Captain Holly and I were being escorted out where we met up with the rest of the group. I was surprised to all of us were left hind marks. We looked around us to see a few does were simply silflaying, while the Efrafan Owsla on guard for tonight's silflay under Vervain. We saw Blackberry coming towards us, as he had some time to himself for some privacy. He didn't look any better on his mark wound, unlike the rest of us.

"I think it cut deep. It won't stop the bleeding." he spoke.

Captain Holly was in a moment of conscience. "We have a choice to make. We can stay or we can run."

"That's impossible, even if we did, Efrafans and the Shao Kahn's army are scouting around. And of course the guards." I whispered.

"Kitana, suggested if we could find the hills, perhaps we could find our way home from there." Liu Kang spoke.

"I've seen most of the routes around here by now. If you could give direction to your warren, we'll first try to cut them off." Kitana added.

"However, we're not familiar with this part around here, except the down." I feared.

"You're wanting to escape?" Captain Holly questioned me.

"No, that's not it! It's just... it's..." I started to breath heavily as I than started to have a flashback moment.

After a few short months of staying in our captivity, a few of my brothers-in-arms were prepping for an escape attempt. I decided to go for it and follow what one of my fellow soldier. He was a Specialist, somehow at the same time suspicious that we have an Afghan prisoner is willing to help us escape. When the night came, the Afghan prisoner, who was a soldier and captured before we came, started to lead us through the caves. Everything went smooth and silently, until we could head towards our door to freedom, we were spotted. The Afghan prisoner had a mild execution of simply losing his head, while my brothers in arms... they paid the ultimate price of being burned alive in stakes. For me, I was to watch their deaths of my fellow soldiers die in the pyres.

I than was now the lone survivor from the ambush. I wasn't sure where the private was, as his fate was unknown, either he was set free or killed. I never know for sure. My tortures continued endless as I kept seeing them, with no end.

"Thomas!"

I woke up, as I noticed the group was staring at me. "Sorry... I had a bleak moment."

"Doesn't sound like a bleak moment I'm afraid." Blackberry stated.

"Are you alright?" Captain Holly asked me.

"Well... I just had a flashback again." I was breathing heavily as I kept thinking about it. I started to clinch my hands on the grass, as I wanted feel something, without afflicting harm. One of my hands accidentally came upon Holly's paw. We both gave each other eye contact for mere seconds, before I let him go. "I had a service dog that I clanged onto whenever I had those moments."

"Dog doing service for men? Aren't they really serving humans enough?" Bluebell questioned.

"Bluebell!" Blackberry exclaimed.

"Well not all dogs would go after rabbits like hunting dogs do. However, the dog I had was a service dog to help me, when I have those ticks. Sadly he passed months ago and I miss of feeling something to take comfort." I tried to explain to them.

Blackberry and Bluebell understood what I went about for my service dog I had for a longtime. When I came back, I was experiencing PTSD from my Army days, that I was suggested of having a service pet to keep me company, but mostly for comfort whenever I had a flashback. Captain Holly seemed to understand about seeing flashbacks of traumatic experiences, however he's mildly neutral about service dog that one, they serve humans; and two what he seems to realize that they're meant to comfort during bad times.

"Thomas-"

"All right, listen up, left hind mark. Especially the humans... and the human having fits." We turned to see and hear it was Captain Vervain."I want to introduce you to Blackavar." From a broken small stone hedge, out comes Blackavar. He was being pushed by an Owsla buck. "Look hard at this rabbit and remember him when you think of disobeying General Woundwart." Vervain continued on about humiliating Blackavar, as that tortured was being paraded during silflay. From seeing his marks and scratches on him and eventually him looking at me. Reminded me another traumatic event.

It was probably a few short days after I was being captured. The Taliban had humiliated us, as almost exactly like the Efrafa's Owsla did upon Blackavar. We were blindfolded, as we were being paraded through a small village that seemed to be a support for the Taliban and/or oppose to our involvement in their home country. I could hear chants of hatred, while I receive spits, small rocks and rotten food being tossed at me and my fellow soldiers. It was the first time that really brought me to tears to hear deep hatred being put upon on someone and/or myself. It kept going for days and days, until the last one I had was that I was the lone survivor and being paraded through the village and this time, I wasn't even blindfolded. At one point, I remember a villager, whose has a huge resentment of my country, even more than me. He threw some excrement at me. He continued follow me, as I was being shouted at my ears and receiving death threats from him. It was than I finally snapped and boiled my anger over that I attacked the villager and nearly beat him to death. I was about to deliver the final punch until I heard a shriek that from his wife, with two children beside her, rushed over to him, as he was semi-unconscious. The villagers turned towards me and started to surround me, as the Taliban gunmen excused themselves to watch me being beaten relentlessly by those villagers. I was left there to rot through the night, until I was picked up in the early morning to be taken back to my prison.

"Thomas!"

I woke up again to see my hands were around Captain Vervain's throat, as if I was about inflict harm upon him that I would give him a great pleasure after what he did. However, I saw someone's paw and that was Captain Holly's. He calmly whispered me to leave him be. Vervain didn't let go his eye contact on me for minutes, until he turned over to his fellow Owsla and chat.

"Thomas, we can't let you have another action like that keep us here. I need you to do your best to not have those moments. Understand?" Captain Holly talked to me.

I nodded. "I'm sorry, it was just... I couldn't help it."

"It's alright, brother." he accepted my apology with grace.

"Well... I guess after what we just saw. It's been decided I guess." Kung Lao spoken.

"Yes, I think it does." Captain Holly said. "Now... on my word, run and don't look back." The six of us agreed, as we stuck close to each other, as we began to take a slow leave, as we were heading out of boundaries. It really didn't take that long until I heard someone's voice echoed.

"INFIDEL!" I heard Farid's voice.

"You there!" Captain Vervain than followed suite, as he noticed that we're planning to escape.

"RUN!" Captain Holly than ordered us to run. We didn't look back, as we're being pursued. The memories were coming back about my failed escape. Every time I was seeing the flashback coming back at me, it started to slow me down. I kept trying to block them, as I catch up with them.

We managed to escape from the warren, but now we're going through the fields and a tunnel underneath a walkway. We did everything we could to perform maneuvers to cut the Efrafans off from our tracks. Luckily, Liu Kang and Kitana, and Kung Lao helped us greatly, as they threw projectiles at the pursuing rabbits to cut them off. However, it didn't last long until we have Tarkatans coming after us.

"Tarkatans behind us!" I shouted.

"Don't look back! Just keep running!" Captain Holly exclaimed.

"My leg, Holly, I can't run fast enough." Blackberry exclaimed, as I looked at him, his mark was started to bleed again, as we climbed up the hill.

"We're nearly there, Blackberry." Captain Holly assured him. "We're nearly..." We than climbed to the top to see as if we're in a different world.

"There's no end to this place." Blackberry panted.

"Perhaps I could help." Liu Kang assisted. He raised his right hand, closed his eyes to sense for concentration.

"What's he doing?" Bluebell panted.

"Liu Kang is using his chi to give us direction to find your warren." Kung Lao answered. "He's been practicing to use his chi and it has been paying off."

"Fascinating." Blackberry panted.

After short seconds, Liu Kang opened his eyes. "We just need to head towards those tracks by the underpass bridge. We'll be able to find our way home from there."

Before we could continue, the Tarkatans blocked our path and came behind us was Captain Vervain. "You lots have made a very grave error." Captain Vervain came from our behind. We feared that our run stops here, as we're out of breath and outnumbered, until a doe came out of no where and tackled him.

"Hyzenthlay." Captain Holly was amazed, as he recognized the doe. He than noticed a four armed creature was coming towards her. "Hyzenthlay, watch out!"

She looked to see the creature. "Your date with your love at first sight is over." she spoke.

"Sheeva!" Kitana recognized her and started to lift Sheeva with her fans and pushed her downhill, along with the Baraka and his Tarkatans.

"I'll be fine! Now, go! Run!" Hyzenthlay told us. Blackberry and Bluebell, Liu Kang and Kung Lao headed off, as Kitana and I had to persuade Holly that we need to leave. From the look on his face, he didn't want to leave her, but than he had no choice that he couldn't return the favor to help Hyzenthlay.

Alarm! Alarm! We heard Captain Vervain shouting for his Owsla bucks that there's escapees.

We managed to run down the hill, as we're heading towards underpass bridge. Blackberry's hind leg was starting to get worse. "I can't run! Please leave me!"

"Just keep going, Blackberry! Just keep looking ahead!" Captain Holly encourage Blackberry to keep running. We than reached towards the climb, but this time there were coals that we're climbing. Apparently, we're climbing up towards a railroad track. As we were climbing, Blackberry lost his grip and started to fall down. "Blackberry!"

I watched him tumble a bit, as Efrafans and the Tarkatans were gaining towards him. I jumped down a bit was able to give Blackberry a push, until an Efrafan got hold of my leg.

"I got him, Vervain!" he shouted.

"Get... off... of... my foot!" I struggled until I was able to kick the buck off of me.

I climbed back up to catch up with the rest, until I realized Baraka and Vervain were holding Blackberry. Even they were making his hind leg bleed more causing pain. "Ow! My leg!" Blackberry cried.

"Any step closer, your friend's head will be next!" Baraka threatened us, while Sheeva stood in front of the three.

"We'll take care of Sheeva!" Liu Kang told me, Captain Holly and Bluebell, as the trio charged at Sheeva. Captain Holly, Bluebell, and I teamed up and managed to free Blackberry. Captain Vervain was ready to go after Blackberry.

"You guys protect Blackberry! I'll handle the Tarkatan!" I spoke.

"Be careful, brother." Captain Holly warned me, before battling Vervain.

Baraka released Blackberry, as the Efrafans held him down. Baraka sharpen his blades. "Too bad there's no river between us. My blades will taste your flesh, before your rabbits!"

"Not if they're stuck into chests." I mocked him, as I was ready. Baraka charged at me with his blades, as I did maneuvers to dodge his blades without them hitting my flesh. He than pulled his blades back inside his arms, we engaged in a hand to hand combat. He managed to held me down on the tracks, as he slowly releases his blades to touch my skin. I than freed myself with a kick that rolled him over. He roared at me, as he sent his Tarkatans after me. I defended myself greatly from remembering my hand to hand combat in my Army days. Baraka charged at me once more, after my success on defeating the Tarkatans, I performed a low kick and I was managed to stomp on his chest and mortally crushing him.

I turned over to see Bluebell and Captain Holly battled Vervain. Bluebell did a few numbers on Vervain, but he was managed to get Blackberry, as the two withdraw, while Holly was giving them a chance to leave the tracks. Until Vervain struck Holly and held him down.

"I told you, I'll have your tongue. I'll make sure to remove your tongue, before sending you to The Black Rabbit of Inle'." Vervain taunted, as he was prepared to give a final blow.

Anger boiled over, as I remember saving Holly's life from Kung Lao's final strike. I'm willing to risk twice to save him. I began to run towards Vervain, as energy filled within me and did a powerful tackle on Vervain and knocked him off from Holly.

"Thomas." Captain Holly surprised that I saved his life again.

Vervain got back on his feet. "YOU!"

"Try to go through me, if you wanted Holly, you embleer bitch!" I cursed at Vervain.

He than charged at me, as he attempts to tackle me to the ground. However, I was too strong to be pulled down by him. I threw some punches, as he clawed at me. I still maintained my dominance over him. I than held him down, as I began choking him.

"You sent me... to... The Black Rabbit..." Vervain spoke, while struggling to be free, while being choked. "... your family will never... survive after tonight!"

Rage boiled over me, as I remember what Farid stated about my family. I couldn't let Vervain live after what he said... I performed my fatality, by snapping the captain's neck. His eyes didn't close, as if he has gone tharn with his eyes widened. Baraka and his Tarkatans charged at me for another attack. I wasn't sure what happened, but it wasn't pleasant. I was able to take them down one by one that includes snapping their necks, or having their blades impaled to their chests. Baraka... I was able to squeeze his eyes, before I broke his legs, arms, before his head for the final snap. Sheeva was very weak from her battle against: Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Kitana, and the Efrafans became tharn from their captain losing a battle to a human.

"Fall back! With me, you rabbits!" Sheeva ordered the tharned Efrafan bucks to withdraw from combat, as they fled back to Efrafa.

I walked back and offered Captain Holly a paw. He smiled, as he gladly accepted the aid. "Twice you have spared my life."

"Surprised?" I smiled back.

"Not so... unless it was thousand times."

"Bluebell... you saved me. You're a hero!" Blackberry was amazed that Bluebell, the comedian rabbit making inappropriate jokes, saved his life.

"I much preferred it when I was a liability." Bluebell stated, before he gazed at the fleeing four armed beast. "What was that?"

"Her name is Sheeva... she protect's Shao Kahn's queen... Sindel, who is my mother." Kitana stated.

"That creature serves to protect your mother?" Bluebell questioned.

"Yes." she nodded.

"Unless that creature was a child, she would stomp all over the place." Bluebell joked.

"This is no time for your jokes, Bluebell." Liu Kang stated. "Sheeva is no foul for a joke, especially with Goro and Kintaro. Those three are Shokans, species that live in Outworld."

"It's almost Déjà Vu all over again, with you rabbit." Kung Lao walked up and spoke to Captain Holly.

"No... it's not. It's from Frith. I think Frith has decided that it's not our time to stop running." Captain Holly stated.

"Not your time, too." I added.

"Yes... yes indeed." he turned back and nodded. "Now we need to head back to the down at once. Before they'll come back with an army." Everyone began their journey back, before he noticed that I wasn't following them. Captain Holly came back to me. "Thomas..."

"I'm worry about my family, sir. I need to go back to see if they're alright." I'm more worried about my family more than ever, after hearing Farid would do to my family with his new friends.

"I understand..." he than looked a bit down also.

"It's her, isn't it?" I asked.

"Who?" he questioned.

"Hyzenthlay. You love her." I answered.

"She saved my life, Thomas. I own her my life, as I own for you."

"You own me nothing, sir." I assured him. "I was looking after you, as if you were in my unit. Protecting each other."

Captain Holly was impressed on how he sees the Owsla buck in me. "I'm more than happy, if this is over, I'm willing to welcome you to join our Owsla."

I stood tall, as I give Captain Holly a salute. "I'm grateful for your offer. However, I may needed back at home perhaps... or unless... just to see my family again, without military life."

He seemed to be very open minded, as I did my best explain to him that I'm in interest, at the same time I wanted to leave the military life. "If you decide to leave the military life or not back at your world, my offer still stands for you, Brother."

"I'll be honored to join you, if I stay here after the war, sir." I stated.

"Come, we need to hurry to rejoin with the others." Captain Holly took lead, as I followed him to rejoin with the others, as they may have stopped to realize we are missing. After regroup and continuing to journey for home, my mind still in a constant thought for my family's safety back in Colorado. I hope nothing happens to them.