(Ships: none)

(Warnings: violence, minor blood, guns)

"Stop! Thief!" The boy-in-question sprinted down the road laughing, long ears flailing behind him like a banner. He could hear guards running behind him, but they didn't stand a chance at catching up. He bolted down a familiar alleyway towards a wall a good four meters tall. Without hesitation, he ran up to it, easily leaping over the barrier, much to his pursuers' fury.

With a taunting hollar, he landed with a somersault on the cobble road on the other side. He sped through a labyrinth of roads and buildings with ease, having fled through these streets countless times. He was about to pass one of the entrances to the market when he heard yelling.

"Let me go! I didn't do anything!"

"Shut up!"

Suspecting it was the guards he poked his head around the corner, scanning for threats.

In the middle of the street was a guard, not one of the one that had been chasing him, struggling with someone who looked to be several years younger than the boy hiding behind the corner. He had dog ears and a tail, and was frantically biting at the guard who had him pinned to the ground. More guards arrived, one roughly strapping a muzzle around the hybrid's face, another restraining his arms with rope and throwing him to the ground. The guard who now had bite marks on his arms kicked the hybrid in the ribs.

"Vile beast," he spat as the other two dragged the hybrid away. The boy around the corner watched wide-eyed, his rabbit tail twitching anxiously as he sprinted off, less excitedly this time.

He soon made his way out of the city and looked around cautiously before crossing a field full of grass nearly as tall as him. The field was the one thing standing between the city of Lakeband and the dense woods beside it. He walked through the trees, listening to the sound of birds and the crunch of leaves under his bare feet.

Mrrrow? The sound gave the boy a millisecond of a warning before bare feet collided with his back, sending him crashing to the forest floor. Rolling over, he looked up at his feline attacker who was crouched beside him, grinning triumphantly.

"Hey Grian! You're back!" He paused for a moment, sniffing the air. "Is that what I think it is?" Grian sat up and pulled the satchel from his shoulder, his friend opened it, eyes wide with excitement at the sight of four loaves of bread. "Food! Wait... you didn't even try to get a job, did you?"

Grian gestured to his long ears. "Who would hire me, anyway? Besides, I don't feel sorry, what have they ever done for us?"

"You stole!"

"And I'll do it again if it keeps us alive. Look, Mumbo, it may not be honest, but it's better than starvation."

"Can I at least go with you next time?"

"I already told you, no. It's far too dangerous."

Mumbo frowned, his black, pointed ears drooping. "I don't see why you get to go..."

Grian sighed like he was talking to a child, which was pretty much the case. They had decided Mumbo was around sixteen years old, two years younger than Grian, despite his noticeable height advantage. "So, are we gonna eat?"

The cat's grumpy attitude was lost at the mention of food. He pulled out two loaves, passing one to Grian. Unlike their last few meals, the bread was fresh and delicious. Sure, the baker would have Grian's head, and the butcher, and everyone else he had ever stolen from, but that was only if he was caught.

"So, what adventures have you been up to, today?"

"Well," Mumbo spoke between mouthfuls of bread. "I found some snails; wouldn't eat them, though, they look pretty gross. I still haven't found the other edge of the forest... Oh, I saw some humans, I think they were from Riverband. They were saying something about raids?"

Grian froze. "They didn't see you, right?" Mumbo shook his head. "Good, they can't know we're here." There had been talk amongst the cityfolk of rounding up hybrids, something about them being 'too dangerous', but this soon? Grian just hoped they wouldn't think to check outside the city.

He noticed Mumbo reaching for another loaf and took his hand, shaking his head.

"We'll want to save these. Okay?" Mumbo nodded understandingly and Grian closed the bag.

The sun had set, and fireflies danced around the two friends as they stood up and made their way to a nest of grass and moss beneath two trees. Mumbo lay down, picking at the sleeves of his white shirt, thoughtfully.

"Grian, do you think things will ever change?"

Grian thought on this. They had been on their own together in the woods for as far back as he dared to remember. "I'm not sure. But you know what?" He lay down next to his friend, giving him an affectionate hug. "No matter what happens, I'll be with you."

<~~~>

Grian's ears shot up before he even opened his eyes. Something had woken him up. All he could hear was the wind, crickets, and...

Crunch. Someone stepping on leaves. He opened his eyes and silently rose to a crouching position to scan the area, accidentally kicking Mumbo, stirring him awake.

"Grian? What's going-?"

"Shh." Something was nearby. The cat's gray eyes shone in the darkness.

A cloaked figure stepped through the trees towards the two hybrids. Grian moved protectively in front of Mumbo.

"You two need to come with me."

"Like hell, we would." The rabbit snarled back. Who did this person think they were?

"Look, they're hunting down all the hybrids. I can get you two to safety, just come with me."

Mumbo started to stand up but Grian stopped him. "How do we know we can trust you? How do we know you're not one of them?"

The stranger sighed and lowered their dark hood, revealing bright red eyes and two fluffy, white fox ears. Grian stared. An albino hybrid.

The hybrid shifted uncomfortably, pulling their hood back up. "Look, are you coming or not?"

Grian was about to say that they were safe in the woods when he heard shouting. Lanterns shone through the trees.

"Run." The fox growled before darting off into the darkness. Grian grabbed Mumbo's wrist, pulling him to his feet and after the fox.

There were more shapes darting through the trees around them, but not humans. Dozens of hybrids were all running in the same direction, all following the fox. The forest began to thin, and they were soon running across the plains. Hybrids were fast. There was no way the humans could catch them on foot.

A loud CRACK shot through the air. Grian flinched. It had been nearly a decade since he last heard that sound. He had hoped to never hear it again. Mumbo's wide eyes told him he too recognised the sound. Grian just hoped the boy hadn't seen a nearby racoon fall to the ground.

Another crack was heard, and a searing pain shot through Grian's left shoulder. He winced, but didn't slow down.

Up ahead was a bridge suspended over a ravine. But the small flicker of hope died when he saw all the hybrids crowding to cross it. They'd never make it across. Grian turned to Mumbo, who he still had by the arm, and picked him up, bridal style.

"What are you doing-?"

"Close your eyes and trust me, okay?"

Mumbo did so, wrapping his arms around his friend's neck. Grian sprinted towards the ravine. It was maybe ten meters wide. He sped up, running as fast as he could. He could make it. He had to.

He reached the edge and jumped, launching them both into the air. A couple of seconds felt like minutes, holding his friend to his chest, suspended over the gaping pit.

He hit the ground, rolling painfully onto his wounded shoulder and over to his back. Shooting to his feet, he took Mumbo's arm again and kept running. He could see long, white hair, a sort of beacon in the darkness. He could just make out the figure's cloak when they disappeared all together. He blinked in confusion. Upon approach, there was a large cliff. Where had they gone?

Wait. The rock was shimmering, almost like glass. He tentatively reached out and touched it. His hand passed right through as if there was nothing there. Stepping forward, he pulled Mumbo with him through the base of the cliff.

An audible gasp escaped him when he saw what was on the other side. There was a whole town, bustling with noise even at this time of night. The town was full of hybrids, flying above buildings, strolling through streets. Not a single human in sight.

More hybrids entered through the "cliff" which appeared like a wall of glass on this side. But there were noticeably fewer than Grian had seen running across the grass.

He saw the pale fox near the barrier, shifting from foot to foot anxiously. A fox looking similar to them, but with dark brown hair and similarly colored ears, came through the wall and ran forward to embrace them.

Grian suddenly noticed the emptiness of his hand. He looked around frantically, finding Mumbo wandering down a street. He ran to catch his friend.

"You can't run off like that. We don't know where we are."

Someone dive-bombed in front of them, causing Grian to jump in alarm. The stranger tucked dark sparrow wings behind his back, laughing as he readjusted the red bandana on his forehead.

"Hi there! You're new here, aren't you? I can show you around if you want?"

"We're fine, thank you." Grian tried to lead Mumbo away from the energetic hybrid and winced. Adrenaline had pretty much numbed his shoulder, but now it hurt like hell.

"That looks pretty bad." The sparrow wasn't wrong, blood was seeping through the sleeve of Grian's already red shirt. "I know someone who'll fix you up, come with me!" Grian reluctantly followed the bird to a series of tents near where he and Mumbo had entered the barrier. The bird lifted the entrance flap to one of them, leading Grian and Mumbo inside what looked like a makeshift infirmary.

"Hey Stress, I got a new patient for you!"

A koala-eared woman momentarily turned her attention from the person she was tending to.

"Fank you, Bdubs. Just set 'em down over there." She gestured to an empty cot. The sparrow left Grian sitting on the cot, anxiously observing the tent. The walls looked thin, he could easily break through if they needed a quick escape.

The woman, Stress, came over. " 'Ello, luv. Now what's happened to you?" Grian didn't respond. She eyed his bloodied sleeve. "Not much of a talker, are we? Alright, I won't try to chat, but I'll need ya to take off that shirt of yours." She reached towards his shoulder and he flinched away. She sighed. "Look luv, I'm just doin' me job, but I can't help if ya won't let me." Grian hesitated a few moments before reluctantly removing the shirt, its fabric already beginning to stick to the wound.

He sat uncomfortably as she cleaned his shoulder, and took to looking around the room again. He now noticed a boy, with what Grian assumed to be panda ears, sitting on a cot across the tent. He looked up and waved a little, his hand mostly covered by the sleeve of his green hoodie. Grian waved back slightly, but winced at the sight of the bandages covering the left side of the boy's face.

"I saw you come through the barrier," Grian turned his attention to Stress, who was wrapping his shoulder with bandages. "Did one of the bullets get ya?" He turned worriedly, Mumbo was sitting on the ground making something out of sticks, oblivious to the conversation. Grian nodded. "It's such a shame, really. But you needn't worry, you're safe inside the barrier. There ya are, all done." She had finished wrapping the bandages and crouched down to Mumbo's eye-level. "And what about you? Are ya hurt?"

The cat shook his head. "No. I'm with him."

"Well," Stress said, tossing Grian's bloodied shirt back to him. "I guess the two of ya better be off then. And try to keep it easy on that shoulder there."

"I- Thank you." Grian stammered as he stood up.

Stress smiled. "Anytime."

"If you don't mind me asking, what is this place? All of this?"

"Well, it's a sort of sanctuary. See, the barrier keeps any humans from entering, I'm not sure how, but it keeps us safe. As for this town? Well, we call it Oasis."