"Hawk! Get up!" Someone pulls on my arm.

"Wha?" I sleepily blink as I'm dragged off the bed.

"Get up! Adrien wants to talk to you in fifteen minutes, and you need to eat breakfast!"

"What the hell, Jay? I was sleeping!" I land in a heap of blankets on the ground. 

"Yeah, and now you're not."

"In case you were wondering, I haven't been doing much of that lately. I'm going back to bed. Tell Adrien he can come down here if he wants to talk to me."

"He'll be mad..." Jay warns.

"Tell him it was my idea if he asks." I crawl back into bed, curling up after replacing the blanket that was over Rex's sleeping form. Once Jay realizes I'm not getting up, he replies.

"Sure," He sighs, leaving to tell Adrien.

"Goodnight." I pull the blankets tight around me, and drift off.

The door opens only a few minutes later. "You'd better have one hell of a reason for waking me up," I growl.

"Good morning to you too, Hawk," Adrien says with a pleasant smile as he sits down comfortably on the edge of my bed. He sets his hands folded in his lap with a cheerful smile. Who is that cheerful in the morning?

"Sorry, Adrien. I'm pretty tired." I yawn, sitting up and wiping the sleep from my eyes. Rex doesn't move from where he's snoring softly. His paws twitch as he dreams.

"Don't worry about it. Do you want me to come back later?"

"I'm already up, so ask away."

"Let's start at the beginning. How'd you get caught?"

"I was chasing after some Wasteland guards, then I went into your office to make sure there wasn't anything the Wasteland guards shouldn't find. I burned most of the papers on your desk as you probably found out later. Sorry if you're mad about that. The Wasteland guards went into your office, and I killed all but one of them. They chased me outside where I climbed into a tree, then fell out of it. I ran towards the back entrance, and that was where things went downhill. I was outnumbered, then I got hit on the back of the head by one of the Wasteland guards. Yeah... After that, I never stood a chance. I think I took out a few of them, but my head was just... Swimming. I, like, couldn't focus on anything."

"What happened when you first woke up?"

"That was when they split Rex and I apart. I was barely conscious. The Wasteland guards were talking, I think. Then there was just this, like, insane pain. It continued for a while before trailing off, and then it came back practically tenfold. I remember feeling like I was Blending myself, except that I wasn't in control. I shrank until I was invisible and I was frozen in place until I was ripped apart and thrown against the wall. After that I was out of it, and I don't remember it except for seeing Rex a little ways in front of me." Adrien writes something down on a notepad that had suddenly appeared in his hands. He nods when I finish.

"What else happened? Sorry these aren't particularly specific questions, but I just want to know anything."

"Alright... Lemme think. The Wasteland guards were hard set on figuring out who was the leader of T-LOOT-D, and if it was you. Oh, Rex bit off a bit of one of the Wasteland guard's wrists, and the next day their whole hand was replaced by a robotic one. They've also got a fully robotic Rottweiler named Mars who can be controlled. I think if they've got a flashing red light in their eye, they can be controlled. He's a monster. I'd compare him to Bear, except that he's got a bit more thought into his attacks. Mars is relentless, though. It's insane. Like, he won't rest until he's finished his job. He's that determined." I shudder at the thought of his blood orange eyes, his oily black coat, his flashing fangs. I force back the memories behind a brick wall before I can get caught up in them.

"A Rottweiler, you said?" Adrien jots down a few more things.

"Yeah."

"Do they have any more of these robotic beasts?"

"I'm not sure if they have any more like Mars, but they have what they call the Click 2.0's. The one they sent to me was a green wyvern-esc dragon, though they had forelegs. They had metal plates nailed on across their body, and a saddle fitted on their back. The Click 2.0's are beaten into submission. I can't forget that haunted and lifeless look in their eyes. They were so much bigger and stronger by far than the Wasteland guards combined, but they would never fight back. When Jay had to kill the one I met, they looked peaceful," I murmur as I raise my gaze to meet Adrien's, "I knew Guthrie Harper was cruel, but that's just evil. As evil as it is to trap Blenders at the Wasteland. More so in some ways."

"I'll make sure we find some way to help the Click 2.0's get a normal life." We fall silent.

"Guthrie Harper apparently has a symbol," I say after a few moments.

"He does?"

"Yeah. I never would've guessed."

"Could you draw it?" Adrien holds out the pad of paper and the pen.

"I'll see what I can do. Jay's more of the artist." I furrow my eyebrows as I attempt to draw the six slashing triangles. My hand shakes as I struggle to get the curved lines and the placement of the triangles right. I scribble out multiple attempts after they fail. The pen falls to the ground when I wind up with several squiggly lines that look nothing like the pattern I was trying to recreate. I reach down, and pick it up to try again. A few minutes later, I just give up. Adrien looks at my work.

"It's horrendous, I know." I chuckle as Adrien tries to figure out what to say.

"Could you, uh, maybe describe Guthrie Harper's symbol?" He winces.

"Of course. Don't worry, I know it's absolutely atrocious. Anyways, it's six curved triangles that are green and fade to black in the middle. As you can ever so slightly see in the one that isn't scribbled out, they're in a vague sort of star thing a bit like the triangles in a camera's shutter, but misshapen. I'm probably describing this horribly." I can picture the harsh, slashing triangles perfectly, but I have no idea how to explain what they look like. Adrien frowns at his pad of paper.

"Does it look like this?" He holds up his drawing, letting me take it from him to make a few modifications.

"Sorta... The triangles aren't all the same size. The one in the middle is the smallest. Here. I'll change it." I adjust the drawing. "That's what is looks like." I flip the pad of paper around, and Adrien takes it back.

"Interesting... I'll set a meeting for today during lunch in the cafeteria. We should make a plan."

"For when Guthrie Harper and his Wasteland guards strike back?" Rex starts to stir behind me.

"No. We're going to attack before they can. We won't give them the chance to attack."

"Sounds good. I'll be there! What time is it, though?"

"It's currently almost ten. I'll set the meeting for twelve."

"Two hours? What do I need to get done?" I get ready to make a mental list of everything that should be completed by noon.

"Did you really think I was going to have you do anything, Hawk?" Adrien chuckles.

"Well, yeah."

"The only thing I want you to do is to see Karla."

"And...?"

"See Karla, Hawk. Rex too. Nothing else. I'll see you in the cafeteria at noon." He leaves before I can say anything.

Rex jumps off the bed, sitting down to scratch at his ear. I sigh before waving for Rex to follow me. "Come on, Rex. Let's get a quick bite to eat then pay Karla a visit." He trails a step or two behind me as we make our way to the cafeteria. Faint scars decorate the walls. They're painted over, and the walls have been sanded down, but they're still there. A few paintings hang crooked. I fix them. Rex bounds down the stairs, throwing himself against the door to the cafeteria and opening it. I jog to catch up. A few people turn when they hear us walking in.

"Hawk! You're up! How are you doing?"

"Let me get you a plate. What do you want?" Several people jump up and offer to get me a plate.

"I'll get Rex one. Does he like bacon? Or does he want some chicken? What's his favorite food?"

"Here, you can have my seat. I was just finishing up." Someone pulls out their chair, offering it to me as they clear their plate and glass.

"Thank you all very much, but I'm fine," I reply as I duck my head in thanks, "Adrien set a meeting for noon here, though. Have you all heard of it?"

"I was not aware of that. Thank you, Hawk," A few say in unison.

I make my way over to the stack of plates, grabbing one for me and one for Rex. Bacon and sausages get put on Rex's plate, while I pick a piece of toast, butter, some berries, and a hard boiled egg for me. When I sit down, there's immediately a fork, spoon, and knife in front of me along with a glass of juice and a napkin. Someone sets a bowl of water next to Rex's plate. Rex immediately begins wolfing down his meal, inhaling the bacon before moving onto the sausage. I spread the butter onto the toast, careful to get it covered evenly. "Do you need anything else, Hawk Westville?" A little boy is standing beside me. He plays with the hem of his shirt as he rocks from foot to foot.

"I'm alright, thanks for asking though."

"Ok. Let me know if you do, Hawk Westville!"

"Sounds good. You can just call me Hawk. I'm not sure where you got the Hawk Westville thing from. It's not formal around here- never has been and never will be. How long have you been here for?" I skewer a raspberry and eat it.

"I-I'm not really a part of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils... I live across the street. Vladimir let me come look here, but I can leave if you want." He skitters back a few steps when Rex stands up and nudges his hand. If Vladimir let him come inside, then he's alright. But what if he isn't? What if he's just saying Vladimir let him in, and he's really here on a spy mission?

"You can stay. Rex is just saying hi. He won't hurt you." Unless he deems you a threat, in which case you're in trouble.

"O-Ok." The boy cautiously reaches out a hand, and pats Rex on the head. My Blended form leans into his touch. Confidence builds in him, and he leans down a bit to scratch Rex behind the ears.

"Yo! Hawk! How ya doing?" Vladimir shouts from across the cafeteria. He waves when I turn around. I trust Rex to keep an eye on the boy.

"Hey, Vladimir! I see you're letting people have a look around."

"Don't get all accusatory with me! I was just letting him explore a bit. He seemed bored, and I thought I could help."

"I'm not upset, but check with others to make sure they're cool with it."

"Will do."

"What's your name?" I turn my attention to the boy. He promptly looks up when he hears me address him.

"I-I. Uh. M-my name is Remy," He stutters out.

"So, Remy. What do you think?" Vladimir pulls up a chair to sit next to me.

"I... Uh. I think it's cool. It's really big." Remy crosses his legs. Rex rolls over to look at Remy when the boy stops petting him. Remy starts scratching my Blended form's fur again, and Rex settles down again.

"Hawk, Karla wants to see you." I can almost hear the smile in Vladimir's voice. He knows I don't want to go. I might not fear needles like Jay does, but that doesn't mean I enjoy visiting doctors.

"Already? I'm not done eating though."

"Then hurry up. She doesn't have all day."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll eat faster. Rex, wanna help out?" I hold half of the toast out to him, and he greedily lunges for it.

"Are you sure that's good for dogs?" Remy tilts his head to the side as he watches Rex finish up the last of the toast and lick his lips to clear any remaining crumbs.

"I don't see why it wouldn't be," I reply around some blueberries.

"Toast is people food. Dogs eat meat."

"Rex'll be fine. If he isn't, then I'll take him to a doctor."

"Hawk, are you going to eat that egg?" Vladimir eyes my plate.

"You can eat it. I'm full." I push my plate towards him.

"Thanks."

"See you later, Vladimir and Remy. Rex, let's go find Karla."

"Bye, Hawk Wes-. Er, Hawk." Remy smiles shyly.

Karla isn't hard to find; she rarely leaves her office. I knock on the door before slowly opening it. "Hawk! You finally made it. I've been waiting all morning."

"Sorry, Karla. I slept in quite a bit, then Adrien wanted to ask me some questions, and then I ate breakfast. I'm here now though."

"Indeed you are. Alright. What injuries do you have?"

"A bunch of cuts and bruises. I don't think there's anything serious. I'm probably a bit dehydrated and stuff."

"There's nothing serious about that bite wound on your forearm?" Karla raises an eyebrow as she points at the mark Mars left me.

"Oh, I forgot about that one. It doesn't hurt that much."

"How'd you get it?"

"A friendly little robotic Rottweiler named Mars and belonging to our dearest friend Guthrie Harper." I smile.

"Robotic Rottweiler, eh? He must be a pleasant creature. I'm going to get it cleaned up, along with the rest of the cuts. Is there anything else you have concerns about?"

"Nope."

"Who's this, Hawk?" Karla gestures to Rex who's been sitting quietly by the door.

"That's Rex. He's my Blended form."

"What?!" Karla almost drops the cloth she's holding.

"Did you not hear? Guthrie Harper split my Blended form from me. Well, his Wasteland guards did, but whatever."

"And you're not concerned about that, Hawk?"

"No, not really." I shrug.

"You've got to take these things more seriously! It's your own health! Now, start at the beginning and tell me how this happened." Karla glares at me.

"Well, let's see. The Wasteland guards captured me after they knocked me out, then brought me to what Sarah said Guthrie Harper calls Capital City. I had, like, sorta woken up, but was still pretty out of it when the Wasteland guards were talking about how they hoped they'd gotten the formula right. A few seconds after that the pain started. I was forced into Blending myself, and ended up halfway Blended before it stopped. But then it came back tenfold, and I was ripped apart. Then, voilà, Rex and I are two separate beings."

"So you're telling me Guthrie Harper has found a way to split Blenders into two?"

"Yeah. They tried it on Sarah, but it didn't work. I'm guessing that's what happened with Barley and Wheat."

"Then if Rex gets hurt, you'd get hurt."

"Yeah. Figured that out the hard way."

"What happened?" Karla sighs.

"We got into a little skirmish with the Wasteland guards, and Rex got a gash on his shoulder that also appeared on mine."

"Lemme see."

"Fine. It's mostly healed though." I pull up my sleeve, sitting still as she cleans and bandages it.

Soon enough it's Rex's turn, and I help him up onto the table. He shifts uncomfortably as Karla fits bandages over the wounds that riddle his skin. "Don't worry, Rex. They might sting now, but it'll help. I promise." Rex flinches, snarling as Karla dabs at a gash on his back. I pull him into a hug when he snaps his teeth at Karla's wrist. He leans into me, and whimpers as Karla begins stitching up the gash. "It's alright, buddy. I'm right here." Rex closes his eyes. I continue stroking his fur slowly until Karla says that she's done. Rex leaps off the table, beelining towards the door.

"You're all good. If you feel off at all, or if there's anything unusual, come to me immediately. Do you understand, Hawk?"

"Yeah, yeah. When have I ever not done that?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No," I sigh.

"Don't forget."

"I won't. Don't worry so much. I'm fine. I'll see you later."

"The meeting's in about fifteen minutes."

"Really?" I turn around, halfway out the door, "Adrien said it was at twelve."

"And it's about eleven forty-five right now."

"Have almost two hours already passed? Alrighty then. I'll head over early." Karla nods, and I make my way back to the cafeteria.

"Hawk! Over here! I saved a seat for you!" Jay waves me over to where he's sitting in the corner of the cafeteria.

"How's your morning been?" I pull up a seat next to him.

"Not a whole lot happened. I helped Adrien plan the attack on Guthrie Harper and the Wasteland guards. What about you?"

"Nothing much either. I ate breakfast, and met a kid who lives across the street named Remy. Vladimir let him have a look around. Then Rex and I paid Karla a visit." I finger the bandage around my forearm, feeling the puncture wounds from Mars.

"How are things?"

"What?"

"I don't know. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" What is he talking about? Of course I'm fine! I'm here and alive, aren't I?

"Hawk, you were just in one of Guthrie Harper's prison cells for over a month!"

"And now I'm back home. I'm fine, Jay! There's no need to worry." I start to fidget like Remy did when I was talking to him.

Adrien walks into the cafeteria about ten minutes later, followed by the last few stragglers. When he climbs up onto a vacant table, everyone falls silent. "As you all know, Hawk has been rescued, and is now recovering with us. While this is wonderful and amazing news, that is not why I have called you here," He begins. I'm fine. I'm not recovering- I'm already fine.

"We are going to be launching our own attack against Guthrie Harper and his Wasteland guards before they can launch one of their own."

Thank you for reading! There are only a few more chapters left in Blend the Light! While I am excited to start my next story, The King's Remorse, I have enjoyed writing Blend the Light. It'll be a little bittersweet since I've been working on it for months. But anyways, I'd love it if you would comment your thoughts and leave a vote!

How is the meeting going to go?

What is Adrien's plan for T-LOOT-D's attack on Guthrie Harper and his Wasteland guards?

Are there any guesses as to how the attack will play out?

-Werewolf14-