She said that before. What does she mean by that? Isn't Arrow just hiding beneath her skin? Can't she just Blend herself into the wolf? I frown. Lily looks away from both Karla and me, her head partially hidden behind her forearms.

Karla eventually persuades Lily to go back to her room. I follow behind them. Lily keeps her arms crossed across her chest and her eyes fixed on the floor. "Jay! Jay! Wait up! I've been trying to find you!" Lily freezes, tensing. Vladimir stops a few feet from me, hunching over.

"Hey, Vladimir," I say slowly.

"Jeez, who knew this would be so tiring."

"What do you need?"

"We get to go shopping. I've already got the money." His voice is flat, and he frowns.

"How'd that happen?" I smile at his annoyance.

"I'll tell you on the way."

As we make our way out to the garage, Vladimir makes it clear he'd rather be doing just about anything else. "I thought this was a job for someone else..." He grumbles.

"Remember there aren't ranks?"

"I know, I know. I like being in there, debating, planning. It's as if I'm useless or doing nothing out here."

"We're making sure we can eat. I'll drive."

The Slash. It's our truck, a monster of a truck too. The gash across the hood is its namesake, though it's still just as fast as it was before. Rust-colored paint covers the entire vehicle. Vladimir climbs into the shotgun seat as I get into the driver's side. A minute or so later, we're pulling onto the road.

We pull into the open-air marketplace I'd been in the night before with Lily and Hawk. Instead of being deserted, it's bustling with customers and street-vendors. People shout across the walkways, saying they've got the best deals on different items. Someone counters that with a better deal, and it goes back and forth until one of them gives up. I bring the Slash to a stop a few streets down from the marketplace, and hop out. After stuffing the keys in my pocket, I follow Vladimir down the sidewalk. The sounds grow louder, and the smell of food grows stronger.

Vladimir curses. "Hey! Watch your mouth." One of the street vendors gives him an icy glare. I don't like that look in their eyes... I grab his wrist and pull him into motion. We weave in between people until we're well away from the vendor. "What was that all about?" Vladimir asks.

"I didn't like that look in their eyes. We're supposed to be keeping a low profile. Anyways, why were you cursing?"

"We forgot the cart. We've nothing to carry the food with." His shoulders slump.

"That is a bit of a drag... Perhaps making a few trips might work?"

"Wanna make, like, eight hundred trips?"

"What else are we going to do? Ugh, this is why I hate it when he makes us go shopping!"

"Let's go. We'd better start somewhere."

Sure enough, it does take us quite a while. We start off at one side of the market, and work our way across, getting everything we need. The back of the Slash slowly fills up underneath the tarp covering it. Vladimir buys what we need then puts it in my arms until they're full, before carrying more in his own.

It's a weird feeling, walking through the marketplace. I occasionally hear The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils come across in conversation. I see a few kids running around. They chase each other, shrieking with laughter, as they pretend to be a part of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils. Sticks serve as swords. One of them waves their friends on as they launch a mock attack on the rest of the group. Sometimes it's so tempting to stand on the roof of the Slash and shout for the whole world that it's real, The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils, or T-LOOT-D, is real. It's not just a story. We're here, right here. I know why Adrien wants us to keep out existence a secret, and it makes sense, but it gets so hard. When I have to stay calm and not react when The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils comes across in conversation, or when kids run through the crowds pretending that it exists and they're a part of it.

"Why do you think he lets them do that?" Vladimir suddenly whispers in my ear.

"The kids?" I watch them disappear around a corner.

"Yeah, it's so weird. Wouldn't he just want to wipe it out?"

"That's what I would guess, but it could be that sense of false hope."

"That sorta makes sense." Vladimir tilts his head to the side.

"Yeah. Do we have everything?"

"Lemme see. Yeah, yeah, check, uh huh, check, check, got it, yeah... looks like it. Finally."

"Let's go then," I breathe.

We start off towards the Slash, taking a bit of a roundabout route. Pastries off to my right make my mouth water, but I push the smell from my mind. Just as we pass the entrance, I see the street vendor that snapped at Vladimir for cursing. They're talking to someone and waving their hands around as they speak. I frown, but turn back and hurry after Vladimir. We make a right outside of the marketplace. "Jay, I get the feeling that we should hurry. Don't wanna attract any unwanted attention."

"Agreed. I saw that vendor talking to someone."

"That one who glared at me?"

Before I can respond, Vladimir shoves me into an alleyway. I somersault into a trashcan. The sharp sound echoes in my head long after the sound has gone away. "What's your name, and where's your companion?" The voice sounds all to similar to that of a Wasteland guard. Several more flank him on either side.

"Me? Oh, I'm Vladimir Gonzalez." I peek around the corner of the trashcan and roll my eyes as he does a bow.

"That was easy. How about your companion? Where'd he run off to?"

"Perhaps you're blind? Maybe hallucinating? Are you sure you're not seeing anything? There wasn't anyone with me." Vladimir's starting to sound a bit like Hawk.

"I'm not blind or hallucinating. There was someone next to you. Now, te-."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire," He sings with a smirk then adds, "Mr. Wasteland guard, you must've been seeing something. I promise there was nobody next to me. I decided to go to the market and buy something."

"Then why don't you have anything?"

"Didn't see anything I liked."

"Tell. Me. Who. He. Was. He looked an awful lot like Jay, the Blender who escaped from the Wasteland after the last Wasteland battle."

"I can assure you, Mr. Wasteland guard, that if I did see this so-called Jay, I'd notify you immediately. I know that's a crime punishable by death."

"If you'd do that, then tell us where he is. He's also got his brother, Hawk, with him, and someone who we believe holds vital information on where Arrow is." The Wasteland guard growls.

I shift back and forth as my legs start to fall asleep. I choke back a gasp when the Wasteland guard throws a punch that lands on Vladimir's cheek. He stumbles back a few steps, and the other Wasteland guards chuckle. "What was that for?" Vladimir grumbles, rubbing the side of his face. A bruise has already started to form.

"I know you know where he is, so tell us."

"When's it going to get across to you that I have absolutely no idea where he is? I've no idea. None. Not even the slightest clue." The Wasteland guard takes a step towards him, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. What do I do? They're looking for me, and I don't want to get caught. What will they do to Vladimir if Guthrie Harper gets his hands on him? "Spread out. The little dog's around here somewhere," The Wasteland guard growls.

Well, that made my decision for me. The other Wasteland guards fan out, looking for me. There's a narrow path at the end of the alleyway. As soon as they're gone, save for the lead Wasteland guard who is saying something to Vladimir, I dart through the pathway. I run onto the sidewalk, gaining speed, then Blend myself into my dog form. They've already seen me as a human, so there's no use staying in it if I can go faster as a dog. My paws fly across the concrete. "You!" I don't have to look back to know at least one of the Wasteland guards has seen me. They give chase.

I know I can outrun them, so there's an escape, but they know I'm in Raydowne. They'll bring the information back to Guthrie Harper. No, that won't happen. They're not going to make it back. I make a hard left, lunging forward, and pushing myself faster and faster. Adrenaline runs through my veins. Just like when I attacked Tremor in the Wasteland battle, time seems to slow down. I make another left, then another until I'm behind the Wasteland guard. He's moved a few feet, but no more. His face frowns as he realises I'm no longer in front of him. My paws shove him to the ground. Red blossoms on the back of his uniform. "So it is you, Jay," The Wasteland guard murmurs. Before they can say anything more, I wrap my jaws around his neck and bite down. The warmth of blood runs across my muzzle. When his body falls limp to the ground, I just stare at him. He doesn't move, and he turns pale as blood runs from the wound on his throat. The wound I made. No. Why am I thinking this? He's a Wasteland guard. One of Guthrie Harper's minions. He was going to help Guthrie Harper bring T-LOOT-D crashing to the ground. We'd be wiped out. Killed.

"Well, this was easier than I thought. Come, Jay. Guthrie Harper's been expecting you. I won't fail him." I sigh, close my eyes, and raise my head to the sky before letting it drop again. A slow exhale runs from my nose. 

"Come on. It's so easy. You'll never win against Guthrie Harper. I know you know where your little rebellion is. Tell me what T-LOOT-D is, and who Adrien is. He might even go easy on you. Choose the right way out, Jay. You'll never succeed."

"I... I think I'm good."

"You're making a terrible mistake." I hear the Wasteland guard pad closer, and I turn around. Another Wasteland guard steps up beside the first one.

"Listen to this guy," The second Wasteland points his thumb to his partner, "I agree with everything he said. If you tell us what T-LOOT-D is, and who Adrien is, then answer any other questions we have honestly, I'll put in a word with Guthrie Harper for you. He might even go easy on you."

"You guys are idiots," I grumble, rolling my eyes.

"Hey! Be nice to us! We're just trying to help you! There's no way you're going to win. You've got to know that."

"Wow." That's about all I can say.

"Jay!" Vladimir runs up to me. One of the Wasteland guards reaches out his arm, and it wraps around Vladimir's chest. In a swift movement, he's got him trapped, and a dagger at his throat. I force myself not to react, and to continue staring evenly at them. "Come with us, or your friend's dead." A thin line of red appears around the dagger's blade. Vladimir winces, his lip curling slightly. What do I do? He can't die. We've already lost Sage. How am I supposed to tell Adrien that another one of our own died? I can't lose him.

"Let him go." My voice is a low growl, and I bare my teeth.

"Come with us, and I will." A smile ghosts across the Wasteland guard's face.

I could at least try... If I could just get the one not holding Vladimir knocked out, then perhaps I could get him free, and we could go. But then they'll still know I'm in Raydowne, and then make the guess that Hawk and Lily are here too. I shake the thoughts away and focus on the Wasteland guards. "If you want me to go with you, then you'd better get me."

Thank you for reading this chapter!

What will happen with Jay and Vladimir?

Will he be captured, and go with the Wasteland guards?

Will Vladimir be killed, or will he live?

Do you think the street vendor who got mad at Vladimir for cursing alerted the Wasteland guards?

What do you think Guthrie Harper looks like? I'm curious if your picture of him lines up with mine.

Thank you again for reading!

-Werewolf14-