-May or may not be spoilers as this story goes on-

Amber had gone missing; almost three weeks prior. Her name echoed through the forests, the ruins, houses, shops, caves every nook and crany had been explored. Dylas ran full stride, faster than the rest of the townspeople, had the tone of the moment been less somber Doug would have made a horse joke. "Amber!" He shouted scanning the landscape for his fellow neighbor. His ears perked and his feet jerked to a stop when he heard rustling in the brush. Fists clenched he called out again. "Amber"

"Who are you?" A sword wielding woman pushed her way through the heavy greenery.

"Who are . . ." He squinted, she looked familiar, in a fuzzy way, like a vision out of focus. He shook his head. "Who are you?!"

"Hmph" She turned her back to him and began to walk away.

"Damnit I'm talking to you!"

"I can hear that. I'm not deaf" she cleaned her ear still not turning around.

"Look look! I caught a squid!" Amber held the slippery creature in her hand running to the strange woman. Amber dropped the animal to the ground, it wriggled sloppily in the dirt.

"New record!" The woman tussled Amber's hair.

"Amber where have you been? Are you alright? Did this idiot Kidnap you?!"

"Dylas!" Amber went to walk over to her friend, but was stopped by a forceful blade imbedment into the path infront of her.

"Don't move." The woman finally turned to the annoying man. "Who are you? This isn't Dylas Amber." She squinted crudely at the man in front of her, whose fists were still clenched. "I assure you. There is no more Dylas" Her voice trailed off.

"What the hell are you talking about!" Dylas ran at her punching her square in the face, knocking the woman down onto her back, placing her eye to eye with the squid. "Yuck" She sat up seemingly unfazed by the blow.

'What is up with her?' Dylas stared at her a moment, baffled. But got back on target and reached out for Amber but for the first time in what seemed like forever, he wasn't fast enough. The woman had grabbed the hilt of her sword and in a slashing movement cut Dylas' arm, through his jacket and cutting his skin. Hissing in pain he held his arm watching blood stain his sleeve.

"Ahhhh!" Amber screamed terrified.

"Go hide Amber, don't look." The mystery woman kept her eyes locked on Dylas.

"But-"

"Go!" She snapped, Amber jumped back at the scolding and then ran into the trees.

"Amber don't -" Dylas reached out his injured arm to the running girl.

"Why are you coming after her? And who are you? Who told you about Dylas?" The woman demanded answers. Dylas blinked stupefied did he know her? Was she someone he knew before; before it all went blank. "Talk!"

"I'm Dy . . . I don't answer to you I don't answer to anyone." He ran at her with another fist, she would not get between him and rescuing his friend. When this blow connected electricity crossed through his punch. Her knees buckled her muscles began to go lax, causing her to fall again, this time face first in the dirt.

"Why did you take Amber?" He stood over her, his tail swishing in the crisp breeze. She pleaded with her body to move, using her sword to prop her up she stared at the man resentment in her eyes.

"I didn't take her. I didn't take anyone. If you were Dylas you would know why I need to protect her."

"If I was Dylas? I'm not going to spend all god damn day trying to convince you that I am who I say I am." He lifted her by the collar, raising another charged fist to her face, he grimaced as she clenched her eyes shut preparing herself for the blow. "Listen I don't like hitting girls, just tell me what the hell is going on." He growled. She opened her eyes, still angry, still defiant, no defeat anywhere in her gaze. She gripped her sword tight and thrusted with her remaining might. This time Dylas had the quicker draw and landed a solid jolt, the current surging through her, again she went down with a thud, her body jerking with the residual sparks. "Just stay down Damnit." He could hear her cough and sputter. She could taste blood she was pushing her body beyond it's limits. But thoughts of the young girl she had been protecting for close to a month now, that was counting on her, fueled her fight.

"A….A….Amber!" She propped herself up again, her coughing now impeding her speech. "I want you to run as far away as possible." She paused to spit some of the blood that was collecting in her mouth. "Don't . . . Don't look back. Run, fly, do whatever you have to. I promise I'll try to catch up!" She hoped the girl would head her advice. This man had her outmatched and she couldn't hold him off for long.

"You're trying to protect her?!" Dylas looked down dumbfounded, who was this woman. "I don't plan to cause Amber harm, she's my friend." Dylas had put his fists down he would not hit her again, this fight was over.

"That's what all the bastards say, every single slimy one of you. A friend a brother a father, you're whoever you need to be to get your hands on what's not yours for the taking!" She tried to properly stand but began to stumble, Dylas caught her. Still so much anger, so much hate, so much hurt.

"Get your-" She tried to pull away.

"Relax I won't hurt you" He did his best to stabilize her, slouching to her level looking her dead in the eyes. 'Could it be?' For a moment his eyes, they looked like his. 'No he's gone. They sacrificed him like an animal!' She shook her head wiping the notion from her mind, though it would not leave.

"You're not him!" Her angry glare softened into a disappointed glaze.

"I don't know who you are but-"

"He wouldn't have forgotten me! We were all each other had. We promised we wouldn't forget each other! we promised!" She was sniffling trying and failing to stop tears from rolling down her dirty cheeks. He felt bad, trying so hard to remember her face, her name anything but he simply did not know her.

"Look stay here I'll got get Amber and then-"

"Over my dead body!" Her muscles tensed. "I won't let you go after her." She looked down at her sword to far from her grasp. She did the only thing she could do; she headbutted him. And half ran half crawled to her sword, using it as a cane to balance her weight. She was panting, exhausted, her knees shaking. Dylas held up his fist yet again. 'I'll kill her if I go for another shot.'

"Dylas don't! please don't!" Amber who had been hiding not far away ran in front of the battered woman spreading her wings to shield her. 'It was all for nothing.' The sword clanked to the ground, her eyes were getting heavy.

"Amber I-" She sat down, it was all but over, her head lulled forward bobbing as she weaved in and out of consciousness.

"Nixxie saved me! I was being chased by these angry beast men, there was so many. She fought them all off she saved me, let me stay with her. I won't let you hurt her!"

"Nixxie?" Again a hazy out of focus image came to mind, his brain was grasping at something that might as well have been miles away. He put his hands up in surrender then slowly to his sides with an assuring nod he moved Amber aside and he knelt down to Nixxie.

"I'm sorry."

"You know how they say don't tap the nest if you don't expect to get stung. I - " She spat again. "I brought this on myself." She smirked. "But so help me if you lay a finger on that girl's head I will haunt the shit out of you!" there was no joking tone in her voice but Dylas couldn't help but laugh. "You think-"

"Shudup!" He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt Amber. You're not going to die. Here" He held back her straggly red hair and brought a potion to her lips, wiping the corner of her mouth dry as she gagged on the foul tasting elixir. "And that's not what I'm sorry for" He sighed deeply.

"If not this, then what?" Nixxe scoffed.

"That I . . . that I don't remember you alright?" He shrugged embarrassed.

"There's no way you're him! You can't be, Dylas is gone I know he is! He would have come for me if they didn't force him to-" She trailed off, she couldn't fool herself any longer. She now knew it was him, his crude language his awkward loss of eye contact and his unexacting vein of empathy, it was just like back in years passed. 'But you didn't come for me Dylas. Why didn't you come for me? Why did you completely forget me?' She looked into his eyes, so clueless, he genuinely had no idea who she was. ' I thought it was us against the world Dylas? Why don't you remember. You promised, we promised.' she just kept repeating that sad mantra in her mind over and over. He could see Nixxe's spirit waver as it dawned on her he was truly Dylas and he had truly no idea who she was.

"I almost . . .er forget it." he helped her to her feet slinging her arm over his shoulder. ' I almost remember you.' "Lets go home Amber!"

"Right. I'm starving. Do you think we'll make it back before the Restaurant closes?"

"I'm sure something can be arranged." Dylas smiled as Amber's wings fluttered in anticipation.

"Nixxie you should eat too, you'll feel much better, and the doctor will fix you right up he's a nice guy and his wife . . ."

"Is that so?" Nixxe nodded listening to the child rambling on.

"Hey." Dylas whispered to Nixxie who craned her ear to him. "I'll try alright."

"Try?"

"To remember." He shrugged nonchalantly. "If it's so damn important."

"Forget it." Nixxie shook her head. "Leave the past in the past." 'Ignorance is bliss we had many more bad times than good.'

"Make up your damn mind" Dylas scoffed. ' I don't remember anything, but I want to remember all of it, at this point I'll take any memory.' "So… Did we ever go fishing?" He tried to make the moment less awkward.

"Yes Dylas, your favorite way to pass the time was to fish. I certainly hope you got better though." She genuinely laughed.

"Hey what's that supposed to mean!" He scowled. "So you went fishing with me?" he would piece it all together slowly but surely.

"We would, it was fun, it was calm you know?" Nixxie yawned her eyes still drooping.

"Don't go to sleep idiot you might have a concussion." He nudged her to full attention.

"Says the man with full blown amnesia." She smirked.

"When you heal up, maybe we can go out fishing. I'll show you what an expert I am. " He boasted. She grinned half heartily. 'Creating new memories isn't the same, you broke our promise. But I suppose I can't be upset at you for trying.' He felt her shiver. 'It's not that cold. How worse for wear is she?.' "Here" He got her off her feet and carried her over his back. "Amber we need to speed up"

"Okey dokey!" She flapped her wings, and he ran with the grace of his guardian beast. "And if you ever tell Doug about this you'll regret it." He threatened. "Don't worry Nixxie you'll be ok."

"You've said that before Dylas." she muttered weakly.

"Well I'm saying it now! I'll fix this" He ran faster, but stopped dead in his tracks a half an hour or so later when it finally hit him. 'We're lost.' He tried to remain calm for the girls' sake, he had never been this far away from town, not without an airship nearby. 'I let her down before I won't do it again.' He glanced over his shoulder at Nixxe's pale but comforting face. She watched him growl in frustration.

"Can we take a break?" She sighed.

"What?"

" I just need to rest . . . just for a little while. I need to get my energy back I think it's safe to sleep" ' Buy you some time idiot.' It was all over his face that he had no idea where they were.

"Alright." He laid her down gingerly. The three wanderers sat in relative silence for a while. Dylas noted Nixxie shivering again. He handed her his coat. Taking the garment she noticed Dylas' wound. She took his arm and ran a finger across it. Dylas winced. "What do you think you're doing!" He pulled back from her.

"Sorry" She shakily stood and sat a distance away, cacooning herself in his coat. 'You might not remember me, but you haven't changed since we last saw each other' Even his scent on his jacket was familiar and safe.

"I . . ." He didn't know what to say, his brow furrowed. " Hell I probably won't remember this by tomorrow either." He chuckled weakly.

" I missed your smile Dylas. It's one of a kind you know." She smirked as Dylas blushed.

"Shudup!" He scoffed. 'She remembers my smile?' He made it a point to study hers in the moment it was night and day from her icy demeanor from earlier.

" Play nice!" Amber spoke authoritatively.

"I missed that too." Nixxie laughed. Dylas felt more and more awkward, his face getting reducer and redder. 'If I could remember, would I miss her too?' He watched her lay on her side her eyes drifting shut. He just stared at her unwavering for a long while. As the sun went down and Amber too laid to rest, fireflies dotted the air. He watched their glow splash off Nixxe's face. 'Remember damnit!' He scolded himself punching the ground regretting it when Amber started to stur. He sat up and his body moving seemingly out of his control closed the gap between them. A shaking hand reached out and brushed the hair hair from her face. A jolt ran through him when her hair grazed his finger tips. 'This happened before!' Not a full blown memory but a sensation of familiarity flew through him, nothing more nothing less than a flicker of his past. Making sure no waking soul could see him, he closed an eye, then the other, he would make a wish on the flurrying fireflies. 'I wish I could . . . Could remember who I was. I was someone. I was someone to her.' He got up and walked away from the sleeping woman. 'I wish-' He added. 'That she will help me remember who I was.' He let out a sigh watching the bugs move with reckless abandon, slowly lulling him to sleep.