Days went by, and still no sign of the Yellow.

I couldn't seem to get him out of my mind the entire time. His eyes were filled with so much anger and bitterness, but I had a feeling that it had nothing to do with him being imprisoned by the others. The more I thought about what Ruin said, the more it disturbed me. What if that Yellow really was considered just a "worthless sacrifice"? What could he have possibly done to warrant such actions taken against him? I just couldn't understand...

I sighed and laid my head back to stare at the ceiling for the thousandth time. How any color could throw out one of their own like they were nothing, I'll never know. It never really occurred to me before that maybe it wasn't his own color that tried to offer him as a sacrifice. But the more I thought about the countless possibilities, even more questions and even more possibilities just kept springing up. It was like a never-ending vicious cycle.

"Oi, 'm back!"

I looked towards the entrance of the small cave-like room and saw Ruin Zenk approaching with what looked like a big purple berry on his back. To this day I never found out how he kept round things balanced on his back so well... but, I liked to believe it had something to do with his bristly hairs and left it at that.

He walked up to me and picked the berry off of himself before offering it to me. "Sorry, lotta critters waitin' t'get their share. Woulda gotten 'ere sooner if'n them lazy bums got up'n finally cleaned th'damn tunnel."

"Thanks," I muttered as I took the berry and held it in my lap. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with those things half the time, considering I got most of my food from the ground and the water. It wasn't quite as easy to get sunlight in Taganae as I would have hoped. But sometimes I would humour him and attempt to drink some of the berry juices anyways. I didn't trust them very much since he usually brought me red ones and they were disgustingly spicy...

He frowned a bit as he watched me staring at his gift. "Still thinkin' about that li'l Yellow critter, eh? Can't say I blame yeh. Dab's still rantin'n'ravin' about it. Can't let go of anythin', 'e can't. Ah, well." He then gently pat me on the head with one of his huge legs. "Y'wanna go fer a walk? Maybe take ya mind offa 'im."

"No thanks," I murmured as I saw my reflection in the berry's shiny surface. I wasn't really in the mood for anything except searching for that Yellow. I couldn't help but feel worried. Who knows what angry bug could catch and eat him up if he was wandering around all alone and lost? Maybe even scared and lonely...

He frowned a bit more. "Hm... well, yer decision'n all. I'ma go fer a stroll meself. Sure ya don't wanna come?"

"I'm sure," I replied in a low voice and looked up at him, trying to give him a smile. I'm actually not sure if he could ever tell when I was smiling or not, as my kind's mouths were rather small... they weren't really meant for eating or drinking anything, afterall.

"Okay then, won't be long. Stay outta trouble, ya hear?" He gave me one last look before turning and leaving again, his huge shadow looming over me before it disappeared along with him. I have to admit, sometimes his appearance scared me a little, but I guess it's natural. The fear faded away over time rather quickly as I realized how friendly and tame he was.

I waited until I could no longer hear him or feel the vibrations of his movement through the wooden floor. After making sure he was good and gone, I stood up and stretched my body out, feeling rather stiff from laying on the hard surface for so long. I would have made a bed of grass or leaves if I was ever allowed outside, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that my only way out was through a hole so high up that the ground was sometimes difficult to even see.

I made my way over to the round "door" and looked out. Taganae was such a massive and complex place, still too difficult for me to successfully navigate on my own. The area I was in at the time was large and filled with holes, each and every one leading to a different room for every resident to sleep and nest in. While almost every room was quite dark and shadowy, the main area outside the rooms was quite bright and illuminated by glowing mushrooms and a strange glowing powder. The area wasn't quite as decorated or covered in intricate designs, but it was cozy and warm. Luckily for me, it was very quiet and almost completely empty at this time of day, as usually everybody was wandering around and minding their own business. I was still impressed at how so many different creatures could live together in peace and never harm eachother, as most things in the outside world seemed much more hostile and likely to eat somebody's arm off.

I was hesitant almost every day up until then to try and leave the room. I spent almost all of my time there ever since I let the Yellow loose. I wished that I knew his name, as I myself didn't like being labelled and called by what my color was. Trying to clear my mind and gather my courage, I took a deep breath and finally let go of the side of the door to step outside. While not the most amazing feat, it was still a big step for me, if you know what I mean.

It took me another moment or two of trying to reassure myself that nothing would happen, but I slowly convinced my feet to move me forward. Slowly but surely I walked along the wooden roads and bridges of the massive tree, hoping that I wouldn't fall to my doom even though I did my best to walk in the very center of the paths I took. After even more debating I began to move downward, thinking of trying to find my way back to the tunnels leading to the feeding area. I wasn't sure what he would be doing there, but I thought that maybe the Yellow was still hiding down there, afraid and trying not to get caught.

I was okay for a while. After several minutes I even began to pick up my pace until I was almost walking normally. But just as I began to build up my confidence, that's when I felt it. I stopped dead in my tracks and stood perfectly still, eyes darting to and fro as I tried to listen. I couldn't hear a sound, but I could feel it somehow. Eyes watching my every move. But the eyes of who and what? Did Ruin lie about leaving so he could keep an eye on me? Was something planning on devouring me?

I tried to push away my paranoid thoughts, but it was no use. I began to walk forward again, but my feelings of anxiety only grew. I could swear that something was watching me and getting closer. As much as I tried to act calm, I knew that I was failing once more to mask my fear. My pursuer could probably tell as well when I began to pick up my pace.

It didn't make any difference to whatever was following me.

As ashamed as I am to admit it, I lost my cool pretty quickly. It was no time at all before I began to ran in terror, the thoughts of being hurt or eaten burned into my mind as I imagined some horrible beast suddenly dropping down infront of me and eyeing me like I was a snack. As foolish as it was I looked back to see if I was being followed. I didn't see anything behind me, but I also didn't see that I was running towards a sharp turn. Thanks to letting my paranoia get the best of me, it wasn't long before my feet met air and I screamed loudly as I began to fall over the edge. It took me a moment to realize that I wasn't going anywhere.

I opened my closed eyes and blinked in confusion, then looked down to see that I was hanging in mid-air. I didn't notice it at first, but finally I did hear something, and that something didn't sound very happy.

"Urgh! I said wake up, you stupid girl!!"

I looked up and was shocked to see that very same Yellow holding onto my wrist with both hands and trying desperately to keep me from falling. I think he tried to pull me up too, but he was having enough trouble trying to keep himself from falling as well.

"Come on!! I can't hold on much longer!" he grunted in a strained voice, and I panicked a bit when I saw his feet slide forward from my weight. As I finally came to my senses I dug my claws deep into the side of the wooden bridge we were on. As he opened one eye to look at me I could see the relief flood his features. "Finally! Help me out here, my arms are gonna get ripped off because of you!"

Making sure I had a good grip, I managed to pull my arm away from him without accidentally pulling him over the side and easily climbed to safety. He sat back and panted, almost looking like he himself would have died from panic, although he didn't even look like the type to do so. Then again, this little guy was quite mysterious. I never would have expected him of all people to help me.

I sat nearby and watched him trying to recover from the experience. I was still frightened to near-death, but he was tiny and had a very light-looking body. I'm still surprised he managed to hold onto me for as long as he did. I looked down at my clawed hands shyly, not quite sure what to say. "Th... thank you..."

As I said those words, he suddenly opened his eyes and gave me a deadly glare. I cringed when he looked at me that way, almost expecting him to hit me.

"Geez, what is your problem?! One minute you're slow as hell, then you break into a mad dash the next and try to kill yourself!! If I wasn't here, you'd be history! Pink mush!"

I flinched, startled by his sudden outburst. "I... I'm sorry..."

"Yeah, well, sorry isn't good enough!" He stood up on shaky legs and tried to find his strength again as he now refused to even look at me. "I've repaid my debt, so goodbye."

My eyes widened as he started to walk away, albeit weakly. "W-wait!" I got up and quickly ran to his side, which wasn't hard as he couldn't get too far in his condition. "Really, I... I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to-- oof!" I was caught offguard when he pushed me aside. He was stronger than he looked.

"Save your breath for somebody who cares, Norna," he snarled at me.

I sat there and gave him a puzzled look, wondering what he just called me. "Norna..?"

He stared at me in silence as if just realizing what he said, then turned away and muttered, "Nevermind."

"No, wait!" I reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could go anywhere and looked at him with sad and desperate eyes. "Please..."

As I watched him he shot me a cold, disgusted glare. I still half-expected him to hit me or atleast yell at me, but much to my surprise he sighed and shook his head in exasperation. "Fine, what do you want? And make it snappy, I have things to do."

I blinked, suddenly unsure of what to say. I didn't expect that kind of response, even if it was cold. "W-well... I... I haven't seen any others around here... I mean, like... like you and me... you know..?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "So, what, you still want to talk or something? If you wanted company so badly, why didn't you go for a walk with that hairy beast of yours?"

I was surprised. "H-how did you..?"

"Hmph. Don't get the wrong idea or anything. I just happened to be wandering by on a level just above your humble abode and overheard you talking with that thing. Let's just say I haven't trusted your sense of judgment since I first laid eyes on you. I was willing to bet anything that you'd try to do something incredibly stupid after your little buddy was gone, and I was right. Now let go of me." He pried my claws off of my wrist and gave me a dirty look.

I lowered my head, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, I really mean it..."

"Psh... stop apologizing." I looked up at him, but he just kept giving me a mean look. "Do you have any idea how annoying that is? Sorry this and sorry that, whatever. If you were really sorry, maybe you'd stop acting like an idiot and make everybody's lives better. I think it may be safe to assume that you have no backbone whatsoever, hm?"

"..." I was about to apologize again, but stopped myself just in time. "W-well..." I looked down and poked my claws together shyly. "C-can I... walk with you..?"

"Psh, are you kidding? You'll only slow me down. Like I said, I have things to do and you aren't making it any easier on me, so shoo. Go back to your room and play with a scratching post or something, Norna."

"Why do you keep calling me N--"

"I said shoo!" He started to walk away again, clearly annoyed and too impatient to listen to a thing I had to say. Even though I knew then that he was alive and well, there were so many questions I wanted to ask. I didn't think that I would be able to let him go so easily.

I quickly got to my feet and began to follow after him again. I could tell he was getting more angry by the minute judging by how his stem was twitching like that. "Please, I just want to talk! I won't get in your way or do anything bad, I promise!"

He suddenly stopped and looked me straight in the eye. I stopped, almost paralyzed by his gaze. He was quiet for a few moments and finally spoke. "What's your name?"

"Uh..." Not again. Of all the questions I'd ever been asked, that was probably the one I hated the most. I never had a name, or atleast a real name. As I struggled to think of something, a certain word I had heard came to me. "L-Luna... my name is... Luna."

He stared at me, then sighed and shook his head as if disappointed. I didn't know why exactly, but I was too nervous to care.

"A-and... you are...?"

He gave me a hard look and after a moment finally replied, "Zee."

"Zee," I echoed, mulling it over. "That's a strange--"

"Not half as strange as Luna, 'lunatic'. But I suppose it fits you."

I didn't get a chance to even think about a reply before he started to walk again. Of course, I chased after him once more. "Why do you keep walking away so fast?"

"Oh, hm, let's see. Maybe because I want nothing to do with you and want to leave you behind. But that'd be silly, wouldn't it?"

I flinched slightly at his nasty reply. "But... I just thought... that maybe you'd like some company..."

He frowned and kept on walking at a fast pace, still not looking at me. "Yeah, well, I don't. I don't need you and I don't need anyone else, got it? The last thing I need is some useless 'friend' following me like a lost child, only to betray me in the end. And before you ask, no, I don't want to talk about it."

"But--"

"And when did I give you permission to follow me anyways? Get lost! Go jump over a ledge or something if that's really what you want, go!"

I stopped walking and watched him in dismay, hurt by his words. I thought that he actually cared deep down when he saved my life. Did he only do that so he could clear his own conscience? "B-but... I thought..."

"Whatever you thought, you thought wrong!" he yelled back as he continued to get further away, intent on completing whatever he had in mind.

"I... but... I thought we could be... frien--"

Before I could finish, suddenly a massive creature swooped out of nowhere and pinned Zee against a wall. I fell backwards in surprise and bewilderment, wondering what kind of creature it was and why it had suddenly attacked him. I could see poor Zee struggle in vain as he was having difficulty breathing, and I could tell that he must have been in pain the way his tiny body was practically being crushed.

The creature cackled in delight as it held him in its grasp. "Yes, yes! Finally I have found you! Noone else, me! You are all mine now, pest! Hahahaha!"