[Past]

In a bitter silence, Danica led the broad, tan Feline through the tall weeds and back into the buff of the town. Their feet padded against the trampled ground and the roar of the river faded behind them. It wasn't long before they reached Quince's cold cell, now barred in moonlight as the sky melted from pink into a starry black. Surprisingly, Quince was still asleep, clearly exhausted as she snored softly, still leaning against the cool stone walls. She looked rather uncomfortable, but still slept soundly.

"Quince," Ajax alerted her from outside of the iron gate. "Quince." His voice was nothing but a sharp whisper, but that was all it took from him. Quince stirred, softly wiping her mouth from drool and then sitting up, blinking several times. In the moonlit darkness, her skin appeared as black as the night sky.

"Ajax?" She asked, her voice hoarse from a long, deep sleep. "You're okay?"

"I'm just fine," he said to her with a smile. His whiskers twitched as his lips moved.

Danica huffed, "I have a mission for you, now, Quince."

"A mission?" Quince asked slowly, waking up and standing up. She walked towards the bars, the moon highlighting her face in pale blue light, gently placing her fingers on the roundness of the iron. The edge of her round, flared nose gleamed almost white, and a bit of white shone in her deep blue eyes. Her little highlights were like stars against the deep, warm ebony of her skin.

"Yes," Danica hissed again, growing impatient. She neared the gate, too, her long, smooth hair glistening bright white and silver under the moon, laid over her shoulders. Her complexion was pale, much in contrast to those beside her.

"I will only do this mission for you," Quince said coolly, "If you heal my scorched wings".

"You deserved those wings," Danica snarled right back at her, their noses nearly touching through the cell's iron bars. "It shows what will happen if you dare to misbehave again." The feline shook his head in frustrated disbelief, stepping next to them both, tail swishing low behind him from beneath his coat.

"Both of you need to behave," he hissed, the glint of his fangs apparent. The two turned and glared at him, as if angry with him for breaking up their argument. "We all yearn for the same thing. Admit it. Danica, you just want out of this hellhole. And Quince, I know you do, too. Why is it that we cannot work together for this?"

Quince sighed angrily, but before she could speak, Danica snapped, "I have orders that I must follow. Both of your lives are at risk if I do not obey, and if you do not obey, then my life is at risk. So I suggest," she sneered at Quince specifically, "That you do exactly what I say."

"I can't play nice with you," Quince snickered back, "You're wicked." Ajax feared for what would happen next; the tension in the air was heavy and damp. He knew that Danica wasn't wicked; she was just scared. Very, very scared, and now, she was backed into a corner like a feral dog, tail tucked between her legs. He knew that Quince couldn't see it yet, but he could see it plain as day, that gleam in her blackened eyes.

Ajax's own fear came to light as Danica took a few powerful paces back from the gate, lifting on hand and facing her palm towards Quince. Quince's eyes only had time to widen as the vibration filled the air and a beam of fiery smog plummeted through the gaps of the bars and into Quince's chest and abdomen. She shot backwards with impressive speed, falling flat on the stone floor on her back, hands shielding her eyes and face desperately as she gasped.

In the moment as it happened, Ajax roared his rage and fear, fur on end, not taking a second thought before lunging upon Danica and interrupting her fowl magic attack. The large feline bowled her over, tail flailing behind him, and she fell backwards swiftly; he was atop of her as she was pinned writhing and fighting beneath him against the dirt. His claws sunk into her forearms, pinning them to the ground, and she cried out as deep red blood welled against them and her clothes, lashing out. Ajax held a vicious snarl on his face, gleaming fangs exposed and eyes as fiery slits. His hackles were raised like a true feline; his tail lashing back and forth behind him, his back paws pressed firmly to the ground through his boots as his front paws dug into fragile flesh.

He took a groping slash down one forearm, leaving deep, welted gashes where his claws met soft, pale skin. Skin that was almost white under the moon light, now flared and red. It cut cleanly like melted butter, but the sound was like cutting paper with a dull blade. Danica's black eyes gleamed with a hot rage and fear both. She threw a punch with her injured arm, landing a fist against Ajax's snout in a painful square punch. His head hit to the side and he suddenly felt dizzy; velvet droplets scattered across the ground from Danica's bloodied arm and Ajax's hit nose. His muzzle curled into a fierce snarl, blood welling at the dark edges of his pink cat nostrils. As he was distracted, Danica slithered out from beneath him, sitting up on her rump and pushing herself backwards desperately. She quickly stood, but the cougar leapt upon her once again, this time gripping both arms around her waist and throwing her with all of his might across the dusty ground. She threw in a blur in the dark, rolling several times across the ground and coming to a breathless stop several feet away in the dirt. She laid on her side, quaking slightly, and grunting as she attempted to catch her breath.

A spark of worry and concern flashed across Ajax's face, but he ignored it and instead turned away and returned with speed to the barred cave. Inside, Quince seemed alright for the most part. She was standing, peering outside of the gate, although a pained hand held her ribcage; clearly she had been badly bruised, and her outfit a little more battered. The metal edges on her clinking chainmail armour had smelted together slightly and blackened.

Breathless, Ajax spoke, "You're okay." His voice ached with relief.

"I'm alright," her voice was a litte strained, but he believed her. "Just sore." He reached out a paw to her cheek, fighting tears from welling.

"I'm glad you're okay. When you flew back..."

"I'm okay," she repeated, smiling slightly. "But you're not. You're bleeding. Where's Danica? I could hear the fight. Did you..."

"No. She should be alright... I don't know... I acted on instinct." He shook his head, satisfied that Quince was alive and well, and then turned and walked back to where Danica was now struggling to stand. She'd raise a bit, and then collapse beneath her own weight once again. He reached out a furred palm to her, and she looked up at him menacingly.

"I don't need your help," she sneered. She had one hand wrapped around her gnarled arm; blood ran from it, pooling against her tanned clothes and seeping in.

"You're hurt," Ajax said. Danica had never recognised true concern before. "You need attention." Begrudgingly, she allowed him to help, reaching out a strained arm. He hoisted her to her shaking feet, allowing her to lean against him. He didn't mind the blood getting on his clothes. "Where to?"

"The med house is down this lane. The large building..." there was only one building down the dusty lane that was tall with a pale straw-tied roof; Ajax aimed for that one as he walked. From the cell, Quince couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger. She wanted to be healed, too. She missed the wind beneath her wings. She missed her comforting, frilling feathers.

With anger and haste, Danica allowed Ajax to lead her to the medical building. He opened the door wooden with a creak and walked her inside. The inside was dark, but not as dark as outside, illuminated softly by a flickering torch along one wall. A few beds were against one wall, and a counter and an apothecary shelf on the other. A tan woman stood behind the counter, long brown hair and tall ears. Her brown eyes widened in surprise as Ajax brought in the injured Danica, and she quickly ran over to help her inside.

"What happened?" She asked, frantic. She took Danica from Ajax and laid her down on one of the beds, although Danica protested.

Ajax opened his maw to speak, but was cut off by a strained Danica, "It was just an accident." He tilted his head, flicked a rounded feline ear back; was she protecting him? Why? He opted not to say anything else, but he glanced down at his tan paws and was pained to see the scarlet that laced them. Her blood on his hands, caking to his fur. The woman quickly wrapped Danica's wounds with bandages and treated her, offering an herbal tea for pain. Ajax could only watch with desperation and guilt, weight heavy in his chest, pitted in his stomach. He felt... terrible. Slowly, with stiff steps, he walked to where Danica laid on the bed, the medicine woman beside him.

"She's just fine," she said, "But I'm sure it hurts."

"Thank you," Ajax said, nodding at her in appreciation, and she nodded back at him before walking back towards the marble counter. The feline crouched on his knees beside Danica's bed, sighing.

She glanced at him with a scowl, "You'll get karma for this."

"I know. I'm... sorry."

"It's fine. But I don't have time to wait here all day. We have a mission to go on."

"What's the mission?"

"Virulent wants us to use Quince to lure Adolpha out. He wants to catch her directly."

"And then after...?"

"I'm not sure..."

Ajax huffed, "I just don't know about this. We can't just... lure her out like that. And if she comes here, if he captures all of us, then that's the end of it. We have to have somebody on the outside who's capable of fighting back, who's capable of winning this war."

"I'm not trying to be your enemy, Ajax," Danica sighed, "But Virulent is powerful, and so is his army. There's no winning against him. Any day now we will be taking control of Jasper, and then our army moved to River's Bed next."

Ajax abruptly stood, fur on end and that familiar sinking feeling crushing him, "What?"

"I'm sorry. You should go home, evacuate if you can..."

"No," he hissed, suddenly furious, "No, we won't give up. We were chosen; I was chosen! I was chosen to save River's Bed, to save my sister, to save my family!" His voice cracked through a sob, "I have a little brother, Danica. I have parents. I have a whole town of people I love. We can't... I can't just let Virulent take it." He straightened his posture, exhaling deeply, "Not without killing me first. I won't stop defending my land until I'm dead."

Danica's black eyes widened, gleaming. She had never expected them to put up such a fight; she had never expected the passion. Ajax didn't care to win the war; he just wanted to protect his people. Danica didn't have anybody she cared about like that, and she wondered briefly, heartily, what that was like. But as she continued to think, a bit stunned, she considered her sister. Her sister, the last of her family that she had. And suddenly, she realised that she didn't want to harm Adolpha. She wanted to protect her.

"Ajax," she said.

He snapped, "What?!"

"I have an idea."

By then, Adolpha could see the busy roads and cluttered buildings of the heart of Virulent's Forest. The town was illuminated by the moon's light, and flickers of candles and warm fireplaces in windows. At this time of night, not many were stirring. It was just her, Johanna, Pebble, and Yakob, creeping through the edge of the tall pine woods, smaller fruit trees dotting the forested landscape before it cleared away to even more buildings and homes. Adolpha felt her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, clinking at her side. Her leather pants seemed to stretch and groan with every soft step that she took. She was practically trembling with anticipation. She could sense it; something— or someone— was near. And she could smell it. The faint scent of fresh blood, still heavy in the lingering air. The air was terribly still. The night was terribly silent. Her own heart sounded thunderous in her ears, like a storm was brewing. Or perhaps, as if she was in the eye of the storm altogether.

Adolpha lifted her hand, palm facing the three behind her; a silent beckon for them to stay and remain silent. Something was strange...

She continued to creep forward, peering past the fruit branches and the pine woods. Even in the winter, this town never failed to grow crops without aid of any other village. Her father had told her it was Nautis' magic doing the trick, but Adolpha had always been curious about the landscape of the deep Virulent Forest; she had been told there was no river here, and yet, she could hear the faintest sound of rushing water. A creek, perhaps, running from Virulent's Forest and into the river of Jasper? It would be a shame if that were the case; who knew what kind of fowl waste the Saurions would throw into their waters. But then again, it didn't quite make sense to Adolpha why a village of Saurions would settle in an area with no water. Perhaps it was just a rumour her dad was told once. Truth be told, while Jasper, River's Bed, and even Adam's Peak all frequently communicated, it seemed as though Virulent's Forest was cut off from the rest of the world. Nobody on the outside truly knew what went down behind their line of the pine woods— and that was another reason why the other villages were so afraid of them.

Then, she caught a whiff as if she were a wolf. Adolpha could smell her clear as day, and she nearly melted.

Quince. It was Quince! She was here, close by...

Adolpha's eyes couldn't stop moving. She scanned the scene, the buildings, the empty streets ahead and the fruits on every single tree. Where was she? Then, Adolpha heard the familiar sound. A strong, whooshing current of air overhead, and the familiar sound of powerful feathers pulling air beneath them, allowing Quince to take flight in a miraculous way. Her eyes turned upwards towards the dark sky, dotted with twinkling stars: and there she was, Quince's dark form no less than a few metres overhead. She spotted Adolpha quickly, and flew with swiftness to where she was in the woods, her wings making powerful thrusting sounds. Her black feathers glimmered under the dim moonlight, casting a fragile glow over her tattered leather clothes.

Adolpha was teary-eyed as Quince softly landed in the grass in front of her, and Quince was just as relieved. No words were spoken, and no seconds were wasted; the two leapt for each other and embraced in a tight hug, relieved wistfully.

"Quince, you're alive!"

"Adolpha, I've never been so happy to see you." She sniffed, taking a step back and glancing Adolpha up and down. "You've seen some better days, haven't you?"

"I could say the same for you," Adolpha remarked, but she ran a hand through her tangled red hair the best that she could. Quince chuckled at that. The dark Lycanthrope took a glance at those waiting a few paces behind Adolpha, and she narrowed her blue eyes, curious. Adolpha noticed, and stepped back, relaxed then.

She waved a hand for the others, "Quince, I had some help along the way. This is Johanna, and her son, Pebble. They're Lycanthropes living in Virulent's Forest farther down by Jasper."

Quince paid them no mind, and instead retorted as Yakob revealed himself from the shadows, "Why is he here?" Amidst her desperation to find Quince and Ajax, Adolpha had admittedly forgotten that Yakob was there; and now, with his presence noticeable once again, she felt crushed beneath his bearing weight. Almost visibly, she crumbled and faltered, her brightness darkened, and a swirling of nausea in her gut.

Yakob stepped forward, past Adolpha and then in front of her, putting distance between her and Quince. Adolpha wanted nothing more than Quince to be right by her side, but Yakob's presence between them felt like a grand canyon that she would have to cross. She seemed to falter behind his shadow even more. Quince grew a sickening feeling. Adolpha could see things that Quince could not; but Quince could certainly see Yakob for what he was, even if Adolpha could not. She opened her wings for him, appearing menacingly, almost tauntingly. Johanna watched in awe; she hadn't expected to see Adolpha's friend with wings, much less any so massive and magnificent. Immediately, the woman respected Quince greatly.

"Yakob," Quince growled, spitting out the words with extremely pronounced contempt, "I'm not entirely sure what twisted game you're playing, but you need to leave Adolpha and her friends alone."

"Adolpha needs me," Yakob said, voice as innocent and soothing as ever, "I was helping her."

"It doesn't matter now," Quince hissed, her wings fluttering as if the rage spilled from them. She used a calloused hand to push him aside, and instead spoke with the same hand on Adolpha's shoulder, eye-to-eye. Adolpha had lost touch with the moment, instead focusing on controlling the pounding of her heart, but Quince's touch and presence had brought her back, and she exhaled as if she had been holding the air in forever.

"Quince," Adolpha said, unsure.

"Adolpha, there isn't much time, and so it cannot be wasted," Quince began, "Your sister is here." Adolpha was admittedly hurt, but unsurprised. She locked in to the conversation, focusing intently and trying to come up with a plan as she listened. "Ajax somehow has found a soft spot for her, and she agreed to help us... just this once."

"What? Help us? She cannot be trusted," Adolpha protested, but Quince cut her off.

"It's fine, trust me. She agreed to heal my wings."

"Heal your wings?! From what? What happened?" Adolpha's voice ached with concern.

Quince reassured her, taking one of her hands, "Adolpha, trust me. It's okay. We are running out of time. Danica agreed to allow me to come find you— under Virulent's order, she was to use Ajax and I to lure you in to Virulent's Forest so that he could capture you and steal your magic. We will find a way to fight him, but not now. Right now we need to get to safety and then come up with a plan together."

"What about Ajax?"

Quince sighed, "He will be behind us. Trust me. Now we need to go— and your friend, Johanna, and her son need to leave now, too. This isn't safe. Virulent is unhinged and will kill anyone in his way."

Adolpha scoffed, "We've known that for years."

Quince couldn't help herself but to smile. Only a second passed, and then Quince was ushering Johanna and Pebble along, Adolpha and Yakob right on their heels. But even farther behind, Danica lurked the woods, Ajax with her. Virulent watched her every move; she gave them as much of a head start as she could, but now, she had to follow his orders or risk being killed herself. And truthfully, she did not want to harm her sister nor Ajax, but her loyalty ultimately remained with that who had raised her: Virulent himself.

The two drug on slowly, but it wasn't long before they came across Adolpha's trail, left behind tattered branches and her scent, which was unmistakeable to the Feline and Lycanthrope's keen noses.

Quince ushered Johanna and Pebble to safety, ultimately separating from Adolpha with nothing but a longing stare. She took the mother and her child farther out of the wooded area, closer to the section of town where she had come from initially. Then, they hid in the brambles, Quince hovering over them protectively; she did not know these two, but if Adolpha trusted them, then so did she. But a pit in her gut seemed to swallow her whole; she had a sinking feeling about Yakob, and knew that Danica would soon find Adolpha, and then there would be a hard decision for both of them to make.

Ajax pleaded with Danica, "Please, I know you don't want to do this. Just a bit more time."

But she scolded him, her patience thin and her fear great, "Just stop it! This is my task now. I've delayed it enough."

"But you are still injured," he reminded her, but could not hide the concern and desperation behind his teeth.

"Injuries heal," Danica replied flatly. The two continued their trek, hot on the trail then.

Adolpha slunk deeper into the forest. Every step over every root brought her a step farther away from Quince, and every bone in her body ached with regret. She wished she was home. She wished she was with Quince. She couldn't stand the thought of being separated and uncertain again. So far, she had pushed the thought out of her mind, but a fear grew and erupted within her. A fear of losing Quince. She couldn't hold back the tears which streamed down her face, glinting under the blue hued moonlight. In the dark, her red hair seemed brown. The blood roared in her ears, her heart pounding violently, her chest heaving. The fear was intense, and the heaviness in the chilled air made it even eerier. There was truly something dark about Virulent's Forest, though she couldn't put a finger on it.

It wasn't long before Danica would find Adolpha. At first it was fresh tracks, and then the shallow noise of her careful footsteps; and then, Danica caught a glimpse of Adolpha's leathered backside and messy curls, whispering away behind a tree in hidden desperation. She noticed Yakob was with her, but paid no mind; like an animal on the hunt, she locked in with Adolpha as her prey. The power within her seemed to rush into every vein, every extremity, and suddenly she was pumping full of primal adrenaline. It was a feeling she was used to, and a feeling she had little control over.

"Adolpha," Danica called out, much to Ajax's dismay. He pulled back on her arm desperately, and she flashed him a scowl, throwing him off. He fell backwards, landing on his tail and watching helplessly as Danica pursued her task blindly. He felt pathetic. It was incredible and terrifying how she could seem like two different people at once; Ajax was convinced there was a softer side to her, a side that had joked with him, pleaded with him, and laid in a hospital bed, holding his paw as her wounds were tended to. And yet now, all he could find within her was a primal rage and a dark, sickening magic. The air hung even heavier, even denser, as if it was impossible to breathe.

Adolpha froze in her tracks as Danica's voice echoed behind her. The last interaction they'd had, the two had fought terribly, and Adolpha had been separated from her friends. This time, she would not hold back. She kept a shaking hand on the hilt of her blade, hitched at her hip in a strap; then, slowly, she turned to face the moonlight, stepping out from the shadows while Yakob stayed behind. Danica stood a few yards away, black eyes gleaming. To Adolpha, they seemed soulless and ruthless.

"Danica," Adolpha hissed in response, daring a step towards her.