Hello everyone! It's that time again! Here is a new chapter for you all! This one has some personal value to me, which I will explain at the end, so I hope you all like it.

It's been just a typical week, not that that's a bad thing. I have been playing a lot of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky though. That game is an absolute gem. No other game has made me cry as much as that one has. I'll probably go and listen to the music from it once I've finished up here.

Anyway, I shall let you read. See you next week!

Arby xx

Espio's mission was simple; find Arby. Vector had also told him to scavenge for supplies, which he did of course, but he kept his priority the same.

The chameleon had to be incredibly careful when navigating the city. The rooftops usually had Wolf guards, and likely snipers as well based on what Charmy had told him, so he couldn't use those. The streets were also dangerous as various Wolves would charge around them in whatever vehicle they could steal and get running. Remain on the ground and you were likely going to be roadkill. Espio had to keep both his eyes and ears open and choose the right moments to climb a wall to avoid hostiles.

Tonight, he was travelling to a particular corner of the city he hadn't been to yet. He had been holding off coming here on purpose, but he couldn't anymore. This was the district where Shadow's apartment block was located. The chances of the ebony hedgehog being there were slim, but it was the association that made his stomach tighten. He kept invisible for the entire journey and only ran into two Wolf Packs, who were on their nightly scouting runs; much better than the previous night when he nearly became a butchered pig.

He climbed the side of the building until he was near the roof. His eyes peered over the wall to see that it was all clear. Espio approached a trap door, which had a ladder that descended into a small room just off the hallway, right next to the elevator. The chameleon questioned the odd layout for a brief moment. He had never noticed this ladder before. Nonetheless, he moved on and into Shadow's apartment.

Just before opening the door, a strong and unpleasant stench caught his attention.

"Oh Chaos no…" He thought when he realised what it could potentially be. With a deep breath, Espio opened the door and nearly threw up. It was completely dark as this part of the city had lost power long before now, but the smell was so strong, it was unmistakable; Rouge was still here. The ninja didn't move until his eyes had adjusted, so that he could see the silhouettes of furniture around him. Each foot was placed carefully, the last thing he needed was something on his shoe.

He first went into Shadow's room to see if there was anything that could be of use to him. Espio knew that he kept a firearm hidden in there somewhere. Yes, he was looking for it, but not for himself. The ninja was more than capable of defending himself without the assistance of a gun, but he wanted to make sure that any scavenging Wolf Packs couldn't get a hold of it. Unfortunately for him, one Pack had also chosen tonight to search this particular block. Espio could hear the group leader barking orders at the rest of them.

A loud bang told Espio that they had kicked down the door and were now inside. He quickly became invisible and climbed onto the ceiling. The leader ordered one of them to search the rooms at the back. A Mobian snake then came into the room the chameleon was currently hiding in. Espio inwardly began to panic. Snakes were one of the few species that could see him whether he was invisible or not, since snakes naturally had thermal vision; all he had to do was look up. He searched the entire room thoroughly; tipping out drawers with his tail, going under the bed and even making his way behind the bookshelves.

"Anything in there, Zeus?!" The same member yelled from a different room.

"There's a chest hidden behind this bookshelf! I can't get it open!" The other one entered as the snake dragged the chest out using his tail. It was a basic wooden chest that had a heavy padlock on it. Zeus would never be able to get it open due to the lack of limbs. They surrounded the chest and tried to figure out how to get it open without damaging whatever it may hold.

"There could be anything in there." The Mobian chameleon pointed out. This one was vastly different from any of the Shinobi that Espio was used to. This chameleon had no horns and wore many shades of green upon his scales. His only attire, apart from the white gloves, was a pair of red boots.

"It certainly isn't food." Zeus informed him. "I would have been able to smell it."

"No one would keep food hidden away like this, especially with the heat wave we were having before all of this." The chameleon replied. "Maybe it was the murder weapon?"

"I doubt it, Sage. She smelt charred; I think she was burned alive."

"You could smell that? How did you get past the fleshy part?" Sage questioned with disgust.

"You seem to forget what kind of reptile I am. Anyway, we need to get this open." Zeus replied, getting back to the subject at hand.

"I'll look through the kitchen." Sage announced before leaving the room. Espio assumed that there were three or four in this group, but it seemed he was mistaken. Perhaps it was just a small scouting party? Or maybe these two were on their own? Either way, he couldn't allow himself to be spotted, in case they weren't as friendly as they seemed. "Oh, that was easy." Sage said as he walked back in with a key.

"Where the hell did you find that?" Zeus questioned.

"It was just sitting on a table in the other bedroom." Sage told him. The green chameleon approached the chest and knelt down, placing the key in the padlock and successfully unlocking it. He then lifted the lid and Zeus dug his head inside. "Careful." Sage warned.

"Whoa!" The snake exclaimed before removing himself so that his friend could look. Sage was equally stunned at what they had found. One at a time, he pulled out a small book, one kunai and a shuriken star tied to a bit of string.

"Is this a necklace or something?" The lizard asked rhetorically.

"Pretty dangerous, don't you think?" Espio could not believe what he was seeing. Had Shadow perhaps kept it?

"No…" The ninja thought as a mix of anger and sadness came over him. "Why would he?"

"Not really. Shurikens are only used for distractions; it won't do us any good against firearms." He put it back, along with the kunai before flicking through the book.

"Well, Sage? What does it say?"

"Nothing interesting; just some stuff about this 'Espio' guy." Sage concluded. "Again, it won't do us any good."

"Then let's get going. Jak and Dové may have found something across the hall." They both nodded before swiftly leaving the area, allowing Espio to breathe.

Once he was sure it was clear, the chameleon climbed down and looked through the chest. He put the kunai with the others and anxiously placed the Shuriken around his neck. His eyes watched it dangle before he too looked through the book. It was more of a notepad if anything, but it clearly had information about him.

The first page said 'In case you forget again.' Espio began to silently read. They clearly hadn't flicked through the pages very well since many of them were about Maria and the ARK. It wasn't until somewhere in the middle that he was mentioned.

'How do they work so well? Vector clearly gets some high off of being their leader and Charmy doesn't know what he's doing half the time. It's Espio that has me curious. How does he put up with them?

Vector was ordering him to hurry up at the terminal, while Charmy insisted that he could do a better job at hacking before I came in and unintentionally solved both of their problems. I had no idea that they would be there. My goal was to find the emeralds and nothing more, until Espio followed me into the data stream and requested my help.

I must admit that this guy, out of everyone, gets on my nerves the least. He and I have some similar personality traits, I'm even willing to go as far as to say that I could get on with him, but that is only if I knew him better. He doesn't talk much, neither do I, which brings me back to my first point. How does he put up with the other two? He must have infinite patience. I would have, at the very least, yelled at one of them within ten minutes.

I wonder how he ended up with them. Probably some unfortunate circumstances if his luck is anything like mine. Maybe talking to him wouldn't be so bad? Just this once?

Fine, but only if I run into him again. I am not going to intentionally look for him. That's just pathetic."

Images flashed through his head of their first meeting. Shadow had indeed 'ran into him', literally. He was merely taking a stroll and appreciating the pleasant weather until a black bullet sent him flying into a nearby tree, only to collide with several large branches before landing face first onto the grass below. After a few awkward apologies and several months, they became very close friends, but Shadow couldn't let anyone know about that.

*Click!*

"Who the fuck are you?" A voice growled from behind him. How had he not noticed the footsteps?! This was the second night in a row now that he had been discovered!

"I could say the same in return."

"Don't fuck with me!" The voice yelled as he dug the pistol further into the back of his head.

"Dové!" Another unfamiliar voice shouted at him. "For crying out loud, this guy is clearly on his own and judging by his weapons, he has no guns."

"I do not mean any harm. I was merely looking for supplies." Espio added.

"Us too." The voice continued. "Put it down, Dové." The voice said sternly and he obeyed, allowing Espio to turn around and get a look at these newcomers.

"My name's Jak. This is Dové. My apologies on his behaviour. I'm sure you can understand with the current circumstances." The Mobian Husky explained. Espio nodded. Dové looked a lot like a wolf, which was ironic considering what he nicknamed these kinds of groups. Despite his shaggy, black fur, his short hair was clearly white. He wore a leather jacket and military-style boots. Jak had a checkered blue jacket with white sneakers.

"It's fine, I understand." Espio confirmed with a nod.

"He's just a bit on edge, his daughter is unwell. You wouldn't happen to have any medicine, would you?" Jak asked kindly, but the chameleon sadly shook his head.

"Dammit!" Dové yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall. The Husky ignored the outburst and continued to talk.

"So, I can only assume by the Shuriken star around your neck that my friend found, that this place is yours?"

"No, an old friend of mine used to live here. I'm Espio, by the way." Jak smiled before turning to see Sage and Zeus walk in.

"Who's this guy?" The snake asked. They all introduced themselves and Espio pretended to have no idea who they were to avoid any more arguments. Espio explained how he needed food, while Dové explained that his daughter, Angel, had fallen ill and needed treatment. The wolf had calmed down now and appeared to be just as friendly as the other three.

"So, we're all in the same boat. How about we work together? Just for tonight anyway." The others agreed with Dové's suggestion and they all began to search the remaining apartments of the block.

"I hate to bring this up, but did you know whose body that was back there?" Zeus asked with some hesitation.

"Her name was Rouge. I wasn't close to her, but I knew her." Espio told them.

"My condolences." Jak said. "That must not have been pretty." The purple reptile didn't say anymore on the topic and the others didn't either. Unlike the majority of Wolf Packs, this group were just a band of friends and family trying to survive, just like the Chaotix. They had no interest in firepower, except as a means of defence and nothing more.

"So, what's the book about?" Zeus asked again. It was clear that the snake was the most curious of the bunch, not that Espio minded. If only the book's owner didn't bring him so much anger.

"Just some… past events. I'd rather not talk about it." The others seemed to understand, but some yelling outside caught their attention.

"Great, just when we thought the night could be peaceful." Dové complained.

"You should've known better." Jak commented. "We need to hide somewhere."

"The apartments would be too dangerous. I expect they'll search each one just like we have. The roof is my suggestion." Espio spoke.

"What if they go to the roof as well?" Sage pointed out.

"Then at least we can ambush them. They'll have to climb the ladder first, that puts us at an advantage." They all moved swiftly to the roof and hid in the shadows patiently. Each of them secretly hoped that they wouldn't come up here, but each of them was ready, in case they did.

A series of gunshots startled all five of them. They rushed to the edge of the roof and looked to the street below. A heavily built Mobian lion had some sort of machine gun in his hands. In front of him, was a lifeless body that now had a pool of blood flowing out onto the road.

"Holy crap!" Dové growled.

"Now what?" Sage asked.

"We get the fuck out of here, perhaps?" Zeus answered.

"We're on a roof, Zeus! How do you suggest we do that?!" Sage hissed back at him.

"Enough!" Espio stepped in and offered an idea. "I can distract them by going invisible. You can use my diversion to sneak out of here."

"Espio, that's crazy." Jak voiced his concern. "You'd be putting yourself in a lot of danger for four guys you barely know."

"I am aware of that, but you guys don't deserve a death by bullets and Dové needs to return to his daughter alive." The white-haired wolf was stunned by the gesture and placed a hand on the chameleon's shoulder.

"You don't know what that means to me, Espio. Even after I put a gun to your head. I don't know what to say."

"It's not done yet." Espio told him. The ninja then faced the group and explained the situation. "They are currently on the bottom floor. If you guys hide in one of the apartments on the floor above, I can make a lot of noise on the top floor. They should come upstairs to see what's going on, allowing you guys to head down and back into the streets."

"What are you going to do after?" Zeus questioned.

"I can get to the roof and climb down the wall. No need to worry." They gave each other a concerned look, but decided that it was better than nothing. They had to take this chance if they were to return home. They all said their goodbyes and good lucks before they carefully went downstairs. Espio went with them, in case there was any trouble. Thankfully, the corridors were clear and the four of them hid in the apartment closest to the stairs.

Once ready, Espio made his way back to the top floor and back into Shadow's apartment. He needed some way of making a lot of noise without hurting himself, so breaking a window was out of the question. His golden eyes then noticed the huge, double doored fridge. It would certainly attract some attention if something pushed it over. With that thought, Espio pulled the fridge out slightly so that he could climb in behind it. It took a lot just to move it a few inches due to its weight. The job became a lot easier when he had his entire body pushing against it. The fridge, while still a bit stubborn, finally gave way and crashed loudly upon the kitchen tiles.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"It came from upstairs!"

"Which floor?!"

"I don't know! The top one, I guess?!"

"Well, get up there! Now!"

Multiple footsteps came charging towards Espio's position. The chameleon stared out of the window and saw the group of four exiting the building and sprinting, or slithering, down the street and out of sight. The ninja smiled briefly before turning invisible and attempting to head out the door. As he opened it, one of the Wolf members ran into him and knocked him to the ground with a hard thud.

"What was that?" The Mobian tiger asked in a gruff voice. He stepped forward, but his foot seemed to land on something that wasn't even there. He wore a long, black trench coat with black boots to match. One of his eyes glowed red, indicating that it was cybernetic and thus, had thermal vision. The eye travelled down until it landed on the chameleon, who couldn't move because the tiger's foot had him pinned by the chest. The tiger grinned, revealing his long and sharp canines. An idea came to the ninja's mind; he didn't like it, but it was necessary for his survival.

Espio placed a hand on the tiger's ankle, as if trying to push it off. Suddenly, he used his other hand to pull out a kunai and brutally dig it into the calf muscle. It was harsh, but effective and the tiger dropped instantly, allowing Espio to retrieve the kunai and roll onto his front to get up.

"We've got a live one up here!" The tiger yelled as Espio ran out the door, heading for the roof. As he was climbing the ladder, he glanced down to see two more Wolf members chasing after him; a Mobian cougar and a Mobian panther. This group was obviously made up of big cats, which he knew were both strong and aggressive.

As soon as he got to the top, the once gentle rain became a monsoon and began hitting the city hard. Visibility was cut dramatically and Espio's easy escape was about to become a lot more dangerous. Climbing down walls was one thing, but climbing down them when they were this wet was something else. Espio had to ignore the risks for now as he leapt over the roof's edge and tried to cling to the wall.

No such luck.

Both his hands slipped and he couldn't recover. Espio fell like a brick to the concrete path below. A disturbing crack came as he landed on his left arm. The chameleon cried out in pain, alerting everyone inside.

"Dammit! Not now!" He urged himself to get up and fight through the pain. Espio had to get out of sight before the other's got out onto the street. The ninja used the wall to help himself up and without a second thought, ran as fast as he could down the street.

Once around the corner, he went invisible and peered his head back round to see if it was clear. A Mobian cheetah was stood in the road looking around, but eventually went back inside when nothing out of the ordinary was seen. Espio leaned his head back and gave an enormous sigh of relief.

"No more." He thought as more pain shot through him. With his injured arm being supported by the other, Espio walked through the rainstorm back to the Chaotix.

Jak, Sage and Dové were some old friends of mine. We have drifted apart over time, but for a reason which I will get to.

I have three pets: a fish, chameleon and snake named Jak, Sage and Zeus respectively.

The third and final thing is that Jak was my closest and dearest friend. He passed away nearly 3 years ago. His favourite animal was the Husky. I've been wanting to bring Jak into one of my stories for a while, but never found anything that worked. It may be only small, but I think he would've liked it.

R.I.P. Jak xx