Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii~! I'm back from my NaNo-induced coma! And on the first day of December, too! I am so good. XD

I managed to get to 50K with about two weeks to spare this time, which was pretty good considering all the work I've been loaded down with. As we type, I have three exams and thirty pages of script to do, but I put it all off so I could update. Wasn't that sweet of me? XD

Also, what the heck was I thinking, making the last chapter about Lightfoot? You guys should have declared me properly insane after that but I guess I haven't scared all of you off yet. Here's hoping I NEVER do that again, 'kay?

Anyway. I don't wanna do review replies tonight because I'm tired and my bed calls to me, so...yeah. Sorry. ^w^

And onto the story~

For the first time in longer than Twist could remember, there was no snow on the ground. The grass, yellowed still, stretched out in front of her like a pale patchy pelt, interspaced with blank pockets of soft, warm dirt. She stretched out on one of these spaces, her shoulder digging into the dirt. It felt good against her fur as she wiggled around, tail curling in pleasure.

Without opening her eyes, she said, "Isn't this great?"

Declan hummed in response. She turned her head slightly to the side to see him watching her, green eyes soft as ever. "I'd find it much less enjoyable if not for the company," he said.

Twist whapped him playfully with her forepaw. This was the first time they'd been alone—truly alone—in so long. Ever since Hazel was born, they'd had to watch over her. The little kit was getting much more adventurous, trying to escape her mother's grasp and venture out into the Warren. It was dangerous for one so small. And despite her loud mews for attention or milk, she still wasn't very talkative.

"That will come later," Amber had said two mornings ago, soothing Hazel's cries with a soft brush of her forepaw. She had frowned. "She seems to be feverish again, Audrey. Haven't you been keeping her warm?"

"Of course!" Audrey had sounded affronted. She had curled Hazel closer to her chest, licking the kit's head vigorously. "She is, after all, my only kit."

Twist didn't want to be suspicious of Audrey but she couldn't help it—it was in her nature as a mountain cat to suspect everybody. She wondered if Audrey had been sneaking out at night or something, something that would keep her away from Hazel during the coldest times of night. Despite the ever-present breath of the green-season, the nights remained locked in the teeth of ice and cutting wind.

Declan rolled onto his belly, pushing his forepaws and hindpaws away from him. He yawned impressively wide, his tongue curling. Then he slumped forward, as if this singularly lazy act had tired him. "Hazel's cough was worse today?"

"Worse than two days ago." Twist sighed. They hadn't seen the little scrap in that long and Twist was beginning to miss her. It brightened her day to see the wriggling ball of fur, no matter how annoyingly cute she got or how clingy she was for attention. It seemed to be the kit's way of showing affection, Twist thought.

"Amber will take good care of her." Declan butted Twist's shoulder affectionately, leaving his cheek pressed against her fur for a few moments longer than necessary. "She gave her honey a few days ago."

Twist leaned down to rest her muzzle between Declan's pointed ears, relaxing into the scent of his fur. "I know. But I'm still worried."

Declan snorted. "You're more worried than her mother is."

Twist looked away sourly. I know, she thought. That's the problem.

She didn't say it out loud, not because she didn't trust Declan—he'd done more than prove he was loyal only to her, keeping a wide distance away from the pale-furred she-fox Dahlia—but because she didn't want the words out of her head. She didn't want to feel the finality of them spoken aloud. And so she remained silent, keeping the suspicion buzzing like bees in her skull.

The sun sank behind a cloud, sending a cold draft of shadow across the ground at Twist's paws. In it, she could see the waving outline of leaves dancing back and forth. Her eyes froze on it, following the movement with enraptured eyes.

Subtly, Declan rolled over a little more, stretching his forepaws out to cover the shadows. He looked up at her, eyes wide like a bird's. "I was thinking," he said slowly.

Thankful for the distracting from her old phobia, Twist said, laughing, "Oh, that's never good."

He frowned, one ear twitching. "About…kits."

"Oh?" Twist crossed her paws in front of her. "What about them?"

Now it was Declan's turn to look away. He looked almost embarrassed, his whiskers bristling, his tongue darting out to lick his lips more than once. "I mean…they're cute, right? Hazel is really cute."

"She is," Twist agreed slowly. A sort of trickling numbness was entering her chest. What was Declan talking about?

"So I was thinking," he said again, fumbling now with a bit of old twig on the ground. It snapped between his paws as he tried to stand it upright. "Wouldn't it be nice to, you know…have some of our own?"

Twist blinked. "Have kits?"

"You hadn't thought about it?" Even though he didn't look at her, Twist could tell he was disappointed. His voice sounded a bit more hopeful as he added, "I don't mean now. But I mean…in the future. Wouldn't you like to have a family?"

"With you?" Twist asked, still reeling.

Declan huffed. "No, with a badger. Yes, I mean with me! I mean, I would hope you wouldn't consider any other tom for kit-having. That would be a really bad blow to my pride, I have to admit." His eyes peeked up at her from beneath his eyelashes. "Say something, please. I'm dying over here."

"Uh…" Twist blinked again, still stunned.

Kits? She loved them, it was true, but to have some herself? She had to admit that the idea had never occurred to her. Of course she loved Declan—so much that it frightened and elated her every time she thought about it—but to have kits with him? The idea ensnared her, though she still felt a pang of uneasiness deep in her belly.

"Is it a bad idea? It's a bad idea, isn't it?" He sighed, dropping his chin onto the ground, his paws splayed half-upwards at his side. "Sorry."

"N-no," Twist said. "It's not…a bad idea."

Declan looked up, hopeful. "No?"

"No." Then she hesitated. "But…I don't know if I'm ready to start a family. It's not that I don't love you—"

"I didn't think that," Declan said, now looking surprised. He raised his head, his eyes sparkling like usual. "I don't ever think that. There are some things that I never have to worry about."

Twist felt a rush of fierce affection for him. Reaching out with a forepaw, she said, "We're still young. Let's just…wait and see, okay? I don't want to rush into anything."

Declan ducked his head shyly. "I didn't know how to bring it up to you so I figured I'd just say it. Is that okay?"

Twist purred. Reaching across to touch her nose to his, she said, "It's perfect."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in camp, many Sliders were gathered, pacing back and forth, neck fur fluffed up. Twist and Declan stopped at the front gate, passing by Iggy.

"What's going on?" Declan called to him.

The scruffy old tom came stalking over. He looked mad as the rest of him, his eyes sharp and cutting as ice. "Lucky has just declared that our entire round of prey is to go to the Claws. He won't even listen to anybody."

Declan and Twist shared an uneasy glance. Then Twist asked, "Why can't we allow the Claws to hunt on our land? They can catch their own food."

Iggy stared at her with sour eyes. "And what? So they can go out and find their allies? Who knows, maybe they're even in league with the murderer. I wouldn't put it past Sorrow. She's a nightmare wrapped up in a pretty package." He stalked away back to where Kent and Gravel were standing, grim-faced.

Twist glanced over at Declan. "What do you think happened now? The Claws haven't ever been allowed to hunt on our land since they've been here."

Declan, still watching Iggy, shook his head. "I don't know. I think we need to go talk to Lucky."

Lucky's den was blocked by both Max and Marco. The two young toms had grown well in the past few moons, their chests deepening and their muscles growing stronger. Max was nearly the same size as his best friend now, his white pelt smooth and unbroken as fresh-fallen snow. It had even grown back in around his face, covering up most of the damage the Claws had dealt him. All that was left of his ears poked above the soft fur, the ridges of skin looking like cracks in the mountain's side.

Marco, a shadow to Max's overwhelming whiteness, straightened as they approached. The black spots around his eyes made the color look very green, almost as green as Declan's. "No one passes," he said gruffly, raising his chin. "Lucky's orders."

"Who's in there with him now?" Twist asked. "Speak, runt."

Marco looked affronted, puffing up like a blue jay, but Max put in, "Viktor and Kite."

Marco turned on him. "Shh! We're not supposed to tell them that!"

Max's eyes went wide. "We can't tell them they're talking about the Claws, either?"

"Shut up, moron!"

Declan's whiskers were twitching. "So now that we know who's not in there and what they're not talking about, can you just tell Lucky we have a question for him?"

Max looked hesitant, as did Marco. "Our orders didn't say anything like that," Marco said slowly.

"Who's out there? That sounds like Declan." Viktor's huge form appeared from the gloom inside the tunnel to Lucky's den. His eye alighted on them, his gaze brightening. "Oh, good. Perhaps you can work some sense into Lucky. Let them in."

Marco didn't move. "Lucky said—"

"Let them in," Viktor said again. His voice was a stiff growl, leaving no room for argument.

Marco seemed to understand this. Swallowing hard, he stepped aside, watching Declan and Twist enter the den with hungry, suspicious eyes.

Inside, Lucky was pacing. He glanced up as they slid into the den, taking up positions next to Kite. "Oh, good," he said dryly. "I was wondering who they would bring in next to scold me. I had betted on Flint next but I suppose he is too busy seeing to our youngest member."

"Is something wrong with Hazel?" Twist asked sharply.

Lucky shook his head. "That is talk for another time. Right now, I assume you are here to demand an explanation from me. Do you not wish to know why it is that I do not allow the Claws to hunt here? Or why it is that I allow them to eat all our prey without working at all, despite the fact that goes against everything I have shown before? Do you now wish for me to explain myself completely, pouring myself and my blood over these stones until they run red?" He lashed his claws out, scoring a quartet of lines through the pale stone; judging by the other clawmarks, this was not the first time he'd done that.

Declan and Twist shared an uneasy look.

Lucky caught that. His black eyes softened, but only barely. "I am sorry. I do not mean to be cross with you. Not you two of all cats. I must admit—and this might come off as 'mushy' as Viktor puts it—but I do trust you two completely. You know better than I the horror that the Claws enforced over their captives. I understand that horror still continues, does it not, Declan?"

Declan stiffened next to Twist. "Sometimes," he said through unmoving lips. "Sometimes I wake up and still think I'm there. It's hard but I can manage it."

Twist narrowed her eyes, not wanting to listen to the suspicious voices whispering in her mind. She trusted Declan. That was it. Nothing more was needed.

Lucky nodded. "I am truly sorry that I did not act sooner to release you two from their captivity. I regret it every time I look at the pair of you." He put his head to the side, blinking quickly. "It makes me wonder if love is truly born out of mutual affection or if it is pressured by circumstances. Do you think you would still have fallen in love with each other if you had never been captured by the Claws?"

"Yes," Declan said immediately, before Twist could have even opened her mouth. "Absolutely."

Lucky turned to Twist and she felt that familiar dull pang in her belly that she'd come to identify as embarrassment. "Yes," she said softly. Declan leaned into her shoulder, purring so softly only she could hear him. "But I don't understand what that has to do with anything," she went on sharply, more businesslike.

Lucky chuckled. "Just my own musing, I am afraid. I just wanted to change the subject but it appears that is impossible."

"You can't keep dodging answers, Lucky," Kite said, speaking up for the first time. Her voice didn't tremble and her eyes didn't move from Lucky's face. Twist had always admired her, the soft she-cat who was not so soft when it mattered. She was the perfect match for Viktor.

Lucky sighed heavily, sitting down on the ground. His tail flipped back and forth for a moment as he thought. "I know," he said softly. "But I wish that I could. I do not wish to admit the darkest most secret parts of my heart to others. My mother—I mean, Wisp—taught me to guard myself at all costs. It pains me to have to speak of my own personal state of mind. I am sorry."

"That's not an answer, Lucky," Viktor said gruffly.

For a long moment, Lucky didn't answer. Then he bowed his head forward, his eyes falling shut. In the beautiful half-light of the dawning green-season, his fur was slicked with a bright golden halo, making him seem less of the cat half in shadow Twist had always thought he was and more like one of sunlight.

"I am afraid," he whispered, sounding utterly broken, his eyes searching the ground in front of him as if looking for answers in the sand. "I am afraid that I am leading the Sliders to ruin. I am afraid because they might turn to hate me. I am afraid because I can no longer tell the difference between right and wrong. Is it wrong to wish the Sliders would get along with the Claws? Is it wrong that I think this despite the fact that I cannot forgive the Claws for what they did to me and my friends? I can no longer tell the difference. I wish that someone else would take over this job. I do not want to be the leader anymore. Not if I am hated and rejected like this."

Twist could only gape at him. She couldn't even find any words, not a single one, to say to Lucky.

Viktor found his voice first. "Don't be a moron," he snarled. "You're the only one who can lead the Sliders. You're our leader, Lucky. No one else."

Lucky glanced up at him sidelong, his eyes half-lidded. "You wanted to be the leader once, Viktor," he said in a low voice. "You fought me for it. The first fight I had ever participated in. I lost, do you remember? You won the title of the leader. You wanted to be the leader. Do you not hold similar sentiments now?"

Viktor stood his ground. "No. I won't take over the Sliders. Not now, not ever. You're not going to back me into a corner like this."

Lucky straightened a bit more even though his voice didn't change. "I do not wish to pressure you."

"What a lie." Now Kite came to her mate's defense. She curled her tail around him, dwarfed by his massive size. "You're trying to force this stress onto someone else instead of dealing with it directly. Just face it, Lucky: things have gotten tough. No one expects you to be perfect. Every leader has problems with his group. It's the ones that stick around when it gets hard that prove themselves to be the best leaders."

He stared at her for a moment longer before dropping his eyes to the ground again, chuckling once. "As usual, you are correct, Kite. I wonder why it is that I never request your advice often. Surely it is the best type of advice in the Sliders."

"Is it," Viktor said.

Twist smirked a bit at that before she could help herself. Just like big tough Viktor to come to his mate's defense, just like Kite had for him moments before.

"Then what shall I do?" Lucky asked. "Shall I ask the Claws to leave us? After all, if they are being tracked by the killer, his attention will be drawn to their current location. I refuse to allow any other Sliders die on my watch."

Twist felt more heartened as he spoke. He was sounding more like his old self, not that curled self-doubting Lucky he'd showed them. It was so easy to see the strength in his dark eyes when he was being protective over his cats.

"That decision is yours," Viktor said. "We'll stand with you whatever you choose. You know that."

"That's right," Twist said. "The others will come around to it. Don't worry about them for now. They'll follow you to the end of the world if you asked them to. After the battle with the Claws, you've won their loyalty."

"Perhaps," Lucky mused. "But perhaps there are ones who would rather lead."

"I don't know of any of those," Declan said honestly.

Watching Declan for a moment longer, Lucky hummed noncommittally. "Okay. I have made my decision. You all can go back to whatever you were doing before you decided I needed this…intervention."

Twist snorted, seeing Kite and Viktor having the same reaction. Declan, however, remained solidly in place, not even twitching his whiskers. His face was oddly stiff, as if he'd been scared by something. But then the next moment, he snapped out of it, turning his eyes to hers, the warmth in them the same as ever.

Twist shook her head.

A cat came flying into the den like a flash of golden fire. It took Twist a moment to realize it was Kaltag, running past them and leaping down into the mouth of the den as if he was racing for his life.

Declan and Twist shared one startled look before turning to follow him back in, feeling Max and Marco at her heels.

"—leapt on top of Sorrow and managed to dig out a line of her fur," Kaltag was saying, his breath uneven and shallow. He swallowed, heaving for air for a moment, before continuing. "We managed to capture him before he escaped and now we have him pinned. Do you want to talk to him?"

Lucky's fur was up in a line from his neck to his tail, his eyes sparking with anger. His voice was cool and controlled as he said, "Yes, that would be nice. If you would accompany me, Viktor, Kite?" Then he swooped around like a hawk and took off up the entrance, leaving everyone to follow him.

At first, Twist didn't even notice the ball of bloodied fur trapped beneath River's huge paws. Her eyes were drawn to Sorrow, who was yowling and spitting curses, leaping around in a circle and swearing her vengeance upon whoever had hurt her. Twist started back with a jolt of fear at the words coming out of her mouth.

"Peace, Sorrow." Lucky's voice was soft but commanding. "You will burn the ears of those younger than you."

Sorrow halted, her fur still up. A trickle of blood ran from her throat into the soft white fur of her chest, sopping up into the silky strands of hair. "Lucky," she said through gritted teeth. "Explain this." She jerked her tail towards River again, to that pile of fur, which Twist now understood was the cat who had attacked.

"River, let him up," Lucky said, striding closer. To the enemy, he said, "If you try to run, I will let Sorrow chase you. She will chase you. She will catch you. And you will be very, very sorry."

The cat hissed viciously, wordless in his fury.

River moved back and the cat sprang to his paws, holding a front one up to his chest. He had a splashed ginger-and-white pelt, with orange paws and a large spot over one eye. His eyes were yellow, hard like flint, and completely and solidly cold, as if carved from golden ice.

"Your name?" Lucky prompted.

"What does it matter?" the cat muttered, fur bristling. "I'm not going to get a fair trial for anything. No one will believe my story."

"That depends on how well you tell it," Lucky said.

By now, the entirety of the Sliders and Claws had gathered, forming a loose semicircle around the tom. Twist held back, feeling Vivian come up beside her, Declan on her other side. Directly across from her was Dahlia, staring at the tom with open shock, as if she'd never seen anything like him before in her life. Twist felt the familiar gut-twisting surge of hatred at the sight of the she-cat, something she was sure would never fade or weaken in intensity.

The tom huffed wildly, nearly unbalancing himself. "I know about you," he said darkly. "You foul, loathsome beasts. You're nothing like cats at all. You're all monsters inside, hiding behind innocent faces and words. I despise you. I wish you all dead."

Lucky's eyes widened. "Well, if you were going for sympathy, I am afraid that is not the best strategy."

"Not you," the tom spat. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to them!" He lashed out with a forepaw in the direction of the Claws, vicious hatred in every line of his body. "The ones with eyes that don't match. They're just as off as their spirits. They're all bloodthirsty savages who only have cat bodies. Inside, they're just dark-hearted monsters who'll go after anyone who crosses them."

Twist gaped. Marked cats? Those are the ones he fears?

"And not just them," the cat went on, as if reading Twist's thoughts. "It's her, too. That one. The one I nearly got. The one I wish I had." His eyes latched onto Sorrow with a hungry sort of loathing.

Sorrow drew her lips back from her teeth, hissing furiously. "You pathetic little worm," she snarled. "You think you could have killed me in a fair fight?"

"I wasn't intending on making it fair," the tom said coldly, "as your kind don't usually make your fights fair, do you?"

That silenced Sorrow. She just glared at him, half-twisted away from him. Sparrow at her side was watching the tom with open hatred.

Lucky said, "So you are the one who has been killing my cats? All for this strange obsession with eye color?" Twist could tell he was nervous—his legs were shaking—but he hid it well. It must have had a lot of practice, she thought, with a mentor like Wisp.

The tom smirked; the gesture drew up one lip more than the other, exposing a chipped fang. "If only. This was my first mission. I was aiming to kill the silver she-cat with one eye. Those were my orders."

"Given by whom?" Lucky asked politely.

The tom laughed once, hard. "I think I've said enough. I won't speak again—not to you, not to anyone. There's more to come—many, many more than me. And they'll all be after you split-eyed monsters. They know that you live here now and they won't rest until every single one of you is dead. This is the last time I will speak. You might as well kill me. You can kill me but you won't kill what's driving me."

"Unfortunately for you, that will be the case if you do not contribute anymore," Lucky said, surprising Twist.

He must be bluffing. As much as she understood Lucky's fear of this cat, there was no way he'd allow the tom to be killed. It just wasn't the Slider way.

Almost without thinking about it, Twist searched out Lightfoot in the crowd. The black-and-white she-cat was predictably close to the front, watching with greedy eyes. Twist knew she would agree to be the executioner without a second thought.

The tom remained standing, watching Lucky.

Lucky waited for a moment. "You really will not speak again?"

The tom lifted his chin arrogantly.

Lucky sighed heavily. "Very well. River, Kent, take him to the back corner of the Warren and prepare a den for him. He shall receive no food or water for two days. Give him no bedding and make sure his den faces the mountain wind. I want a guard posted on him at all times—switch it three times daily, and make sure to have loud conversations at all times. Do not let him sleep." Lucky narrowed his eyes to black slits. "If he will not speak, I will make him." Then he turned and strode away.

River and Kent obeyed him immediately, seizing the tom by either shoulder. The tom spit and hissed but did not speak, as he'd promised. They dragged him away, through the channel of parted cats, until the sounds of the tom's struggles faded into the distance.

Twist watched them go, a cold boiling hatred in her stomach. So the murders were all connected after all, she thought. First Bronze, then Jaybird, then the Claws… Whoever this tom is working for is systematically killing every cat with marked eyes.

She felt a burst of fear for the Sliders that had marked eyes. Kaltag, Declan's friend, came first to her mind. He was a sweet young tom, breaking his back to prove himself to Lucky. But he could just as easily be targeted just for having the wrong eye color. It was sickening.

Declan whispered, "How could this be happening? We have a group of new rogues in the forest watching us?"

Twist shook her head. "I don't know. It's so confusing. I don't know what to think about this except that I want these cats found before they can hurt anyone."

Declan let out a distressed sound. "But what about hunting now? Wait," he said suddenly, his eyes widening. "Do you think Lucky knew about this?"

Twist turned to face him. "What?"

"About the cat killing marked cats. I mean, he hasn't had the Claws out hunting since they've been here. I've always thought that was kind of weird but what if he had a reason for it? What if this is the reason?"

Twist didn't know what to think about that either. Sighing heavily and dropping to her hindquarters, she said, "I don't know. I wouldn't put it past him but he should have talked to someone about it. If not us, then someone."

"Maybe he has," Declan suggested. "After all, he can't only confide in one cat. Usually that cat seems to be Viktor but what if it's someone else?"

"Flint?"

"I don't know. Maybe." One ear dropped to the side. "Do you think we could ask him about it?"

"I don't know. Wouldn't that be weird?" Twist couldn't imagine having a normal conversation with Flint, not anymore. While he'd always been flighty and nervous, he'd been pushing that all behind a cold mask recently, even more as of late. She couldn't tell what he was thinking ever, not even when he was talking about something benign like the weather or Hazel's growth.

Declan let out a long breath. "I don't know. I guess Lucky will tell us eventually, right?" Then he pressed his muzzle to her cheek. "We'll be safe. We're not marked. I know that sounds horrible and selfish or something but it's true. I couldn't bear to think of you getting hurt."

"You won't have to worry about that," Twist said, very businesslike still, her thoughts on Flint and marked eyes and Lucky. "I think we should go see Audrey, though. She might not know what's going on. And…marked cats are more important to her," she added softly.

Declan let out an unhappy sound, his head sinking below his shoulders. "I don't want to worry her. She already seems very distant lately. I wonder if it's because of Hazel getting older or something else. I'm afraid for her."

"The only way to know what's up with her is to ask," Twist said briskly. "Come on, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The entrance to the healing den was blocked by several cats, all pressing in for a look. Twist, confused as their sudden gathering, assumed they were discussing the latest development with their new prisoner.

But as she and Declan approached, they fell silent, turning to stare.

"Is…is there a problem?" Twist wanted to sound nonchalant but their singular intensity made it difficult.

Lightfoot, who was among the crowd, slid out of it silkily and padded up to Twist's side. "Inside," she said simply.

Twist obeyed, now growing more nervous because of Lightfoot's solemnity. Of all cats, Lightfoot would not be caught dead being silently upset about something.

"Is it Hazel?" Declan demanded. "Is she okay?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Lightfoot snapped. "Inside. Now."

The cats parted for them, still quiet as falling leaves. Vivian, Gravel, Max, and Marco stood closest to them, watching with wide eyes. Streak and his littermates were next to them; Streak in particular looked distressed beyond anything Twist had ever seen. It made her immediately want to lick his ears and soothe him but whatever was happening in the den was a more pressing matter.

Lucky and Flint were inside, Amber facing the wall behind them. Twist could see Audrey's ginger pelt, glinting dully in the light.

"What's wrong?" Twist gasped, flying to Audrey's side. "Is it Hazel? Her fever, is she—"

Audrey was curled around Hazel and the little scrap was sleeping peacefully. Twist felt all the air go out of her lungs in one heaving sweep, relief trickling through her veins the next instant. Hazel was okay. She wasn't…dying—it hurt to even think the word.

Then what was the problem?

"Twist, Declan," Lucky said, in his slow even tone. "There has been…a problematic development."

Declan, who had been looking between Flint and Lucky with blank eyes, said, "I don't understand."

Lucky bent his head forward, as if he'd expected that. "Audrey."

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then Audrey stood, nudging Hazel onto her tiny white paws. The little kit let out a mew of protest, toddling around to face her mother, her mouth and eyes open wide…

Twist felt a sickening, icy plunge of horror. The air around her seemed to freeze immediately, stiffening until she couldn't even blink.

Hazel's kit-blue eyes had faded to their real color.

Colors.

One blue, one yellow.

Marked, Twist thought. Just like Snit. Oh, Audrey, what have you done?

"It appears," Lucky said slowly, "that we need a new plan."

OH MY GOSH. Plot is happening. Can you believe it?

Man, I missed writing this story. The whole time I was doing NaNo, I kept thinking of new plot twists and stuff for this one. It was really quite sad.

But I submitted to my first lit journal yesterdaaaaay~! Here's hoping I actually get published in it. How could would that be? A publication credit...one step closer to being a novelist...

And then I can eat all the nutella I want! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. -wheeze-

Seriously, though, that stuff is amazing. My school just opened up a crepe place in our student union and it is DELICIOUS. I totally blew my entire week's money on it last week buying crepes. They have - get this - a strawberry/nutella cheesecake crepe. And they make it right in front of you. And they use a whole slice of cheesecake. And then, when it's done and you're basically drooling over it, they ask how much nutella, powdered sugar, and whipped cream you want. They even put it in this cute little cone-looking thing so you can eat and walk LIKE A BAWSS.

I'm totally gonna become a whale because of crepes. Srsly.

Anyway, enough chatter. My winter break starts next week, basically, since all my exams are online (THANK YOU, GOD), so I should have pretty regular updates from now on. I was thinking about setting a deadline for myself, like an update every Saturday or something, but I haven't nailed it all down yet.

Right. So...

R&R~

Shadow