“Where are you, Nytehawk?” Hunter quietly asked the clouding sky as he stood on the balcony of their home. He had grown increasingly concerned that his mate had vanished some three days ago. He sighed and leaned on the railing, still looking to the sky.

The sound of a creaking door caught his attention and he quickly straightened and spun around. He had hoped to see his love’s pale furred form, but instead saw a female with grey-blue fur, a long, wavy blonde mane and tail, and deep blue eyes. Hunter blinked and stepped back. “Who are you?” he demanded.

The female smiled reassuringly at him. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Who are you?” Hunter repeated, a little less stern this time.

“My name’s Sophie,” she began, then paused to think. “I’m here because I felt that Nytehawk may be in trouble.”

“I haven’t seen her in three days,” Hunter admitted.

“Then he probably has her,” she sighed. “Did she tell you anything before she left?”

Hunter nodded. “Yes. She didn’t want me to come after her.”

“Typical,” Sophie replied, shaking her head.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked, trying not to sound desperate.

“About the only thing we can do is wait. I can try to find out some information, but the way this city is, I don’t know what I’ll be able to discover.”

“Anything would help,” Hunter replied. “Thank you.”

Sophie bowed slightly. “I owe it to her. It’s no trouble.”

*********

“Legacy,” Snowhawk softly said as she nuzzled her sleeping mate. He grumbled quietly and curled up a little in response. “Don’t you ‘mmrph’ me,” she responded in turn, lightly pushing him.

“Sleep… Need…” he sleepily replied.

The lavender Delphin was not amused. “You have slept for twelve hours. Get up.”

“No,” he protested.

A mischievous grin crossed her face and she got up from the bed, then walked to the kitchen. Moments later, she returned with a large, ice water filled pot. She sat the pot down, then stuck her fingers into it and flicked some of the water onto him. “Get up or you get the whole pot of that dumped on you.”

“Don’t want to…” he grumbled.

She sighed in aggravation, stomping a hoof. “The longer you lay there, the lazier you will get.”

“Why can’t I sleep?” he replied.

At least he’s awake enough to form coherent sentences, she thought. “Why?”

“Yes, why?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Because Janus has my cousin.”

Legacy sat straight up in bed. “He what!?”

“He’s captured Nytehawk. I overheard some other Del asking about her while I was out this morning.”

“Did you hear how long he’s had her?” he asked, rubbing his forehead just below his horn.

“I believe I heard five days,” she again sighed. “We need to find Jerome.”

The male nodded. “We do, but how are we going to find him? He’s been missing for two years. We can’t even be certain he’s still alive.”

“If we can’t find Jerome, then I’ll go get Nytehawk. Or I’ll go when I get the first chance. I’m not letting him keep her.”

Legacy sat in silence for a moment his head lowered, then looked up at his mate. “But, what if that’s his plan? What if he’s trying to draw you out by using her as bait? It wouldn’t be out of character for him.”

Snowhawk shook her head. “It wouldn’t be, but it seems a little too risky for him to take.”

“I don’t want him to take you away. You’re too important,” he sighed, pulling her into the bed. He gently nuzzled her, then after giving her a concerned look, brushed her forelock back and felt a few spots on her face with his right hand. “I don’t think you should be doing much of anything today anyway. It feels like you have a fever.

“Not too surprising,” she said, looking to the side.

“Why not? Are you okay, love?” he asked, more concerned than before.

“I’m fine,” she replied unconvincingly.

“You don’t lie that well, Snow,” he stated, turning her head toward him. “And you seem to have had something else on your mind the past few weeks.”

“I am fine, Legacy,” She firmly said, pulling her head away. “Just have a lot on my mind right now.”

*********

Nytehawk sighed as she paced the room she’d been placed in. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Snowhawk found out what had happened and came looking for her. “Which is exactly what he wants. Dammit.” She again introduced her hoof to her door, adding another dent to the numerous ones she had already put in it, then stalked across the room. “I wish I could warn her.”

Janus’ voice came, slightly muffled, from the other side of the door. “Why don’t you rest, Nytehawk?”

“Because I don’t trust you,” she growled, turning toward said door.

“Accept it, Nytehawk,” he continued. “There is nothing you can do.” He unlocked and opened the door, then walked into her room. “I only want the best for her and if she stays where she is now, she’ll be crushed when she realizes that her little world of lies is crumbling. Her Guardian, unlike yours, doesn’t know when to step back and leave her alone.”

“From what I have heard, and know of the Guardians, Legacy is there, and continues to be there, because he loves her. He’s not there for his duty alone,” she stated.

“Loves her? Then why does he leave her alone at night?” he replied, slightly tilting his head to his right.

“What?” she asked, likewise canting her head and folding her ears back.

“In more than two months, he has not stayed with her more than eight nights. There have been several occasions where he never returned during the day, or for several following days.”

“And what does that have to do with anything?” she snorted.

“Do you remember what would happen when she was alone for more than a few hours?” he replied. “We’re talking about a creature that before she left here was never alone for more than half a day.”

Nytehawk shrugged. “She felt bad. She got depressed. Though there were many times when she would go off by herself to be alone. She left one night and never returned.”

“And your first reaction was that she would come here. Why do you think she would have?”

Nytehawk didn’t like Janus trying to be a psychologist. Again she snorted at him. “The hell if I know.”

Janus grinned. “There is a familiarity here she can’t get anywhere else. There is stability. There is never having to wonder where the hell her mate has gone off to. She could go off on her own to be alone, then come back and not have to look for anyone. Do you understand where I’m going?”

“Your thought process is so screwed up, no one can understand it,” she returned, glaring at him. “You are not convincing me in the least.”

“In due time, dear Nytehawk,” he grinned again.

“Not a chance,” she stated, still glaring at him.

Never having dropped his grin, he turned and left the room. She’d been here for little more than a month and seemed to be just as stubborn as the day she came.

*********

Janus fell asleep that night at his desk, and his dreams again reminded him how he lost Snowhawk.

~~~~~~~~~

“Do you remember what it was like before you came into my life?” a younger Janus asked a human-formed Snowhawk as he held her.

“A nightmare,” she replied, lowering her head.

“Indeed,” he said, gently stroking her hair.

“And for you?” she asked curiously.

“Dull, boring… Nothing I would like to have again. You are more wonderful than I could have ever imagined,” he smiled.

She blushed and smiled in return, then he saw the two of them several months later. And once again, I watch myself ruin what I had, he thought. Why did I have to say it like that? he asked as he watched her leave the room. I was such an idiot.

~~~~~~~~~

He awoke and sat up, looking out his window at the night sky. “I’ll redeem myself soon… Very soon.” He nodded, then stood and went to his bed.

*********

The protectors known as Guardians were trained to protect the nobility of the Delphin Society and most were nobles themselves. When the Society fell to the slavers, the Guardians remained to protect the ones they could. They trained new Guardians in secrecy. Soon, not many of the old Guardians were left alive, and almost none of the new line were fully trained. They all held the duty to protect their charges when circumstances allowed it. Some would stay near their charges, others would leave and wait for the call to duty.

Far outside the city, one Guardian heard his call. In the dark shadows of the forest, a flash of gold came to life in the pale light of the moon. He had been waiting for this call.

Emerald green eyes opened as a male Delphin appearing to be made of gold stepped onto a rocky ledge, and looked toward the city. He folded back his golden wings and looked toward the glowing city for a moment. Then he turned, his golden horn glinting in the light, and trotted toward a path out of the forest.

*********

Nytehawk paced anxiously in her room. Janus was determined to get Snowhawk back, and every day was one more day closer to her cousin getting caught, one way or another. “That idiot,” she growled as she stopped at her door, then, once again, kicked it. “Maybe I’ll have the damn thing broken by the time she gets here.” It had been another week since Janus had taken her, making a total of five. “At least Hunter listened to me this time.”

Just out of her view, the golden furred Delphin clung to the side of the estate. “Now I know for certain where you are,” he quietly said, then dropped from the wall. He spread his golden wings and glided over the fence. He had not been able to protect her in the years past, but now he would.

He silently made his way through the streets, grateful for the cloudy night. The one that had contacted him said Nytehawk and her mate owned a large house about a half hour’s walk from the Slaver’s estate. He found the house easily and stopped out front. The front yard of the old, two-story home had several large trees, like the rest of the area. The original planners of this part of the city had removed only the trees they needed to, leaving almost all the trees and underbrush. The property was surrounded by an ivy-covered brick and iron fence.

The golden Delphin made his way through the open iron gate and slowly walked the concrete path to the home. He stopped as he stepped onto the front porch, and turned to look at the yard again. He felt as if he was being watched. He saw no one, and paying no attention to it now, he turned and knocked on the front door.

*********

Sophie’s ears flicked at the sound of someone knocking. She stood and went to look out the window, but the roof of the porch hid the caller. She looked at Hunter to find him still asleep in a chair, then walked out of the room and downstairs to the front door. The sight of gold fur through the frosted glass in the front door gave her a twisting feeling in her gut. She knew the Delphin standing outside. They had been lovers, and had parted on foul terms. She had once tried to kill Nytehawk on orders from her former owner. He had stopped her, then she left when he asked her why. “Should have known I’d see him. He’s her Guardian, after all,” she quietly said to herself as she opened the door.

The golden Delphin was not pleased to see her. “Sophie.”

“Long time no see, Jerome,” she half smiled. He gave her no reply. “Not long enough apparently,” she added, looking down.

“What brought you out of hiding?” he asked, glaring at her.

“Same thing as you, I’d imagine,” she responded.

He snorted and flicked his tail. “Go back to whatever rock you were under. You’ve already caused enough trouble for Nytehawk.”

“Get over it, Jerome!” she yelled. “I was doing what I had been ordered to do. I wouldn’t have done anything if it had been my choice.”

“Oh, really?” he sarcastically replied.

“Yes, Jerome. Really.” She looked up at him. “I’m sorry for what happened. I’m sorry for what I did to Nytehawk and to you.”

“You just left,” he began. “You just up and left and never answered my question.” She made no attempt to reply. “Why didn’t you at least come back and tell me why after your owner was killed? You were free.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll never be free. I’m sick. I was used for testing of some chemical he was making. I’m dying. I don’t have more than a couple years to live at the most and I want to at least try to help.”

Jerome was silent for several minutes, then finally asked, “Do you have a plan?”

“No. I was waiting on you to show up.” She looked to her left, then stepped back, holding the door for him. “Come on inside. You can meet her mate, Hunter, and we can figure out what to do now.”

Sophie turned and walked into one of the front rooms. As Jerome stepped inside to follow her, the rustling of some bushes caught his attention. He again turned to look and this time he thought he saw a flash of amethyst vanish in the shadows. He blinked his green eyes, then walked inside.

*********

On the street in front of the house, a lavender furred Delphin dropped from a tree limb overhanging the fence. She stretched her bat-like wings and grinned “Almost…” she whispered, then trotted down the dark street.

“What was I thinking?” Snowhawk asked herself as she walked through the city. “Nyte’s free and happy, and has been for four months now. There’s no point in me interfering anymore.” She stopped and leaned against a stone wall, lowering her head. After several moments of silence, she finally realized where her wandering had brought her. “The estate… Near the back of the property.” She wandered further, reaching a point where the stone wall became divided by sections of iron fence. “I could jump the fence and go back. Easy.”

“Excuse me–,” a male voice interrupted.

Snowhawk spun around, giving a sharp, startled cry as she had not heard anyone approach her. She tripped over her own hooves as she turned and fell against the stone fence, hitting her head and knocking herself unconscious.

The stranger, another Delphin, reacted as soon as he realized what happened. He checked her over quickly, then picked her up and carried her away. Her short cry would have been loud enough to attract the unwanted attention of the estate’s guards.

The Delphin male took her into the city and back to his small apartment. Once there, he carefully placed her on the bed, stomach down, and removed her now bloodied cloak. Luckily, the damage done to her head was not as bad as he feared it would be, but she would still need attention. He went to his closet and removed a medical kit, then returned to the bed and began to tend to her.

She was unconscious for a day. He was surprised that she was out for so long. He knew a lot about her as he had been following her for the past two months. It would have been longer if he could have found her earlier. Maybe, he thought as he watched her, I could have kept her from going back if I had acted sooner. He had once tried to write off his feelings as a crush from his teenage years, but they continued to follow him.

So, with that loyalty he had for her from their first meeting, he remained near her. This loyalty was rewarded late in the evening.

“Hello?” she groggily asked, pushing herself up and looking around.

“Good evening,” he smiled, standing from the chair he’d been resting in next to the bed.

“Where am I?” she groggily asked.

“My apartment. I hope you don’t mind. I was afraid someone would come looking around, so I brought you here and tended to your injuries.”

“Janus never took our safety lightly,” she said, blinking the sleepiness from her eyes.”

He moved to the edge of the bed. “I do apologize for startling you like that. I thought you had heard me.”

She regarded him for a moment, trying to remember where she had seen him before. He was average height for a male Delphin, somewhere around seven feet tall, with dark tan fur, a silvery brown mane, and a dark amethyst horn with a silver spiral, like her own. His eyes, however, were an unforgettable orange-gold. “I’ve met you before. Years ago,” she began, canting her head to the side. “My owner was visiting yours.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “My name is Legacy, and you’re Snowhawk.” He moved a little closer to her and helped her sit up. “You seemed very close to him. What brought you outside the fence?”

Snowhawk sighed and pointed to the scar on her neck. “This. He promised me the missions were over… then another one came up. My target fought back.” She lowered her head and half closed her eyes. “I was a pawn to Janus, a lure for his games. He proved that to me when I was released from the hospital, so I left him. I took my cousin with me, and killed his uncle on the way out.”

“So you’re the one who did that,” Legacy grinned. She replied with a small nod. “You did a great service to many slaves that night. Many of us escaped soon after while our owners fought for power. A few, like myself, followed your lead and rid the world of a few more slavers.”

“I never intended to start a revolution…” she said quietly.

“But you did. And you gave us something to look to: hope. This country needs a change. The humans need to learn they’re no longer the dominant species they were a few thousand years ago. The Delphin need to rise to power again, to prove that we aren’t as weak as they think we are.” He lowered his head to try and look into her eyes. “Don’t you agree?”

“Perhaps,” she replied, meeting his gaze. “But what would it accomplish? The slavery would still be there, just wouldn’t have so many humans in command. It’s not like they’re the real threat anyway. We are our own worst enemy. There are many Delphin that are slavers as well; slavers of their own kind.”

“What? But why?” he said, leaning back in mild shock.

“Where’s the money at? No species can avoid the greed. If one has money, they have power. If they have power, they can control.” She folded her ears back, then dropped her head again. “If you have power, you can get anything you want. And everyone has something they want, even if they aren’t certain of it yet.”

“What do you want?” he asked her, leaning toward her again.

“To be free and happy with Janus. But that’ll never happen in this lifetime.” She gave a bitter smirk and closed her green eyes to hold back her tears.

He leaned further toward her. “What about freedom and happiness elsewhere?”

“Like where?” she replied quietly. “I have nothing now. My cousin probably thinks I’m back with Janus.”

“Like here,” Legacy quietly responded.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” she stated. “I’m sure you probably already have a mate and she wouldn’t appreciate a new female fumbling around here. It’d be wrong for someone like you to be alone.”

“Wrong, perhaps, but not untrue. I have waited for you.” He smiled softly, and took one of her hands in his.

The skin under the fur on her cheeks took on a pink tint as she blushed. “I will admit, I liked you those years ago. Not that I could have done anything about it.”

“How long were you a slave?” he asked after a moment of silence.

“All my life,” she stated.

Legacy again inched closer to her, still holding one of her hands. “Then this is all new to you. Being free, that is.”

She nodded and pulled one of her legs to her chest. “I kinda experienced it, but never anything to say I was free.”

He reached toward her and gently took her chin in his hand. “Would you stay with me?”

“Legacy, I couldn’t.”

“I was trained as a Guardian. I chose you all those years ago, but circumstances kept me from doing my job. I think I could have kept you from getting hurt if I had acted when I found you again. Please, let me protect you.”

“But why me?” she asked, folding her ears back again.

“Snowhawk, you know who you are. You can’t hide it, and you can’t fight it. You can help the Society return. That’s why I want to protect you. And, I know we only met for a short time all those years ago, but I feel very strongly connected to you. I want to be with you.” He smiled at her and gently rubbed her jaw line, then he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

She dropped her head, smiling a bit. “For a day or so.”

*********

Little more than two years later, Nytehawk’s mate, Hunter, was busy preparing for her upcoming birthday, having thought a little celebration was in order. They hadn’t been in this house at her last birthday. He walked onto their balcony where he found Nytehawk sitting in her usual spot on the railing. “Love, would you prefer choc– What’s wrong?” he inquired, noting her serious expression.

“The wind carries a familiar scent close. Something is about to change,” she replied calmly, her eyes fixed in the forest behind her home.

He tried to follow her gaze, but saw nothing. “What is it?”

“’Who’, dear. ‘Who’ is a better question,” she said with a sigh. “My owner,” she stated as calmly as before.

“But, you’ve been free from him for more than two years! Why now?” Hunter asked, growing agitated.

Her eyes hadn’t moved from whatever she was looking at. “Don’t know. But I’ll go and find out just what he wants tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No,” she said, finally looking at him. “He may have someone with him. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“But, what about you?” he questioned, taking a hold of one of her hands.

“I can take care of myself.”

His expression grew more worried. “That’s not an answer, love.”

She smiled at him reassuringly. “Don’t come after me. If something happens, I can escape on my own.”

Hunter could only sigh and wrap his arms around her. “You’re too stubborn for your own good.”

“But would you want me any other way?” she grinned.

“Of course not,” he smiled. He nuzzled her and picked her up, carrying her back inside. “Just be careful tomorrow.”

Nytehawk returned his nuzzle as he laid her on their bed. “Of course, love.” She cuddled up to him as he crawled in himself.

Several hours later, Hunter awoke alone. He stood and walked to the window, looking outside. “Please return to me, love.”

*********

An early morning fog covered the city and made the strangely quiet streets all the more eerie. The sound of hooves on pavement pierced the quiet and caught the attention of the lone man leaning against a building. “How good of you to come,” he grinned, brushing his long, blue-white bangs from his ice blue eyes.

Nytehawk stopped only a couple yards from the man, scowling at him. “I can’t believe you’d dare to show your face again. What the hell do you want, anyway? You’ve already taken Snowhawk from us.”

“Says who?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Don’t play stupid, Janus,” she growled. “I should kill you now for taking her freedom away again!”

“You’ve got it all wrong, dear bird,” Janus began, slowly moving toward her. “I’ve not touched your lovely cousin in two years. In fact, that’s why I need you.”

She flattened her ears back, glaring at him. “What the hell are you talking about, slaver?”

“I assume you told that pesky mate of yours to stay put, right?” he asked, still advancing on her.

“What does Hunter have to do with this?” she replied, backing away from him.

“He’ll look for help to get you back. Your cousin and her idiot mate will come out of hiding and find him. Then I’ll be able to get my dear Snowhawk back.” He grinned and continued his advance. “Play nice, won’t you?”

Nytehawk snorted at him. “You’re deluded, or just an idiot. I can’t decide which.”

She finally backed into a wall, and Janus placed one hand on either side of her. “No one has to get hurt, Nytehawk. I would prefer it that way.”

“And you think taking her away from her mate won’t hurt?” she questioned, narrowing her eyes.

“Not for long,” he grinned. “Her little fantasy world is already crumbling. She’s seeing this, and I don’t want her to hit bottom with no one around.”

If a glare could kill, Janus would be long dead. “And that one is you.”

His grin never lessened. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“What did you expect, slaver?” She tried to duck away from him and escape to her right, but he grabbed her arm and held her in place.

“I keep no more slaves, Nytehawk,” he said, his grin finally fading. “Once I have Snowhawk, you will be free to go. However, until such time…”

“I am not going with you,” she growled.

His grin returned. “Willingly anyway.” His right hand left her arm and went to his pocket, then quickly returned. She felt a small pin prick when he touched her again and then remembered nothing but darkness.

Three thousand and fifty years ago, an empire of equine anthropomorphs (human-like equines) flourished. They were called the Delphin. The race included of those with horns, those with wings, those with none, and those with both. They came into power almost two thousand years prior to their fall with little struggle. The Delphin shared their Empire with a race of wolf humainoid, the Lupino, a feline race known as the Feln, and other, less populous races. This world was also home to humans and animals of the non-anthropomorphic kind.

For a thousand years, the Delphin Empire charged into the future, unaware (or at least uncaring) of the danger lurking ahead. Groups of slavers started to appear, and began picking off Delphin and other morphics of the lower classes. The groups were comprised of humans and morphics alike; even some Delphin turned on their own kind. No species was safe from them, except those in the upper classes.

Two thousand and twenty years before the dawn of the modern age, the Empire finally enacted antislavery laws. Many slaves were freed, but the practice still continued underground. Despite the Empire’s efforts, the slavers gained more and more power. The trade was very lucrative, yet they hungered for more, especially those of rare stock. It would not be long before they moved up the class ladder.

Then nearly two thousand years ago, the Heiress to the Delphin Empire was accidentally killed by an overly ambitious slaver. The slavers gained even greater power and more drive to take the upper classes. The Empire fell, unable to sustain itself after the massive losses in the government.

As the years passed, more slavers emerged from the underground. With no Empire to enforce the laws, there was no need to hide any further. The longer a slaver could live, the more power they could ultimately attain. The long-lived morphs were the most powerful, as they could shift their form to those who were taken most seriously in the trade: humans.

Within two decades of the Empire’s fall, one family of Lupino established itself and took lead of the country. Disputably so, but they did rule. A shaky peace soon followed, broken only occasionally by attempts on the lives of those in of the family.

Twenty-two years ago, the youngest of the two direct descendants of the Lupino in command welcomed a son to his family, followed two years later by another son. Peace was the rule of the day for the four following years, until the descendant and his mate were killed, orphaning the young brothers. The boys were sent to live with their uncle, the Lupino that was in command.

The eight following years saw an increased number of battles for power. Then five years ago, the number of skirmishes fell. The older of the brothers, who was commander of his uncle’s army, had a secret weapon: a very special Delphin slave. She had been trained to not only gather information on a target, but to dispose of any loose ends left from her work.

It is here the story really begins, when this Delphin’s life is almost ended as her identity is discovered by her prey.

One life can only live in the shadows so long. And a mask must be removed before lies become truth. But what happens when the lights come on and the show is over? When the time comes to remove the mask? The shock of a hidden past can be dangerous.

At times, it can even be deadly.

*********

A black limousine screeched to a halt in front of a small crowd. A man with long, blue-white hair ran to the vehicle before it completely stopped and nearly tore the door off trying to get in. Two human figures lie on the floor of the vehicle: an almost unclothed man and a fully unclothed female. The man had a gaping slit in his throat and was, for all intents and purposes, dead. The female had a long gash on her neck and was in somewhat better condition than the man, though not by much. She was barely breathing. The long haired man pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her body, cradling her in his arms and holding one hand on her neck while he awaited the paramedics.

Two hours later, the man nervously paced in a hospital waiting room. He would never forgive himself if she did not survive. He finally sat down to wait. A doctor walked into the waiting room, a clipboard in her hand, but he didn’t notice her until she spoke to him.

“Mr. Sininensusi?”

He shot straight up at the sound of his name. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Good. Ms. Alyandra will be fine. She lost a lot of blood, but resting for a few days will help her recover. Her species type doesn’t take well to transfusions. She was very lucky the blade didn’t do major damage. We’ll prescribe some medication for you to take home to help keep the scarring down.”

Janus nodded. “Is she resting somewhat peacefully now?”

The doctor echoed his nod. “She’s resting in room four fifty-nine. You may visit, but please try not to disturb her too much.”

“Thank you, Doctor. You have no clue what Snowhawk means to me.”

*********

Five days passed before she was allowed to leave the hospital. Janus helped her into the small sports car he used as his personal vehicle. He sighed quietly as he closed the door. She’d hardly looked at him the past few days, let alone spoken to him. He walked around the vehicle, sank into the driver’s seat, then started the car and drove off.

She curled up as best she could several miles down the road, burying her face in her knees. “Snow…” he quietly began. She flinched and leaned away. He sighed and pulled the car to the side of the road. “You can’t stay quiet forever, dear. Tell me, what’s wrong?” She simply stared out the window. After several minutes, Janus pulled back onto the road and continued to his estate. After reaching home, Snowhawk quickly ran from the car to her room.

“I failed,” her quiet voice answered as Janus entered the room several moments later.

He knew this was coming. He had made her go on this mission, despite what his instincts told him. “You did nothing of the sort.”

“I didn’t get any information to you.”

“Yes, you did, Snowhawk.”

“What?” she asked, looking at him. “But, how? He found me out.”

“We found out who the leak is. Or was.”

“But, how?!” she reiterated, growing more stressed.

He looked down, sighing. “We bugged the passenger compartment.”

“Why did– Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why do I need to explain myself to a mere slave?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he hadn’t said them, or had at least phrased them differently. The pained look of betrayal burned itself into his mind, even though he only saw it for a moment.

“Because you promised you’d always be honest with me,” She quickly looked away, trying to hide the tears forming in her eyes, then ran even faster from the room.

He tracked her down easily enough. She was standing alone in the estate’s garden, her back to any that might pass by her. Janus walked to her, stopping a couple feet behind her.

“Is that all I really am? A lure for your games? I have destroyed more lives than I care to remember. All for you.” Janus offered no answer. “Of course,” she said bitterly, turning around and looking up at him. “You don’t have to explain yourself to a mere slave.”

“Love…”

She glared at him, then quickly lunged at him and pushed him against the hedge behind him. “Don’t you dare call me that unless you fucking mean it.”

Janus was stunned. Not at her language, as his bird didn’t have the cleanest of vocabularies, but only once before had she sounded so hurt, so angry. “Snowhawk– ”

She snorted at him, as he pulled her hands from his shoulders. “You promised that you’d be done with all these missions. Then this last one came up. And you had to accept it because, God knows, we don’t want to anger your uncle. Only after accepting it do you find out that I would have to be sent on it before I was recovered from that fiasco that was my last mission. You know, Janus, I’m sure you’re smart enough to think of a better way to get rid of me.”

“What!? I never wanted to get rid of you.”

“I bet,” she snorted, folding her ears back.

“I didn’t want to send you on this. I knew it wouldn’t end well. But I couldn’t have just passed him up on this. I would have nothing without him, and that includes you.”

Snowhawk looked at him for a moment, then looked away. “Shouldn’t be this easy for me…” she whispered, then walked to the door, opened it, and ran off.

Janus causally followed her. He was almost certain of where she was going. He figured it would be her favorite spot on the estate’s grounds: a small pond in the woods on the back of the property. However, he didn’t find her there. Nor was she at any of the other places she enjoyed.

Two hours passed, then one of the house slaves discovered Janus’ uncle dead. The simplicity of a single clean slash to the neck and no sign of a struggle, other than a faint trail of blood leading out of the room, left little doubt as to who had killed the slaver.

Two more hours would pass and Snowhawk was still nowhere to be found. Soon Janus was informed that her cousin, Nytehawk, had vanished as well. “Losing Nytehawk doesn’t hurt nearly as much as losing Snowhawk,” Janus quietly mused as he stood on his balcony and looked at the stars that night. “I’ll get her back. And I’ll make sure not to say the same stupid things again. Give her some time, though…”

*********

Elsewhere, a pale blue furred Delphin stood on the doorstep of an apartment complex. She brushed her light aqua mane from her icy blue eyes as she waited for her cousin. “I hope she didn’t have any problems,” she said, nervously looking around. She had good reason to be nervous: they had just escaped from their owner.

“Here ya go, Nyte,” a voice called out, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up in time to see, then catch, a set of keys flying toward her. “There’s plenty of money in the account I set up. You won’t have to worry about anything for several months, at the least…” her cousin explained.

“Why are you just referring to me?” she questioned. “Snow, I thought you…”

“Thought I’d what? Stay and do nothing?” the lavender-hued female replied. “Nyte, I have some things I need to take care of. I can’t just sit around.”

“Will you stay for just a little while? Until I get settled?”

The other female sighed. “Fine, just for a little while. Give myself some time to rest.”

“Thank you,” Nytehawk smiled.

Snowhawk responded with a slow nod, then wandered inside.

Nytehawk was concerned for her cousin. They had only been free for a few hours, but she already seemed to be fighting with herself. The lavender Delphin hid so much from everyone. She kept all her problems to herself, intent on solving them herself without “burdening” anyone else. She sighed softly as they climbed the three flights of stairs to the apartment. “So,” she began as they turned into the third floor hallway, “where’d you get all the money in the account from?”

“A good portion of it is the rewards I would get for completing missions.”

“And the rest?”

“I found it,” she simply stated as she looked for the apartment.

“Is there anything that can be tracked?”

“Yes. But Janus won’t come looking for you,” she stated as they stopped at the apartment door. “You didn’t kill his uncle. He knows it was me.”

Nytehawk froze as her cousin stepped inside. “You’re not… You’re not thinking of going back, are you?”

“If there’s something out here for me, then no. But if I can’t find any reason to be…”

“Then we’ll find us both a reason.”