I welcome you all ONCE AGAIN...to my third installment of my series, I've gotten so much positive and joyous feedback from the fandom. Nothing else since the start of The Mirror I've been so much happier doing these stories, they are literally my life and as well as the fandom, who have made me so happy and feel great about myself. I want to name a few, but I'll add those names at the end of this story. Thank you for making life feel bigger than it is and sweeter. Despite the horrible shootings in Orlando as well as losing a precious WOY fan to suicide, I feel more determined than ever to reach out those in need of love and comfort; my heart goes out to these people I barely knew. With that out of my system, thank you for taking the time to read and following this series since the beginning.

-Jade

6/13/16


As the days dragged on further and further, the more bored Nate became. He had no idea how long he'd been stuffed into this filthy cell inside the Skullship. The pathway along with the others next to him and from across weren't as dirty. He was used to being in a clean work space, everything was spotless and tidy, as of here there were leftovers of skin from previous prisoners, he smelled the stench of old vomit and sweat. It bugged the grop out of him.

He wanted out. He already tried forcing the bars open, and that was pointless. For hours on end he just laid on the floor with no bedding to soothe his stiff back and muscles. He wanted to rage his anger at anyone who came to see him, even Wander...

But the thought of that was met with guilt.

"What's wrong with me, he helped me out and here I am, griping about how it's his fault when it's not."

Nate wanted to be home and it was making him anxious by the minute. He wanted to sit in his favorite comfortable chair and look at the only items on his bookshelves that were of a memory when he was an infant, the clothes he wore when he left his home.

He decided, it was time to make up to himself, and Wander. He always put aside the fact he kept blaming others for his personal problems and they were out to get him. As soon as Nate had the opportunity to escape, he would find Wander as well as Sylvia and help them. He even thought about how the Zbornak was holding up, he hadn't seen her in days. There was so much he wanted to know.


57 years ago...

It was inevitable. The devastation that was coming to planet Orpid was fast approaching. Everyone else had evacuated their homes, which consisted of fossilized coral rocks, some leading to the shore of a beach and ocean. The sky that was normally starry with indigo hues and Orpid's outer moons...was smeared shot with blood red clouds and smoke.

But two adult octopuses were not ready to leave. They stayed inside for the time being, with a young child in one's arms. The explosions outside kept startling the baby and she gently rocked him back and forth. His blackish green eyes which lit with admiration and small tentacles touched her face.

"Are you sure this is what we should do?" The mother holding her son cradled to calm him down.

The red skies outside made her light purple skin glow blue, making it the only peaceful and normal thing in this scary situation.

"There's no going back now. It's too late to save ourselves at this point." The male octopus gazed outside the window.

"But Natey will have a chance, right?"

The mother, known as Eva touched her son's nose and he cooed at her. Nate's father panged his head on the glass, losing patience by the second. Formerly a waiter from a popular restaurant in town he had quit before the announcement of the current invasion. There wasn't a point in keeping a job when you were about to lose everything from your home.

"If that furry weirdo doesn't show up first." He muttered.

"Now dear, he promised he'd show up." Eva said hopefully, "You should be grateful Erin, our boy is going to have a happy life."

Erin took his forehead off the window pane and sighed.

"I wish all of us could go..."

Eva stopped cradling, Nate laughed, enjoying the attention. A single tear fell from his mother's eye. "And wander the galaxy, together."

There were four loud, boisterous knocks on their door, and immediately Erin went to open it. He forgot that the one they were waiting on was only half of their height and looked straight ahead, then down.

The newcomer cleared his throat, face hidden and twig legs scuffled into the house.

"I don't have much time for chit-chat, where's the kid?" He asked gruffly.

"Right here." Eva directed him, bending down to his level.

Nate looked into his new guardian's eyes, and turned to fascination. Furry arms and hands gently took him from his mother's and Nate touched his face, he managed to pull the bandana around his head and play with it.

"Kitty." Nate chattered.

"HUH?" His guardian's temple pulsed.

He didn't like being called cutesy names.

"You'll both be safe, right?" Erin's nervousness had made his voice crack.

The two and a half tall creature, with a mace on his back deadpanned at Erin.

"Hey, I wouldn't take the little terror if it was too dangerous or had no other place to take him."

"Little.. what?" Erin blabbed.

Eva chuckled at their conversation. "You're quite funny, Wander."

Wander just rolled his eyes at them. "Anyways, the invaders-"

He was cut off by a deafening explosion, the roof collapsed on top of them, and the air from the bombings outside had knocked them off their feet, then smashed back to the ground. Flames arose from everywhere..,

It didn't take long for Wander to push off the rubble from himself, and still had held onto Nate, who had begun to cry for Eva. Wander checked to see if the boy was alright, him crying was a sign of life, then Wander pushed more driftwood out of the way to make more space, and what he saw struck him in the heart.

Nate's lips and mouth were heavily cut and bleeding, blood oozed from his nostrils and went into his mouth, the sudden feeling of pain he felt made him cry louder.

Wander tightened his fist and cursed to himself.

"I should've left two minutes before they hit here."

"Na...te...where's...Nate.."

Wander's ears caught the sound of the mother's voice. Still holding Nate, he made way to her and picked up her scent. He gasped at a gruesome sight;

Eva was blown and pushed against a wall from the attack, heavily bleeding and missing some of her tentacles, one eye was turned into jelly and was gone. But she still had enough breath to call for her son.

"Eva..." Wander's voice broke, speechless.

Despite the injuries and pain, she smiled brightly. "There he is..."

Nate's crying had eased when he finally saw her again, he wanted to be held by her, but Wander kept his distance. He read the longing for him in her eyes.

"You're in no condition to hold him, not like that." He said bluntly, keeping the baby's tentacles from touching her.

More fire and explosions came, and so incredibly close; just mere feet away from where they were, but remained still as stones.

"This is goodbye." Eva continued to smile as tears of joy..., not sorrow; poured down her cheeks.

Wander refrained from showing tears. He wanted to do more, he could've done more, and he felt bad for bad talking the kid and the parents, Wander was never good with his emotions. He didn't want to leave her, but his orrble transport could only hold two people and no more than that, due to it being a cheap brand of the more popular one.

Wander hated seeing others helpless like he was now at this moment. At least, the most he could do now was this...he put Nate close to Eva's face.

It was the last.. and final moment before they would never see each other again. Nate seemed to sense it, even though he understood nothing of the devastation surrounding him. He began to wail once more. She embraced her only son tightly.

"Any last words you want to say?" Wander ever so slightly made a grin.

"I do." She pulled a letter from her dress, it was crinkled, but not torn.

Nate's guardian took him back and waited for her response;

"They're right.. here."

Eva almost couldn't hold the paper and almost gave out, she coughed up blood. As soon as she stopped, Wander took it, and looked it over, not following what the letter could mean. Eva wrapped one uninjured tentacle around his slim body, and breathed;

"Thank you, Furnicle traveler."

She let go, her grip had become slack and never moved again.

Wander's swirling emotions were disturbed by the sounds of laser blasts and oncoming robots. Leaving Eva's spot he ran as fast as he could to a safer location, it was time to leave the doomed planet. Nate cried in confusion and fear by the sounds everywhere, Wander was too focused on getting away from danger to be concerned. He could've sworn he heard a woman's laughter fill the air, mocking and enjoying the sight of the destroyed planet.

After running non-stop for a few miles and made some good distance it was safe to leave.

"I'm sorry about your folks, kid."

He was about to bring out his orrble juice, but heard something move in the bushes two feet away and before he had the chance to think about hiding, something had grabbed him and it felt hot.

"Agh!" He shouted in surprise

In the midst of it he'd dropped Nate by accident, the young baby crawled on his knees, begging to be held in his arms again, he was scared.

Wander had been snatched by a Dominator bot, one that was five times his size and it scanned it's prisoner. The lava lines glowed fiery red with life.

"Calculating; life form still alive, waiting for command to destroy." It's deep, robotic voice chattered.

"I don't think so!" Wander hissed.

He gripped the handle of the mace strapped on his back, and pulled it. With every ounce of his strength he swiped and hit the bot, making it let him go. He quickly picked Nate up and blew a bubble and ran into the sky.

The red scarf on his neck flowed behind him, Wander grabbed it and tightly wrapped Nate with it, making sure he would never drop him again.

On the main ship and the one responsible for the destruction; Dominator was enjoying herself.

"Muawahahaha! THIS IS SO GREAT, LOOK AT THIS VIEW; so gloomy, hopeless," She made a pose with every word she announced, exaggerating,

"..Death." She glossed.

Feeling so satisfied she looked out her ships window's, savoring every moment of it. Then an alert came up on her control panel,

"Oh look, mail." She giggled.

"Lord Dominator, bot 29 has received new images, desire to view them?"

"Oh please, do you need to ask?" She retorted.

She finger-swiped the digital file, and new holographic pictures revealed faces of people she didn't know;

A small orange creature smashing something against the bots camera, it fell to its side after it hit, then the creature grabbed a baby into his arms and darted off.

"Huh, shame I couldn't capture them. But there's always a next time."

She came and got what she needed, now it was time to take the Volcanuim X from Orpid's core.

"Oh, it's thrillin, to be a villain," Dominator sang her bad guy song, and clapped into a rhythm.

She let the ship's drill hit the surface, sucking all its remaining life into her systems.

"I'll come back for the little brat that got away, and crush you." She hissed with pleasure.

The Fight