Colette looked at her shadow, now stretching across the street as the sun went down in the sky. She began to walk hastily out of the Community, careful to avoid everyone on the streets. She didn't want anyone to see her, and then tell her foster parents.. She shrugged casually, "it's not like it makes a huge difference either way, I suppose.." She thought as the chef and his wife walked paw in paw to their home. She smiled softly."Those two old squirrels better be here if I ever come back.." Her stomach growled at the thought of eating a bowl of their famous apple and cinnamon pudding, which sounds appalling by name, but was one of the most delicious foods known to the Community.
She shook her head to clear it once more, and found herself gazing at the gate. Once she went through them, she knew she wasn't going to return. An image of Tail flashed through her mind, and before she realized it, she was walking to his house. She wasn't certain why, but leaving the goofy fox without a farewell felt wrong, and she just couldn't do it. She knew that his parents were out collecting spices at about this time, so he was the only one home. She stared at the door with her fist raised, wondering if she should be doing this. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, thinking of how she was going to say goodbye to him.
Tail didn't take long to answer, and he opened the door slowly, almost nervously. Colette, not knowing what to say, simply embraced the fox. Tail was obviously caught off guard, giving a small yelp of surprise, half expecting her to hit him. He cautiously hugged her back, still waiting for a trick. "C-Colette? W-What are you doing?" He stuttered. Colette stepped away from him and sighed softly.
"I just came to say goodbye. You'll probably find out why soon enough," Colette said softly. Tail's eyes went wide and he almost stumbled back like he'd been hit.
"G-Goodbye? What do you mean? Where are you going? Is it because I smell weird? It's natural, I swear, I can't do anything about it!" Tail blabbered out. Colette giggled and placed her finger on his lips to stop him from saying anything else.
"It's something else, Tail, not your fault.. Just don't follow me, okay?"She looked into his eyes, and saw the mixed emotions surging through him. She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Wait! What do you mean? Where are you going to go?.." He looked down, knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer. Colette looked back at him and sighed, gently pulling her wrist away. Tail looked at her, kindness, sadness, and confusion all showing in his brown eyes. "Colette.. Do you have to go?.."
Colette started to walk away, "yes," she whispered softly. She kept walking, feeling his eyes burning into her back. Tail watched her solemnly, knowing that nothing was going to change her mind, because he had never once managed to change her mind about anything. What she wanted to do, she did, regardless of how much trouble she'd get in, or how much danger she put herself in.
Colette quickly wiped at her eyes as she walked away, surprised to find her eyes wet. "Okay, maybe that wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.." She looked over her shoulder, but Tail had already gone inside.
Once Colette was at the edge of the forest, she began to jog, keeping an eye and ear out for anything suspicious. She passed the spot where the Siren had nearly killed her, and stopped. The Siren's body was gone, and she saw a path that had been forged through the foliage. She glanced at a patch of dirt , and saw a wolf's paw. Elated, Colette started to jog through the path, confidant that Logan had passed through there.
She glanced around, and made sure her tail wasn't scraping along the ground. She had learned from her previous experience to be on the lookout for anything. Eventually, she heard the gurgling of a creek, and started to move a little faster, making even more noise. "I hope Logan is here.. He's my only chance to survive out here." Colette thought as she emerged in a small clearing.
A twig snapped behind her and before she could turn around, someone wrapped their arm around her neck. Before Colette's attacker could tighten his hold, she tucked her chin in to avoid being choked, but then she felt cold steel press against her side. She started to thrash violently, but unsuccessfully, against the figure. In her struggle, she accidentally lifted her chin, giving the attacker plenty of room to slip his arm in and begin to choke her.
She desperately tried to peel his arm away, but he was just too strong for her. She felt her vision begin to blur with tears, and blackness slowly started to overtake her sight. Just before she passed out, her assailant let her go and took a couple steps back.
She scrambled away, then turned around to see Logan smiling coyly. "Now what do you think would have happened if I was anyone else?"