Division

- IV • Repetition -

- Echoes' POV -

Me and Plum kept talking, of things I never knew of her. "I lost it... the orb... when he killed me. But the memories stay planted in my head, the orbs futures, clearer than anything before." She muttered.

"Do you continue to follow these futures?" I asked. She sighed and looked at the sky. "I tried, but it caused me grief. I never went out to find the orb after I lost it, seeing how the memories of what it said spoke in a voice I had never heard, stuck in my head till recently." Plum strained her eyes suddenly, assumedly thinking. "I only followed a few minor ones, seeing how I found you after Solio had just killed you, your second life taken."

"...But why would D'mantis have it? How could he have found it?" She muttered. I looked past the sunset's reflection on the lake and the stars beginning to peer through the thin, light clouds. "I'm... not sure."

Plum shook her head, and glanced at me, "Don't look at me sideways for what im about to say. Me, and you, we can forget about all of the pain. We can have some time of peace. Away from the worries of the hardships and truffles of our camp. Away as possible from our constant looming threats."

I intentionally cocked my head after she told me not to look at her sideways and smirked. Plum chuckled and hit my shoulder with her wing. "Like I was saying though, I don't want to be the leader of all of this much longer. We need to have a break."

"I know." Is all I could really think of. Plum looked off behind us, the woods we came from. "We can't really leave them though, we're stuck on guard. Threats from the skies, everywhere. I wish the same you do, Plum." I plopped on my back, cold dirt and grass beneath me. "We need to stop them sooner than later then. If we need to release ourselves from this foothold, we need to stop worrying and start acting!" I lectured, often moving my hands along my words.

"Hm.." Plum stood up and stretched both wings, unlike the usual singular wing. "You're right." I tucked my hands under my head, "Can we just... me and you? Tonight? Just us two of us sneak off and enjoy ourselves...?" I muttered.

She looked at me silently, and smiled. "Are you... purring? Like a feline?" Crossing her arms. "Hmmmm?" I questioned, smug as ever. "You are!" Plum shook my arm. "Why haven't I heard you do it before? It's cu- COOL it's cool! I didn't k- know you could do that!" She stammered. I laughed, a happy, content, and overall protected feeling ran through me.

"C'mon..." I stood up and shook my pelt, "That was a yes to my previous inquiry. We're goin' through the night!" I took her wrist and pulled her forth, stars gleaming through the above, a bright, speckled night over the abyssal blue soon to fill the skies.

Running through the field, feeling so free, it was like we were young again... the air flowing through my coat, the crisp air smelling of pure nature. It was like the freedom once had in the past, relived. I thought back to the fleeting memory...

Young Plum jogged through the tall grass with me further ahead of her, early in the morning. "You can't catch me!" Younger me bounded, crouching in the grass, waiting to leap and catch her off her guard. "Echo?" She turned in circles, searching. I sprung and grappled to her shoulders, pulling her to the ground below me. Young Plum grunted in surprise, happy to see me.

"You retain the things of the past," Plum pulled me out of my memory. I looked around, seeing how we were in long grass, and she was below me, standing up and dusting off dirt. We retraced that memory, as our new selves. We were ourselves.

"Yeah? All those lessons'll never fade." I exhaled, then sat down on the tree stump by Plum. She seemed happier, much happier. It was good for her body, the clasp of stress and worry being loosened. "I'm glad I can raise your mood, Plum. You work harder than you think, and you deserve to be happy."

She looked down at her battered shoes and back at me, her voice filled with strings of calmness, "I sincerely thank you. I needed that." A sudden crash in the brush behind us caught our attention as we got up, guard steady. "Calm down... It's just me.." Sounded a recognizable voice ; higher and robotic.

"Vulx!" I sighed in relief. "Where have you been?" Vulx blinked and looked out above the canopies of the woods. "Attending to myself. I guess I do owe you guys an explanation though... sit back down please." He sounded drained, but still kept forth.

Vulx was still relatively beat up after the spar with Ozone, left eye visor cracked and scratched metal. "I'll tell who I deem trustable first, seeing how you are both here, that's good." Me and Plum exchanged looks and looked back at the worn metallic warrior.

"I was gone for a long time for you all, I meant to leave a message behind but it was so urgent. I wanted to protect you all from Ozone. Known him for a long, dreadful time. He's hated me and wanted me turned to scrap, and if he found you guys, I didn't want you all in any more danger." Vulxes' voice was filled with sorrow.

"I watched you guys search for me, for one another, through the winter, just about everything untill recently..." I kept listening, Vulx was one of the few that knew I wanted to go with Plum during the first sundown. "I'm sorry I couldn't return sooner, not only was I defending you all from... him... I was also searching for my hope, my inspiration."

"She kept me going when all felt broken, and detecting her and Ozone in one spot already spelled doom out on the collapsed city walls. I didn't find her how I ever wanted to. She was torn apart by Ozone." Plum stared, sorrow clouding her eyes. "That battle you all witnessed beneath the fire and ravaged ground was right after he fled with Xala's skull."

"V- Vulx... I'm so terribly sorry..." Plum nearly whispered, sympathy radiating from her. Vulx knew Plum's worry, all she lost looking for him, he knew and trusted my loyalty to Storm's Remnants, and most importantly, Vulx understood the efforts of everyone, and the dangers fairly acknowledged.

"It's tougher now," Vulx continued "I had planned out a meeting between everyone to discuss what needs to happen sooner than later. A weapon design, and the evaluation of our enemies. We don't know what could happen, but we have a decent chunk of information."

"I'm heading back to the camp, I saw Tachi was there... any other updates?" Vulx looked between us both. Plum inhaled, "You should be fine. Nothing much has changed, just be careful, Spear has been... skeptical... recently" She assured.

Vulx walked off back down the field, not flying, assumedly not to attract attention. I sighed, it was late, deep blue coated the sky, and deep blue intertwining Plum's words as she spoke.

"Poor Vulx..." Plum muttered. "Watched me die for him, watched Xala get mutilated..." She buried her hands in her face. "Plum... he's gonna be alright. We have strength in numbers, and we have one another." I tried to help her out, she always had a knack for being super empathetic, if there is a 'too empathetic.'

"I know.." She sighed, resting her head on my shoulder. "I don't wanna go back to the camp tonight. You're one of the only people I have relied on with this kind of information I gave you a while back." I found myself feeling the need to wrap my tail around her side, curling up into her.

"Either way though..." I began, "No matter how hard you think you aren't, you have made a wonderful leader. Knowledge is extremely useful, sympathy and empathy, the care for bonded kin..."

She clenched her hands against my arm and sniffled. I knew what she needed, all those restraints between old Pridefoul, D'mantis, were fading away.

"Just sleep here." I whispered. "Don't worry about them. If they want something to do with you, there getting past me first."