Wildfire was on her back, her tail slowly waving back and forth, a mint green, mixed with a leaf green was coming from the background behind her. 

It looked like they were on a sand dune. From what Sophia could see anyways. 

And all of it almost had this... Art theme. It looked like everything around them was some sort of high-definition painting. 

Wildfire spread one of her paws out, reaching out to her almost, without her claws coming out of her paw. Sophia took note of the pawprints on the side of Wildfire that were precariously staying in one position in the air. 

It was hard to tell exactly where they were. Sophia knew it got dark at sand dunes, or deserts, but not like this... 

And the green lights? All of this just seemed so very... Off. 

Wildfire finally spoke, "Am I gonna have to start the conversation again, Sophia?" 

Sophia remained silent, trying to work out everything that was going on in her head, where she was, and how she had got here. 

Wildfire sighed, walking over to her in a calm way, "Yes, yes I am. So, what's it like knowing you're a failure without me?" 

Sophia continued her silence. 

Wildfire scoffed at her, walking around her, Wildfire's tail waving slowly.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. An endless cycle. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back... And forth... Her tail continued that motion over and over again as she walked in a circle over and over again around Sophia, making her a bit dizzy. 

"Still quiet I see. Still that boring cat I see." 

"I'd rather be boring, than a murderer!" Sophia retorted, trying to keep her voice down but failing. 

"I thought you'd say something more like, 'I'm not boring!'." 

"Well, maybe I surprise even you these days." 

"Nah." She said in a dismissive tone. 

Sophia scoffed at her, "Great talking with you, but I have a billion better things to do than chit-chat with a murderer." Sophia turned her back to her, then blinked, and Wildfire was right in front of her again, in a different setting. 

In these scenes Wildfire always looked younger, probably for the reason that Wildfire was Sophia's younger-self. 

In this scene, Wildfire was what looked to be a grassy hill, and there was a nature-y yellow and green coming higher up behind her. There were a few bubbles as well, and it looked like they were reflecting some sort of blue light. 

Where could that be coming from? Perhaps it was the bubbles itself bending the light into a different color, a similar color. 

The lemon and lime lights shown on her slightly, showing only a bit of her. But at least Sophia could keep track of where Wildfire was located, it wasn't exactly a feeling of comfort though, knowing where she was. 

It was better  than not knowing where she was at all, but Sophia really didn't want to see Wildfire, she was just disturbing. 

Wildfire's tail was in a small curl, almost like the moon in 'The Starry Night'. 

Every time one of them spoke, it would echo throughout the terrain. As if they were in a small room, decorated with these weird bubbles, and lights. 

"You mean you wouldn't talk to yourself right? And as if you have anything to do, let alone a billion things." 

Sophia scoffed, partly in disbelief and partly because she was right, "How's it been for you, 'Fire? Hmm? Only being in dreams, and a few thoughts." 

Dreams... Dreams... Dreams! 

"Great you know? Been leading you down the dangerously fun path ever so slightly, bit by bit. Putting matches all over the forest, puttting dynamite just waiting, begging, to explode." 

"Oh really?" Sophia asked, thinking about dreams. This could be a dream! And if this were a dream, she couldn't be hurt! 

But no matter how much Sophia hoped that this were true, she knew that she still could fall upon harm in her dreams. They were so vivid. 

Sophia turned around again, blinked, and-of course-the terrain changed again. 

This was much lighter compared to the last two, even though it was still rather dark. 

Each one of them just had that sickly aspect to them, Sophia didn't know why, but it just gave her a sickly feeling to her stomach. 

Wildfire's eyes were more green-yellow now, to blend in with her surroundings, and background. 

There were splotches of a bright yellow with just a hint of a lighter shade of green. There were a few shades of blue, all of them darker. And around the top of the background behind Wildfire was a light purple, or periwinkle. 

Sophia could tell that Wildfire was sitting on a grassy area once more, but it almost looked like some of her in the front was lying on the water. 

Her fur was all ruffled, and spiked. It made her look scary. And she still couldn't  see her other facial features besides the ears and the eyes. But Sophia could could see a slight bit of her nose. Some of her whiskers could be seen. Sophia could see her tail, and again, it was curled, in and almost... Balmy. 

There were a few sparkles around her pelt, one purple, one light blue, and the last one a bright blue. 

She had this quizzical, cocky look on her face, "You can't get rid of me that easy, Sophia." She continued on, "Come on! Just light the fire! Let it burn! Let them die! It's so beautiful!" 

"Death is not beautiful!" Sophia belowed, as if stating a fact. 

"But it is. It's alluring! You know what we are doing, Sophia? We're watching this entire world go down in magnificent flames!" Wildfire stepped in front of her, "It's just me and you. You see those great rolling clouds?!" 

Sophia corrected her, "No, all I see is darkness." 

"Exactly! You just proved my point!" 

Sophia corrected Wildfire once more, "De facto-which means 'in reality'-I accidentally proved your point." 

"I'm gonna carry on now," and she kept true to her word just for once. "You can't see grand rolling clouds! Where are your marvelous stars?" She stood up, walking towards her, and they were nose-to-nose, whisker-to-whisker, "Where is the radiant forests filled with wonderful colors and bursting with life?" 

Sophia looked at her smoothly, and talked even smoother, "Everywhere. They all fill my eyes, and my heart. They are magnificent, and magical. This world is filled with so many individual things, mysterious, evil, admirable, inspirational,  dangerous, and most of all, they are all... Beautiful. Everything is like a Star, so I don't need to see them, I know they are there. Always." 

"If I was into poetry, I would have made you write that, and sign it. But I do have to say, you get a bit deep," She wasn't impressed despite her sleek words.

Sophia backed up slowly from Wildfire, and turned around completely, pitch black, she blinked. A change of terrain once more. 

It was strange, peculiar really. 

Wildfire was again in the middle of the latest scene, she was still her dark-self with the green-yellow eyes. 

But the background was another tale. 

It was as if they were on clouds, floating above nothing, a world of just... Nothing. Was there even a world beneath them, or was this all that was left? 

On the right side lay out a night themed group of soft, dark, blue clouds. A few dots the same shades as the clouds, Sophia naturally assumed that they were stars. It was almost scary, eerie, dangerous, in a few ways. 

The other side-the left side-was covered in the sequence of colors from a gorgeous thing that was like a bridge, but this time, it was flowing like water in a mysteriously calm river. This was known as a 'rainbow'. 

There were a few bubbles that drifted through this river of a rainbow as if the colors were being sucked into an endless current, but so much more tranquil. 

It was hard to keep her eyes trained on Wildfire's, for the rainbow-river was extremely pleasing to the eye. To her eye. 

The bubbles wobbled slightly, making imperfect circles, but that just added to the beauty of it all. "I had a feeling that you'd enjoy this one, Sophia." 

Sophia blinked swiftly, keeping her eyes on Wildfire's, "Yes, I do enjoy it, but I've got the most familiar awareness that you are gonna try to teach me something." 

"Of course, you know me so well! Remember the grand, speech you gave? I've got rolling clouds, stars, and some majestic colors, and bubbles. I hate that word, 'Majestic', it's so... Magical. But it's something you would use, so I thought, 'why not'?" 

"I can usually see what others are planning, but I can't seem to figure out the scheme here." Sophia said, her eyes drifting to the art-themed flows of the rainbow's colors, like drapes awaiting to uncover an amazing show. 

"Yet, you see the ribbons of the rainbow beside me," Wildfire winked at her. 

"Are you hinting something? 'Cause right now I'm not really in the mood to play a game of 'Clue'." 

"Oooh, 'Clue' that sounds fun. It'll work for our current level in this game." 

"Level?" Sophia questioned. 

"Yes, this level is called, 'Clue'. You know who the murder is." 

"You." 

"Wrong, us." 

"Same difference, I'd just rather not be associated with you at all." 

"Anyways, all you've got to figure out now is how I did it, and where I did it-"

Sophia quickly interrupted her, "But also-something not in that game-when you did it, and who to. I don't know who you did it to-or if you've even done it yet." 

"But don't worry," she winked, and it gave Sophia a cold chill down her spine that made her shiver for a second. "I'm just a thought, just a figment of your nightmares." 

Before Sophia could reply, everything in front of her, just disappeared. 

Sophia looked in every direction she could, up, down, right, left, behind, in front, nothing. Just pitch black. 

At that instant, Sophia thought she saw a little spike of orange light. She squinted her eyes so she could get a better idea of what was there, but it was useless, it was to far for even her eyes to reach. 

She let out a sharp breath, Was this fear she was feeling? No. 

Perhaps... 

Whatever was out there was briskly running straight towards her in wonderous streaks of orange, black, and white lights. 

Sophia had a thought of running, but she knew that it would be pointless. 

After a few more seconds, she could clearly see what it was. Or 'who' it was. 

It was Pixels. 

Except she was in a artistic form, just like everything else before, but this time the style was different. 

The background had not changed, it still was that shadowy, endless, pitch black. 

But it was Pixels that had changed this time. 

She looked like... A 'Water-Color' painting, or at least Sophia thought that the 'Humans' called it that. 

It was almost a blur. But at the same time, Sophia knew that this was Pixels., so that must have meant that it was somewhat clear. 

She looked as if she was sleeping, but when Sophia took a paw-step closer, her eyes opened up abruptly. She looked panicked. 

Sophia tried to make herself look as kind and soft as possible, "Pixels...?" 

She uttered a word unhearble to even Sophia's sharp hearing, "Pixels...?" She repeated her name slowly in a questioning tone. 

"Lonely..." That must've been the word that she barley even uttered. 

"'Lonely'?" Sophia repeated her, still in a questioning tone. 

She looked up at Sophia sharply, it almost made her jump, "You're lonely..." 

Sophia cocked her head to the side, "You're saying I'm lonely...?" 

Pixels' tone was dark, and corrupt, "Yes... You are lonely... So, so... Lonely... The rain has come... Washed it all away... There are other survivors... Yet... Yet... You  choose to stay in all of the rubble... On your own... You need to find somewhere... Somecats..." 

What could she possibly mean?! "What are you talking about Pixels?" 

"There are other survivors... You just have to look away from the rubble... The ruins... And look to the rainbow after the rain that washed away the fire... It's so beautiful..." She looked as if she was gonnna pat Sophia's head once, in a gesture of kindness. 

Pixels reached out to pat her head, but she disappeared, as she blew away as ash in the wind. 

Sophia was once again... 

Alone. 

It was still that threatening shade of evil black. 

Sophia had this strange feeling that she should... Run. 

She first tried to lift her front left paw, and she couldn't. She looked down quizzically at her paw, it was covered in some sort of mysterious black sand. 

Sophia moved her other paw-the right paw-as it was engulfed in the mysterious black sand as well. 

Before she could even do anything about her back legs, and paws, she felt them drop slightly into the soft grains. 

Sophia fixed her eyes on the sand, her vision in the dark somehow worsening in the pitch black, when her eyes should be starting to adjust to the perpetual darkness. 

The sand was starting to remind her more and more of the stubstance known as 'ash'. Ash came as one of the companions of fire. And it even stayed there after a fire, lingering. Forever. 

She felt a prickle on her neck that told her to look up. She looked up. 

Straight ahead of her was... 'A Great Cat'. A Great Cat is a cat such as a Leopard, a Black Panther, a Cheetah, all of the cats that looked like a normal cat, except they were much bigger. 

The Great Cat That was running straight-wherever 'straight' was-was a 'Tiger'. A beautifully striped creature, this one was specifically a 'Bengal Tiger', but at its claws blazed with fire as it pounded on to get Sophia. 

It was gonna go after her, and she was trapped in this sand-like substance! 

Sophia tried her very best to think of a clever way to escape the sand, and then escape the Tiger. 

But nothing would come to her. As if her mind refused. 

Sophia tried to pull any of her paws out of the sand, but that made it much worse, she was more stuck than ever, and now the sand passed her paws by the length of a whisker. 

She yelped, was this fear creeping up her pelt, throughout the rest of her? 

"No!" She whispered-yelled to herself, as the Tiger continued on right towards her. 

Sophia heard her heart in her head, with thundering beats, and felt it in her throat, feeling like it was about to jump right out of her...

In fear. 

The Tiger was only a cat-length away from her, then it went to tear right through her. 

Sophia closed her eyes, as she felt the claws of the Tiger that we're blazing with flames rip right through her. 

She yelled in pain and agony, and the Tiger wasn't even done yet. 

She closed her eyes tighter, and finally opened them- 

I woke up, and yelled out, "No!!" 

I tried to move, and found myself wrapped up in vines to a tree, there was more than one tree. There were three, and they all made the shape of a triangle. 

I pushed my paws against the tree, trying to loosen the vines, but they somehow got tighter. I looked at Ash and Pixels who were tied to the other two trees with the vines. Alpha was in the middle of us. 

There must be someone behind me tightening the vines to make this harder, and more painful for me, I thought as they tightened once more. 

Alpha laughed, "Come on Wildfire!" 

I felt drowsy, as if I didn't get sleep, more like I went to a completely other world in my head, and wore myself out, "Wildfire is dead, and if you think otherwise, you're an idiot!" 

"Then why do you keep dreaming of her? I mean you do sleep-talk quite a lot." I felt a low growl rumble in my throat as Alpha continued, "And there is one thing that you're missing, I thought you'd get it by now, but I guess the most clever of us miss the obvious." 

I scoffed at her, "Well at least give me a hint." 

"Look down." 

"Look down-" I repeated in an almost mocking voice as I looked down at the vines. 

They weren't vines. 

It was a snake! 

I knew what kind of snake this was. 

I breathed it's name, "It's a Ball Python."