Skye trekked far beyond the city lines through the thick air of the early morning, frowning beneath her hood all the way. The sparkle-laden moonlight was of little solace to her, though it lit her desperate pathway well. A chill trickled down her body as she approached an abandoned warehouse, complete with boarded windows and dry vines reaching up its walls. She stepped through the cracked double-doors; the feeling of isolation when inside the building was just as jarring as its appearance.

The very back of the depot played host to many tall racks of forgotten boxes. Packages that weren't as organized were merely strewn across the floor. Skye made her way behind the racks without error - a great feat considering that lack of light - and turned to face the devil's lair. A low, sharp chuckle emitted from the shadows upon the fox's arrival.

Several tentacle-like structures sprouted from the black mass before Skye. Its aggressive words interrogated her: "Were you successful?"

With a stiff upper lip, the fox removed her hood to reveal sad, distressed ears. She presented two small vials from her pocket; one contained a red fluid, and the other a milky white. "Now, hold up your end."

A tentacle lunged at her, and snatched the capsules away. A singular light flickered on to reveal an incubation tube to the left of Skye, which contained an older fox similar in appearance to her. Subtle differences included white ears, and a completely blue tail whereas Skye's included black fur on its tip.

Skye's eyes shot open at the sight of the trapped fox. "Mom!" she called, rushing over to the capsule before a field of energy halted her. It shot a pain through her hands, angry enough to send her sprawling to the floor.

"My transformation process will take some time." the evil voice explained, "When that is complete, I shall release your pathetic creator."

Skye scowled at the mass, "That wasn't part of the deal, Mephiles! Give me back my mother!"

"I'm not entirely sure why you would want it. After being in that state for this long, it is likely brain dead. Mortality is quite the inconvenience, no?"

The tingling in Skye's hands ceased. She balled them into fists, and stood to face the evil behind her teary eyes. "What is your problem?!" She paused for a moment, allowing her vocal cords to settle, "You bastard! Answer me!" Still, there was no response other than a rolling, demonic laugh. The enraged fox charged at the villain with a blubbering grunt, and beat its gelatinous body with all the force she could muster. "Fuck you!" she roared, unresponsive to the tears streaming down her cheeks, obstructing her vision. Her shoulders were nearly dislocated with some of her wild swings. "I betrayed my only friend for this! You're a monster!"

Mephiles allowed Skye's punches to tire, and reveled in the violent gasps between her cries for quite some time. Eventually, he wrapped a tentacle around her, and used a few more to pierce her in several places. He laughed once more beneath the fox's horrific shriek. "Insolent whore, you dare place your sullied hands upon me? You will regret the day you emerged from a mortal..."

Skye winced as she felt a tentacle exit her bicep, and another stab through her thigh. With a quick swipe of her claws, she cut through the arm holding her, but as she fell to the ground, her thigh received a gash that tore all the way up to her hip. She landed hard on her shoulder, but found a way to sprint for the exit in a fit of adrenaline. Yet another tentacle stopped her, however, wrapping tightly around her neck just as she reached the doorway.

"When this world crumbles, fox..." the dark voice proposed, pulling the struggling girl's body back. "Remember who the true villain is."

The monster's grip released, and a coughing Skye stumbled outside. The cool air stung her lacerations as harshly as those parting words had stung her heart. Skye realized that everything had been taken from her at that point; and indeed, her only true remaining possession was a trail of blood and remorse. She dragged it with her through the darkness, limping in no direction except away. After all, nothing would heal those wounds.

A/N: Hey everyone! Just wanted to chime in and say that school is starting back soon, so that may/may not affect the amount of updates I put out. I hope it doesn't, especially because these chapters are so short, but it is what it is. I've... already gotten kinda' behind my one update per week mark, haha.

If you hadn't already noticed, this version of SFTL is gonna include a LOT more of Skye. I'd like to really develop her character and backstory, instead of include her in like one scene (as I did in the original). I hope that's okay!

Thanks for all the support, as always. You guys make doing this so much easier!