Althea's home in the Earth realm had become a hangout spot for all four of the newly reunited Therians. Being just a floor above the healing center she owned, it had the same oaken wallsand same cozy feel. It smelled of fresh earth and warm spices. Rows upon rows of books about Healers lined the shelves, which were rather high up on the wall but just low enough so Altheacould reach them without straining. Some of the books' spines were cracked in a thousand different columns, their covers dusty with fingerprints and their pages tabbed and dog-eared to no end. Others looked as if they had yet to even be opened. Sabrehad immediately taken an interest to the various topics of the books.

Healers And Their Craft by Anastacia Redwood

A History of Natural Remedies by Jamie Pumpkin

Therian Anatomy and Physiology, Abridged by Daniel Fae

"More tea, Sabre?"

Althea held two steaming cups in her hands, looking expectantly at her guest.

"Oh, sure. Thank you, Althea," Sabre said, returning to his spot next to Rowan on the couch and accepting one of the mugs.

      "Sure thing," Althea chirped, placing the second mug on a coaster next to Nyc, who had elected to recline in the soft brown beanbag chair that Althea owned.

      The Healer had long since revealed that her Therian form was that of a fox, although she preferred to stay in human form. It was easy to believe upon seeing her fiery red hair and brighteyes.

      Levi was there, too - surprisingly enough, he had been at most of their past hangouts. He insisted on sitting next to Althea, as if he didn't trust the others to get that close to her.

     "So these kids were ganging up on me," Rowan was saying, his eyes alight with memory. "And one of them was making fun of me because I had written a poem for another classmate" - Althealistened with interest, as if this wasn't the seventeenth time she'd heard this recounting - "and then I got really angry and next thing I know, there are quills all over the place!" Rowan'seyes were blown wide, as if trying - for the seventeenth time - to surprise the others. "One almost hit Sabre, and I turn around and I'm like, 'what happened?' and all these kids are walkingaway and calling me a freak and a weirdo, but...I'd never felt stronger."

A fond smile tugged at a corner of Althea's lips, and it was easy to see that she at least admired Rowan's pride in himself.

     "Then, Sabre found me, and I had this weird scar, but Sabre had one too - and Nyc - and Levi - and they gave me books to read about therianthropy and stuff, and - here we are," he said, huffing as if that entire soliloquy was all said within one breath.

     Sabre couldn't help but smile at the second-youngest's gushing energy. When he wasn't buried in a book, Rowan Kodiak was talking and talking and talking about whatever made him happy.

     Levi, on the other hand, usually stayed silent. Whether it was because he was in a bad mood or just a very good listener, none of them knew. They just knew that everyone had grown accustomed to his silence.

     "Yeah, it was pretty great," Nyc said, adjusting the round glasses that framed his eyes. "And then we made a pact to stick with each other and be nice to each other since we were going to, you know, save the world together."

     A scoff sounded from the one person who had stayed silent this entire time.

     All eyes turned to Levi.

     Sabre knew fair well how Levi felt about this whole "teamwork" thing. He knew how reserved the Snake could be, and how easy it was for him to strike when he didn't get what he wanted.

     "I can't believe..." Levi sighed, his eyes focused on the floor, "after all these years, you're still on about 'being nice to each other' and 'working together.'"

     "Well, aren't we meant to work together?" Nyc reasoned with that even voice of his. "Is this going to work if we can't get along?"

     Leviathan's emerald-green eyes met Nyc's with a controlled fire. "This isn't grade school. That rule doesn't apply forever. One of us is gonna have to drop the act at some point. Whatever's out there" - he gestured toward the window - "is not going to play nice with us. And when that happens, there's no timeout corner for them to go to." The flames in his eyes were being stoked, slowly growing into a roaring fire.

     "Levi-" Althea soothed, placing a hand on his arm in an attempt to cool his temper. The Snake hesitated for a moment, still poised to bare his fangs.

     He let out a sigh that sounded much more like a hiss. Escaping Althea's grasp, he stood and began to pace. "When they come - whatever they are - this is not gonna matter anymore."

"How can you assume that things will be that bad?" Rowan squeaked timidly.

     Levi whipped around to face him. "Excuse me? How? How can I not?" he snapped. "If this is truly going to be as bad as they say it will be, everything we care about will be at stake," he said, raising his voice. "The more we care, the more we hurt in the end.

     "There is no good anymore. There is no bad. There will just be those who are alive and those who are going to die! And...if you're going to stick in this fantasy world, believing kindness will out, then I don't want anything to do with you! I didn't, even from the beginning!" he raged.

"Levi, you don't understand. We-"

     Sabre was cut off by a sharp, spiteful laugh from Levi. The tension in the room was thicker than any of the oinments lining the shelves of the Healing center.

     "Me? I don't understand?" Levi asked rhetorically, feigning innocence. "Well, if you think I don't get any of this, if you think you can handle this by yourselves, why don't you do that then?!"

"That's not what we're saying-"

     "You all are so blind!" he yelled, making Sabre flinch as if he'd been slapped. "Nothing will get better, no matter if we're best friends or not," he said mockingly. "I'm done. I'll leave. That seems like what you want out of me, anyway."

"Levi, no-"

     But he was already on his way out. "I'm done. Come find me when you've actually figured out what's important."

     Sabre tried to step in his path. Levi would not stand for that.

     "I said, leave me ALONE!" he yelled, pushing Sabre out of his way. Sabre crashed into the wall with such a force that some of the books fell off their shelves.

And Levi was gone with a slam of the door.

Althea was frozen in shock, her eyes glistening.

Rowan was huddled behind the couch.

Nyc had his head in his hands, as if all the arguing had given him a headache.

Sabre went to chase after Levi, but Althea's shaking voice halted him.

"Don't," she said. "Let him go. He'll come around again."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Sabre asked with disbelief.

"I...I'm not," she said.