“What do you think you're doing outside?!” Sinen nearly shouted. But he didn't wake up anyone, luckily. In the darkness of the room, I couldn't see where Sinen was exactly, nor what he was aiming at us. I supposed that it was a gun, since it was the only useful weapon inside the Its' hideout.
“Nothing,” I replied calmly. Sinen flicked off the security from the colt, making a small clicking noise.
“If it were nothing,” Sinen answered coldly, “you would be in here the first place. I'm going to repeat, probably for the last time, what were you doing outside?”
“Is it your business?” Pandora snapped. Sinen whipped the weapon, aiming at Pandora's forehead.
“As your leader, anything that concerns the members concerns me,” Sinen hissed, “Speak!”
“Look, we were just talking, ok?!” I answered.
“I would like to know of what exactly,” his voice being human-like, but having the fierceness of a bears roar, Sinen spoke.
“We were talking about what we were going to eat this noon,” Pandora answered casually.
“Don't take me for an idiot,” Sinen cut, standing up and showing his gun in the light that poured out from the entrance. He was holding the weapon with his unwounded arm. He had put on new clothes throughout the night, by himself. But they were almost exactly the same as the ones he had before. “Gin takes care of the food we eat.”
I glanced at Pandora, who tilted her head to look back at me. Her black hair fell over her forehead, and we exchanged comprehensive glances. I slammed the door shut in front of me, and I jerked around. I crouched down to grab a metal poll, and I positioned it against the door, making it unable to open. I heard Sinen throw himself against the door, trying to open. He yelled out a curse word from inside the hideout.
Pandora and I dashed away in the alleys. We both heard a few gunshots as Sinen attempted to push off the metal poll by shooting at it. We didn't stop, and we kept on moving, sprinting in a random direction, not sure where we were supposed to go. I dashed to the side, to a door that leaded inside a building. It was the same door I had smashed a while ago. I beckoned Pandora inside, and we both ran into the building, me shutting the door behind me quickly.
We sprinted up the stairs, huffing and panting.
“To the rooftop!” I yelled. We'll be able to jump from rooftop to rooftop, if we're lucky, I thought.
Our heavy stomping echoed through the unused building, the darkness surrounding not stopping us from continuing our panicked course. We quickly arrived to the top of the building, opening up to fresh air and light. I shut the door behind me, locking it afterwards. I took some quick gasps for air, puffing. The breath that escaped my almost bursting lungs was short. I pushed on the door with my two hands, trying to stabilize myself. I took a deep breath, and I tiredly turned around to Pandora, who was crouching near the edge of the building.
“So?” I asked.
“Bad news,” Pandora muttered, as I walked towards her, “Sinen managed to get out.”
“Then we have to hope that he doesn't find us. Hide now,” I replied quickly. I lied down onto the concrete rooftop, and I slithered to the metal door, that went to the entrance of the rooftop. I breathed silently, as Pandora crept up to me.
“Don't you think we should move?” she suggested.
“If we move, he'll see us, and we're dead,” I snapped.
“If we don't, he'll find us sooner or later,” Pandora answered.
“That makes a small chance of our survival,” I sighed sarcastically, “I'll take them.”
We both lied silent, listening to our surroundings. We could hear Sinen's footsteps down below, and they were fast. I gulped quietly, hoping that Sinen wouldn't notice us, despite the fact that he was an experienced killer. I saw Pandora looking at me. More like staring at me with her brown eyes. I turned my face away from the female, and I listened outside. I couldn't hear anything. That worried me. I put my head to the floor of the rooftop. I recognized regular footsteps. I lifted by head, alerted, and I turned to Pandora. I shook her slightly using one hand, and she lifted her head up to me. I mouthed Sinen's name to her, and her eyes widened. She shook her head, and I nodded worriedly. I silently crept up to one of the sides of the door, while Pandora slipped to the opposite side. I put my ear against the wall, and I heard the slow, unwelcoming rhythm of the footsteps calmly escalating the stairs. I was sure that it was Sinen. I saw a wooden poll on my side, and I grabbed it firmly with my hands. I pressed it against my body, as I listened to the steps.
The had come up the stairs by the time, and Sinen was just outside the door. I could hear his calm breathing. The metal door rattled, and my heart was racing in my chest. My mind was almost panicking. I could see that Pandora was pretty much in the same situation as me. The door rattled violently again, then it stopped. Both Pandora and I breathed quickly. A gunshot was heard, and the lock I had turned shot out metal parts, falling onto the ground. My hands tensed on the poll. I saw the door creak open, and swing wide.
I took my courage, and I swung my weapon at Sinen. I saw a foot shoot out from the entrance, entering in contact with my weapon. The impact shook my arms, as the foot smashed downwards onto the rooftop, breaking my wooden weapon in half. Splinters shot out by the crack, and Sinen slipped out, swiftly turning around on Pandora. He grabbed Pandora by her neck, and he pinned his gun on her forehead. My hands shook violently, with the wooden poll in my hands. Pandora whimpered weakly, clenching her teeth. Sinen threw his piercing look at me, his leather jacket flapping onto his back.

“Now,” he muttered quietly, “you're going to tell me what the hell is happening!”
I stood silent, not knowing whether to answer or not. I lowered my hand, along with my face. My black hair fell in front of my eyes, dropping shadows onto my face.
“Say it!” Pandora exclaimed, squirming in Sinen's tight grasp. I still didn't reply. My whole body tensed. I didn't know what to do. I was in the worst position ever, in my whole life.
“Speak!” Sinen ordered, shoving the gun harder into Pandora's forehead. Pandora yelped, and she closed her brown eyes.
“We were running away!” she admitted. I lifted my head. I hoped that she wasn't going to say it all. Or else, my life would end in the few minutes that come.
“Why?!” Sinen shouted.
“Because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my child safe in the Its!” she exclaimed. Sinen lifted one eyebrow.
“Bullshit,” he muttered, “you ain't pregnant.”
“I am...” Pandora admitted.
“Of who, then?!” Sinen yelled. Pandora's face darkened, and she fell silent. “Of who?!” Sinen repeated loudly. I didn't know what to do. If I said the truth, I was going to get killed, I knew it. If I said a lie, I was going to get killed for the same reasons.
“Isen,” I replied honestly. Sinen looked up at me, the gun in his hand glinting in the light. He had his teeth clenched, and his two fringes fell over his forehead, as they always did. But an air of hatred and ferocity was yelled out by every one of his face muscles, and they affected me directly.
“Isen, hmm?” Sinen repeated. “Hm. Yes. Logical.” Sinen nodded to himself, smirking. “Isen wanted a descendant to assure his family in the role of leader of the Its. What a stupid obnoxious brat.” Sinen huffed, turning his head in another direction. There was a small silence, before Sinen moved again. “Because I came back, hmmm?” he asked.
“Why would it have anything to do with you?!” Pandora shouted. Before I could say something, Sinen interrupted.
“Because Isen and I weren't what you would qualify as friends,” Sinen explained. I kept silent, waiting for Pandora's answer, and Sinen's explanation. Is he going to say the truth, or a complete lie, I wondered.
“Huh?” Pandora squeaked, trying to wriggle out of Sinen's grasp. He let her go, but still aimed his gun at her. She padded to my side, but I felt slightly pitiful with my half of a stick.
“Nothin' you need to know,” Sinen answered, lifting his head to scowl at Pandora. “Pandora, you know that I'm going to have to kill you, right?”
Pandora lifted her hands to her mouth, and I could sense that she was fearing Sinen. Just as I was. But I did my best not to show it. “I knew that this whole thing with Isen would bring the Its down...” Sinen continued. There was a small silence. “To ensure the safety of the kuijin, and the complete destruction of the ALSAN building, we must work alone. Doing a group like the Its is futile. We barely reach mature age, and then we die. How pathetic.” Pandora was breathing heavily now, and her black hair flattened on her head. Sinen, as fast as lightning, shifted right next to Pandora, shoving me away. I fell onto the ground heavily. I looked up, and I saw Sinen and Pandora. Her temples were sweating.
“What a waste of this...” Sinen muttered, sliding his hand down Pandora's stomach, “Excellent flesh.” Sinen stuck the gun into Pandora's stomach, and a loud bang was heard. Blood shot out from Pandora's back, and her eyes widened. The blade of blood flattened out on the rooftop, and Pandora fell backwards.
“Surprise abortion,” Sinen murmured. My eyes also widened. My hand gripped on the wooden stick tightly. I quickly stood up, and I threw the stick at Sinen. It hit his hand, and he dropped the gun. He yelled out of pain, and he glared at me, cramping his hand, as the gun fell on the rooftop, turning in circles a few times.
I was breathing heavily, my rage swelling up inside my body. I instinctively morphed into my canine form. It passed so quickly, I didn't have time to notice it. My fur shot out of my skin like long blades of grass, while my teeth and claws grew. My clothing flopped onto my back and legs. I let a growl come out from deep within my body, glaring at Sinen. I dashed towards him, jaws opened. Sinen immediately got into a fighting pose, and he hit me away by violently lifting his left arm to hit my muzzle on the right. My head jerked sideways, but I instantly caught myself on my paws, and I lunged once more.
Sinen had time to swiftly move sideways, and hit me on the back of my head heavily just as I passed. I flattened out on the ground, and I tried to stand up. My legs were weak after the blow, and I whimpered quietly, looking up at Sinen. He began walking towards me, and my confusion went away. I readjusted my position, and I dashed towards him. He tried to kick me upwards, but I dodged the attack, and I was able to pounce from behind him, biting his right shoulder, where he had his wound. As my fangs sank into his flesh, leaving me a bitter taste of blood in my mouth, he yelled out in pain, and shook me off. I fell onto the ground on my side, and I shakily got back up to my feet, as he growled at me.
“Sinen!” I barked, my voice being distorted by my form, “You're going completely mad! Why do you want to be leader, if it's just to kill all of the Its?!”
“That's exactly why!” Sinen retorted, “Before, two years ago, I had this useless thought going in my head that I would be leader, to bring the Its to prosperity! But once Isen defeated me back on the ALSAN building, I recognized it! I saw the very truth, the accomplishment of our works! Twenty years that the Its have tried to defeat ALSAN, but in those twenty years, nothing! Only people such as you and I can stop them!”

“Then why try to kill me?!” I yelled.
“Because I work alone!” Sinen snapped.
He dashed towards me, and I tensed on my spot. It seemed as if I was looking at the whole scene, through my eyes, in slow motion. Sinen appeared in front of me, and gave an upwards kick. I ducked below the attack, and I lunged to his other leg, and I crunched it fiercely. My teeth shredded the cloth easily, as Sinen yelled out in pain once again. He heaved his foot downwards at my body, to shove me off of my grip. I skidded for a meter or two, and I hopped back to my standing position. Sinen fell to the ground putting his left hand onto his wound on his leg. I transformed back into my previous morph. I stood up on my two hind paws as my fur gently slunk back into my pores and skin. My claws shortened to nails, and my teeth shortened to an almost normal size. My black eyes went to their previous grass green color. I stood over Sinen, who was crouched down. He lifted his head to glare at me, bearing his clenched teeth.
“Looks like you've lost, Sinen,” I announced quietly. Sinen started chuckling, and then he burst out laughing. I frowned in my failure at understanding why Sinen was reacting like this.
“There's something that you forgot, Leorn,” Sinen muttered, his face darkening behind his black hair. He then quickly lifted his head to look at me. “Every experienced killer always comes back.”
I grabbed him by his wounded shoulder, and by the side of his stomach. He gasped as pain entered his body again, and I pulled him towards one of the edges. At the rim of the rooftop, I lowered my head to his ear.
“Oh yeah?” I whispered, “Well, come back from this.”
I hauled him over the edge, and he started falling down backwards. His hand was reaching out towards me, but when I saw his face, I saw no sign of desperation or sadness. Only a maniac-like expression. I turned my head away, as he brutally hit the ground, making a loud thud. I kept my head turned away for a moment, before glancing back at him. He wasn't moving, four stories below. He was lying in a very awkward position. I gulped, and turned around, to quickly pad over to Pandora. She had her hand on her bleeding stomach, and her eyes were still wide open. She was still breathing. I was shocked to find out that Pandora was still alive. I crouched near her, and she turned her stare to me.
“Leorn...” she whimpered.
I put a hand on her mouth, preventing her from saying any more. “Shh...” I whispered quietly. I slipped my hand off her mouth, to lie it onto the ground.
“Am I going to die?” she muttered sadly.
I thought about that a bit. I knew she was probably going to die. She didn't have skin like Owen, and he managed to last a while, but he was dead by now, either from loss of blood, or finished off by James' men. Pandora had no chance of staying alive. I can't get her back to the Its, I thought, they're probably all awake, and hoping for the arrival of us three, and if Pandora is wounded and I say that Sinen is dead, it'll bring doubts.
“Look at the good side,” I murmured, “you'll get to see Isen again...”
“Isen...” Pandora repeated quietly. She smiled weakly. I put one hand on her throat, checking for pulse. It was slow and unstable. Her death was imminent. I had to force myself to keep the tears behind my eyelids. I sighed deeply, lowering my head. I lifted my hand from Pandora's throat to my forehead. I crouched down upon myself, putting my elbows against the ground. I buried my face into my hands. Her pulse had faded away, as did she. I breathed slowly, filling my lungs to the maximum, and I let it out quickly, just to do it again. I pushed off the rooftop with one hand, and I stood up to my feet. I walked over to Sinen's gun, and I grabbed it carefully. I unloaded the colt, and I checked the ammo. I armed the gun again, and I shoved it in the back of my trousers. I pulled my dirty marine blue shirt over the weapon, and I descended the stairs, lonely.
My footsteps echoed weakly in the long staircase, but also in my trapped mind. I didn't know what to do. Weak, I fell from one of the stairs, onto the floor below. I hit my shoulder heavily, and I tiredly got back up to my knees. I closed my eyes tightly, taking a quick breath. I opened my eyes again, to see a hand being lent to me.I looked up at the person who was giving me the hand.
It was James. I hadn't thought of him for a while. He was smiling at me, but I felt as if it wasn't a fake smile. I sat there, silent, as James stood, not moving. I blew out my hair from my sight.
“Don't have enough strength to continue, Leorn?” James asked, beckoning me with his outstretched hand.
“Maybe,” I replied quietly, “but I certainly don't need any of your help to keep on going.”
“I'm fine with that,” James answered, straightening, keeping his hand to himself. He flexed his arms behind his back. I stood silent, my face darkening. I was weak. Too weak. I pulled out my hand from under me, lowering my head. James grabbed it, and pulled me to my feet. I wobbled on my feet, but I quickly readjusted my stance.
“Did you forget about your family, Leorn?” James asked, looking down at me with his blue eyes.
“I won't be able to find them,” I whimpered, “they're probably just as lost as I am.”
“But you will keep trying,” James replied, “it might be what you truly need.”
I lifted my head, but not in enlightenment. James turned around, and started descending the stairs.

His footsteps made no sound as they hit the cement stairs. I tried to follow him, but just as he turned round the corner, he disappeared, vanished into thin air. I lowered my head, and I looked at the ground. I kept on walking down, still keeping my head lowered to the stairs. I managed to get to the entrance door at the bottom of the building, and I stepped out into the light. My hair flowed in front of my face as I walked past Sinen's corpse. I glared at him, and turned away, continuing to walk away from the Its, and everything that concerned it. I appeared at the door of the Its' hideout. I stood there for a while, looking at the metallic door. It creaked open, showing the darkness inside the room. I didn't move as I saw Dippy and Seir pop their heads out from the entrance. They looked at me, and I lowered my head to the ground.
“Leorn...” Dippy muttered, “What the heck is happenin'?”
I decided to say the truth. “Dippy, we need to talk.”
Dippy turned to Seir, and he tilted his head inside. Seir nodded, and he closed the door, just after Dippy stepped out from the hideout. He sat on one of the large cement bricks in the damp alley. I lied against the wall, shoving my hands into my pockets.
“So...” Dippy murmured.
“Dippy, I'm going to get immediately to the point,” I warned, turning my head to him, “Pandora and Sinen are dead.”
I take it as a shocking fact to Dippy, because he stood silent, gaping pathetically at me. “Huh?” he managed, “But... Who? Why? What? Where? How? When?”
“Sinen killed Pandora, and I killed Sinen, Sinen killed Pandora because he went mad, and I killed Sinen because he killed Pandora. It happened on the rooftop of a building around this area, and if you're lucky, you can find Sinen's dead body lying on the ground, and Pandora on the rooftop of that certain building. Sine n shot Pandora, and I hauled Sinen over the edge of the building. About five minutes ago,” I answered, hoping I had answered each of Dippy's questions. He stood gaping again. I rolled my eyes. “In other words, you need to lie to the other Its about their death. You are the new leader of the Its.”
“Why me?!” Dippy protested.
“Have any other ideas?!” I snapped, “Jamina will be too shocked by all the recent deaths, Nayru is depressive, Seir is way too young. You are the only one able to do it.”
“Why not you?” he asked.
“I'm going away,” I replied, “Erase my records from the Its history, and erase that Sinen was leader in 2009, following Isen.”
“Why are you going away?” he insisted.
I pushed myself off of the wall. I stood, looking at him, for a while. I then turned around, and headed away. “Because this is not what I truly need,” I muttered. I stepped sideways, leaving Dippy alone, thinking that he would be able to take care of himself. I entered another alley, that led to Quarter Square. I stepped out into the open, looking both ways. I lowered my head, and continued my own way, away from the Its.
I walked down the sidewalk, without anybody around me. Since it was early in the morning, almost nobody was out. Only a few cars were rolling down the roads. I thought that maybe I could go back to Freddie's inn. I needed shelter anyways. I was tired, and I needed sleep. I couldn't even walk straight. I collided against a metal sign at the corner of the street, and I nearly fell backwards. I put my hand up to my forehead, and I fell to the wall, cramping myself. I moaned quietly out of pain, and I cautiously tried to straighten. My body was like a snake. Slippery, slithering, unable to keep straight. I fell to the ground heavily. I pushed myself back up against the wall, and I started to breath heavily. I didn't know what was happening to me. It was probably my tiredness catching up with me. I pushed myself off from the wall, but I kept a hand on it to stabilize myself. I walked in an almost drunken manner, pushing myself off the wall of the building to keep straight. Well, nearly, at least.
I looked up, and I saw that my vision was wobbly, and I couldn't think straight. I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts back into order. But they were still in a big bunch, and I was unable to take them one by one. If one of James' men came right at that moment, I would be helpless.
“Leorn!”
I turned my head around, but I was too late. Nayru lunged at me, tackling me, and pushed me against the ground. She coiled her arms around my body very tightly, and she almost squeezed the breath out of my lungs. She shoved her face into my chest, shaking her head wildly, swaying her mud brown hair violently from side to side. I wondered what the hell was happening. “Don't leave us!” she begged. I lifted one eyebrow, and I saw that Jamina jumped out from the alley, followed closely by Dippy and Seir. They all looked at me, and dashed towards me. Nayru just hugged tighter, and she squeezed the air out of my filled lungs. I tried breathing, but I only managed slightly.
“What the hell is all this commotion about?!” I nearly shouted. Dippy crouched right next to me, and he stared at me for a long time, before he answered.
“We can't let you go like this,” he muttered.
“Who says?!” I retorted.
“Your leader does,” Dippy snapped. I stopped trying to shove Nayru off my body, and I tensed. Crap, I thought. I lifted my eyebrow at the male kuijin. He just rolled his eyes, as Seir and Jamina arrived near me.

Seir seemed like he was about to burst out crying, but he managed to keep it all in. Dippy must have warned them about all the deaths. But did he say the truth? I wondered, or did he change it like I suggested?
Nayru shoved her head further into my stomach, and I wheezed. Dippy put a hand on Nayru's head.
“Hey, Gray, you can get off of him now,” Dippy mentioned. Nayru slowly lifted herself from me, and she stood crouching in front of me, as I quickly got back up sitting. My confusion had instantly gone away, just as they had come back. Her green eyes gleamed as she looked at me. Nayru, Jamina and Seir all looked worried as they stared at me, almost like they were trying to see right through me. I turned my head to Dippy.
“What did you say to them?!” I asked.
“The truth,” Dippy muttered, “at least, the way you said it.”
“Ah,” I answered briefly. That's why they're looking at me weirdly, I thought. “But why do you want me back, if I killed your leader?!”
Jamina wanted to say something, but Dippy interrupted. “For two reasons, Leorn,” Dippy explained, “the first one being that we have no way of defense is you go away, the second being that we never really liked Sinen as a leader in the first place.”
“I understand now,” I murmured to myself quietly. I slowly stood up, pushing off my knee to do so. Nayru stretched her arm outwards, lending out her hand. I grabbed it, and pulled her up to her feet. “but I will go away.”
“You don't have anywhere to go,” Dippy remarked.
“Somewhere else is one of my options,” I snapped.
“You have no money, no food,” Dippy insisted.
“I can get some sooner or later,” I replied calmly.
“Don't be arrogant, Leorn,” Dippy pleaded, “stay with us.” My eyes went to Nayru, who was looking at me pleadingly. Seir was doing the same, but Jamina seemed unaffected, and she was looking at Dippy. I sighed heavily, and I shrugged.
“Fine,” I muttered, “I'll stay with you guys.”
“Thank you, Leorn,” Dippy replied quietly. Nayru dashed over to me to hug me again. It reminded me of Haylyn somehow. She nestled her head on my shoulder, but I didn't know how to react. Dippy looked away, and turned around.
“I found a new place to stay,” he announced, “let's pack our stuff, and move there. It'll take some time before James' men find us again.”
I nodded, and I gently pushed Nayru away. I wondered if she was still depressive of Cruor's death. I followed Dippy closely and silently. He led us four back into the alleys, up until the hideout door. He opened it, and flicked the light on. He grabbed five large bags of different colors, and passed one to each of us, then to himself.
“Take everything you can,” he suggested, “weapons, food, covers, everything. Gun, Ghost and I will take the mattresses. Gray, Galop, take the hammocks.” I nodded, and I put the bag onto the ground. I rolled up two duvets tightly, and I managed to shove them inside the bag without too much effort. I rolled up one last duvet, and I put it where the bag would close, so that I could take as many duvets as I could. I looked at the wooden table, and I grabbed two other guns, one being Isen's and one being Cruor's. I put them in the two side pockets of the bag, that I heaved onto my back. Dippy and Seir shoved as many duvets as they could in their bags, as did Nayru and Jamina. At the end, only one duvet was left. I put my hand under a mattress, and I pulled it on top of another one. Dippy piled a third mattress onto the second one, and Dippy and I tested it for weight. It was pretty heavy, but with Seir's help we would manage. Jamina and Nayru rolled up the hammocks, and took them under their arms. We all nodded to each other, and Nayru headed for the door, opening it.
Dippy, Seir and I passed first, shoving the three mattresses past the door. It wasn't easy, but I kicked it through. We waited for Nayru and Jamina to get out, and turn off the light.
“Is it far away?” Seir asked.
“A little,” Dippy answered quietly, “we'll have to go fast so that we pass half-unnoticed by the humans. It's kinda weird seeing teens with mattresses, huge bags, and hammocks.”
We started heavily walking down the alleys, being followed by Jamina and Nayru. It was hard to pass the obstacles such as the garbage cans and the fences that Dippy made us go through with the mattresses, bags and hammocks. We went through many roads, only passing once on a sidewalk. We had to dash through the Quarter Square to hope to pass unnoticed. We went into another alley, and we had to walk quickly, because these buildings were inhabited. The darkness and dampness of the alleys were normal, but they always brought an eerie sensation to me. I felt a cold shiver crawl up my back. I had to hop over cement bricks and metal polls to be able to follow Dippy and Seir.
Dippy brutally stopped at one point, and I nearly fell over. Nayru caught me just in time, and I thanked her quietly. I straightened, and I looked at Dippy.
“What's the matter?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Dippy answered, “I just stepped on a piece of glass. Luckily, it didn't pierce my skin. Let's continue.”
Nayru and I looked at each other, and I shrugged. We continued calmly through the alleys, not taking care of the humidity and the smell. We then walked out into the open again, and we fastened our pace. Dippy stopped at a large, metal gate. He opened it, and it squeak at its joints. We all slid inside the area, and we looked around.

“This is a pretty morbid place,” I commented.
“All graveyards are morbid,” Dippy mentioned.
“It'll scare the crap out of Seir,” Nayru remarked, just after Seir began glancing around worriedly.
“He'll have to get used to it,” Dippy replied calmly. We each walked up further into the large graveyard. I had never seen so many tombs in my life before. I looked around, at each name and date of the people who were buried under. We stopped at a very large tomb, who seemed to be the property of a very rich person. Statues were built with the tomb, and bat-winged skulls loomed over the edge, with a few gargoyles. Each one of them was of a human shape, along with large bat wings curled up against their bodies.
“We're here,” Dippy muttered quietly.
“Eh?” I asked.
“In this tomb,” Dippy explained, “is buried Alexander Jordin, dead in 1921.”
“And?” Nayru asked.
“A while ago, I found a diary in the Its hideout, written by Tlynen Igris,” Dippy continued.
“What does that have to do with this?” I asked.
“Let me explain everything,” Dippy snapped. He glanced at the others, and continued his speech. “In this diary that I found, at the last page, was written the date of his death, most exactly July 14th 2007. Somebody had written that Tlynen was buried here, along with this exact Alexander, soon after Tlynen's death.”
“That's not true, though,” Nayru commented, “Tlynen wasn't buried.”
“Then where is he?” I asked.
“In a coffin, over the last Its hideout,” Dippy replied.
“You mean that the stairs that I saw, almost covered in wooden furniture, led to the room where Tlynen was?!” I asked loudly. Dippy, Nayru and Jamina nodded in synchronization. I gulped quietly. So that's why... I thought.
“Anyways,” Dippy added, “I knew tat it wasn't true. But why write a lie in Tlynen's diary, I ask?”
Nobody answered. “Exactly,” Dippy replied coldly, “there was something fishy. I kept it to myself, but, one night, when everyone was asleep, I went out into this grave, I beat up the entrance, and guess what I found.” A cold silence replied Dippy's sentence. He sighed, rolling his eyes. “I found Tlynen's secret room,” Dippy finished. We all looked at each other, wondering.
“But why would Tlynen have a secret room?” Jamina asked.
“Come on in, and you'll know,” Dippy replied. I nodded, and he did a hand sign to Seir to keep holding the mattresses. Dippy went away, and my hold went slightly wobbly, but I managed to keep a firm grip on the mattresses. My hands ached, and I hoped that Dippy was doing what he wanted to do quickly. He went to the front of the grave, and crouched down. He started digging something out. From behind the mattress, I couldn't see what he was digging out. I glanced sideways, and I saw a metal bar. Dippy grabbed it tightly, and pulled it out of the earth. He shoved it in the tight slit between a large stone plate, and the wall of the grave. He then used the metal bar as a lever, and a loud crack was heard, as the heavy marble plate thudded against the earth, showing a dark entrance inside the grave. His brown bag flopped onto his back as he straightened. There was a rope hanging from the top of the plate to a metal hook attached to the ceiling of the entrance. The rope hung from that hook, onto the stairs that descended into the darkness.
“After you,” Dippy said quietly. I looked around, and I entered with Seir, and the mattresses. We had to shove them down again. We descended the stairs, and we arrived at a wooden door, in the darkness. It was hard to see where the knob was, because the light didn't descend all the way down the stairs. Dippy followed us, and cramped himself sideways, against the humid wall. He turned the knob, and pushed the door open. It sinistrally creaked open, and Dippy slipped in. I heard the scratching of a match, and then light swarmed in the room, as Dippy put on some candles. Seir and I went inside, and we dropped the three mattresses on the ground. Nayru and Jamina followed us inside. Dippy went back up the stairs, and I followed him. I nearly slipped on the wet staircase. He tossed me a rope.
“Pull,” he mentioned quickly. I did as ordered, and I pulled. It was extremely hard, but I noticed that the marble plate lifted slowly back into place. A loud slamming noise was heard, as the door completely shut. I dropped the rope on the ground, panting. Dippy slipped by my side, and descended into the large, lit room. I followed him inside. Nayru and Jamina were positioning the mattresses and duvets onto the large piece of ground there was in the room.
As the flames flickered, they tossed dark shadows on the ground. We all sat on the same mattress, looking up at Dippy, who was sitting on a hammock, attached from a solid, heavy metal hook stabbed into the rock wall, and another metal hook shoved on the opposite wall. Dippy looked at us from the hammock.
“So, let me explain,” Dippy began, lifting up a diary from behind him, “this is Tlynen's diary, written by himself.” Dippy opened it, and showed us the writing. He flipped the pages, until the last one he had pointed out earlier. “This is the last page,” Dippy continued, “it is written that Tlynen Igris, Seir's older brother, is buried here.”
Seir shivered slightly, looking around the room, watching the candles in a childish amazement. “What I don't get,” Dippy added, “is that the writing isn't the same as Tlynen's. I read the whole thing a second time, reread it, even rereread it.

It doesn't correspond. I don't know who wrote this, but it is certainly not Tlynen. After I read this part, I was sure that something was wrong, because I went back upstairs, back in the old Its hideout, to make sure that Tlynen was in his coffin. He was. So, in the night, I went up to here, and I checked for myself. I was as amazed as you guys are. Everything here,” Dippy waved around, showing the whole room, “everything here was dug up by Tlynen, built by Tlynen. He never showed this room to us, not even to his younger brother, I presume.”
Dippy glanced at Seir, who shook his head quickly. Dippy went back on the previous subject. “Tlynen was a great person, and we all know that, huh? He got us here, and he died of mortal disease soon after. Bless his soul. It was only after I looked around in this room that I understood that Tlynen was working on kuijin.”
“You mean...” Nayru whispered, “Like James?”
“Depends on the point of view,” Dippy replied, “you see, he was working on a specific domain of the kuijin: hybrids. He wrote everything he learned down on these books,” Dippy explained, pointing to a small pile of large books. They were all black, with a shining border. I crawled up to them, and I took the top one off. They were dusty. I blew on the cover, and dust floated off of the book. I coughed as some of the dust entered my lungs. I looked at the writing on the book. It was written 'Hybrids'. I opened the book, to the first page. I saw a summary of very weird symbols. I frowned, and lifted one eyebrow. I turned back to Dippy.
“I can't understand a thing that's written here,” I remarked.
“Neither can I, for your information,” Dippy replied, “it seems that Tlynen didn't want this kind of information to spread out too quickly. He invented a new language, or took an old one out. It's maybe in Greek or something, I don't know. If it was in Greek, I could've asked Cruor to help me, but he died before I could ask.”
Nayru's face darkened, as did Dippy's. I put the book down back onto the pile, more dust being blown off. I turned round to Dippy, lifting one eyebrow. Dippy kept his face lowered.
“Tlynen was trying to find a way to breed hybrids conveniently for the Its,” Dippy explained coldly, “he didn't manage, but he gathered enough information to do so.” There was a long, dark silence. “So,” Dippy continued, “can we compare Tlynen to Hitler, or to a caring scientist? I don't know.”
I sighed deeply. Another secret was found out, and it was a pretty dark one. I also lowered my head, and my black hair fell over my forehead.
“I take it that Tlynen went into a graveyard because he thought he could get his experiences to light without being disturbed too much,” Dippy continued.
“How did Tlynen get so much information?” I asked.
“That's a thing I don't understand,” Dippy replied quietly, “I suppose that...”
“Hybrids may live in this cemetery?” I finished for him.
“Yes,” Dippy answered. I lifted my head, and stood up. I took my bag, and I pulled out the two guns from the pockets, to lie them on a wooden table, where a bottle of ink and a sharpened feather lie, along with a pile of tanning paper. Many sheets of paper with various drawings and symbols were left on the table, and some nearly fell on the ground, if they weren't held up by other sheets of paper. I saw a wooden basket next to the desk, filled with crumpled sheets of paper.
“Why did we go here?” I asked.
“Because it was the only idea I had,” Dippy replied, “and that maybe we could find out more on what Tlynen wrote before.”
“Except, how can we do that?” I asked, “I mean, we have no experience in coding, or deciphering, and we don't have anything to base us off of!”
“I know,” Dippy answered calmly, “but if we're lucky, we might find something. A sign, perhaps.”
I huffed, and I turned around. “I guess we can stay here,” I replied, “James' men won't find us for a pretty long time, I suppose. The only thing we can do for right now, is to try and see what Tlynen meant. However we do it, the ends justify the means.” I grabbed a book, and I passed one to Dippy. He caught it, and dust poured onto his clothes. I then passed a book to Nayru, Jamina and Seir, and dust nearly filled the room. We blew it out, and I took a book for myself. The flames flickered as I turned around to look at the others. “Start reading.”
I caressed the cover of the book gently, feeling the shining gold on my fingertips. It shined as the flames sprouted from the candles. I took a deep breath, and I opened the book. I patted the front page, taking the rest of the dust off of the book. I coughed quietly, and I cleared my throat. I looked at the summary, pointing at the symbols. I stood up, and I grabbed a sheet of paper from the desk, where I had put down the guns. I grabbed the chair from under, and I flattened the book onto the desk, still at the first page. I took the bottle of ink, and I opened it delicately. I grabbed the feather with my right hand, and I dipped the tip of the sharpened, black feather in the ink. I began writing down every symbol that I read.
I then tried attributing one letter of the latin alphabet to each symbol that I had written down. I managed to form a word, but I noticed that it wasn't enough, and that I would have to read the whole book to actually get it right. I flipped through the paes, in search for any image. But I only saw complicated anatomical pictures, in which I understood not a thing. I saw Dippy rummage through the pile of books, then look back at Tlynen's diary every once in a while.

We worked throughout the whole day. In vain. At the end, we had to use more candles, that we found inside a rotting cupboard. We were also losing matches, slowly but surely. Dippy took out the money that he had packed out from the bag, and put it on the desk where I was working. My sheet had many scribbles on it, and there was a small doodle of a cactus in the top right corner. I always liked cactus.
Nayru had stepped out of the grave, to see what time it was. She told us that, with the trees, it was hard to find the sun, but she thought that it was at least 7:00 PM. And we hadn't eaten yet. It was only after that Nayru said the time that my stomach growled. I gave some money to Dippy, who went out of the grave carefully, and he told me to get the rest of the money.
“Why?” I asked, my stomach aching.
“Because, we need to all talk over this,” Dippy replied. Seir and Jamina padded up the stairs to join Dippy. Nayru waited for me, and I slid off the chair I was sitting on. Tlynen must've had a watch to check the time, I grumbled to myself within my mind. Nayru took out all the lit candles, and followed me up the stairs. We both jumped out of the entrance, and dippy closed the door behind us. A loud slamming noise was heard.
“How did Tlynen not wake the whole graveyard by doing that?” I asked.
“That will stay a mystery,” Dippy replied sarcastically, shrugging helplessly. He shoved the money in his pocket, and he started taking a step forwards. We all followed him, and we went out of the cemetery, looking around, checking if there weren't any of James' men or policemen around. We walked up to a small restaurant in the corner of a street ahead of us, and we took a table for five. Nayru sat next to me as I sat in front of Dippy. Jamina sat next to Seir, who was next to Dippy. A waiter came up to us, clothed in a black shirt, and old jeans. He had a nice mustache.
“Hey,” he welcomed abruptly, “I'll pass you the menus just in a sec'.”
AS the waiter went away, Dippy leaned closer over to me. He glanced both directions, and then locked me with his black gaze.
“I'm having some more suppositions,” Dippy commented.
“What kind?” I asked.
“Everybody who invents a new language to be able to communicate with others always has something to remember it, right?” Dippy answered.
“Um, yes,” I replied quickly.
“Well, we first need to find that something,” Dippy explained, “then we'll be able to decipher the text. Tlynen must have hidden it somewhere in that grave.”
“Surely,” Jamina replied.
I looked at Seir, and lifted one eyebrow. He looked back at me with his big eyes.
“You seem to be the quiet one,” I remarked, “is it because we're talking of your dead brother?” Seir shook his head. Jamina put her hand on Seir's shoulder, who quickly jerked his head sideways to look up at her.
“Seir,” she began, “we'll need to know everything you know on your brother, okay? In one way, it could help us.” Seir slowly nodded, starting to look away. I sighed gently, and I noticed that the waiter was coming back with the menus. He quickly flopped them right in front of us, and the green table. Seir shifted on the marsh green chair to grab the menu, and he opened it on his lap. I carefully opened it, looking at the types of food there was to eat. Salads, meat, entries, pasta. Nice.
Dippy laid his menu down onto the table as he picked what he wanted to eat.
“Already?” I asked.
“I'm not really picky,” Dippy replied quickly. “Be careful not to take things that cost too much. We have a limited amount of money, y'know.”
I nodded, and I picked out from the meat line. I took a side of beef, along with some plain salad. I put down my menu, and Jamina almost immediately flattened it out on the table after I had. Nayru was the last one to pick. Dippy glanced at all of us.
“I am going to find out what Tlynen was working on,” he insisted.
“I dunno,” I answered, “it may be... Confusing, if you know what I mean.”
“I'm prepared for that,” Dippy remarked. The waiter came back with some fresh water, and he put it onto the table. Some more people came from behind him, and entered the restaurant.
“So, you chose?” he asked, smiling. His mustache lifted as his cheeks slid upwards.
“Yeah,” Dippy answered, “mountain salad for me.”
The waiter took out a small notebook, along with a red pen. He quickly wrote down what Dippy had just said. He turned to Jamina.
“Same, please,” she replied. The waiter put a little '2' right next to what he had just written.
“Parisian sandwich,” Seir muttered timidly. The waiter smiled, and he wrote that down. He grumbled a bit, and the waiter hit the tip of the pen on the paper. He then continued writing down. He turned to Nayru.
“Same, please,” she continued. The waiter wrote that down, and looked at me.
“Side of beef for me, with a plain salad,” I said calmly. The waiter wrote that down, and lifted his head.
“Anything else?” he asked. Dippy shook his head, and glared playfully at me just as the waiter turned around and went away.

“What?” I whispered, “I'm a coyote, remember? I need to eat a lot.”
Dippy rolled his eyes, then looked at the waiter. “Let's just hope he doesn't find anything suspicious in the orders...”
“Why would he?” I asked.
“Well, just as you said, each of our diets are nearly equivalent to our Soul animals,” Dippy explained, “me, being mostly herbivore, I took a salad. Same thing for Jamina, who's an equine. Seir and Nayru took bread, and that's what pigeons and mice eat. Mice could also eat some animal food, and some vegetables. You took meat, which corresponds to your diet, but you also took vegetables, because your human form provides you a nearly balanced diet. Even then, I prefer cooperating with what my stomach needs.”
“Huh,” I replied casually, “so, humans who eat double cheeseburgers are actually a sort of mix between a lion and a mouse?” Dippy rolled his eyes, and I smirked. “Look, Gin, there's nothing to be worried about. You're only worried because of your normal porcupine instinct.”
“Eh, I guess,” he replied quietly. He took the bottle of water, and poured some transparent liquid into his glass. He gulped, and then he chugged down the whole glass.
“Thing is,” Nayru commented, smiling, “does a porcupine nearly always drink alcohol?”
Dippy shivered as he gulped down the water, and he panted as the water finished going down his throat. He glanced around quickly.
“Oh, so that's why he's named Gin?” I asked, sneering.
“Shut up,” Dippy muttered darkly, glaring at me, putting the glass back down onto the tale heavily, his hand tensed on the foot of the glass. I rolled my eyes. Dippy sighed, and leaned back on his chair. “I hope you guys know what a hybrid is.”
I had thought of that. “I know what a hybrid is, more or less,” I replied. Nayru and Jamina nodded, but Seir shook his head. Dippy peeped at Seir.
“Seir, I understand that ou don't know what a hybrid is, but why didn't you say it?” Dippy asked.
“Just tell him,” Jamina replied. Dippy rolled his eyes again.
“Since Seir was educated in the Its, he probably doesn't know anything about kuijin society,” Dippy whispered, letting us all hear, hoping that no one else was listening, “I'll start by the beginning. You know that the kuijin have a Soul animal attributed to them at birth, hm? Well, this Soul animal is normally taken as an animal related to the child's parents' Soul animal. But it is also known in kuijin society that two parents of a radically different Soul animal mate. And that is seen pretty badly in kuijin society. The child that comes from this kind of mating, is normally called a hybrid, if the child chooses to be a mix of the two different animals. These hybrids may vary very much. Some were seen, and actually are legends in the human society, such as the dragons, being a kuijin hybrid between a sort of lizard and a sort of bat. Of course, it couldn't breathe fire. Or else griffins, which were kuijin hybrids between eagles and lions. Do you get it?” Dippy asked.
“Um... Sorta...” Seir answered quietly.
“In other words,” I replied calmly, “a kuijin hybrid is a kuijin who has a mix of two radically different animals as a Soul Animal.” Seir nodded slowly, looking up at me.
“Where did you get that information?” I asked, looking at Dippy.
“Being born in a kuijin family who has lots of kuijin history books helps,” Dippy answered quietly. His voice dropped, as he saw some people look at him. But they just turned their heads around, and looked away.
“I wonder if it's going to be hard to live with a leader who freaks out each time a human looks at him,” I commented. Dippy glared back at me.
“I have my reasons,” he answered, “better safe than sorry.”
We waited a while, before the waiter came back with the food we had ordered. He dropped the plates gently in front of us, and we each ate quietly, not paying attention to anything around us. I was surprised to see that I was only the second one finished, after Dippy. Nayru, Seir and Jamina ate slowly compared to s two. I wondered if Seir was still grieving of the loss of his dear nurse, Pandora. I felt slightly sad myself when I thought of her. I felt responsible for the deaths that had happened recently. Cruor, Owen, Isen, Pandora, Sinen... Soon, it was going to be one of us five. The Its were coming to an end, that was for sure.
The roads kept quiet, even though it was one of the most used hours of the day. We stood silent, hiding our identity from anyone around us. We kept silent as we ate, and Dippy calculated the amount of money he had to pay, even before the waiter came back. He dropped the amount of money on the table, and let the waiter check it and take it. Dippy and I sat up from our chair, beginning to go away. Nayru, Jamina and Seir followed us.
Back to the cemetery, we saw that the gates were closed. I put my back against the metallic door, and let Dippy hop onto my hands, and crawl over the rim of the entrance. Seir, Jamina and Nayru followed. I stepped back from the door, and I rushed towards it. I grabbed the rim, and a loud slam resonated around me as my body collided with the metal door. I quickly heaved myself up, before anyone could notice me. I hopped from the top of the door, onto the ground below. Dippy nodded, and walked away, in the same direction as we took before, to go to Alexander's grave. On the way, we met a group of Gothic people, but we kept silent and hidden, and they didn't notice us. I looked at them slowly, scanning the people.

hey wore dark clothes, and they had dyed their hair in extravagant colors. Emo kids, I thought aggressively. They had put down candles in a circle around a grave, and they were doing a sort of incantation, a ritual or something.
I continued my way, appearing next to Dippy, who was already trying to open the door with the metal bar he had dug up earlier. He levered the door out of the way, but I kept him from finishing his task.
“What if the goth kids hear it, which they surely will?” I asked.
“Unless you want to sleep outside here, we have no other choice,” Dippy muttered quietly, “anyways, if we're fast enough, they won't know from were it came from. They're humans, remember?”
“Hopefully,” I whispered to myself, not letting Dippy hear. I took my hand off his shoulder, and I backed away. Dippy pushed on the metal bar as a lever, and the door slid out of the entrance, slamming down onto the ground heavily. Dippy rushed inside, folloiwed by Seir, Jamina and Nayru. I hopped inside, and I grabbed the rope.
“Help me!” I murmured. Nayru came back up, and tugged on the rope like I did. We both struggle, but we managed to get the door back into place. It slammed again as it fit back into the tight hole that led to the new Its hideout. Nayru dropped the rope, and she pulled me down the stairs. I sat on a mattress, and she dropped next to me. I looked up at Dippy, who was lying down on the hammock.
“Well,” he said quietly, “tomorrow, we clean everything in here, and we'll try to find where Tlynen put the something where he noted the alphabet to his books.”
I nodded and I looked at Nayru. She looked back at me, and smirked for I don't know what reason.
“Until then,” Dippy continued, “we sleep.” He shifted on the hammock, and pulled one of the covers onto it. I lied down on my back on another mattress, and I pulled a cover over my body. Nayru lied next to me, because there was enough space. Seir and Jamina both slept on one mattress. I saw Nayru pull another cover on herself, and curl up into a ball near me. I smirked furtively, and I spread my cover onto her body, leaving me with nothing. Nayru looked up from under the cover, and I turned my head to look back at her. I could see her eyes, even in the almost complete darkness.
“Aren't you cold?” she whispered to me.
“Nah,” I answered quietly, “I'm used to it.”
She rolled her eyes, and pulled the cover that I had given her on my body. I looked back at her, and I smirked slowly. Nayru smiled back, and she curled up into a tight ball near me, closing her eyes. Her long brown hair fell over her face, hiding it almost completely. I sighed silently, and I also closed my eyes.

I woke up later that day, being the first one to do so. I tensed, and I rolled over to my side. I stretched outwards, and I sat up. I grabbed a candle next to me, and a packet of matches on the floor. I fiddled with the box, until I caught a match, and I scratched it against the box. A docile flame lit from the match, and I tilted it towards the candle. The string flared, and I small flame grew from it. I shook the match to take out the flame that was present on the stick, and I threw it away. I took the metal plate on which the candle was standing. The flame flickered quickly as I sighed, and I put my head in my hands. I remembered Pandora, with who I was supposed to be with at the exact moment, if Sinen hadn't barged in so quickly. Now, my heart was full of sorrow, and I couldn't help myself from letting a sad tear escape from my eye. It slipped down to my chin, and it fell on the ground, making a very faint clicking noise.
I wiped my eyes with my hand, before I noticed that Nayru was awake. I glanced at her, and quickly wiped my eyes. I didn't want her to see that I was getting emotional. Being emotional wasn't like a killer. She let her covers slide off her shoulders, and she leaned over to me.
“Awake already?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah,” I answered quickly, “I don't sleep much. I'm mostly tired near midnight, because a coyote is crepuscular and diurnal.”
Nayru smirked, and she crossed her legs. She pulled the covers around her body quickly, shivering.
“Why are you always cold?” I asked quietly.
“Because I only have feathers on my forearms when I'm in my human form,” Nayru explained, “and, I'm used to my normal form, where most of my feathers are concentrated on my chest, so I can buff it up to keep myself from getting cold.” I smiled weakly, and I sat up straight.
Dippy woke up a little later, and Nayru turned her head to him. Dippy yawned loudly, and he looked at me. I grabbed the packet of matches, showing it in the light of the candle. He nodded, and I tossed it over to him. Dippy had to lean dangerously over the edge of the hammock to catch the packet of matches. He grabbed one, and he lit it. He lit one of the candles, and he blew the match, throwing it away afterwards on the ground. He put his finger through the hole of the metal plate under the candle, and lifted it to see Seir and Jamina. They were still sleeping. I sighed, lowering my head again. I heard Dippy hop off the hammock, and nudge Seir and Jamina to wake them up.
“Wakey wakey,” he said quickly. Both of them moaned, and Jamina opened her eyes tiredly to look up at Dippy.
“What d'you want?” she asked.
“Time to look for the something,” Dippy answered quietly. Jamina whimpered, and she turned over.

She got up on her hands and feet, and she stretched. Seir stood up, and stretched his arms and back. I also stood up, along with Nayru.
“Well,” Dippy announced, “first, we have to look through everything in here. After we do that, you'll have the permission to try and look for secret passages in the walls, or maybe fake books, or something. Look at every page on the ground and on the desk, then look at all the pages of the books, to see if he wrote something on that. Let's go, move it!”
Dippy grabbed a pile of paper on the desk, and I grabbed another. Seir, Jamina and Nayru instantly went onto the books, lighting up more candles for more light. Soon enough, there was enough light in the room to see almost perfectly. I also noticed that it was going to be very hot in the room, soon enough. I took a sheet of paper , and I started reading. Reading isn't the right word, because it was impossible to understand what was written. There wasn't a symbol that I recognized. I put the sheet away, and I took another one.
It took hours for me to go through the pile of paper I had. Jamina had finished two books, Dippy had finished his pile of paper, Seir was still reading his first book, and Nayru was trying to find something in her second book. Dippy sighed quickly, putting his hands on his lap.
“Maybe we aren't doing the right thing,” he muttered.
“Seems like it,” I replied.
“Check for secret places now, just to make sure, Leorn,” Dippy suggested. I nodded quickly, and I started by looking at the walls. I tried searching for a crack in the wall, or something like that. There were a few, but I didn't find anything inside them.
“Hey, Gray, Ghost, Galop,” I asked, “you found anything?”
“Not yet,” Jamina replied quickly.
“Ditto,” Nayru and Seir answered in unison.
I continued looking at the walls. I had to push multiple objects out of the way so that I could inspect closely. I then shrugged, and looked at Dippy. He shook his head, and lowered it.
“Nothing,” I said, stating the obvious.
“I don't get it...” Dippy murmured, “Where could he have put it?”
“Hey, wait a second!” I exclaimed. Nayru, Seir, Dippy and Jamina looked up at me. I fell silent, looking for my words. I had just thought of something. “Um...” I began, “Who says that something is not a someone?”
“You mean, kinda like the Indians?” Dippy asked, “Where knowledge was transmitted through speaking?”
“Yeah.”
Dippy thought a bit, lifting his and to his chin. He scratched the back of his head, ruffling his spiked black hair. He tilted his head to the side, whispering incomprehensible words to himself. He suddenly looked up at me.
“No,” he replied, “it would be too risky. What if that someone died, like what happened to the Indians? Where would go the knowledge?”
“Why would that someone die?” Nayru asked.
“Of a genetic mortal disease, just like Tlynen, I don't know!” Dippy snapped, “No, I think that Tlynen isn't stupid enough to trust someone with this sort of thing. Anyways, who could he trust on this kind of thing?”
“I guess Dippy's right,” Jamina answered, “let's keep looking.”
I sighed, and continued looking.
After a few hours, we had looked through everything, and we had learned nothing. Nayru was tired and hungry, and so was Jamina and Seir. Dippy and I were just tired. Dippy brought some food to the hideout, and we ate silently, not saying anything. After we had ate, Dippy sighed heavily.
“Damn it,” he cursed, “how the hell can we do this thing?!”
“Maybe he didn't want anybody to know, except him,” Jamina answered.
“There must be at least one single thing that could help us!” Dippy snapped, “There's always one thing.”
“Maybe not here,” Nayru replied.
“Stop being so pessimistic,” Dippy replied, rolling his eyes, “there must be something we missed in here.” Dippy glanced at Seir, and he sighed again. He leaned towards Seir. “Hey, Ghost,” he began, “do you know anything about your brother that might be of any use to us?”
Seir quickly shook his head.
“Think harder,” Dippy insisted.
Seir sat for a while, keeping silent. He then shook his head again.
“You sure?”
Seir nodded. Dippy sighed again, showing disappointment. He leaned on his hammock, pulling his arms to the back of his head. He looked around on the ceiling, trying to think. I stood up, and I began walking up the stairs. I put my ear against the marble door that led to the entrance of the hideout, and I heard nothing. I pushed the door, and it slammed back down onto the ground. I noticed that it was night. The moon was rising in the dark sky, and I took it as if it were ten in the night. I saw nobody around, unlike last time. I turned my head around, to the dark stairs.

“Let's look on the outer part of te grave,” I suggested.
“You're right,” Dippy called out from below, appearing at the bottom of the stairs, “Let's.” He quickly stepped up the stairs, and jumped out into the open. Nayru and Jamina followed him with candles. Seir anxiously walked up the slippery stairs, trying not to fall down. Nayru flashed her candle on the stone grave. It was immobile, and scary. As Jamina lifted her candle, it blew shadows against the gargoyles and winged skulls, making eeire darkness around us. I gulped, and I started padding around with me hands.
I touched the rough, cold stone, searching for something that might be of some use to me, or to Dippy. Dippy did the same as me, but Seir preferred to stay away from the grave, scared by its ominous feeling it gave at night. The moon shined through the dense leafing of the trees, glowing on the tall grave. It showed the letters of Alexander's name.
Being in a cemetery at night was always slightly scary, if your mind wasn't freaking out. Not that you thought of ghosts and skeletons and zombies, but it was just like that. All these dead people, under your feet.
Nayru passed her candle near the walls of the grave, flaring the marble with light. The gargoyles and skulls seemed alive, but we couldn't see them moving. But you could sense them, almost hear them breathing. A cold howl escaped from within the trees around. The flame from Nayru's candle flashed onto a stone gargoyle.
“Jesus Christ!” she exclaimed.
I immediately ran up to her, and Dippy did the same. She was on the ground, panting. Her candle had dropped onto the ground, and it had been blown out. I put my hand on her shoulder. She seemed terrorized.
“What is it, Nayru?!” Dippy asked. Nayru lifted a shaking hand up at a gargoyle. I turned my head to the statue. Or what I thought was a statue.
It was moving. It was moving like I've never seen a gargoyle move before. It was alive. It was standing on its two feet , arms flexed, its glistening yellow eyes piercing the night. I was thinking that it was some sort of nightmare. I could hear the rough, slow breathing of the creature, as its huge leathery wings expanded. The moon shone on the stone creature, showing even the smallest eerie details. It had fangs as big as mine when I was in my Soul animal form. Its bat ears twitched, as it glared at us. The claws on the extremities of its hands were long and jagged. Its stony surface moved as it turned around, like if it was skin. Carved fur was present on the chest, and beginning from the waist, until the knees. The things legs were human-like. Dippy gaped, and he also fell on his back, on the ground. I took a few deep breaths, and slowly slipped my hand behind my back, grabbing the colt I had put in the back of my trousers. I took it out, and I loaded it. I pointed it up to the being, and it glared at me. A faint growl escaped from its mouth, and it snarled at me. I was doing my best to keep calm.
It shrieked at me. It was high-pitched, and it nearly busted my ears. I put my hands up to my ears, dropping my gun. I crumpled to a tight ball on the ground, squirming because of the pain that the hiss gave me as it passed my tensed hands over my ears. I couldn't stop the sound from entering my head, and I tightened my eyes. I heard Nayru scream out of pain, quickly followed by Dippy's yell. It stopped, but I kept my hands on my buzzing ears. I shakily stood up, slowly taking my hands off my ears, as I gently opened my eyes. The creature was still there, and it was breathing quickly. I could see the faint cold smoke that escaped its mouth as it breathed. The gargoyles eyes darted from side to side, glancing at each of us. I was also breathing heavily, and my ears were thumping inside my mind. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I saw the glint of my gun, and I quickly leaned over to grab it, but the stone being warned me by letting out a high-pitched screech. It snarled at me again, bearing its fangs and sharpened teeth. I gulped silently, and I saw Dippy and Nayru slowly stand up next to me. Dippy was as calm as I was, or trying as hard as I was to not show his fear. Nayru was breathing heavily, her breath coiling in the air, and fading away almost instantly.
She clung to my arm, by tightly hugging it. I turned my head to her, and I shakily pushed her away from me, next to Seir. Jamina joined Nayru quickly, stepping in front of them, outstretching her arms to block the passage between them and the demon.
“What the hell is this thing?!” I whispered loudly to Dippy.
“What did you say?” Dippy replied, “My ears are still roaring.”
Damn it, I thought, if we can't even talk to each other, we're in some really deep ahem....
The gargoyle turned its head to us, then back to the other group. Its bald head reflected the moonlight slightly, but only making the bat ears seem bigger than they really were. My body was shaking uncontrollably. The gargoyle shrieked again, and I cupped my hands over my ears. Nayru and Dippy fell to the ground, agonizing. I clenched my teeth and tightened my eyes in pain. The screech stopped, and I slowly opened my eyes, just to see that the stone creature was dashing at me. I didn't have the reflex to do anything, and I was paralyzed. It shoved its fist in my stomach. I could feel my insides being squashed into pulp as the attack went further, but not piercing my skin. Then, I saw the whole scene very slowly. I lifted from my feet, being propelled by the blow. It hurt like hell, and the gargoyle was extremely strong. Plus, with the speed it had gained before punching me in the stomach, it had gotten even more power into the fatal blow. The creature stopped its momentum, and I was sent flying for two meters at least. I then smashed myself against the ground, and I skidded furthermore, then slamming into another grave. I laid limp, the pain surging everywhere in my body. I jerked my head forwards, coughing. Blood splattered all over my hands and clothing. I wanted to move, but I couldn't. The demon slowly walked over to me.

t loomed upon me, and I slowly lifted my head to glare at it. Blood was trickling through a small opening in between my lips. The creatures golden stare met my piercing emerald scowl.
With lots of effort, I was able to give the stone being the finger. It growled at me, and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. I needed to struggle, but my limbs wouldn't respond to my minds orders. I hacked, spraying blood over the stone creatures hand. It growled at me, and suddenly grabbed at my neck with the hand which had previously clenched onto my shirt collar. It tightened the squeeze on my throat, almost shredding my skin with the claws. I barely could breathe anymore. Its yellow eyes looked right through me, but I could see the air of ferocity that spread upon its face. I grabbed at the demons wrist with my two hands, trying to pull the grip off my neck, but it only angered the beast, and made it squeeze harder. I let out a yelp of pain, and I noticed that I couldn't breathe anymore.
I decided that I had to do it or lose it. My hands tightened around the gargoyle's wrist, and I heaved myself backwards, sending my feet behind me. It frowned at me, and I smirked slightly. I then rushed myself forwards, sending a joined kick at the demon's stomach. It let me go, and I fell heavily on the ground, on my shoulder. The gargoyle doubled over on itself, glaring at me, as I slowly stood up, taking gasps for oxygen, trying not to lose by balance.
Dippy and Nayru came running. Nayru was breathing heavily, trying to put up with her endurance. She dashed over to me, and helped me keep myself up on my feet. A small trickle of blood escaped from behind my lips, slowly sliding down to my chin. I glared at the creature who had put me in this state, and Nayru put her hand on my chest to push me down on the ground. I hacked as I hit the earth, and I cursed myself within my mind. Nayru gently put her hand on my head to prevent me from moving, and I coughed again, sending drops of blood on Nayru's fragile skin. She turned my head to the side quickly.
“He's coughing up blood,” Nayru called out to Dippy.
“I think that means there's an internal hemorrhage,” Dippy replied. I gulped. I didn't want to die of such a way.
Dippy put himself between Nayru and I, and the gargoyle. It snarled at Dippy, and Dippy bore his pointed teeth. They both stood there, both trying to intimidate each other, while Nayru pushed my head back down on the side again, as I tried to look at the scene.
“If it's an internal hemorrhage as Gin says, you better put your head on the side so that you don't cough up blood,” Nayru explained.
“Where did you learn that?” I muttered.
“Let's just say I listened and watched what Pandora did when she tried healing someone,” Nayru replied quickly, “now, stop talking, you're wasting your energy and saliva.”
I shut up as ordered.
“Who are you?” I heard Dippy exclaim. The creature just barked at him in return, and then I heard a faint flapping of wings. Wind started to blow in my direction, and I purposely turned my head to look at what was happening. I saw the creature starting to rise in the air, flapping with its gigantic stone wings. It suddenly crouched into a ball, and shot away, disappearing in the darkness. I perceived a last glint of yellow light as it looked back once. Nayru pushed my head on the side, and Dippy joined Nayru, standing rght next to me.
“It's gone,” Dippy muttered. I saw his hands clench, and he threw his fist in exasperation. “Damn it!”
I then noticed that Jamina and Seir ran over to us, looking at how I was.
“Is he going to live?” Seir asked quietly.
“Of course I ain't, you dolt,” I replied darkly, “I've got a freaking internal hemorrhage, and we have no way to cure that.”
“He'll live,” Nayru gently replied to Seir.
“Huh?” I uttered.
“You just bit your cheek really, really hard,” Nayru answered calmly. I frowned, and I turned my tongue around in my mouth. I felt a lump, right where my teeth should have bitten. I rolled my eyes.
“Ah,” I muttered. “I thought that thing had smashed my guts.”
“A little more, and that would've been the case,” Nayru replied. She lifted my shirt, and put her hand on my stomach. She prodded my stomach near my ribs. “Do you feel sharp pain when I do that?”
“No,” I answered, squinting, “I have a sort of... Weird, constant pain all around my body.”
“Then you're damn lucky everything is normal,” Dippy interrupted, crouching near me, “that punch could've broke your spine in half.”
“Huh,” I huffed, rolling my eyes under my eyelids. I frowned at Dippy. “I didn't think a stone statue would have that much strength...”
“I wouldn't of known neither,” Dippy answered quickly, “but I certainly wouldn't of tried being a hero like you did.”
“I save your flea-ridden life, and that's how you thank me?!” I snapped.
“If we had lost you, we would all be in the deepest of ahem... right now,” Dippy retorted coldly, “you're one of the highest priorities around here, Leorn.”
“ You're saying I should have left you to be smashed by that thing?” I hissed.

“Better me than you,” Dippy replied, standing up, and looking in the same direction as where the thing had left.
“Can you both shut up?” Nayru interrupted. “C'mon, Gin, help me carry Leorn down to the hideout.”
Dippy mumbled something incomprehensible, and he took me by my arms, while Nayru took me by my legs. Jamina grabbed my back, and they all walked in synchronization so that I would stay straight. Nayru began descending the stairs carefully to not slip, and Jamina and Dippy followed her.
“Seir, go get the candles left outside, will ya?” Dippy asked, as we entered the hideout. Seir nodded, and instantly left the grave, beginning to search outside.
“Aren't you worried that the thing might attack again?” Jamina asked.
“It's gone, it won't come back soon,” Dippy reasoned. Jamina took that as a good answer, and she continued, along with the others. Nayru brought me to my mattress, and slowly put me down. Jamina and Dippy followed this action, and I opened my eyes to look at Nayru, who was lighting a candle. She put it right next to my head, as she inspected it. As the flame flickered, I could see the blood that had splattered on her face. I heard Seir run back down the stairs, and Dippy struggle with the rope to close the entrance. A loud slam was heard, and the flame moved suddenly.
“You've got blood everywhere near your mouth,” Nayru said quietly, sitting down on the mattress.
“And you've got my blood on your face,” I managed to mutter. Nayru smirked, shaking her head slightly. She licked her fingers, and turned off the lit candle. She pulled a cover over my body, and another one over hers. She curled into a tight ball next to me. I stared at the dull ceiling for a long time, thinking about the creature. What was it, really? I've never been punched like that... I thought, my body aching. I glanced at Nayu, and I sighed gently.
“Thanks,” I murmured. She looked up at me with her green eyes.
“Welcome,” she whispered back. She cuddled closer to me, curling into an even tighter ball next to my stomach. I turned my head to the ceiling, and I closed my eyes, despite the pain surging in my body.

I opened my eyes with a jolt. I quickly sat up, pushing off the mattress with my arm. I was breathing quickly. I just had a nightmare. The most realistic one next to the James nightmares. I had felt the fist enter my stomach again, but the pain was ten times worse. I lifted my ands to touch my temples, and my fingers went humid. I let out a heavy sigh, and I buried my face in my hands. I hadn't noticed that I woke up Nayru as I budged her violently when I sat up.
She put a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. I turned my head to her, and her gentle green gaze soothed me. I took a deep breath, and let it out, trying to relax.
“Nightmare?” she asked.
“You guessed it,” I replied quickly. “It was that punch again.”
“I'm not a psychologist, but I can say that it must of disturbed you mentally,” Nayru concluded.
“You kidding?!” I cut, “I could've been bashed to red pulp if it had continued!” I kneaded the skin of my forehead with my hand, trying to calm down. “Dippy was right, I was lucky.”
“Shh,” Nayru hushed, “you might wake up everybody.”
“Already done,” Dippy muttered coldly on the hammock. I turned my head around to him, and then at Jamina and Seir. They were both sleeping.
“Sorry,” I murmured.
“Oh, I'm used to it by now,” Dippy replied, shifting on the hammock, to sit up on the cloth, “before, it was Isen and Cruor doing nightmares and yelling out loud in the middle of the night.” I didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment, but I took it as a compliment anyways, to think that I was in a good mood. “You ok?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I answered silently, putting one hand on my stomach, “it doesn't hurt now.”
“You regenerate pretty quickly,” Nayru noticed.
“Let's just say that's my body,” I answered, closing my eyes and lying down on the mattress heavily. I didn't mention it, but my neck still ached from the squeeze the thing had given me last night. “What time is it?”
“We really need to buy a watch for one of us,” Dippy muttered. “The only way for now is to open the door.”
“Then, what time do you think it is?” I corrected.
“Near two in the morning,” Dippy replied.
“Was that sarcastic?” I asked.
“That's for me to know, and for you to find out,” Dippy teased, lying down on the hammock again. I grumbled in my throat, mentally cursing at our leader. I rolled my eyes, and Nayru put herself down on the mattress next to me again. She put her hand on my chest, and expanded it on my shirt. I turned my head to her, lifting one eyebrow, blushing slihty. She smiled sweetly at me.
“You need to calm down,” she suggested, “your heartbeat is way too high.”
How can I know if it's either me being tensed that my heartbeat is so high, or that it's because of Nayru's hand on my chest?! I mentally yelled at myself.
“I guess,” I replied, hiding the thoughts of my mind. “But how?”

“Well, you could walk around the graveyard a bit,” Nayru answered quietly.
“With the th...” I began. I stopped in mid-sentence, and I sat up. “Fine.” I stood up, and I readjusted my shirt on my body. I noticed tat Seir had also brought back my gun, and had put it on the desk. I reached out for the colt, and I grabbed it. I shoved it in the back of my trousers, and I pulled my dirty marine blue shirt over it. I silently and carefully walked over Seir's body and Jamina's head, and I went up the stairs. I nearly fell over, but I caught myself just in time. When I arrived at the door, I kicked it open. It creaked, and slammed onto the ground. I stepped out, and turned around, asking myself how I was going to put the door back into place. I turned around, looking at the heavy marble plate, scratching the back of my head. ahem..., I thought. I noticed Nayru running up the stairs, and she jumped out after me, smiling at me.
“I also need to get some fresh air,” she explained. I lifted one eyebrow, and nodded hesitantly. I put my hands to the rim of the marble door, and I shoved my fingers under, in the humid soil. Nayru did the same, and my muscles tensed, as I tried pulling the door back up. I saw Dippy at the bottom of the stairs, pulling the rope to help us. I smirked, and the door shut loudly back into place. I cramped my knuckles, and I turned to Nayru, who was looking back at me. She tilted her head sideways, pointing at a path. I shrugged.
“You choose,” I replied. Not like I care, I thought. She grabbed my hand, and playfully pulled me onto the path. I took my hand away from her, glaring playfully back at her. She smirked, tilting her head on her shoulder, putting her arms behind her back. Her tight pitch black shirt flexed as she moved her arms behind her. I turned around, and began following the path.
Trees were planted by the humans all along the path, made of earth, and then went onto flat stones of different colors of yellow, gray and blue. There was one stone that had a very odd color, a mixture of... Orange-blue hot pink. Don't ask me how that is possible, it just looked like it. Without paying further attention to the bizarre stone, Nayru and I continued walking down the long path, eventually stopping by to look at the names on some graves. One of the graves interested me, because it was the only one with a half-empty (or half-full, whatever you want to call it) beer bottle on it. The name on the grave had been rewritten over in black spray paint.
I also noticed that there was only us two in the whole graveyard. I looked up at the cloudy sky, noticing that it was near 5:00 AM, looking at the position of the sun. My look grazed over the tombs, until came a large tomb, with a wined skull on top of the cross. It reminded me of Alexander's gravestone, and a shiver crawled up my spine as I thought of the gargoyle. Nayru joined me, to look at the names on the gravestone.
I frowned, and I sniffed the air, that was coming from behind me. I stood paralyzed, and I shoved Nayru sideways. She fell on the ground, and I went the opposite way, grabbing the gun right behind my trousers, aiming it at the gargoyle which had crept up behind us. I aimed for its head, but I didn't shoot. I growled at me, as I slowly stood up.
“Don't even think of shrieking,” I warned, “or you'll have to join the others six feet underground.”
The gargoyle barked at me, showing its teeth. They were abnormally white. The creatures wings expanded, making it look huge. I started breathing quickly, but I told my mind not to freak out. It won't have time to punch me again, I thought. The gargoyles yellow eyes glistened, glaring at me. My finger tensed on the colts trigger.
“Wait!” Nayru exclaimed.
The gargoyle turned its head around to look at Nayru. I positioned myself to shoot the being if it tried to get near Nayru. The kuijin stood up, patting her clothing to take off the small rocks and sand. She looked up at the thing we had previously known as a statue.
“Can you understand me?” Nayru asked gently, as if not to anger the creature. The demon frowned at Nayru, and it snarled at her, letting a low growl escaping from the depths of its throat.
“Why wouldn't I, puny girl?!” it hissed.
“What's your name?” Nayru asked, before I could demand why it attacked us.
“Do you need to know, girl?” the creature replied darkly, creeping towards her. My hands tensed on my gun, but Nayru gave me a discreet sign of her hand to warn me not to shoot. I huffed, and I lowered my weapon.
“The girl has a name,” Nayru snapped, stepping towards the beast defiantly, “so must you.”
“Adeth Etatus,” the gargoyle replied calmly, taking another step towards Nayru, who didn't budge. She looked up determinedly at the stone creature, who seemed at least twice her height with the wings. But Nayru kept her calm, or at least showed that she did.
“Name's Nayru Vennin,” she replied calmly. “Adet Etatus seems to be an awkward name. From what origin are you?”
“I was born here,” Adeth murmured.
“Okay, let's pass the introductions, all right?” I interrupted, “Why did you attack us?!”
“And he's Leorn Taltesier,” Nayru continued. The stone being turned around completely to me, and I lifted my gun again at it. It sniffed the air near me, and pulled its head away. I only noticed then that the creature had no nose, only two sharp holes, like a snake's.
“I recognize the smell of this blood,” Adeth remarked silently.
“I'll refresh your memory a bit,” I snapped, “I'm the one you nearly killed last night.”
“Ah, you,” Adeth muttered darkly, leaning over to me. “Nearly killed you? You should be dead, normally.”