Jihl gripped a gun, sweat dripping down her face. Lightning opened her mouth, revealing her teeth.
"I knew it would be you..." Jihl said, "You were the first; it's only fitting that you'd be the one to finish it."
Lightning laughed, a rumbling series of clicks echoed beneath the rasping sound.
Jihl twitched, a crazed smile flickering across her face. "It's not like I need these anymore..." She held up her arm, emptying the bullets into a nearby wall.
Lightning winced at the sound, her ears flicking in time with each impact.
"Well?" Jihl dropped the gun. "What are you waiting for?" She laughed, raising her arms up to the sides. "Drawing it out, are you?"
Lightning narrowed her eyes, and she took a step forward. "I've had enough." She locked eyes with Jihl, stopping a hairsbreadth away. "But you... You took..." Lightning released a low growl. "Everything from me." She felt her face shift of its own volition, her lips forming a smirk. "You aren't getting away unscathed."
Jihl's teeth clenched.
Lightning paused, and she glanced down at Jihl's arms. "That hand... It's the one you injected us with, right?"
Jihl opened her mouth to reply, but all that escaped was a scream. Lightning's teeth sank through Jihl's wrist, and after a moment, her hand fell to the floor.
Blood dribbled down her chin, and Lightning spit out a mouthful of it to the ground, fighting the urge to swallow. She left Jihl doubled over in pain, her hind claws clicking against the linoleum as she walked upright.
Jihl ripped off her lab coat with her remaining hand, binding the wound as best she could. She glanced up, noticing that Lightning had stopped in the hallway.
Lightning lifted her chin, testing the air. Blood, smoke, and chemicals clouded her nostrils, but she could still make out another scent, the traces of something familiar, but Lightning couldn't quite place it.
Jihl wheezed, speaking in between cries of pain. "We thought that you would forget."
Lightning tilted her head to the side, looking back over her shoulder.
"Since I was a child, I dreamt of creating something..." Jihl cried out in pain, tightening the wrap on her wound. "Something new, the likes of which had never existed before." She paused, catching her breath. "But we truly believed that you would forget, that you would live as animals."
"Do you think that changes anything?" Lightning curled her upper lip, her teeth glinting with blood. "That forgetting would make it alright?"
Jihl shook her head. "I've no regrets; I've achieved my dream..." She chuckled. "Here you are." Jihl smiled gently. "But you wanted to know why."
Lightning sneered, and she walked away.
Snow lead the way through the crowd, Noel walking behind him. The Cavalry soldiers parted upon sight of him, and Snow shifted his face back, smiling as best he could. Snow looked over to see a line of fire engines parked outside of the building, and he held back a chuckle upon receiving more than a few double-takes from the firefighters.
Noel pointed over the crowd, and Snow caught sight of Rygdea.
Rygdea stood on his toes, surveying the building. "Do we have any idea how the fire started?"
A soldier, uniformed in blue, shook his head. "No, sir."
Rygdea exhaled, turning to see Snow approach. "Fishing's off the table guys; could you-" He froze as a roar echoed out from the opposite side of the building.
Rygdea turned to Noel. "Go grab a gun from our stock-" He let out a wry laugh when Noel revealed a concealed pistol. "Get something heavier and check out that noise; I'll be over as soon as I can." Rygdea turned back to his men, alternating between issuing orders and receiving reports.
Snow glanced at Noel, and nodded.
Lightning wandered along the second floor, her ears stinging as she walked upon the tile; the siren still blared away through the smoke. She stopped beside a window, and gazed out through the glass. Lightning's eyes widened as she caught sight of a treeline, far off in the distance.
She lashed out, the glass shattering around her arm. Lightning jumped, falling for a split second, before landing on her feet with a thud. She broke into a run and leapt over the fence. Lightning ran through the field, disappearing into the forest.
Fang knelt on the ground, testing the air. Lightning's trail was thin and broken through the flames; the scent was so scarce that Fang could barely pick it up. Still, she pressed on, following after any snippets that she could find.
Fang froze, her nostrils flaring. She raced up a set of stairs, before skidding to a halt. A pool of blood lay on the floor, a familiar, flowery scent permeating the area. Fang snorted, growling upon recognition of the owner. She turned away and followed the second trail.
Fang stopped beside a window, broken glass clinging to the sill. She inhaled; Lightning's trail ended there.
Fang backed up, aiming at the window, before she charged, tumbling through the air. She landed on her back legs, before raising her head, testing the air once more. Fang's eyes widened, and she ran towards the fence, leaping into the field.
Six slipped around the cars, his ears swiveling as he crawled along the pavement. He made his way away from the area that he had landed in, until he couldn't hear the sound of footsteps anymore. Six sighed, and he leaned back against the side of a car. He tried to slow his breathing, his lungs aching from the smoke.
Six had nearly drifted off to sleep when he startled, his ears twitching at the sound of footfalls.
"She might not have been able to help it!"
"Well what the heck do you suggest we do? Ask her nicely to-" The human paused, and turned to face Six.
Six's breath caught, his eyes widening.
The human stood completely still, a rifle in his arms, pointed at Six.
"Noel, what's..?" Something else moved into sight, dwarfing the human in size.
Six looked up at them, before his gaze fixed on the gun.
Lightning wove between the trees, sucking in as much fresh air as her lungs would take. She kept a steady pace, lowering to run on all fours. The forest seemed to swirl around her, a dizzying blur of leaves and branches, far more vast than the outdoor enclosure had ever been.
Lightning's ears swiveled around, and she paused for a moment, tilting her head. Far off in the distance, she could hear something trailing behind her.
Noel's mouth opened slightly, and he swallowed, his throat dry. He held the gun steady, but he feared that his hands might start to tremble at any moment.
Snow tilted his head, lowering himself to a defensive stance. "There's blood on his mouth." He turned to look at Noel. "His claws, too. It wasn't Lightning."
Noel tried to speak, but the words caught within his throat.
Snow looked back down at the stranger, and narrowed his eyes. "Did you kill those people?"
There was no response other than a deep, rumbling growl.
Noel exhaled, gripping the rifle. "Snow... He wasn't with the rest of you."
Snow kept his eyes forward, but nodded his head slightly.
"Because he hasn't been there, not as long as you have..." Noel's voice cracked. "Have you, Caius?"
