We've just gotten to our feet when the alarm goes off. The sound echoes off the walls, becoming louder than it already is, if that's even possible. I can almost feel myself losing hearing as my ears start to ring. Hawk curses as the alarms continue to blare. "What's that?" Lily asks slowly. There's only one thing it could mean.

"The Wasteland guards are here," I say flatly. A slight tremble of fear shivers through me, but I force it down. There's no time for that. Her eyes widen, and her shoulders drop.

"Then we're in trouble." Her fist tightens around the bow.

People shout and scream upstairs. I quickly grab several knives from the walls of the basement while Hawk wraps his hands around a sword and a dozen stars. Lily fills a quiver and throws it over her back. There's a look in her eyes I cannot identify. I brush the thought away; I've got more pressing matters to think about. Who knows how many Wasteland guards are upstairs, and who knows what they'll do to all of us. The T-LOOT-Dians as Vladimir said. We break into a run, taking the stairs two at a time. After shoving all but two of the knives into my belt, I adjust my grip on the remaining ones and leap into battle.

I can't even begin to count how many Wasteland guards are here. It's like some out-of-control party. Everyone is packed like sardines in a tin can. The screams and shouts are deafening. I force back the nausea and bile as I take in the fallen bodies that are all around me. Hollow eyes stare at something I can't see. Hawk launches several of the stars, and they embed themselves in their victims with deadly accuracy. He pulls them from the bodies before racing off into the crowd.

They're on me in an instant. Three of them surround me. I take one out with a vicious slash across the throat. He falls with his hands wrapped around his throat as he chokes and red runs from between his fingers. A few minutes later, the second one falls. So far, I've only acquired a few scratches and a gash that cuts down my forearm. "Looks like it's just you and me, Jay," The Wasteland guard purrs.

"Indeed." I watch him carefully as we circle each other. He draws his sword, and in a quick movement, launches himself at me. I take a few steps back before deflecting his attack. A foot slips on a puddle of blood. The Wasteland guard knocks one of the daggers from my hand as I tumble to the ground. The air is knocked from my lungs when I hit the floor. The dagger clatters to the side, a foot or so out of reach.

He's over me in an instant, like Hawk did when we were sparring, and his hands hold me down. I barely dodge a punch to the face as I throw myself to the side. The Wasteland guard hisses in pain when I kick his knee, but he keeps his grip. Almost. I think as the Wasteland guard shifts his hold. When it's just one hand holding me, I Blend myself. Launching myself upwards, I lunge at him. A small smile crosses my face as we switch positions- now I'm the one holding him down. My teeth sink into his shoulder instead of my intended spot of his neck, and blood soaks my muzzle. A cry escapes from the Wasteland guard despite his attempt to keep his cool. He tries to attack me with his sword, and drive it through my heart, but I quickly lock my jaws around his throat and bite down. I curl my lip at the rusty taste of blood on my tongue.

I've barely looked up when I'm thrown into the air. My back slams into a wall, and I slide down into a heap, dazed. I shake my head to clear the stars from my vision and the swirling in my head. Several more Wasteland guards surround me, waiting a moment before charging. Some are easy to kill, and some take longer. I have to force myself not to dwell on the dead bodies, or the Wasteland guards I've killed. Focus, Jay. If you don't kill them, who knows how many T-LOOT-Dians will die. This is the start of the end of Guthrie Harper. I skitter out of the way, speeding up as I run so I'm behind the Wasteland guards. My claws wrap around the throat of a Wasteland guard, and tear through his jugular. Red sprays as I fall back to the ground, landing on my paws. As the other Wasteland guards lunge, I remove my Blend and leap upwards, swords slicing through the air where I stood a moment ago. With a flick of my wrists, I throw two daggers, then I pull them from the backs of the fallen bodies.

The battle drags on and on. Lily wasn't kidding when she said for every Wasteland guard you kill, twelve more will take their place. Hawk's words of 'a hydra on steroids' weren't wrong as well.

"I feel like you should be dead, Jay." A Wasteland guard walks up to me with two swords drawn.

"I feel the same way towards you." I stare evenly at him, no emotion on my face. I'm not entirely listening. My focus lies more on the battlefield. I feel a pang of loss when I recognize a few of the faces of the dead. "I more meant that you've been on the brink of dead several times." I look up when the Wasteland guard speaks again.

"Your point?" Where's he going with this? That he wants to kill me?

"Your time is up." The Wasteland guard has a murderous glint in his eyes.

"You all say that, you know." I adjust my stance and tighten my grip on the daggers. He's like a striking cobra or something. He attacks with such speed and strength. I tilt my head to the side and wince as I throw up my daggers to try and parry his blow. My arms shudder with the force. When I launch an attack of my own, he dodges it with ease.

"Is that the best you've got?" The Wasteland guard scoffs, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I'm just warming up." Fine, I'll be honest. I can feel the beginnings of exhaustion setting in, not that I'd ever tell that to the Wasteland guard though. He leaps towards me once more. I Blend myself and meet his attack with bared fangs and unsheathed claws. We grapple. His sword cuts a shallow wound on a foreleg.

When we pull apart, we're both panting. I stalk around him, occasionally ducking underneath a flying weapon. A few moments later, I leap. As I sail through the air, I prepare myself for impact, but it never comes. The Wasteland guard steps to the side before pulling me roughly to the ground. I gasp for breath after hitting the earth. His body suddenly drops and sags against me. What? I think when he doesn't respond after I sink my claws into his side. Not even the tiniest peep is made. I remove my Blend, and push him off of me. When I stand up, I see it. There's an arrow embedded into his back. Lily rushes over then drops to her knees, a look of absolute horror on her face.

"What have I done?" Lily whispers, staring at the Wasteland guard's motionless body. The arrow sticks out from between two ribs. The trail of blood slowly drips to the ground, one small droplet after the next creating little ripples in the puddle of red below. What do I say? "He was an evil guy." I reach over and yank the arrow from his side, handing it back.

"I-I still killed him though," She says softly, a slight waver in her voice.

"Alright," I murmur slowly.

"Jay. Ar- er, Lily. How's it going?" Sasha comes to a stop beside us, and pauses for a moment. Blood and grime is smeared across her face, though her eyes still gleam.

"It's going well. Have you seen Hawk?" I ask.

"No, I'll keep an eye out though." He's probably just caught up in some fight or something.

"Make sure he's safe, please. He ran off nearly as soon as we came upstairs, and I haven't seen him since."

"He could be captured." Lily's watching a battle. Her voice is distant.

"What?" My heart rate spikes.

"It would be unfortunate, but I wouldn't be surprised if Guthrie Harper ordered someone to be captured." She turns her gaze to mine.

"I am going to find him right now." Sasha runs off before she's finished speaking.

"I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. Are you coming?" I stand up.

"I can't kill anyone else, I'm really sorry. I'll check and see if everyone is alright." She disappears without another word. I turn around and pick my enemies. The Wasteland guards are easy to distinguish from the T-LOOT-Dians with their identical sets of armor fitted with buckles, weapons, and plates of metal, though I could easily recognize any of my comrades regardless of what they're wearing. I race into the crowd, and quickly fell several Wasteland guards. The room has cleared out. Now there's just a few battles being fought out, but there's countless fallen people from both the Wasteland and The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils. Puddles of blood ooze across the floor, looking more and more like ponds or lakes every second. After slitting the throat of yet another Wasteland guard, I Blend myself, listening for any other intruders running through the halls. My head shoots up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

"What's this thing?" A Wasteland guard is holding a lizard upside down by its tail. He's leaning over the railing on the floor above the main entrance. There's a pink, glittery bow tie around the lizard's neck. Wait. A pink, glittery bow tie around its neck. A pink, glittery bow tie around its neck! That's not just any lizard. That's Sparkles, Adrien Sauyer's pet thorny devil! She's the namesake of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils.

Sparkles hisses and tries to break free. "Cut it out," The Wasteland guard growls. She swipes a hand at his nose, and he jerks his head back. I silently chuckle at the Wasteland guard's appalled face when Sparkles actually scratched him.

Sparkles belongs to Adrien Sauyer. She's been his beloved pet for just as long as T-LOOT-D has existed, and he named it after her. A few years ago she disappeared. I don't know where she went, or what happened to her, but she was just gone. No sign of her anywhere, and believe me, we all looked for her for weeks. Adrien was heartbroken that his beloved Sparkles had gone missing. Where was she? "Sparkles!" Adrien runs down the hall faster than he ever has before, and takes his thorny devil into his arms. Tears of joy carve lines through the dirt and grime covering most of his face.

The Wasteland guards are too confused and shocked to react at all. I shake myself from my frozen state and rush up the stairs, leaping up to the top in two bounds. "Where were you, darling Sparkles?" Adrien holds her up so she's at eye level.

"That's really her, right?" I ask.

"I would recognize that face anywhere. It's really Sparkles!"

"I'd hate to break up this family reunion if that's even what you would call it, but I've got orders I'm not about to break."

"What does Guthrie Harper even look like?" I suddenly blurt out.

"Well, for starters he-."

"SPARKLES!" Adrien shrieks.

The lizard is sliding down the stairs. When she reaches the bottom, she crawls across the fallen door the makes her way outside. Adrien rushes to follow her. "I wish they would just line up or something. That would make our job so much easier." A Wasteland guard frowns before drawing his sword and sheathing his dagger. I snort. As if.

"Let's dance, little doggy."

"Catch me if you can," I mutter before breaking off into a sprint. My paws nearly slide out from beneath me as I make a sharp left. Adrien has Sparkles back in his arms, and she's clambering up onto his shoulder when I burst through the doorway. An arrow whistles through the air, narrowly missing my shoulder. I'd almost rather this armor was gone. Countless dents and holes riddle its silvery surface.

"Hey! What's going on over there? Is everything alright?" The person who lives across the street has made their way onto their lawn.

"Did you know The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils was located here?" One of the Wasteland guards demands.

"Y-you belong to The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?" Awe fills their gaze. Adrien and I nod in unison.

"Guys! Come here! The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils is real!" The rest of the family walks outside, and they smile.

"Great! Now you can witness their deaths," The same Wasteland guard says as he claps his hands. His eyes take on a murderous gleam, and his lip curls.

Adrien sets down Sparkles, whispers something to her, and runs off. I frown at him, but his expression tells me he has a plan. I nod before turning back to the Wasteland guards. There's ten of them, each one armed with their sword. Do they not know the benefits of using daggers? I snort, and earn weirded out looks. "Even better- ten of us, and one of you," One of the Wasteland guards purrs. I nod silently in response while my eyes scan my surroundings for Adrien.

A crowd has formed on the street. People whisper to each other as their eyes flicker from our base, to the Wasteland guards, to me, and lastly to Sparkles before returning to their companion. "Yo! Are you really from The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils? Is it really true that it's not just a story?" Someone shouts from the crowd.

"Yes. The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils does exist," I say as I remove my Blend and lift Sparkles from the grass, "Sparkles here is the namesake." A chorus of whispers ripples through the crowd.

"I am a Blender as well," I add.

"Silence, little dog!" The Wasteland guards lunge. Time slows down as I dig my toes into the grass and sprint out of the way. After setting Sparkles under a bush, I am forced to slow down. My legs cry out for relief, and my lungs scream for air. I guess I hadn't realized just how tired I really was. I duck underneath a flying sword as I slice through a Wasteland guard's leg. He falls, and I quickly finish him off. What are you doing, Adrien? I can't keep this up for much longer. I'm so exhausted. A Wasteland guard is about to attack when someone in the crowd screams. "Look! There's someone on the roof!" What, the... We all freeze.

Adrien stands on the edge, nearly on the gutter. What on earth is he doing there? "Looks like our job just got easier perhaps?" One of the Wasteland guards murmurs. His eyes meet mine, and he smiles. He crouches down and launches himself off of the roof. "ADRIEN!" I shriek, breaking into a stumbling run. His body turns into shimmering lights before it explodes into a tannish gold eagle. Two sets of wings beat in unison as it hovers halfway to the ground from the roof. The lower set is smaller. Five almost peacock-like feathers extend from his tail. There's almost a mane of slightly longer feathers spreading down the back of his neck. His expression is one of pure anger. It suddenly hits me. I've seen the eagle. He was flying overhead when Hawk and I were almost at the outskirts of Raydowne. "It was you," I breathe. Adrien nods before he looks at the Wasteland guards.

"Ready when you are," I say and draw two daggers from my belt.

"I'll help!" Someone suddenly shouts from the crowd.

"Me too!"

"Count me in!"

"Let's go!" People rush the Wasteland guards. Adrien shrieks before diving and clasping two of the Wasteland guards by the shoulders. They don't stand a chance. Instead of being nine against two, it's now nine against at least thirty. Adrien drops the Wasteland guards. They fall through the air, screaming, before landing on the road with a thud. They don't move. One by one, the Wasteland guards fall at the hands of nearby neighbors of us. They punch and kick them until they don't rise again. I slash at the throat of the remaining Wasteland guard, and he collapses, his blood soaking into his uniform.

"Wait, so how long have you existed?" Someone walks up to me.

"Roughly sixteen years ago." I tuck the daggers into my belt.

"And you've remained hidden for this long?"

"Yes, but now you all know that we exist," Adrien says. He's removed his Blend and joined us. Who knew he was a Blender.

"How many of you are Blenders?" They ask.

"I'm not sure exactly, but I am as well as Jay," Adrien gestures to me, "and his brother Hawk. There are others, though I'm not sure as to who they are. They have the right to keep things to themselves."

"You're a Blender, Adrien? I never would've guessed that." I never would've guessed that. Not even in a million years.

"I am. I guess I was just a little scared or something." There's something unidentifiable in his voice, a twinge of something I cannot put my finger on.

"So you're the ones who are going to bring down Guthrie Harper?" Someone else says.

"Yep. We will bring Guthrie Harper to his knees, whatever it takes. That's been our goal since day one." I smile.

"Jay!" Sasha bursts through the door.

"What is it, Sasha?" I turn around.

"I can't find Hawk. I've looked everywhere, and there's no sign of him."

"W-wha? He's got to be here somewhere. He wouldn't just run off without telling someone." He can't be gone. She just missed somewhere.

"I-I don't know. I've looked everywhere several times."

"I'll see you later, Adrien. I need to find my brother." My exhaustion is forgotten as worry takes hold. Where are you, Hawk?

Sasha follows behind me as we run into the house. "Hawk!" I shout. I Blend myself, and put my nose to the ground. There isn't even the slightest scent. It's like he disappeared into thin air. My heart rate speeds up as we cover more and more of the yellow house. No. No. No. NO! "Have you found anything?" Sasha's voice is soft.

"Adrien said Hawk is missing. I've covered the whole basement, and the cafeteria, but there weren't any signs." Vladimir stops beside me. His eyes are downcast, staring at the floorboards. I shake my head, he has to be here somewhere, right? The rest of the house comes up like the rest of the house- nearly fruitless. There were a few faint hints, but they led nowhere, disappearing after a few feet. One led us to the back door, but stopped just a few feet of the doorway. Vladimir yanks out a star from the wall. "How'd he miss? He's got a great arm, and deadly aim," He murmurs, running his finger along one of the blades.

"I just don't get it," Sasha says, "Hawk wouldn't just leave. That's not him." He didn't leave, but we won't find him here. My heart sinks at my sudden realization, and I swallow thickly. Lily's words run through my mind. It would be unfortunate, but I wouldn't be surprised if Guthrie Harper ordered someone to be captured.

"H-he didn't leave. G-Guthrie... Harper had him c-captured." A few slow tears leak down my cheeks from the corners of my eyes.

"I'm not contesting you, Jay, but why Hawk?"

"He's been to the Wasteland, he holds lots of information about T-LOOT-D, and he's a well-liked guy. He'd make a good bargaining chip," Sasha says for me.

"He can't just be gone. He wouldn't let them do that." I whimper, sliding to the floor and burying my muzzle beneath my paws. Anger builds up in my chest, quickly nearing the breaking point.

"We'll find him, Jay. I won't stop until he's safe again." Vladimir crouches, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"HAWK!" I throw back my head and howl at the top of my lungs. I snap like a rubber band pulled past its breaking point. Red is the only thing I can see. There isn't any emotion other than pure, unchecked fury.

"Guthrie Harper, I'm coming for you," I say, my voice a deadly calm.

Thank you for reading! Please comment and consider a vote.

This is the final portion of Jay's chapter. Hawk's chapter is next, and is the last one in Blend the Light.  I know this is a day early, but I wanted to post it. The prologue for Hawk's chapter will be up tomorrow.

I know there hasn't been any information on this, but where do you think Guthrie Harper's location is?

Why do you think Guthrie Harper chose Hawk rather than Jay or Adrien?

What do you think of Sparkles?

Why didn't Adrien ever say anything about being a Blender? What was he doing flying over the desert when Jay, Hawk, and Lily were nearing the outskirts of Raydowne?

Thank you again for reading Blend the Light! I hope you're enjoying it!

-Werewolf14-