Evectri flattened his now visible wings before pushing off of the ground and sliding under Laidia before lifting his wings and forcing it to act like a parachute to avoid Kien's attack from the left. Intono and Azotar had both lunged to his original point, which was now empty as he landed softly onto the ground in seconds, at the moment ignoring the searing pain coming from the new and old wounds on his wings.

Laidia was quick to attack once again, flying upwards toward him at a rapidly increasing speed. Evectri flew underneath her again, his underbelly exposed as his wings reached for the air behind him. He focused on her movements and the others as well. In such an unfair fight, he needed to.

Evectri swung his hind legs underneath him so that he could land before evading Kien's quick lunge toward him. At this moment he jumped over Intono's attack, and unsheathed his claws to slash a large gash into Azotar's flank, making the tom yowl with agony as Evectri flew upwards to avoid Laidia as she shot toward him with her quick and agile wings.

Evectri landed on the ground seconds later, finding all four of the Volans attacking once again. With his battle trained mind, he was able to think quickly, as if the Volans in front of him were moving really slow. He let his eyes pick up every movement and every believable attack that could be thrown at him.

Laidia knows more air-fighting than ground level, so I could easily avoid her by going under, but Kien is right there waiting for me to do that. However, if I go upward after evading Laidia's fore claws, I can take her out as well as use my wings to avoid Kien's attack. It'll hurt. A lot. I don't have much of a choice though.

Afterward it seems like Azotar will, unfortunately, be in the air right where I come out. Hmm, since his weakness is using his wings to fight I could try the Trap technique long enough for him to be weakened. Intono seems to know what I'm thinking, so of course he's going to be right behind me right after I do that. Brilliant. Well, I'll have to take the blow, and hopefully get a chance to kick him in the stomach to find an opening.

Once that happens, all I have to do is knock Kien unconscious, which means I'll need to find a weakness. If I remember right, he doesn't find a need to evade, so all I need is a distraction...Hmm, I think I know just the thing. Wonderful.

So Evectri did just as he thought.

He quickly went forward, going under Laidia in a heart-beat. He halted immediately as her shadow covered him, and then reached above him with his wings and flew upward to avoid Kien's long silver claws. A few flowers went into the air as Evectri's back came into contact with Laidia's soft belly, most definitely knocking all the air out of her.

After a small gasp confirming that the sadistic she-cat had been hurt, he forced her to slide off of him, landing with a loud 'thud' on the ground. Evectri forced his broken wing to fly, though it was somewhat crooked. However, he stayed in place, long enough to let Azotar reach him.

Evectri ducked under the brown tom with ease before straightening out and bringing his wings to wrap around Azotar to form the 'Trap technique'. He then began raking his claws down the brown tom's flanks and stomach. After he yowled in agony, Evectri let go, watching as Azotar fell to the ground just like Laidia.

At that moment, Evectri heard Intono coming, forcing him to turn around and face the Volan. Before he could do anything, Intono pushed him to the ground, just like he'd suspected. His head bounced off of the hard earth as his back was pushed into the lush grass by the highly trained...assassin, as some would call it, though Volans didn't usually use that word. Instead they preferred it had no name for one reason or another.

As Evectri planned, he kicked his hind legs into Intono, forcing the tom to bite back the pain, yet still leave an opening that Evectri gladly took. He rolled out from underneath the fast Volan and got to his feet, quickly noticing that Laidia was still catching her breath and Azotar couldn't stand from his wounds. Intono was slightly winded, but Evectri knew he would have to fight the smart Volan a little longer to therefore win the 'battle'.

It was at that moment that Kien lunged, yowling with anger as his silver claws glinted in the sunlight. Evectri evaded the attack before unsheathing his own claws and raking them down Kien's flank. The silver prince smirked before remembering the Volan had wings, and furthermore realized he was full of large openings.

Kien's left wing pushed him over, unbalancing the prince before he straightened himself out enough to be able to stand properly. By this time, however, Evectri noticed that Kien was gone from his original spot, and was now above him, flying gracefully in the air with a wide grin his face.

Then, in just three heart-beats, Evectri felt a large amount of weight push into him, as if a mass amount of wind just gusted past him, inevitably knocking him over. When he caught sight of Laidia's brown fur, he hissed inwardly to himself in frustration, even more so as she pinned him down easily.

"Not bad, little prince, but you're still a little slow with all those wounds on your wings." Laidia slyly said as a wicked grin once again played across her lips. Evectri didn't struggle, knowing full well that the fight was over. Intono and Kien both recovered, along with Azotar. There was no way he could fight now.

His body relaxed completely as Laidia's muscles tensed, ready for the kill which would of course make her boast and gloat for the rest of the day. Evectri looked into the sky, awaiting his final moments. Though part of him wanted to fight for Huntress's sake, the other told him that it didn't matter. He and Huntress were just friends. Close friends. Besides, with all he'd done in his life, accepting death was just like moving on to another life for him.

"Laidia, stand down." came a demanding yet familiar voice. Evectri's eyes narrowed with confusion as his gaze shot over to the new Volan who'd made himself perfectly clear within the sunhigh light. He was a dark brown colour, his eyes a perfect shade of amber to be considered scary by anyone. The strange thing being that those amber eyes were identical to Evectri's.

Laidia growled in frustration as Azotar and Kien gasped, their eyes wide as they also realized who'd just given them orders. Intono remained calm, but his head was dipped with the deepest respect. Just like a truly trained assassin, Evectri thought. Always ready to receive orders, as well as ready to remain composure.

"By who's author—" Ladia stopped as she turned around, her flame-coloured eyes also widening upon the sign of a clearly higher ranked Volan, "i-ity..." Laidia finished with shaky words, fear suddenly creeping into her eyes as all pleasure vanished from her face.

"Prince Tavo, what are you doing here?" asked Kien, who was still recovering from the shock. "I thought you were fighting the battle at the Storm Cats' territory to—" Tavo's tail silenced them, as it had given them the warning signal with ease. Evectri, still looking confused, tried hard to study his brother's reactions.

"The battle was easy to win, seeing as we had many to fight on our side," Tavo explained, his voice calm and smooth as his usual smirk played across his lips. "They've retreated for now, but as always I'm sure they'll come back for more. We have good hunting grounds for today, though, and we shall feed the Mothers." Evectri was now even more confused. Not only was his brother completely aware of what he was doing, which was abnormal for the crowned-prince itself, Tavo also seemed to have a plan, which was unheard of since usually Negro was the one who came up with the battle strategies and other events such as traitor captures and prisoner bonds.

"To answer your first question, Kien, I would like to point out a simple fact. Evectri is my brother and traitor or not, I will always be there for him." Tavo continued to stand there as he finished, his eyes burning into Laidia's eyes as he almost forced her off of Evectri.

"But—your majesty—we are under the strict rules of your father and the rules of the—"

"That doesn't matter," Tavo interrupted Azotar cunningly. "My orders are not breaking the Subir code, Azotar. I am still following the rules. Recall number ten, if you'll be so kind." Azotar looked confused, as if he was mentally questioning the prince as to why he was to recite the rule aloud. Tavo narrowed his eyes, glaring at the Volan with eyes that seemed to pierce his soul. "Say it!"

"If it is a royal member of the King's family, he or she has the desire to veto the punishment and/or penalty of a traitor or prisoner, he or she must hold a Flock Gathering to state his or her reasoning. The Flock must then—'"

"Decide on who's right is stronger and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," said Tavo, interrupting Azotar once again with his normal humour which made Evectri smile. "My point is, I have a say in what happens to Evectri, especially now that I know he's alive. So, as I said before...Laidia, stand down." The last part was more demanding than the others, making Laidia dip her head respectively before reluctantly stepping off of Evectri, who inwardly sighed with relief.

With a bit of effort, Evectri sat up, his wings falling limp beside him as he stared at his brother who'd tore his gaze from Laidia to look at him. They continued to look into each other's eyes, the silence lasting only moments. It was normal, because they were close, even if it wasn't as enough as some other siblings.

"We'll take him back to the island, though by the state of his wings, I'm assuming he can't fly on his own." Tavo gave a small chuckle after that with an amused purr, but eventually turned back toward Intono and Azotar. "Because I don't truthfully trust Kien and Laidia to properly carry out the order, you two are to carry him home. However, if either of you drop Evectri or hurt him, you will get punished." Intono and Azotar both dipped their heads respectively, showing Tavo their loyalty.

"Good," said Tavo proudly. "I will lead the patrol home, Laidia will follow behind me, Intono, Evectri, and Azotar will be behind her, and Kien will be in the back. Everything clear?" Everyone gave a few nods aside from Evectri, who'd forced himself to a standing position now.

Intono came up onto his right while Azotar walked up onto Evectri's left, all while Laidia walked in front of them and Tavo before her. Kien was behind them, readying himself for take-off as everyone looked to the sky, choosing a spot in the sky where they wanted to end up.

"Kreis Operio!" Tavo yowled before jumping into the air, his legs bounding off the ground as his powerful brown wings flapped himself into the air. Laidia followed before Evectri was pulled up into the air, with pain slightly rippling through his body as his feet dangled. Intono and Azotar were obviously doing all the work.

To the cats, they were probably all invisible by now due to the circle of concealment, also known as the 'Kreis Operio'. So basically, to the cats, all they could see was Tavo's flame coloured orb flying through the air, Laidia's orb, which was emerald, Intono's flashy black orb, which was rare, Evectri's icy blue orb—it wasn't rare, but it was uncommon—Azotar's mud brown orb, and Kien's mossy light green orb floating through the air toward the island.

Evectri sighed as he heard a distressed yowl of agony from Huntress, probably mourning as she figured out he was captured. He knew what he was doing was the right thing, but it was also the hardest. After a moon and a half with her, he was still unsure of if he was going to return.

Because now, after a moon and a half after my fatal banishment, I'm going to have to face every single Volan that I once ruled over and hope that Tavo convinces them I'm not a total traitor.

"Why'd you have to be so heavy?" asked Azotar, struggling to keep Evectri up with his wings. The silver prince smirked, his tail flicking with pleasure as both toms seemed irritated with having such a hard time keeping him in the air. Not that Intono was showing it. Like a good little assassin, he wasn't complaining about his order.

"It's not my fault my wings are too injured for me to fly," Evectri answered, noticing that his brother was listening to the whole conversation as they flew across the salty ocean beneath them. "You can blame Laidia for that." Azotar half laughed, have coughed, because he still had to struggle to carry out his orders.

"Just like the old days," Kien said with a small laugh, flying behind them with ease as he watched the three of them with an amused expression. "You would always blame Laidia first, depending on if she really did it to you, and how much it would anger King Negro. I couldn't count how many times you two got into trouble."

"Hey, I can hear you back there, pigeon!" Laidia hissed, though she didn't make any moves to attack the now smirking Volan. "And for your information, it was usually his fault! All he did was start arguments with me so technically, he always started it." Evectri smiled, feeling quite comfortable around his old friends again. It was like every conversation they'd have, the only difference being the fact Evectri was at the moment a prisoner.

"Well, we're home," Kien announced, his gaze upon the island below them. "It seems like the King has already gathered up the flock too, so it'll be easier for you to state your reasoning, Prince Tavo." There was a silence as they flew, the crowned-prince still trying to plan out what he was going to say to their father.

The jungle was, to put it simply, the best hide-out anyone could think of. You'd never know how many Volans were home because of the large palm trees ad jungle-like greenery down below, which gave lots of cover to the weak and wounded, not to mention those who need it.

It was about twice the size of the gathering island, giving them enough room to train, hunt to the best of their ability, play, if you're a kit, and build many hide-outs underground. Evectri remembered many things in the island, most of which he pushed away, especially the last one.

"Hey, Intono!" Azotar hissed over to the highly trained war Volan. "Not so fast! I'm barely keeping him up as it is and if you—" The sentence was ignored by Intono as they dove downward toward the landing streak of green grass that was empty just in case some late Volans were to arrive. Like them.

Azotar quickly lost his grip on Evectri, forcing his heart to race as Intono also had to pull back due to the fact he wasn't strong enough to hold the silver prince on his own. Evectri's eyes widened as he stared at the ground below him that was now rapidly approaching.

He spread his wings out, hoping for them to act as both a balance as well as a parachute. It worked for a while, because though it wasn't exactly straight, he was gliding through the air toward the island, ready to land. However, the pain quickly caught up to him, and though Evectri could easily ignore it, this time he couldn't; especially after he heard a loud CRACK that brought him even more pain.

His wing, now completely broken, instinctively folded to his side to keep itself from working, but that forced the silver prince to spiral out of balance. He rolled through the air now, falling without the ability to land on his paws. His other wing—still trying to get him back into the air—finally folded when he hit the ground.

Evectri was winded after hitting the ground, even more so as he rolled across the cool grassy floor. The silver prince rolled into a palm tree, winded and dizzy after not only rolling for so long, but also from hitting to hard surfaces in only a matter of seconds.

He knew he'd gotten every Volan's attention, for after the 'oof' from when he'd been on the ground, and the yelling from Azotar, no Volan would be able to hold in their curiosity. He could already hear the whispers coming from the high rock, as well as the other four Volans land smoothly upon the ground.

Slowly but steadily, Evectri stood up, ignoring the pain which had now rippled throughout his body, and staring at the faces he knew would attack him if he wasn't careful. So many did he know and find familiar, so many did he find new and interesting, so many did he notice gave the look of hatred and betrayal.

Evectri tried to stand proudly, his face going emotionless under the pressure of everyone staring at him, even his father. With his training kicking in once again, he stood there acting as if he wasn't affected, like Intono and a few others in the crowd he could point out were just like him.

"My son, what is the meaning of this?" asked Negro from the high rock, staring down to Tavo as the brown Volan stood in front of his brother looking stronger than anything in the entire world. Evectri flinched slightly at the sound of his father's voice, having remembered once again the night he was banished. However, he made sure no one would clearly be able to see the gesture of fear.

"Father, Intono and his patrol found the traitor you banished a moon and a half ago," Tavo told Negro, standing proudly as a prince should. "And he's alive, just as you can see. I've brought him back, because now that I know he's alive, I want to know that you're not going to hurt him." Evectri's eyes narrowed with confusion as he looked at his brother. The silver prince knew that Tavo realized what he was doing, but the fact that his brother was still going along with it scared him. Did Tavo even remember that arguing with his father was how Evectri nearly died in the first place?

"How can you protect that traitor?" spat a Volan nearby. "He stood up against everything we stand for! He deserves to die, for defying our King at least!" Tavo growled, baring his teeth as he glared down the Volan who'd said that, his tail flicking with anger.

"He was given his punishment a moon and a half ago, and therefore should now be allowed to live," Tavo growled, his eyes narrowed as the Volan shrunk back into the crowd. "He was fatally wounded, and that's all that counts." Another Volan in the clearing laughed.

"The Code clearly states one must die after committing the crimes our previous prince put forth," the Volan hissed, looking hostile as his fur bristled. "It is only fair that these rules be followed, and unless you want to break the Code as well, I'd suggest you stand down." Tavo looked over to the Volan, becoming quiet for a few seconds.

"You, weak one, have no right to tell me what to do," said Tavo coldly. "Furthermore, going back to the original topic, I would like to point on the Code says nothing about what happens afterword, thus a dead Volan was to suddenly appear alive. On that note, my brother should be allowed to live." Negro growled then, getting everyone's attention. The bat-like leader looked down upon his two sons, obviously unhappy.

"I gave direct orders to everyone that should they find Evectri alive, he should be killed." Negro pointed out, sitting as his tail flicked with irritation that could not be found in his flawless expression. "By law he should be dead, no matter his relations or his royal blood." Tavo stood taller as his father silently challenged him.

"It's not his fault that the execution failed." Tavo growled, making Evectri's eyes widen. This was going too far—with saying that sentence, Tavo was basically calling his father weak, which would then make Negro angry, and then lead to another crime. "Besides, rule number ten states that what I'm doing right now is something that can be done."

"Yes, but under smaller circumstances," Negro growled. "He was supposed to die."

"But he didn't, due to your stupidity." Tavo countered, his eyes narrowed.

"Shut your mouth, Tavo, or would you like the same fate?" Negro hissed, his tail lashing at this point. "No one here could have guessed that Evectri could live through that wound."

"Wrong!" Tavo told his father. "Everyone but you could have guessed that Evectri was strong enough to withstand the pain from that wound and persevere through it, allowing him to not only heal himself, but to keep himself alive for one-and-a-half moons. If you had been smarter, you would have realized this." Negro was quiet for a few moments, weary about what exactly Tavo was implying.

"Look, what I'm trying to tell everyone is that it must be some sort of sign that Evectri is alive," Tavo told everyone, turning to face the gathered Volans of the Subir Flock. "Any being would have died with that wound, so with that, shouldn't he be allowed to live? He was given a fatal wound that was supposed to kill him, and no matter how he did it, Evectri survived. Also, don't forget how loyal he previously was, and how strong and powerful he was. Remember how much he helped us? For that, he deserves to live." There were whispers now, everyone talking about what they thought should happen to the exiled prince. Even Negro was thinking about it.

"My son, have you made your point?" asked Negro, sitting tall on the high rock again. Tavo nodded, smirking as he noticed how many cats were now on his side. "Then by law, I must ask the rest of you, excluding Prince Tavo, Evectri, and I, of how you think Evectri should be handled. All those in favour of his execution, move right. All those in favour of freeing him of all charges, move to the left."

It was at that moment that shuffling across the grass could be heard, each group moving toward their sides. Evectri watched as a seemingly equal amount of Volans went to each side, making his heart race. He wouldn't be able to fly away this time—not with his wings this damaged. If he was to be executed, he was surely going to die.

Finally, the shuffling stopped, leaving Evectri to quickly count the heads for both sides. Twenty-five...twenty-six...twenty-seven. That's half the flock right there for my execution. Brilliant. Now I've got to start thinking...I guess I could swim, but even then that would be difficult. Flying is faster than swimming ever was.

However, those thoughts went away as Evectri counted the other half. Twenty-five...twenty-six...twenty-seven...That's it? It's...It's a tie? What happens now. But only seconds later did he realize the small trainee in the section he just counted, standing tall with pride in her eyes. Wait, does this mean...?

"The decision has been made!" Negro announced, his voice demanding just as a leaders' should. "Evectri, my son and Prince of this flock, will be allowed to return to our family free of all crimes! He will be allowed to stay, and no one is allowed to disturb him. With that, I—"

"No." Evectri interrupted his father, forcing every pair of eyes to land on him. It was quiet for a few minutes, even as Tavo's fiery eyes stared at him with wide eyes, and Negro looked as if he were about to explode with anger and irritation.

"Excuse me?" asked Negro, in his royal demanding voice. Evectri's amber eyes looked straight into his father's, forcing the fear to the back of his mind as he stood up once again to his father. "What gives you the right to interrupt me after what has happened today?"

"I have no right, and I realize it, but as I told you a moon and a half ago, I will not follow your orders any longer," the silver prince told the bat-like king. "I am not your puppet, or anyone else's, and I am sure as heck not going to fight cats for the simple reason of 'they attacked us first'. I stand by what I said so long ago, and I won't let that go."

"Then why didn't you accept death?" asked Negro, his fur bristling. "You cannot leave here—that is against the code that was given to our ancestors, and that is the one rule that cannot be broken. If you do not live here, you will go against everything we are." Evectri nodded.

"I know that, which is why I will agree to only stay on the outskirts of the Cats of the Storms territory. If you or your Volans see me or scent me elsewhere, I will admit to death easily." There was quietness as Evectri finished; each of them probably wondering if that would be against the rules or with them.

"How exactly would that help your situation?" asked a nearby Volan.

"Rule number one of the Subir Flock clearly states that beings who know nothing of us cannot find out, all that excluding the Cats of the Storms since they already knew and were, at the time, allies." Evectri explained. "If I simply stay near a stretch of land by the Cats of the Storms, letting no other cat or other being see me, I am not breaking any rules."

"If the Cats of the Storms see you, they would hunt you down and kill you," Tavo growled in a tone of complete warning. "That is, unless, you choose to always cover your wings with Kreis Operio which is near impossible." Evectri shook his head, surprising most of the Volans.

"No, Prince Tavo, it's not," Evectri told him, uncomfortably choosing to use formalities because he was, at the moment, lower than his brother, and it was only polite. "I've been able to master it with the time I've been gone, and it comes in handy when running into Storm cat patrols."

"Ridiculous! An eight moon old trainee can't even achieve the ability let alone master it!" Laidia hissed. "You must be lying." Evectri's gaze shot over to her, his eyes narrowed as his cold side came back to him.

"That doesn't exactly apply to me, now, does it?" asked Evectri icily. "I achieved the ability at five moons old, and even before that, I was able to use it to completely cover my body, and that was without any royal training. And how could you say anything against it? Until you pierced them purposely you couldn't see my wings at all, could you, Laidia?" There was silence afterword, for most were too shocked of how accomplished Evectri had become to say anything, while Negro was too frustrated.

"Intono, is what Evectri said true?" asked Negro, looking to the trained Volan who still sat proudly with an emotionless slightly cold expression near Kien. "Was Evectri able to fight with his wings under the Kreis Operio?" With a swift nod, Intono answered.

"Yes, your majesty, it is true," Intono answered. "Evectri was able to keep his wings a secret until Laidia forced pain to break through the defense. Very well done, I must say." Negro nodded afterwards, seeming to accept the answer with honour, even though the king still looked agitated.

"Then he has proven himself worthy of taking care of himself," Negro told the flock, his amber eyes narrowed with thought and concentration. "He may leave when he wishes, and return when he pleases. I would suggest that he stay here for the time being, for that landing wasn't the best in the world, was it?" With those words, the flock was dismissed, and Negro jumped off of the high rock and walked into his cavern den.

Evectri sighed with relief, smiling slightly at the joy of finally having trust again in the flock. With his absence, he noticed that they forgot how 'special' he was, and how well trained he'd become. They forgot how much he'd learned in such a small time, and why Negro picked him within the litter to be secretly trained.

It was at that moment that Evectri noticed a white flash of fur before being nearly knocked down by a small yet strong amount of weight. At first he thought he was being attacked, but in moments he recognized the sweet scent coming off of his sister's fur.

"Evectri!" Cura said happily. "I was so worried about you! I thought for sure you were dead! How did you survive? Did you use those herbs I told you about? Did you find someone to take care of you? My word, look at those wounds! Did you even attempt to heal your wings?" Evectri smiled, standing up after being knocked over.

"Cura, it's good to see you again," Evectri told her calmly. "I know how much you want to heal me, but I need to speak with Laidia, Kien, and Azotar, so could you hold back the urge for a few moments?" Cura's blue eyes made her frown, as if she was disappointed, but then she sighed.

"Fine, but be quick! Those wings will get infected if you're not careful." Cura finished with a smile, the kindness in her heart perfectly shining at that moment. Evectri nodded before giving her a happy smile, showing her that he was grateful.

After this, he turned around, and made his way toward the three Volans who were already talking to each other, no doubt whispering about the very thing he was going to warn them about. Evectri stopped when he got behind Laidia, listening intently to the conversation as the others ignored him, probably having no idea he was even there. I must be really quiet, Evectri thought.

"...and then Negro will have to get rid of him!" Laidia was whispering, looking very excited and happy in a sick, cold, and sadistic way that made Evectri scowl. The others, however, didn't seem to agree with her.

"Laidia, isn't that a bit much?" asked Azotar, tilting his head to the side. He looked rather concerned, which was characteristic of him. "If you reveal this secret to King Negro, we'll be sending Evectri to his second deathbed. Do you really hate him that much?" Laidia looked confused, as if wondering why Azotar was asking those questions.

"Yeah, Laida," Kien said, interrupting the short silence. "He may have defeated you in that challenge a few moons ago, but that doesn't give you the right to decide whether or not he should die. He's our kit-hood friend after all." Laidia, narrowing her eyes, growled.

"You and I both know that Evectri is no longer the well-trained master genius we once knew him as," Laidia growled darkly, her tail twitching with annoyance. "He is weak, even more so now that he's befriended the princess. He is no longer our friend—he is our enemy. He deserves to die." Evectri's emotions lay calm as Laidia spoke about him, completely understanding the reasoning behind the accusation.

"Laidia, four moons ago there is no way I could have imagined you saying this about him!" Kien spoke up, his whispering growing louder and louder. "You and Evectri were practically declared mates, and now you want to leak important yet deadly information to his father, who already hates him, just so that you can get back at him for what he did? This is just pure murder; I don't care if he was a traitor." Laidia looked to her paws, a small tear glittering down her brown cheek.

"That was a long time ago..." Laidia murmured, trying to hide her sorrow. After composing herself in just a few moments, she looked up with a determined look in her eye. "I am not as naive as I was then, and Evectri isn't the same. Besides, this is classified information that could save everyone, especially if Evectri is choosing to side with them."

"Are you saying that you believe I no longer have common sense?" asked Evectri, finally deciding to get their attention, alerting them that he was there. "If I side with the Storm cats, I would just get wrapped into another web of power, war, and then I'd probably become their weapon, something I've already witnessed, and don't ever want to again." the other Volans were too busy trying hard to hide their shock to realize what he'd just said, though Laidia seemed to be quick about it, using her anger to block her fear and therefore focus on the conversation in front of her.

"War is all we've ever known, and power is all you've had," Laidia hissed, her fur bristling. "Why then of all times did it bother you enough to defy all we stand for? Why then, of all times, did it bother you enough to challenge me? And why then, of all times, did it bother you enough to leave? Do you know how much pain you caused us? You father, for having to execute, your sister and brother, for losing a brother, and me...for having just lost a battle with my love...Why? You could have just ignored everything!" Angry tears filled the brown and white Volan's eyes, but Evectri wasn't showing a single sign of sorrow. Instead, his cold expression had returned, forcing Laidia to hiss angrily.

There was a moment of silence in which Evectri noticed that the eyes of Kien, Azotar, Laidia, and even Intono from the distant shadows were on him. He could see their reaction to what was just said, and knew instantly that they all wanted to know. Evectri had not truthfully explained the situation, forcing him to sigh.

"Laidia, the fact that war and power rules this world is the same reason I left," Evectri told her, his eyes looking deep within her as she gave the look of horror. "I was only a puppet, listening to my father's every command. I knew what I was risking, and I knew how much pain you and the others would be in, but I couldn't stand it. I didn't want to be Negro's assassin, and I didn't want to be a cold-hearted killer. I wanted to be me again."

Laidia's tears did not stop, but after a few moments of shocked silence, she sat up, her tail covering her paws as she looked downward at them, hiding her sorrow as if thinking it was honourable. She was quiet, as if ignoring everyone else to just get a hold of herself. Just like the proud Volan she is, Evectri thought with an inward smile.

"Now let me make myself clear about the issue of The Lone Huntress," Evectri started, turning to the other two, excluding Intono because the silver prince was quite certain the trained Volan wouldn't say anything about the princess to Negro. "I am not in love with her, we're just friends, and to repay the debt I owe her for saving my life, I will be meeting up with her regularly, because at the moment she honestly needs me."

"If I hear that any of you leaked this information to my father, I will personally come back to this island and assassinate you, and I won't be hesitant," Evectri warned, his eyes bringing back the coldness within him. "I will do it slowly, painfully, and quietly, because this information is none of your business, and for your sake, it shouldn't be meddled with." Evectri knew that they would take the threat seriously, because honestly, he'd done it before.

After a short silence, he continued, "Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go and see Cura." Evectri turned to walk over to his sisters den, but stopped when he saw Laidia once again, he stared at her, guilt clawing at his already broken wings as he watched her.

Finally, after a few minutes, Evectri walked up to her side, leaning over as his breath wondered by her ear, startling her even though she didn't show it.

"You may not be my love anymore, but you're still the only one who's broken through my barrier." Evectri whispered, listening to her gasp as he walked away, ignoring her shocked stares as he smiled.

Sorry, Huntress, but it's true. He thought.