. He closed his eyes and lightly hummed a little bit, thinking.

---

Augustus finally stopped in the middle of a road. "I'm never going to find them at this rate...I now know how she feels about trying to find that brother of hers." He said aloud, after all nobody was around. "Nobody is around...This is strange." He grabbed his silver cigarillo, pulled out another cigarette, and started smoking. "Should of stayed in the lab."

OOC: Just thought I'd toss this out here. General non-colored ref of Kiri, just in case my descriptions seem vague. <.<

"That stuff is bad for you."

Augustus had overlooked the strange girl sitting a short distance away with her knees up to her chest, staring at him blankly with empty-looking orange eyes. She didn't look much older than eleven or twelve,but her mannerisms seemed like that of a much younger child. "Mister, you should put that out before your lungs turn all black and yucky. My mommy says my daddy died like that 'cuz he smoked a lot."

Kenneth's feet pounded against the sidewalk with each step. He'd never run this much in all his life. He was following behind Kane now, who seemed to know exactly where he was heading. The wolf had easily gotten ahead of him; no doubt because of his height, which meant longer legs.

Were they there yet? The kitten didn't know, he couldn't concentrate with the sounds of crumbling buildings and thunder rolling overhead...

Wait... thunder?

He halted at once, looking into the sky just as a raindrop fell on his nose. Strange, it was sunny just a moment ago...
Putting two and two together, he suddenly realized it. No...
He looked ahead. Kane was already gone.

Dammit... I'm too late!

"Not that one. Far as we know he's dead. But... there's a new one. The others, they just kinda gave him that name as a title. He's with that kid, don't ask me to explain it, I'm not sure myself, but I just know. Believe me, he's safe." The rabbit said getting up. "If you're really gonna keep going like that then I'm going as well. It's too dangerous out here."

"All the freaks come out in the rain it seems." The chastising voice was behind them. A pair of men clad in enforcer trenchcoats stood less than a block away. One rather lean looking dog with pointed ears that pointed at John like radar dishes, and the other a burly looking blue-eyed husky. "Doesn't look like a lovers quarrel to me. Wonder how the little girl got in that shape." The smaller man snarled out snidely. The wolf's eyes were narrowed, "I would have to agree, these vermin would destroy themselves were we not here. BOTH OF YOU, HALT!"

Aria's brow twitched; she didn't like the way they were talking one bit. "Don't talk down to me, you asswipes,"she called out, sticking up her middle finger at the canines. "I don't take crap from anybody, not even the likes of you."

"In shock from being assaulted?" The smaller dog state flatly. The Husky nodded, "Kenji knows what that long eared pervert there did before we got here."

John's iris's seemed to dilate visibly, the reality of what was about to happen making his stomach drop. He wanted to run, he wanted to vanish, but he couldn't. They'd catch him, things would just be worse. Instead he slowly started moving backward, away from the two men.

The words struck the girl as odd. "What kind of stuff have you been smoking? I'm perfectly fine. You try anything funny, though, and my fist is going to break those teeth of yours. That's a promise."

--

"Excuse me sir, could you spare some change?"

An old rat no taller than an average human adult wearing tattered clothing limped about the slum neighborhood with an old, moldy cup in his hand. After being shooed off by a passer-by for the last time, he turned and limped away, but not before spotting a lone, cloaked figure walking up the street. He almost ran over to him and lifted up his filthy mug, rasping, "Excuse me sir, but could you sp--"

Before he could finish the sentence, the stranger lifted up his dark gray furred paw to his face. "Disappear into nothingness."

The elder was blasted backward at once, slamming hard into a graffiti-ridden building. The old mug fell to the ground and shattered; the old rat slumped to the ground, leaving a thick line of crimson as he slumped to the ground, rasping his last breath.

Many of the poor races that had been outside had their ears covered, as though they'd heard some sort of loud noise. It didn't seem to faze the stranger, even as the discovery of the corpse on the steps of the abandoned house gave rise to panic and screams.

He looked down at his hand, flexed his fingers for a bit, then grunted and looked up, keeping his eyes locked on a particular house in the middle of the next block ahead of him. "What a pointless waste of energy. At least it has momentarily distracted me for the time being…"

--

Kenneth froze; a horrible feeling had come over him again. He was alone, Kane was gone, it was starting to rain, and the further he traveled down this alleyway, the hotter it was starting to get. He thought he saw a flame for a moment, but what was really drawing him there was the indistinct shouting.

Staying still, the boy opened his hand, and a tiny ball of energy sparked to life. Part of him wanted to stay hidden, but he also wanted to throw caution to the wind and run out there…
Come on, Kenneth… this isn't school anymore… this is real…

With his heart pounding in his chest, he mentally braced himself. I'm going to throw myself into harm's way. So long as no one dies, that's all that matters.

"Stockholm syndrome?" the lithe dog uttered to his partner.

"Not improbable. But seems too sudden." The husky rumbled back, "Should take them in for questioning. Then female juvenile for medical treatment."

The other moved forward, into the light. His Doberman coloration became clear, the brown fur on his eyebrow area furrowed in contempt, "Wait, I recognize this brat. The area Liaison takes up for him."

For a moment John visible relaxed, his time with Joseph seemed to be paying off.

"Even worse. Repaying Droegemeier's trust with debauchery. He's resisting." The husky said, his monotone voice shifting to one of repugnance.

"Now yer speaking MY language." The Doberman said turning on the grey Lepoid. John's blood ran cold.

"What makes you so certain the suspect is this young man?"

Ryn was slowly approaching the group, her violet eyes shifting back and forth between the two rabbits and the enforcers.

"I've heard enough to have some sort of idea of the situation, but I'm not wrong in saying that your job entails listening to at least their side of the story, would it not?"

Something hit him, for a moment he felt the breath leave him weak an powerless. The world blurred as he sunk down, desperately trying to regain control of his lungs, no his whole form. It was as something had suddenly cut him off from his own brain, but only for a moment, a moment that made him sink to the ground in what he could only describe as consciously watching himself faint.

A few fleeting moments passed before he raised his head back up to see the girl moving towards him. He saw her cast a glare at the Enforcers, her lips moving. The younger Enforcer's doing the same. He realized his ears had yet to start functioning again, he couldn't hear them. The Canoid pulled something out from his coat. John's ears started working just in time to hear the gunshot. Just in time to hear her body hitting the ground. Just in time to hear Aria's screams. He saw the muzzle twinkle in the moonlight as it leveled on him, he saw the larger Enforcer move to stop it but his larger form was too slow. A flash of vermilion from the barrel and what felt like someone hitting him in the chest, but the numbing sensation turned to burning instead of subsiding. It felt like a dream as the youth looked down, the burning made it hard to breathe. His clothing was wet, stained red; it was blood, he'd been shot. The numbness flooded back over him, things blurred again. He could hear Aria.

"Daniel." It was the Husky's voice.

Suddenly he was still facing them, trying to back away. The violet-eyed girl was still staring them down. It never happened. The rabbit's legs gave way from the stress of feeling his own death, sending him to the same concrete square he'd died on not a minute before. He yelped and rolled to one side, staring at the square as if it had attacked him.

"Christ, it's a riot. They're saying one of the Liason Officers was killed." The younger dog said almost as if the drama of the situation had his blood going. His companion turned and strided away stoically, "We should return to the site, before hell swallows this whole city." The younger dog grunted and sneered at the rabbits before following, "Next time you won't be so lucky punks."

In the mire of John's mind Ryn was moving toward them. But then she was laying dead on the street. Behind him he could hear Aria's gurgled scream, he saw himself facing down her killer only to die at his hands as well. The knife didn't hurt going into his throat, but the blood choked him, he gasped for breath that never came. Aria was still standing, watching Ryn. Was he going insane? He'd watched them die, he'd felt himself die twice. The pain was so real he couldn't stand, his chest hurt from both experiences. The young rabbit looked up at Ryn and managed to squeak out, "Help me."

IC:

"Relax, they're gone now," the feline spoke, closing her eyes. "Such audacity; who knows what they were going to do had I not gotten here in time."

"NEXT TIME I'LL KICK YOUR COLLECTIVE NOBLE ASSES! BUNCHA BASTARDS!!" Aria called after them as loudly as she could.

"Watch your mouth," Ryn addressed her, helping John to his feet. "If you're as hurt as they say, then you shouldn't be straining yourself."

"Tch, like you know better, Ryn," the young girl scoffed. "I'm a lot better off than I was five minutes ago."

"And what happened five minutes ago?"

"None of your business."

"You're not helping yourself, you know. Those enforcers were bent on making it look like you'd been assaulted. Or am I wrong?"

Aria muttered a string of swear words under her breath and turned away from Ryn. "It's not like that at all."

The feline raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then please enlighten me. There has to be some reason kids are wandering around a disaster area."

Aria sighed, reluctantly deciding to explain the recent events.

Ryn only nodded once when she concluded. "You're lucky to be alive right now. She sounds like someone highly trained, probably a master of a kind of Art. She could have easily killed you, Aria."

"Yeah, I got that part when she threatened me," Aria snapped irritably. "You're not my &*#@%ing mother, Ryn, I know my own limits, ya know."

Ryn ignored this comment, and started down the street again. Aria raised an eyebrow. "Oi, where are you going?"

"I have to find my brother."

"No way, I'm still goin', you hear me!" Aria ran a bit to catch up with her. "I ain't backin' down after I got this far!"

Before Aria could react, however, Ryn turned about face, sidestepped her, then took hold of her arm and wrenched it behind her back. Pain stabbed through her, and she screamed. When the feline turned her loose the very next moment, she crumpled to her knees. The girl muttered another string of swear words under her breath as she slowly righted herself back on her feet, glaring at Ryn with contempt etched on her tear-stained face.

"That proves you're in no condition do anything," Ryn said plainly, "if someone can do that to you. Don't throw your life away, Aria. Get out of here, and take your friend with you."

The tan rabbit stayed silent, even as the feline resumed her brisk pace up the street.

--

The old hare had been sitting at the kitchen table, looking at the old photograph that dropped to the floor earlier. Although she smiled slightly, her eyes reflected her inner worry. The children had been gone for too long. Hopefully they would be back soon?

Estella looked up suddenly, hearing knocking on the door. Slowly, she placed the photograph on the table and rose from her seat, using her cane nearby as support.

When the knocking got louder, she said, "Hold one minute. I'll be there."

As she hobbled closer the front door, the hare felt relieved with the thought of seeing Aria, Kenneth, and Richard standing just over the threshold, unharmed and safe.

*Click. Click.*

One by one, the locks were opened, and Estella stepped back as she opened the front door. At once, her eyes widened in terror.

There were no children standing just over the threshold, but rather a large figure clad in a dark cloak. It seemed to tower over her, robbing her of the will to move.

Estella finally got a hold of herself and tried to slam the door shut, but the cloaked stranger held it open. "Why, how rude of you, Miss Estella. Closing the door on a guest? And one you haven't seen in many years, no doubt? I thought you would know better in your old age," a deep, sinister male voice spoke.

"N-no," the old woman said, shaking her head feverishly as she recognized the voice. "You're not supposed to be here… You're not supposed to be here… you're not…"

"Oh, then I suppose you think that I was supposed to rot for the rest of my life in that hellhole called a prison, right?" The man raised his arms to pull back the hood on his cloak, revealing himself to be a dark gray wolf. "As you can see, I'm a very busy man, with things to do, you know? One of these things just happened to be some unfinished business from a very long time ago…"

"Wha-what are you…?"

"I only want to ask a question; I was wondering if you happened to know where your former charge is. Miss Ryn Sonata, I believe her name was?"

Estella took another step back, shaking her head. "No, I do not know."

"That doesn't really help either of us, now does it," the wolf said, taking a step forward. "Now, I can feel your fear, Estella, and it's keeping you from telling the truth."

"It's the truth. I do not know. And even if I did, I would never tell you."

"Loyal to the Sonatas, are we?"

"No, Darien," Estella said defiantly, even with her expression still fearful, "I'm loyal to no one. Ryn Sonata is a dear friend, and I would never betray her to the likes of you."

Darien cracked his knuckles. "Ah, I see now. Then that makes things easier for me."

Estella took another step back, and the wolf stepped forward. "For the longest time, you, and the rest of your kind, have always been like this awful buzzing in my ear. Occasionally, the buzzing gets to be too much, and I just gotta do something about it, you know? Sure, you hear about all the petty crimes, but those are just the wannabes doing what they want 'cause no one's really going to stop them. My thing is on a much grander scale… one that, well, you or any of you filthy rodents will be living to see."

The wolf leaned forward, his muzzle just inches away from Estella's face. "Change is coming."

--

Thunder rolled overhead. Yet she still sat. Her clothes were soaked from the rain, but she didn't bother to move. Suddenly, her ears twitched and she looked up just as lightning struck one of the buildings, igniting the roof. As the flames danced and spread to the houses on either side, Kiri shuddered; it were as though it had triggered some sort of painful memory, or something else long forgotten, yet familiar.

Her ears suddenly twitched, and she started looking around. Someone was there, she could sense it.

--

So long as no one dies, that's all that matters…

Finally deciding that it would seem just plain silly to hide in the alley any longer, Kenneth stepped out into the open street.

"What are you doing?"

Kenneth jumped, then slowly turned around. Standing behind him, staring at him with childlike curiosity was a girl, a strange-looking mix of two different species he couldn't quite grasp. Granted, anyone else looking at her would probably have a hard time trying to figure out what she was, too.

She seemed to be about the same age as him, but there was something peculiar…

"What are you doing?" she repeated. "Are you lost, too?"

"No, I'm not lost. I'm looking for someone."

"Is it a friend? Is your friend lost?" The half-breed girl tilted her head to the side, staring into the boy's face. "Your eyes are weird. Were you born with those eyes?"

Kenneth just stared at her blankly. "Uh, look…I don't have time to stand here and talk…" He looked around, he could've sworn that other kid was around here somewhere. "You should get out of here, things are going to get--"

He stopped suddenly as lightning struck near, almost blinding Kenneth for a split second. As his eyesight focused, he saw that the girl simply stared ahead. After a moment, she pointed past Kenneth and said plainly, "Something's going on back that way." She suddenly grinned. "Hey, looks like a game of tag~! I wanna play~!"

Kenneth turned to see for himself, but the girl rushed past him. "Wait, stop!"

"Eh? But I wanna go!"

"That's no game... it's a fight."

"T-t-t-t-terrible... Th....things. Aria... Oh god. Why? But, you're not..." The gray rabbit was muttering and didn't seem coherent at all. John put a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Please.. Don't die again. I... I don't want you to die again. J-just s-stay here, with me, we'll go somewhere where it won't happen anymore." He was holding his chest and breathing shallow as if some phantom pain was inhibiting him, "I can't do it again. It hurts, I don't wanna die anymore."

A proud looking vulpinoid in his mid teens scampered out into the middle of the street brandishing a claymore that seemed much too large for him. The youth however seemed exceptionally strong for his age and seemed to wield it well enough. His eyes were piercing ragged yellow iris's and heralded that some part of his heritage was lupine. He was clad in a enforcer outfit and seemed aggitated taking a defensive poise, "Richard! Calm yourself. You're not thinking clearly."

An orange blur shot from the alley at him the sound of metal hitting metal echoed dramatically through the streets. Another hit, the foxboy was forced to retreat again, this time the blur stopped where he'd been. A second younger fox cub looked at the first sneering and leveling a short katana on him, he was shorter and his fur seemed almost mottled compared to the perfect coat of the first, his eyes flared like two emeralds. There was murderous intent sparkling in those eyes, "Ixis, Hanil'atak!"*

"Brother, I said to stop this. If you think about the larger picture you'll understand why this will make everyone happy again." The older boy cried desparately.

"E'yo ok yasene nacaka na'ya..."** The words hissed out of Richard's mouth, the sword making a cutting motion in the air. "You cut his tail, Trevor... I'll cut your NECK!"

The older boy took in a breath and closed his eyes, "Something's blinded you. So be it. Hapile."***

*CLANG* The two siblings charged each other, flinging their weapons around in what a trained eye would see as a a pair of novices flailing at one another with weapons far beyond their level of skill.

* "Ixis, Hanil'atak" - $#@#, huge rat

*** "Hapile." - Attack.

At first, she didn't say or do anything; she was still seething in anger. The moment John touched her shoulder she shot him a venomous glare and stood up, lifting the terrified adolescent by his shirt. "Are you *#%&ing retarded or something?! I AM NOT DEAD, I'm right here in front of your face, John. RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF YOUR $%#!ing FACE." Her grip firmed, and she tried to ignore the pain in her arm. "Get a grip on reality, or else I'll beat it into your skull. You hear me?"

The girl looked ahead, then jabbed a finger, pointing out and Ryn's disappearing form in the distance, "Look there. You see her? The noble who bailed both our asses out? We follow after her."

Kenneth stopped short, his green and blue eyes darting back and forth between the two combatants flailing blades at each other. He immediately recognized the smaller one as the boy who had been with Estella and Aria earlier.

The "hybrid" stopped behind him, looking with an unreadable expression on her face. "This isn't a game," she said softly, stepping back.

That's what I've been trying to tell you the whole time… Kenneth though irritably, looking around for something he could use. On the sidewalk nearby, a garbage can lay on its side, its contents strewn everywhere and the lid sitting on the ground. Kenneth smirked. Perfect.

Making a mad dash for it, the kitten deftly picked it up and, aiming for the foxes' blades, flung it like a frisbee with as much force as he could muster.

.... *CLANG!*

For a moment, the few seconds she was threatening to beat him, he seemed to relaxed. But the moment she said her plans the terror returned, "We... We can't. I can't even think... No, *%** we're dead. We gotta go. We gotta leave. PLEASE!"

The older boy swung his weapon into place and impaled the lid, then as quickly as he could slung it at the younger cub. Rico's block was correct but the weapon was too heavy, the fly lid sent the blunt side of his weapon into his forehead, throwing him to the ground dazed.

"I thank you for your help, friend. But this is a very volatile situation and I cannot guarantee young Richard's reaction when he wakes up." His words were polite, but the tone still seemed belittling. Maybe it was his facial expression, but it just seemed proud. Ken couldn't place why he felt like he was being talked down to, but he just did.

"I wasn't trying to help anyone," the kitten said, trying to sound indifferent. "I'd only intended to stop your weapons. Unfortunately, it worked to your advantage."

Out the corner of his eye, he spotted the girl prodding the younger fox with a finger, her eyes alight with curiosity.

--

Ryn looked behind her one last time to make sure there was no one following her. Good. She was alone. Everything was silent except for her own footsteps and the occasional creaking of the structurally unsound shells of what were once buildings. Her right hand remained on one knife in her belt, just in case someone or something decided to mess with her.

The white cat suddenly paused; emerging from an alleyway was a large, dark-cloaked figure, although the cloak was splattered with crimson. It stopped in the middle of the street, looking around as if deciding which way to go. She quickly hid behind a crumbled building just before it looked in her direction.

The cloaked figure stood a moment longer, then, chuckling a bit, muttered something under his breath and walked off. Ryn caught a glimpse of cold, emotionless eyes peering from underneath the hood and a lupine muzzle. Her heart skipped a beat; those eyes… she had seen those eyes before, and that look could only belong to one person.

The thing was, he was supposed to have been imprisoned.

The Vulpinoid sighed, "You misunderstand. I was not thanking you for defeating my brother. I was thanking you for giving me a chance to stop him without seriously injuring him..." He looked at the girl's antics with a faint hint of bemusement. "It seems mis-communication is at a premium this day though. My name is Trevor, from House Underwood. May I ask yours?"

"Kenneth. Kenneth Sonata." The kitten's green and blue eyes shifted to the girl. Dunno who she is, though.

As if she'd sensed his thought, the girl looked up at him, then to the older fox. "I'm Kiri," she said softly before continuing to poke at the younger fox. "Kiri Jenas."
"You shouldn't do that," Kenneth said to her. "What if he wakes up?"
Kiri paused a moment, then her orange eyes stared at Kenneth, piercing and cold. "Don't tell me what to do."

--

He came to a stop in the middle of an alleyway. Making sure no one else was around, he removed his crimson-stained hood. The dark-furred wolf looked up into the graying sky, letting the rain fall on his face.

"Things have been very interesting indeed. I wonder what the reaction is going to be to my latest act is going to be once it has been discovered." Darien looked behind him out to the street he had just left behind. "Ryn Sonata... I hope you are prepared for what lies ahead..."

Pulling the hood back over his head, he continued on his way. No more time to waste out here. It is time to prepare for the next scene...

--

"All right, already, you win." Aria turned John loose and flexed her aching shoulder. "Now that I think about it, Miss Estella's probably worried…" Her expression softened a bit as she thought of the old hare who had taken her in when Kenneth's sister was unable to. "I guess I'd better listen for once and go back," she said with a shrug. "Stupid cat, she should've left me alone in the streets where I belonged."

--

Julius stood in the middle of the street, a bloody short sword in his left hand. Just behind him lay a corpse, decapitated and still in uniform. A pool of red stained the street underneath it. On the other side of the street was Robert, looking on at the sight with his arms crossed, shaking his head.

"You didn't have go and do that, Jules. Seriously," he commented. "The family name is already in deep &%*#, we don't need another feather in our cap."

"He was in the way."

"We're not out here to murder people, whoever bombed the marketplace made sure of that one. Damn…" Robert looked up and down the street. "Whoever said he wanted to meet us is sure taking his time. He's late."

"I don't trust him."

"You don't trust anyone, doofus. Ever since Terald screwed us over with taking care of that little runt…"

"He's coming." Julius looked back at his elder brother, his eyes looking as though they could pierce through Robert's very soul.

The light brown tomcat straightened himself up and caught sight of a cloaked figure strolling towards them. Julius idly swished his blade, letting loose droplets of blood shake to the ground before sheathing it. "Don't reveal yourself," Robert said plainly as the newcomer was only a few feet away. "We can't be too careful out here in these parts. I know of someplace more private. You will follow us there…"

"Just call me, 'D,'" the gruff voice grated from underneath the hood, "For the sake of privacy."

"Whatever. Let's go already; I'm afraid my younger brother has had one of his 'tantrums' again, and I don't want to stick around here, you know?"

"Er-hem, regardless your feelings on the subject it would be best if we were to vacate this area. I don't think I can hold him off again if he wakes up. He's not as strong as I am but his hatred seems to be supplementing his abilities. I hate to seem abrupt but I must be off, this world is on the brink." He looked directly into Kenneth's eyes, there was an almost fiery quality to the young fox's irises the subtle color changes almost seemed to dance, "I wish you the best of luck." With that the fox took off down the street.

He almost felt like following, there was something truly awing about the young man. He was about to take a step when a high pitched voice brought him back to reality. "Goway! No!"

He turned to see Kiri looking non-chalantly on as a toddler screeched at her while holding Rico's chest, "NO! You hurted him! GOWAY!" Then he saw it, the fox was now splattered with blood. But how? He'd just been knocked cold. A second glance at the toddler answered the question. It was a frail looking rabbit with bright yellow fur, however two things stood out immediately. His nose was pitch black, a canine's nose. He was a half-breed of a canoid and a lepoid? And the more alarming thing was his tail. The end almost made him gag, bone was literally visible through the blood covering the toddlers rump. It was a miracle he was even standing, let alone trying to fend off Kiri with his yelling.

Kiri stared the small rabbit, her large ears twitching and head tilted at an angle. It was like she'd never seen anything like him, and the fact that he didn't have a tail didn't seem to bother her at all. Instead of backing off, she scooted a little closer and pointed at him. "You don't has a tail. I thought bunny-rabbits had fluffy tails like that girl I saw. What happened to yours?"

This only succeeded in another round of "No's", "Go 'way's", and "You hurted him's" from the thin tyke mixed in with Kiri's incessant questions, which ended once Kenneth shut his eyes, covered his ears, and called out, "SHUT UP! You're making a scene for no reason at all!"

"It wasn't me!" the fox-cat said defiantly, jabbing a finger at the rabbit. "HE started it, yellin' at me!"

It was at this point that Kenneth turned away from them, but not before he saw the fox's hand twitch. Was he conscious now, still pretending to be knocked out? That didn't seem unlike him, the kitten thought.

It was at this point that he spotted a familiar someone in the distance, not too far away from them. His eyes widened and he was completely ignoring the two half-breeds now.

"Sister?"

--

Terald looked up from where he sat on the sidewalk, he had seen Aria and John trudging up the street. They both looked downright terrible, something that caught more than one person's eye as they approached.

Idly yawning and scratching his back with the sword scabbard still in his hand, the unkempt cat said only one thing once the two rabbits stopped:

"You look like you've gone through hell."

"Noone belongs out here, especially not you." It was a much delayed response to her earlier comment. But it almost sounded like he was replying to Terald's commentary. He looked up and seemed oddly lucid as he studied the felinoid, "Maybe we shouldn't, I think it's too late." He blinked, seeming to come out of a trance and returning ot his nervous babbling self, "Wha... what happened? We were at the house already, we already met him. I... I don't understand."

"TO-BI-AS!" A Vulpinoid srtood through the streets quickly, his garmentry was undoubtedly royalty and the wave of Warden behind him only re-iterated his identity. "Spread out, we've got to find him. If you see the other boys make sure you send them home, the streets are anything but safe right now." With a word the dozen or so cloak-clad men and women on either side of him took off into the night. The fox was about to take off as well when he suddenly stopped himself, "Who's there." His voice was steady and demanding, aimed at a figure moving at him from a back alley.

"You're going the wrong way. But that much is no surprise, Master Underwood." The low gruff voice came it's owner away long before he stepped into the light of the street. The fox gave a smirk, "Kane, I was wondering when the citizen proclaimed Second Kenji would show himself." The massive wolf rolled his eyes, "What they choose to call me is none of my business. Are you looking for your son or not." Underwood looked at him oddly, "They can handle themselves well enough. Their mother is worried though. What about you? Where do your loyalties lie, Master Onaskatew?" The wolf stared at him, "You speak as if you are actually asking that question. Are you actually that naive?"

The fox sneered, "I thought as much. I can't place you under arrest yet, I need to find the boy."

"Such a political statement. So you are searching for your son. He is behind me on the outskirts of the blast area, ironically enough near the Tan and Market corner." The fox glared, "What do you mean? What does a Tail to do with anything?" The wolf walked past the confused ruler, heading into another alleyway speaking flatly, "Your son is in the market for a new one." The fox stood stone faced as the canoid vanished into the night, the reality of the situation suddenly crashing in around him.

"… so, you say you're having some trouble with a family member of yours?"

Robert, Julius, and "D" had made their way to another part of town, sitting in the dark, secluded corner of a tavern around a small wooden table.

"Yeah, we do. Her name's Ryn Sonata. Her birth year's around 499, which makes her about 22 GSA. She currently has custody of our youngest brother, Kenneth Sonata, Birth Year 593, making his age roughly 11, almost 12 GSA."

"I see. What is your dilemma, exactly?"

Julius spoke this time. "Murder."

"D" shifted in his seat. "Murder?"

"Our mother, Darlena Sonata, was killed with a single, point-blank gunshot to the head," Robert clarified. "Kenneth was delivered post-mortem, but of course, that's neither here nor there. Pretty much pointed at our former housekeeper, who, at the time, need a raise in her pay or something, but our father wouldn't give it to her. Perfect motive, don't ya think?"

"D" nodded. "Perfect indeed."

"Well, everything went downhill from there. Our sister didn't believe the old bucktooth did the crime, so she did some snooping of her own, and ultimately proved that it was the work of her old teacher." Robert looked a bit lost for a moment. "It was some wolf. I forgot the bastard's name. In any case, the charges against the old hag were dropped. The wolf's still rotting in jail to this day, unless he got out or something."

"You're not getting to the point fast enough."

"Don't be like that, Julius, I was just getting there. In any case, the thing that really set us off was the family lawyer arriving on our doorstep out of the blue. Mind you, at this point all hell's breaking loose, and we couldn't get at the brat with Ryn and that turncoat bastard Terald protecting him. In any case, the lawyer plays this tape that's like, our mother's will. And you know what she goes and does?" Robert's voice has risen to almost a yell now, causing a few people to turn their heads. "D" just sat there, listening intently.

"What does she do?"

"Inheritance." Julius turned to look at the hooded figure. "She left behind a large inheritance for Kenneth. Nothing for the rest of us."

"It's like a $&*%ing slap in our faces. We were her kids, too, and she goes and does that for the kid. The only thing is that he's not old enough to control it on his own. Nope, that belongs to whoever has custody of him, and that responsibility fell to our father. Of course, Ryn made sure that she got custody of the runt when she became of age, meaning control of his inheritance. We haven't been able to do a thing!" Robert's voice was still growing louder, prompting the barkeeper to shout, "OI! You're scaring 'way my customers, keep it down!"

"D" simply nodded again. "I see."

"We've got something we're in the middle of setting up, though, see?" Robert whispered, his voice only audible enough for "D" and Julius to hear. "See, soon after she got custody of our youngest brother, She high-tailed it out of here about thirty-something years ago, claiming that things were 'too dangerous.' We thought it would be good enough, along with some things we got from people we knew, we thought it would be good enough to get Ryn charged with kidnapping him, leaving him with no other family to care for him except for us. All we really need to do is get one final piece of proof… something that definitely says she's really unfit to care for the boy. Then he's ours. We've already managed to get a statement from our father saying that she was here earlier today, alone, meaning that the kid was left alone out there somewhere."

"Ah, I see your point." "D" nodded yet again. "So all you need is something concerning the whereabouts of your youngest brother. Very well, I do believe I may be able to help you with that. In fact, a friend of mine has just sent someone to investigate right at this moment… You should have your information in no time…"

"Whoa, really?" Robert stared at him in disbelief. "We really owe you one, 'D'."

"No, no, there's no need. After all, I tend to think we have something in 'common.'"

--

"Who else would it be?" Ryn said plainly. "I thought I told you not to go wandering off by yourself, Ken. I've been looking for you all over the place."

"I couldn't stay there. Someone was following me."

"Really? Why don't I believe you?"

Kenneth looked hurt, but his sister didn't seem to be aware of this.

"There's more kids wandering around here than I thought," she said idly, noticing the toddler and older girl staring at her. She assumed the vulpine boy on the ground was knocked out. Seeing the dark red stain, she stopped short. Eyes widened, she looked back at Kenneth. "What happened here?"

"That little boy don't gots no tail." Kiri pointed at the small rabbit's rear. "There's nothing. This boy got knocked out, another older boy hit him and ran away. Said his name was 'Wonderwood.'"

"Underwood," Kenneth corrected her, finally turning about face.

--

Terald stared blankly at them. "Met who…? Well, whatever, what the heck happened to you?"

"None of your damn business," Aria snapped irritably, holding her chest as some pain subsided, "I'm just going against my better judgement because this guy over here." She motioned to John, adding, "I don't get what his problem is."

The cat looked back for a moment, then at the two rabbits. "Dunno if you wanna head back that way, either. I heard some sort of commotion a while back. Whispers about something horrible just happening there. Something about a murder."

Aria's face turned pale. "Murder?"

"I don't know the details," Terald said. "I'm not about to-hey! Aria, where are you going?!"

The girl ignored anyone calling after as she suddenly found herself running forward. Somehow, she'd just gotten this feeling of dread… she hoped it wasn't the someone she thought it was.

"Older boy... I would assume you mean Trevor." Stated the lavishly dressed fox as he moved in from the street. "I'll deal with him later."

The two Felinoids turned as he interrupted them. He nodded lightly, "My name is Russell Underwood, I'm just here to collect my rather rowdy offspring." He grimaced seeing the state of the rabbit, "And to take young Tobias too the hospital it seems." He was about to turn when something caught his eye, he stopped midturn and looked at Ryn, "It sames you may have the same destination, do you need an escort?"

She blinked, confused, until a few squeaks made her turn around. The tiny red squirrel came from the same route she'd entered, his condition seemed even worse oddly. He was emitting pained noises as he hobbled after her. Sam was still diligently following her. Reaching a safe distance to her his leg finally gave way and he collasped unto his rump with a yelp.

~~~

John looked up, a strange stiffness coming over his face. "It's too late. We already did this. Why are you running." The words were solid and stoic, but too quiet for the fleeing Aria to hear. The rabbit did fall when Aria left him, instead he looked at Terald, "You, those enforcers back there said a Liason Officer is dead. Who was it?"

"Sam? You followed me all the way out here?" Ryn looked quite surprised as she picked up the young squirrel. "$@&*#! I should have noticed sooner." Looking back at Russell, she answered, "It does look like we have a common destination after all. Kenneth, we're going. Now." Her violet eyes hovered on Kiri for a second. "You, too. You're not staying out here."

Kiri just stared at her as though she'd spoken a language she couldn't understand. A moment later, it seemed to register in her mind and she stood to full height and nodded.

Kenneth sighed. This really wasn't one of those good days. They were always too far and inbetween. He cast a sideways glance at the unconscious fox cub still on the ground. I know you're fully aware of what's going on by now. It's no use pretending any longer. I'm sure that little rabbit is someone you're protecting, so unless you don't want to be kept away from him, I suggest that you 'wake up.'

--

Terald shrugged, helping John to his feet. "I dunno anything about that, all I heard was someone talking about how they heard a woman screaming in one of those houses in the direction Aria ran off in." His face was suddenly grim. "We'd better catch up with her, she looks like she's already hurt. I'd really hate to think how much worse things could get in one day…"

--

"There's a body here. Looks like a single stab wound. The hand's been severed; it's lying over there... The cut's really clean, too. Kinda scary thinking about who would do this…"

A German shepherd and arctic fox had stopped by a side street; one knelt by a corpse lying in the street.

"This one's dead, all right. Hasn't been that long either… Looks a bit familiar though…" The fox was speaking, looking over the body when she suddenly froze. "Oh… oh sh--! I-it's him… Liaison Officer--"

"Shush." The canine covered his partner's mouth. "The last thing we want around here is unwanted attention. Bad enough the market got blown up, now there's murders happening left and right."

The fox wrenched herself free from the dog. "This is still very urgent-and tragic-news. We have to report back at once."

"Yes… let's go."

In a moment, the two vanished from sight.

Do it, Ricky. The only way Tobe's going to stay safe is with you. I trained you for this, hit that miserable @!!! with all the rage and fear he's caused you both. Mike's voice spoke bluntly in his mind. But it only reiterated the foxboy's response. One dark furred hand reached around the small rabbit to return his embrace, the other reached for his father.

It was confusing, from the feelings Kenneth had gotten the fox was thinking of nothing but contempt and hatred. Why would he reach for the man?

Then the boy's eyes opened, furrowed flaring slits locked on his father. "Telum no hac Calem!" The last word seemed to echo in space a moment. A moment before their eyes were hit with a blinding flash of light as a concussive blast of thunder ripped through the area. For what seemed like minutes they couldn't see or hear, then slowly sight began to return. Russell lay several yards from where he'd been, not moving. Rico was still laying against the building holding the toddler, crimson trickling out of his nose and ears. The youth started dragging himself to his feet, even in his condition refusing to let go of the injured child.

~~~~~~~

"You REALLY don't want to know." The rabbit spat out. Then stopped and nearly fell again. He pushed himself back up and steadied himself, shaking his head, "Dammit, I wish that would stop. Lets get moving, still a weak chance we find her.... you know."

Kenneth's ears were still ringing, but otherwise he was fine. Did he just hear another voice? It sounded pretty sinister from what he had heard… something really wasn't right here.

The destructive power of the Storm Art had been something he had only heard about. And just now the cub had to have used some pretty advanced magic.

He noticed Ryn was trying to get the man to stir, the injured squirrel looking on curiously. He looked back at the foxboy, his expression serious. What the hell was that for?! You could have killed him!!

"He's out cold. I hope you're happy." Ryn stood up and took a few steps towards Rico, then knelt so she was at eye level. "I don't know what your story is, and I'm not asking you to tell me," her expression became concerned as she continued. "However, you still need medical treatment. Both you and your sibling."

--

The place she had come to know as home was now a crime scene.

A few enforcers and a large crowd were already gathered outside by the time she arrived. One of them spotted her from a short distance away, said something to his colleagues, and then started walking right towards her. As he got closer, she could see that it was another canoid, a rather harried-looking pit bull. One paw remained on the small club he held, and with this other he motioned to the girl. "You there, kid. You're named Aria?"

Aria's expression hardened. "How do you know my name? What do you want from me?"

The dog tilted his head to the side. "I… think I'll take that as a yes. In any case you'll have to come with me."

"No way!"

"Look, I'm just as ticked off as you are, kid, but I've got to do my job. There's a half-dead victim back there who wanted me to find you, and I REALLY would like to get this over with. Besides, I'm gonna need you to identify her, the old thing's broken, won't tell us her name. She just kept muttering 'Aria' over and over again."

The rabbit fell silent, and she looked at the ground, fists clenched. The pit bull scratched his head impatiently. "Whether you follow or not is up to you, it's not my problem anymore, I just gave you the message. Jeez, the last thing I wanted to deal with today was something like this."

The next thing he knew, the tan blur blew right past him, right for the house. He took off in pursuit, but stopped in his tracks as he saw her trying to push her way past the enforcers in front of the house.

"No one is allowed inside, kid, go home."

"THIS IS MY HOME!" Aria screamed back shrilly. "LET ME GO BEFORE I KICK YOUR ASSES, THE WHOLE LOT OF YA!!"

One of the enforcers blocking the girl, a female golden retriever, sensed the pit bull's approach and looked up. "Good timing, Biggs, do something about this kid!"

"No can do, Jess. She's the one the victim spoke of, we gotta let her in."

"What…? This kid--OW!!"

The rabbit's fist hit the retriever in the nose, making her step aside. The other enforcer was kicked hard in the groin, and he collapsed in a heap with a raspy yelp. She ignored Biggs' yelling as she ran inside.

The sight that awaited her would make her scream.

She stopped just short of the entryway; the door was in pieces on the floor, as though it had been blasted apart. The scent of blood was heavy in the air, and red was smeared and splattered all over the walls. She could see a couple of officers gingerly walking around, documenting what they saw and talking amongst themselves.

A hand touched her shoulder. Startled, Aria whirled around, but kicked nothing but air.

"Man, you're pretty quick for a kid," the pit bull said, "I told you to stop, but you don't seem to… hold it right there." He took hold of Aria's shirt as she tried to push her way past him. "Listen, you can't just walk in there, you HAVE to be accompanied by someone. This is a CRIME SCENE, after all."

The girl glared at him venomously, but he shrugged it off. Keeping a firm grip on her shirt, Biggs led her inside.

Nothing looked how it used to be. Broken dishes littered the place, a fork was stuck in the wall. Furniture in the living room was torn to shreds, and more blood smeared the walls. As they passed the kitchen, the teapot on the stove was whistling loudly. The table was smashed in half.

Tears streamed down her face. Who could do this?

"It's a mess, I know. I deal with this %&#@ every now and again, but this is the worst I've ever seen," Biggs said, his ears twitching uncomfortably.

A doctor and another enforcer waited for them outside one of the back rooms.

"Found her," the canine reported.

The doctor nodded as the enforcer went inside the room. He knelt down in front of Aria so he was at her eye level. "You're the child called Aria, right? I assume you're aware of what's happened?"

The girl turned away as best she could, though the pit bull kept a grip on her shirt.

The doctor went on as if she'd answered him, "Well, I need you to see if you know the person in this room. I am afraid she's barely hanging on to life, so time is of the essence…"

"Then let me go already!" Aria shouted, trying to wrench herself free of the canine enforcer's grip to no avail.

The doctor nodded and stepped aside, allowing the two to enter the room. Once the rabbit saw the broken form that once her caretaker, she fell silent.

She could barely recognize the old hare, it looked like she'd bathed in red paint. Half of one arm and looked as though it had been torn off and carelessly tossed aside. Her legs were bent at odd angles in several places, obviously broken. Her dress had been ripped apart, and there was a particularly nasty wound on her abdomen that exposed burnt flesh, exuding a smell that was making Aria feel ill. As the enforcer turned her loose, Aria just noticed that the strange gurgling sound she was hearing was coming from a bloody hole in the old woman's neck; her throat had been slit.

"A…ri…a…"

The girl fell to her knees at the old hare's side, the tears streaming down her face. Why? Why did she have to see her like this? Who could have done this?! Why was this happening?

Slowly, the old woman's lifted her arm with great effort, and something small dropped from her clenched, bloody hand onto her chest. Something was clenched in her bloody hand. "…take… this…"

Apprehensively, the rabbit picked it up, and realized it was a gold locket, stained with red. She looked back at Estella, who simply managed a weak smile it faded.

Once her eyes closed, they never opened again.

Aria was shaking uncontrollably; the tears weren't going to stop now.

"Estella, you &@%#ing old bat… You're not supposed to die… YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE!!"

She threw her arms around the dead woman's neck and sobbed, indifferent about the blood soaking into her clothes. Her chest hurt because of her cracked ribs, but that was nothing compared to how she felt now.

"'Time of death, 6:53 p.m. Cause, multiple severe injuries and internal bleeding… Name: Estella Bridge-Harrison, Species: Lepoid, Gender: Female, Age: approximately 57 GSA…'"

"This is the worst case I've seen in a while. It's like the perp really wanted her dead. The average old bucktooth probably would've died after being gutted like that."

"Biggs, you should get her out of here. She looks like she's already injured…"

"She's getting in the way. We still have work to do here."

"All right already, damn, Jess. I heard you the first time."

Aria finally looked up as the footsteps approached her. The pit bull stood above her, looking as agitated as ever. "Look… I know what you're goin' through, kid, but it's time to go. I take it you don't have any family?"

The kit finally got to his feet, "I'm fine, I just overdid it taking out that overgrown jerk." He paused and leveled his gaze at Sam, his eyes softened visibly. "We need to these kids to the hospital."

~~~

The whole time they walk he'd kept glancing at the rabbit, who seemed to quickly be recovering from whatever delirium he'd been experiencing earlier. They approached the house, Terald glanced over again, the youth was staring straight at it as if he knew exactly were he was going.

The woman didn't reply right away. "It is imperative," she said plainly. "Ken, keep an eye on Sam."

"Eyan?" Kenneth was puzzled.

The children looked on as Ryn lifted Russel so his arm was draped around her shoulder. The ruler was obviously taller than she was, his legs were bent slightly at the knees. Her teeth were clenched; he must have been pretty heavy, too.

Kiri looked on in silence, her orange eyes darting back and forth. She seemed nervous now, being around people she didn't really know. "I don't like hospitals."

"You can stay here, then," Ken said, sounding a bit more irritable than he felt.
The girl shook her head. "I don't like it here, bad things come out at night."

Ryn sighed. This was going to be a long walk.

---

"Stay away from me," Aria warned, her fists clenched.
"Look, kid, I'm just doing my job. You need to get someplace safe..."
The rabbit stood up and backed away from the pit bull, her green eyes almost illuminated by the fading sunlight. "Stay away from me."
"Come on, kid we're not playing around."
"NO!"

"I've had enough of this bucktooth brat..."

Aria's eyes spotted another enforcer near the canine draw his club. "If you don't cooperate with us--"

He never had time to finish the sentence, as Aria rammed herself as hard as she could into him knocking him to the floor. Another made a grab for her, but she ducked and tripped them with a sweeping kick, scrambled to her feet, and made a run for it. The locket was still clenched tight in her fist.

Two more enforcers were waiting for her by the time she reached the front hall, but she didn't care. She grabbed the nearest object and swung it blindly at them, making them sidestep. One of them took hold of her arm, but was thwacked in the head.

A large tiger stood outside the door, and quickly scooped up the by her shirt rabbit before she could react. The retriever and pit bull arrived soon after, one with a pair of handcuffs.

"What are you gonna do with this one?"

"Place her under arrest. She looks scrawny, but she's quite a handful," Jess commented, taking the handcuffs from Biggs.

"GET OFF ME!!" Aria screamed. "LET ME GO!" She twisted herself around in the tiger's grasp, kicking and trying to wrench herself loose, but it was no use. All she managed was to smash her foot into the retriever's muzzle again and knock the wind out of a bystander. The tiger wasn't fazed.

"... Right."

Another glance at the squirrel netted another response from the fox who used his free arm to wipe another trickle of blood from his muzzle, "Don't bring him. Unless you want more here ending up like Tobe." The rabbit said nothing, burying his face in the fox's shirt.

~~~~~~

"I'm open to suggestions." The rabbit stated to Terald through gritting his teeth as watch the scene at the front door unfold. "Or I could just start kicking their asses."

"I've never had the patience to come up with plans," Terald chuckled lightly. "I tend to bum-rush my way through things, depending on who ticked me off first. In this case, I'll just have to pretend."

A howl of pain finally came from the tiger as Aria landed a hard kick in his jaw. He staggered a bit, but he maintained his grip on her shirt. He was bleeding from the nose and mouth now, and he didn't look too pleased.

"You LITTLE--"

--

"I never said I was taking him," Ryn grunted, setting Russell on the steps of a nearby house. "I most certainly wasn't going to leave him lying in the middle of the street."

She picked up Sam and started walking ahead of the kids, glancing at the foxboy for a moment. "I'm going to assume that you can walk, because I'm not waiting for anyone. That means you and your friend, Kenneth."

"Huh? Oh, right..." Kenneth looked as though he'd just snapped out of a trance. He looked a bit pale.

"Ken?"

"I'm... I'm fine. I just... let's go."

Kiri jogged passed him so she was just behind Ryn and Rico, leaving Kenneth to drag his feet at the rear. He stopped for a moment, then looked back down the street. A single tear streamed down his face, then, realizing that the others were almost out of sight, ran to catch up with them.

--

"Ah, look at the time. I need to be on my way." "D" stood up from his seat.

"Where to?" Julius eyed him suspiciously.

"That, my friend, is strictly private."

"Jules, stop being like that," Robert said irritably, "Although if you at least take off that hood, I'd probably be more inclined to really trust you."

"All in good time, friend. Now if you'll excuse me, there are things which I must be getting back to. We will meet here tomorrow afternoon, if time permits, to discuss things further."

"D" headed for the tavern door, dropping a few coins on the counter as he passed.

Robert sat next to Julius, who was idly sipping his drink.

"You sure made some progress, dear elder brother."

"Shut up, you %&#@."

The rabbit was hesitating still. Terald shot him a quizzical glance. His querying feelings must have been strong enough for the rabbit to sense because he responded verbally to then. "I'm trying to decide of I should kill them or not." It was a cold statement, normally it wouldn't have been in the least surprising but given the rabbit's earlier cowardly attitude it made the cat raise on eyebrow.

"No, no that won't help us at all. They'd never give up pursuing us if I kill one of them... however." A mundane expression passed over his features as he nodded to himself. I suppose it will have to do. The youth soured his expression and marched toward the door, stopping not far from the scuffle and picking up a good sized rock. "You'll let her down slowly, e'la." Somehow even his youthful voice seemed more commanding than it ever had, almost as if he'd trained to sound intimidating. The large felinoid gave him a glance. He locked his ice blue eyes on the tiger. "You know me, you know who trained me, and you know what I can do with this." He turned the rock over in his hand, holding it aloft like a weapon. "My name is Jonathan Kinnear, apprentice to Liason Officer Joseph Droegemeier. You are accosting an innocent with no provocation, a violation of Warden Moral Code. Stand down or I will attack."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they walked in silence Kenneth felt someone staring at him. A glance up yielded the toddler's soft blue eyes looking straight at him. They seemed off, distant, he still didn't seem to be reacting to the situation at all.

Everything seemed to slow to a crawl for a moment. All eyes were on the rabbit, especially the tiger. Anger flashed in is eyes for a moment before he dropped Aria. The girl got in one last kick on his shin before she landed sloppily on the ground. She gave the enforcers a sullen look before walking a short distance away and sitting on the ground with her back to them.

Terald stepped in front of her, looking the much larger feline and the few other enforcers emerging from the house. "You guys are a lot smarter than you look. I take it we have no problems here, then?"

The tiger crossed his arms. "Whatever. Go on, get out of here before I change my mind."

--

"Nobody... should have to suffer..."

The words left Ken's mouth as soon as he thought of them. "Why do siblings have to fight each other? Why do people choose to hurt one another?"

Ryn stopped in her tracks. "The world's never going to get all prettied-up and sugar-coated for you, Ken. You know it's a cruel place."

"But..."

"Enough. We'll talk later, Ken."

Kenneth balled his hands into fists. First she leaves me behind, then she blows me off. Eyan...

John nodded and moved towards their rescued ward, still wearing the same stiff look on his face, "Aria? Are you alright?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Neither can you control the worlds conversations, girl." Rico snapped suddenly. "The world is only as cruel as you let it become, stupid. Toby only got hurt because I left him alone. The world can't be cruel if you protect those you care about from it. It won't hurt Toby again because I won't let it. It's that simple." He narrowed his eyes, "You're so convinced you can't do anything about it. Don't brainwash other people with your dumb ideas, anyone that wants to can make their world a good place. The only idea worth anything from these stupid Warden is that people that are strong, like me, can make the world a good place for the everyone else. We just have to decide we wanna."

Her violet eyes simply gazed at him, the fox's tone didn't seem to bother her. "You misunderstand me," she said, her voice still calm. "I wasn't saying it for anyone's benefit nor to harm them. It just is.

"I was your age once; I had a bunch of older brothers who were bullies, always picking on those they thought were inferior to them. I had parents who turned a blind eye simply because they didn't want to deal with it. One gladly chose death, and was murdered after delivering her last child, the one walking behind you. I swore to myself that I would do everything within my power not to let anything happen to him, and I still do to this day."

Kenneth's head perked up a little, he'd never known his sister to simply talk about the past.

"In the end, I simply speak from my experiences. Make of it what you will."

--

The shepherd and fox would find the unconscious ruler slumped against the building when they arrived a moment later.

"Damnit. I knew something wasn't right around here. And now look what's happened."

"We've no time for that. We have to get Master Underwood back to his estate at once."

"But what about…" the fox started, but the canoid silenced her with a wave of his paw.

"They can handle themselves, I'm sure. Besides, I wanna get out of here already. It feels creepy, like there's something sinister lurking about."

--

"She didn't deserve to die like that."

Her words were strangely clear and distinct. "There was blood everywhere… all hers…"

When she looked up at John and Terald, there was an almost wild look in her eyes. "She was waiting for us to come back, and she died for it. Why did it have to happen to her? She was only waiting for us to come back, that's all. She didn't deserve what happened to her."

Terald seemed to grasp what she was saying. "… Damn… Ryn didn't even get to see her yet… and now this."

Rico sneered, "Just because you protect someone physically doesn't make you a Warden. If you let someone you care about die mentally you still failed them. I-" The kit stopped suddenly and started walking quietly for a few moments, cradling the tiny rabbit's head. "I hope I haven't already failed."

~~~

The rabbit reached for her hand, muttering to himself, "I think... no, we might not. Damn, I can't see them. I'm not used to it, all these damn decisions are clouding her killer." The distant look in his eyes was taken over by concern, "Aria... I'm sorry. I... I wanted to stop it but I..." He trailed off again, shaking his head.

"Even with all that one does, one thing or another is bound to happen," Ryn said gently. "He's still alive, and he's safe. That's all that should matter to you at this moment. Then, take care not to let it happen again."

The last couple of sentences seemed to be more directed at herself than Rico. She sounded almost apologetic.

"I am no Warden. I am simply an older sister who has taken it upon herself to raise her younger brother as best she can at the cost of her own dreams. Nothing more, nothing less…

"...You're a smart kid; more capable of handling yourself than I was at your age by far. Don't ever lose sight of your dreams. Ever."

She had stopped walking. The hospital was in their sights now; several doctors and kept running in and out of the building tending to the numerous wounded, noble and lower-class races alike. Some looked like they had been caught in the middle of the blast and somehow survived, others had broken bones from being caught or pinned under falling debris. The small group watched as one physician covered an unfortunate patient with a blanket and shook his head.

Kiri shrank back behind Ryn; it was obvious she didn't like the place.

--

Aria looked away. "Heard that one before. Hell of a lotta good it ever did anybody. The dead never come back to life. Estella is no exception."

"Well, if you're done brooding, kid, we need to get going. This isn't exactly the best place to mourn the dead," Terald said plainly. "You've got two legs; stand up and walk."

"You're close enough. And I will never give up, I'll see the real Warden survive, not these corrupted jerks my father's leading around like leashed mutts." Rico growled, "Why are we stopping. All I gotta do is announce my name and we'll get help immediately. Least it's good for that."

~~~

John suddenly scowled and snapped at Terald, "Can it you damn drunken noble!" He turned on the girl with the same sneer, "She died because I let her. I just watched us die in every way imaginable, and I still am. It's scaring the hell outta me, so I hesitated because the killer would have almost certainly killed all three of us. But I think we could have held him long enough for her to escape. I had to pick if you died or if she did, and I picked her. Go ahead and hate me, Aria, you seem to anyway."

Ryn allowed herself to smirk for a moment. Her expression then turned grim, "Time isn't exactly of the essence. Go ahead. Better you than me, anyway."

Kiri's grip on her shirt tightened. She figured the girl couldn't stand it here, but to this extent? Something horrible had to have happened to her.
"You miss your mother?" The girl's grip tightened further, confirming her thoughts.

"Ken."

"Huh?" Kenneth once again looked like he snapped out of a trance, his green and blue eyes looked unfocused.

"You mind staying here with her while I go on ahead?"

"Uh, no problem... whatever..."

Ryn looked worried for a moment, then nodded. Before she could take another step forward, Kiri tugged her arm.

"I don't wanna be out here," the girl said.

"Nevermind, what I said, Ken... Ken?"

"... Yeah, yeah... right, I heard ya..."
"Something the matter?"
"No, I'm fine, Eyan. Let's go already."

Ryn's head tilted to the side. She could tell something was definitely bothering him.

--

Aria's fist was almost a blur as she landed a hard punch to the rabbit's jaw. Her green eyes were alight with rage. "So the old lady just happened to be the one, right? Do you KNOW what it was like, seeing her DIE right in front of my face?!" She shoved the locket still gripped in her free hand at John. "OF COURSE YOU DON'T! YOU WEREN'T FREAKING THERE!!"

Rico narrowed his eyes simply saying the toddler's name, "Tobe." The boy seemed to come out of a trance as well, "Mmm?" "Whats going on, talk to me." It was a little odd, the fox was talking to the toddler like a peer, not a baby. Toby had turned around and was laying in Rico's arms, still staring blankly at Ken, "He's mad. He won't talk to me." The tiny bunny almost seemed sad.

Rico eyed Ryn, "I dunno your deal but your kid brother there has serious issues." He moved the rabbit around so he was easier to carry, "We think Toby here's mother was some kinda hybrid alien or something. He's got more empathic ability than any noble let alone rodent has ever had. I'm talking borderline telepathic stuff." He shook his head looking at Kenneth, "He's spacing out when this kid does, so he's either just reading him or talking to him. Either case last person he was this curious about was old Kane, and that dude turned out to be the next Kenji."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

John fell back on his rump, the distant look never left his eyes. He touched the impact point gently, "My word choice was different than I wanted, you didn't hit nearly as hard when I meakly apologized and fell into self pity. Stating it bluntly wasn't what you wanted. Neither was a guilt ridden explanation. I wish you would have made up your mind to sit down there sooner.." He almost looked like he was mentally computing what he was about to say. He also looked in a hurry before another fist came his direction, "To answer your questions, no and yes. No, your friend did not 'happen' to be the one, the killer targeted her. And yes, I assume she was a maternal figure so I know what it was like. Although not exactly, my mother was actively killed in front of me. You witnessed the end of a prolonged death. Slightly different because I have a face to target my anger on, you have none. Hence when you... Oh, sorry, you haven't made up your mind to do that yet."

OOC: Lightning storm last night nearly fried my computer and effectively knocked out my internet. Thing's are going to be even slower than usual as far as posting goes. Luckily I've got IM on my phone but even then I probably won't be on much. :/

OOC: Ouch, lemme know if I can help. I got a bunch old computers at work.

OOC: It's not as bad as I actually thought, though the power supply going to the board needs to be replaced. It sucks, but luckily I have an older, working comp I'm using in the meantime. I should be getting a new modem in some days, as it definitely got fried in the storm. I just won't be online at all on weekends. Things should be alright, though, hopefully.

I've still yet to write my post, but hopefully I can type it up during my break.

Edit: Finished. Net's back up. It's in and out though because of the rain.

IC:

"What makes you think I haven't?!" Aria aimed another punch at John, which he quickly dodged. "I'm gonna find the bastard who did this and kill him myself!"

With that last outburst, pain stabbed her chest for a fleeting moment, but it was enough to silence her for a bit. "Damn… my ribs…"

"I'm surprised you're still running about like you're healthy," Terald drawled. His brown eyes focused on John. "We'd better get her some help."

--

"It's not that," Kenneth spoke up, his voice hoarse. "She's gone… I was trying to figure out what had happened, but the presence faded away too soon." He was shaking his head, his fists clenched. "Her last memory… pieces of it I saw… piercing eyes, a dark cloak… Aria's tears… something about 'change.'"

Kiri shifted uncomfortably at the words, her grip further tightened on Ryn's shirt. Ryn carefully shifted Sam a little so a free hand rested on the girl's head. Her violet eyes seemed strangely illuminated with the light from the sunset as she looked at Ken. "I see," she replied.

As she turned and waved down a few passing paramedics and a doctor and started explaining their situation, things seemed to slow down to a crawl around Kenneth. The boy's fists clenched. "Damn it all. I go to stop one thing, and something else happens right underneath my nose."

One minute you are, the next you aren't. It's not certain yet. She's fine, she will be fine. The words just seemed to form to Ken's head.

Sam sniffed, it wasn't really clear it it was allergies or emotion.

Rico gritted his teeth, "Kid, seriously, normally I would ask you to clarify that in detail because you feel as bad as me and there's no reason you should." He focused on the boy finally, "And as soon my brother is taken care of I will, but for now... Lets get moving." The fox turned and trotted toward the hospital.

~~~

"One minute you are, the next you aren't." John stated bluntly to her, then looked distantly THROUGH her, "It's not certain yet. She's fine, she will be fine." He glared at Terald, "I know that. You got any suggestions? I only know one Nature Art user and he makes ME look old."

Kenneth shook his head, considering what he'd just heard. Things seemed to come back into focus at this point. "… talk later, Ken," Ryn's voice was saying. "Hopefully, things would have settled down by then."

He looked up; his sister was already walking away towards the hospital after the fox. The doctors Ryn had been talking to had cleared a path for him through the frantic crowds to the doors. Kiri was clinging to Ryn's arm as though her life depended on it.

He finally started after them so he wouldn't be left behind. The chattering voices seemed louder than usual, with some lower-class citizens yelling over the crowd, either at the group going into the emergency room or arguing with doctors about their or a loved one's injuiries. The rest were whispers, which he had always hated the most. Surprisingly, they weren't entirely about him this time. Most were stares at the tiny rabbit without a tail or the freakish-looking girl clinging to Ryn's arm instead of the weird-eyed boy.

"Are those half-breeds?"

"At least the one with the young Master looks normal enough."

"That girl is something else."

"What is she?"

"She's not a fox…"

"Freaks of nature is what they are."

Everything seemed to bother Kiri, she tried to bury her face in Ryn's arm to no avail. Her black-tipped ears were folded back.

--

Katrine sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor, eyes closed. Stump sat in a nearby chair, tinkering with various gadgets on a table with a toolbox sitting in another chair nearby.

"All these human things are hard to figure out," he said irritably, tossing one aside. "Oi, Kat, how's the kid doing?"

"I don't know how much longer she can stand it there. I just may have to go retrieve her after all."

"What about Master's orders?"

"He never said anything about not going to retrieve her. She is still just a child."

"And a watered-down little sheila at that," Stump muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothin', mate. You go on an' do what you do."

Unbeknownst to them, Watts was standing outside the door, listening to the short exchange. By the time Stump would walk to the doorway after hearing footsteps, the panther was gone.

--

"Unless this Art user is closer to us than the hospital, then I'd suggest we go there. The only question is whether she's well enough to stand."

"Shut up," Aria said coldly. "I'm fine enough. I don't need a doctor."

"Broken ribs suggest otherwise," Terald replied, kneeling by her side. "Injuries and fatigue are never a good combination, and you look exhausted.

--

-Sonata Manor-

"So, he wouldn't take off the hood? Sounds kind of shady."

Nathaniel was pacing back and forth in front of the large windows in the library. Robert and Julius looked on with relative indifference, although one jumped whenever the eldest brother glared at them.

"There was nothin' I could do about that one, Nate. I asked him, and he said no."

"You should have forced it off, idiot. We could be getting ourselves into some real trouble here. I don't like not knowing the kind of people we deal with."

"Told you so," came Julius's short reply.

"SHUT UP! It only came to this because you failed to get the damn kid! That $**@ing drunk ain't that tough!"

"Quiet!" Nate shouted. "What's done is done. Trying to tail him failed, and we don't really have any other way to go about it. If this 'D' can somehow pull something out his ass that can get us custody of the kid, then so be it."

The brothers were silent for a moment; Robert shifted uncomfortably. "So, we're not going for the kidnapping thing anymore?"

"That's for you to discuss with your new 'friend.' I don't care how it gets done as long as it gets done." Nate's eyes narrowed. "Besides, I think Ryn needs to be knocked off her high horse for once, eh?"

--

-Hospital, Emergency Room-

Several eyes shifted to the group entering through the sliding doors. Almost immediately recognizing the fox "leading" everyone else while carrying an injured toddler in his arms, a path almost instantly cleared. Apparently, being "prince" had its perks after all, Kenneth briefly thought.

One lone doctor, a tall, bespectacled gray fox was running towards them, carrying several clipboards under one arm. He was harried looking, as though he hadn't gotten any sleep in several days. Despite this, once he reached them, his voice was suprisingly pleasant when he spoke.

"More victims from the blast? No, doesn't look like it. Master Underwood, I presume?" He didn't wait for an answer, as his eyes shifted to Ryn. "And Miss Sonata as well..." He moved very quickly, grimacing a bit at what had been Toby's tail and the injured Sam.

"These children need immediate help," he spoke to himself, seeing that the other kids were alright. "Right this way, please. We'd all like to get away from this hectic place so that young Tobias can get immediately prepped for surgery."

"What about Sam?" Ryn immediately spoke up.
"First things first, Miss Sonata."

A couple of nurses eventually headed right in the small group's direction, one with a stretcher and the other with a wheelchair. The fox walked up to the two nurses and whispered instructions to them and pointed at Rico and the others. Turning back towards them, he said simply, "I'll be back later, I've got other patients waiting for me with injuries not unlike what I've seen here."

Before anyone else could say anything, he walked off.

--

A hooded figure was waiting for him around the corner, just out of sight of the rest of the crowded hospital.

"Well, doctor?"
"Both children are there, Enforcer. Go inform the parents that they've made it here safely."
"Thanks. The boy's father should be along shortly."

The Enforcer walked over to the nearest window and slid it open.
"Wait, you can't go out that way!"
"I can leave this sterile place any way I want to. Have a nice day, doctor."

With that last comment, he leapt out the window and disappeared into the night.