The One Who Got Away - SitS Sequel (ON HOLD)

Prologue - Where Things Stand

"THERE HE IS! AFTER HIM!"

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"

Zane was running, darting through alleyways and toppling carts in his haste to get away from the stampede of guards. Risking a glance over his shoulder, Zane yelped at the sight of a dozen or so heavily armoured guards in hot pursuit. Gritting his teeth, Zane urged himself to run even harder.

"All this for a crime committed twenty years ago? They're serious, I'll give them that." Zane muttered under his breath as he reached the outskirts of the town. With one final, overdramatic slide under the swiftly falling gate—tearing off a piece of his cloak—Zane escaped into the woods accompanied by the clang of about a dozen armoured guards colliding with a solid metal gate.

Zane stood up as a red-bellied, russet brown bird with fiery sunset orange plumage fluttered down to rest on his shoulder, the bird's golden beak emitting a sharp squawk as it's golden talons gripped the fabric of Zane's cloak. "I'm okay." Zane reassured his feathered friend, stroking the bird's—Shadow's—back.

Looking back at the pile of guards currently attempting to disentangle themselves, Zane couldn't help but suppress a good-natured chuckle as he disappeared into the woods, Shadow perched comfortably on his right shoulder.

+=+=+=+=+

"Bet you can't catch me!"

"Oh yeah? Sneak attack from behind!"

Aphmau smiled as the bluenette tackled the pink-haired Meif'wa. Dmitri and Nekoette-Chan, two adorable kids with a bright future, always brought hope of a better day with their light-hearted childhood innocence.

Aphmau frowned as Kawaii-Chan sat down with a plate of freshly baked sweets for the children to eat. How long had it been since Aphmau herself had had children to raise? Maybe Aphmau was jealous of Kawaii-Chan, who hadn't, and likely wouldn't, lose those precious childhood memories with Nekoette-Chan, her daughter by blood, and Dmitri, her husband's son by blood and Nekoette-Chan's half-brother. But the time jump had stolen from Aphmau something that could never be replaced—the chance to watch her adopted sons grow up into the people they are today. But what's done is done, and Aphmau had another chance in the form of Lilith Garnet.

"Thinking about the good days?" Aphmau jumped with an audible yelp as the owner of the voice, a bluenette by the name of Katelyn, sat down next to her, chuckling at Aphmau's reaction.

"Oh, its just you, Katelyn. Make some noise next time, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Aphmau wheezed, sitting back down. "And... yeah. I was thinking of the good old days. The good old days when guards didn't sneak up on me like you just did." Aphmau admitted. Katelyn sighed.

"Yeah, well the good old days are long gone. Levin says it's been slow in Phoenix Drop, now that everyone's gotten over the incident with your arbitrary amnesia and that adventure with... him." Katelyn's voice became a growl at the mention of the man who led Aphmau back to Phoenix Drop when she had lost her memories around ten months ago. Even though he had apparently made an effort to change, Katelyn was still skeptical, disbelieving that he could be good after all the crimes he had committed in the past.

Aphmau laughed at her friend's tone. If there was one thing she could count on, it was that Katelyn would never change her opinion on something so easily.

"Oh, come on." Aphmau teasingly cuffed Katelyn on the shoulder, "It was a good experience for me, and you know it. If I hadn't had that arbitrary amnesia, we likely wouldn't have gotten an ally like Zane, and as much as you hate to admit it, he's done some good, and he's trying his best." She paused for a moment, then added, "I think. We haven't gotten any letters from him for a month or so."