Rottytops heaved herself up the rock, pausing to catch a breath. She took a peek under her, to see how far up she had come.

About two metres.

Well. This was going to take a while.

A hiss sounded out from next to her, and Rotty quickly spun around and smacked the creature with her fist. The tar creature reeled back in surprise, before sticking its tongue out and collapsing into a puddle. It seemed to acknowledge Rotty as either one of the resident zombies, a friend, or had remembered the intimidation of her brother when they had first moved there.

Rotty shook her head and slowly started making her way past the three metre mark. She had seen the bird, which she had deciphered from the book to be called a Jewelled Meera, landing at the top of this peak. Its sketch depicted multi-coloured beauty, which contrasted the dark dreariness of Mudbog Island, but it was extremely territorial, easily picking off anything that it deemed a threat. The speed and agility it had, as well as its surprising strength, made it an excellent hunter, and its weekly run to snare a beast was often unrivalled by other predators.

Rottytops had studied the book hard, learning the bird's routines, strengths and weaknesses. The Meera was around her size, and the talons were as sharp as Risky's blade, if not sharper. The egg, which Rotty was aiming to get, would be one of two. The bird would not be happy to return to an egg missing. It would probably scout around the area, as it had just done an hour ago, and hunt down Rotty to reclaim its egg, tearing her to bits in the process.

Rotty couldn't lie. She was scared. Terrified. There was a good chance she could actually die here. The bird was powerful, and she might not be able to get away in time. Throwing her head to teleport would be useless if the bird caught it mid-air and ripped it apart. Even it did succeed, the egg wouldn't come with her body anyway.

Speaking of throwing her head, it would probably help her get past the four metre mark.

Detaching her head, Rotty aimed carefully for a flat ledge that would make the rest of the climb easy. She unconsciously stuck her tongue out, preparing to throw, when a screech startled her, causing her body to fall backwards and drop her head. A few moments passed before Rotty's body returned to her, and she wasted no time aiming up again and this time, with no inconvenient and frightening screech, threw her head up onto the ledge.

As the body reconnected with its owner, Rotty swayed precariously, nearly toppling off the ledge. She had a strong arm, and that throw had boosted her up at least twelve metres. She looked out over the treetops, shielding her eyes from the sun, trying to find her old house. Rotty spotted the old castle where Shantae had battled the giant Spider Queen, and just in front of it, the Nightmare Woods.

The zombie sighed. She had never truly said sorry to Shantae for faking hurt and making her carry Rotty through the woods. She hadn't missed the visible shudder that went through the half-genie when Mudbog Island was brought up the day before, clearly scarred by the event. 'I need to apologise properly.'

Shaking those thoughts away, the girl looked up, trying to see how far was left to go. By the looks of it, there was only a couple of metres left, but she knew that the bird was still there. She'd have to wait until it flew off. Sitting down and leaning against the rock face, Rottytops wondered what Shantae was up to that moment. The guardian had borrowed a boat and sailed all the way to Mudbog with Rotty, leaving it on the pier so she could return. Shantae had left in harpy form, flying to wherever the location on the map was. Had she found the island? Did she make up with Risky? 'S'pose I won't know until the end of the day,' she thought.

The same screech rang out once again, but this time the zombie knew where it was from, though it wasn't any less frightening. The sound came from above her – the nest. A dark shadow passed over Rottytops, and for a moment, she had thought she'd been found. The sound of flapping wings passed by, and Rotty saw a red shape fly towards the western side of the island.

"Show time."

Breathing heavily, the zombie backed up against a trunk, flattening herself against the rough surface. She clutched the egg to her chest tightly, careful not to crush its fragile shell.

It had gone wrong, oh so terribly wrong. The book never mentioned that one parent always stayed with the eggs while the other went to hunt. She had grabbed the egg, threw it out, used her head teleport ability, caught it, and bolted, all while being chased by a very angry bird.

She had ran through branches, hopped over rocks, and stumbled a few times. Rotty was looking worse for wear, and she was sore all over. Too bad she wasn't in the Nightmare Realm. At least she was able to summon brains for healing there.

She was close to the pier, close enough to see the boat gently rising and dipping with the waves. Its peaceful situation was the complete opposite of Rotty's own. Hearing another shriek from the adult Meera, she gulped.

She wasn't sure if she would make it out alive.

Maybe she could leave the egg and just run while the bird picked it back up. Or make a decoy. Maybe dress up as a tree. Why was she even doing this again?

'For Sky.'

Filled with a little bit more determination, she braced herself, waiting for the perfect moment…

Then ran.

Sky opened the door, wondering who would be rapping at her door so persistently.

"Can I help—"she began, slamming the door shut instantly at the sight of green. 'Just walk away, Sky. Don't engage her,' she thought to herself, backing away from the door. Sky had expected her to come crawling back, with some pathetic apology or excuse, just like she had done so in the past. She turned around and headed back to her kitchen. This time, she wasn't going to give her another chance. She had used them all up and taken advantage of their friendship. It was for the best.

"Sky… please."

Sky stopped in her tracks as her heart lurched. Rotty sounded so vulnerable. So helpless. Sky had never heard her like this before. She spun on one foot, facing the door again. 'I shouldn't…' She silently creeped up to the door, not wanting Rotty to know she was directly behind it.

"Sky? You there? Please?" the voice wavered.

Sky sighed in slight frustration. 'This. This is the last time. I mean it.' She grabbed the handle and ripped the door open with more force than she intended to. The sight waiting for her on the other side shocked her; Rottytops had scratches all over her, some still bleeding, particularly a cut to her ankle. Her hair was messier than usual, even having a branch sticking out of it, and her tank top had small rips in it. What had the zombie been doing? What's she holding behind her back?

"Look, I know you hate me, and I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you, just take this and I'll leave you alone forever, okay?" Rotty pulled out an egg from behind her back and offered it to Sky, who glanced at it for a few seconds. White with coloured speckles. She returned her gaze to the undead girl, who was beginning to tear up.

Zombies could cry? Whatever, worry about that later. She pointed behind her.

"Inside. Now," she demanded, and Rotty complied. As the zombie walked in, Sky closed the door behind her.

"Put it over there, in that nest," she pointed again, at a medium sized nest, "brush away any mess that's already in there and make sure it's upright." The zombie followed her orders wordlessly, slightly limping. 'Where are her usual quips and bad puns?'

"There. I'll go now," Rotty spoke, never looking at Sky. "Thanks for being my friend," she finished, walking towards the door with the slight limp she had. Sky stepped in front of her, placing her hand on the door to keep it shut.

"No. Go sit down."

"But—"

"Sit down, Rotty." The zombie stared at her feet, before turning around and sitting in one of Sky's chairs. A small squeak escaped her as Sky turned it around and placed another chair in front of her, before walking off into the hatchery's other rooms. Rotty dreaded the telling-off she knew she was going to receive from Sky. No escaping it now.

Sky was in her bathroom, looking for a first aid kit. She usually kept one near the birds, but Shantae had taken it as a back-up when she travelled to Risky's volcanic lair. She found the red box, pulled it out, and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She paused to look at herself. She looked clean. Her hair was safely in her hood. She looked as pretty as she usually did. She had to look her best for Rotty after all. Uh, for everyone who came to her hatchery, she meant. Not just Rotty.

'Where did that come from?' she thought, blushing red. She shook her head looked in the mirror again. 'Of course you're forgiving her. You always do. You can never resist her charm or charisma.' Except Rotty wasn't very charismatic or charming at the moment. 'Be nice to her, Sky. She obviously went to a lot of trouble for you. Drop the grudge.' Sky exhaled. Yes, she had lost some fine birds. Yes, she had been angry. But she had a right to – Rotty never asked permission and Sky had been raising those birds for years. But Rotty was also genuinely sorry this time, and seeing her in such a depressive mood was bumming Sky out. Maybe they could patch this relationship… 'She's cute. I'll give her that.' Sky left the bathroom, a slight pink hue on her cheeks.

She found Rotty in the same position she had left her in – head hanging, shoulders dropped, arms limp. She walked over and knelt in front of Rotty, opening the box and grabbing a bandage and some disinfectant. She placed a few drops on the cut on the zombie's ankle, who flinched from the stinging, and started to unroll the bandage from its packaging.

"I don't know what the hell you've done this time Rotty, but there better be a good explanation," she said while wrapping the bandage around the leg. She was aware of the eyes boring into her from surprise – it wasn't like Sky to use words like that. Unless she was angry. Then she unleashed a torrent of her worst. And Rotty was usually on the receiving end of that.

"You know you don't have to do this, Sky. I could replace it, whether it's due or not," Rottytops croaked, her voice breaking at one point. The comment reminded Sky of their argument inside the Nightmare Realm. Rotty had just changed her legs and was angry that Sky had made her walk to the castle, requiring new ones again. Had they even been changed since then?

"I know. But I want to. I don't like you being hurt." Sky tied the bandage off and sat on the chair she had placed across from Rotty earlier. "That should be fine for a while. Now, your arms."

"Sky…"

"Your arms, Rotty, unless you would prefer for me to kick you out again?" That got Rotty moving, who presented her arms to Sky. Sky stuck on band-aids on any cuts that were still bleeding. As she moved her hands over Rotty's arms, she felt the odd, undead warmth they emitted. It had been a while since she had touched Rotty, and she wasn't used to it anymore. She had liked the feeling. She had… missed it. Realising she was pretty much just roaming her hands all over Rotty's arms, she quickly dropped them, bending over to grab something from the box, and also cover a blush.

"Awww, I was enjoying that," Rotty whined, but Sky didn't mind. She had secretly been enjoying it too. 'Are you serious, Sky? It's almost as if you crave her now.' Sky paused. That had hit a bit close to home. Maybe she was… Not that she'd ever admit or act on it. She looked up to study Rotty's exposed midriff, in case it also needed treatment. There were small grazes, but they didn't need any treatment. Sky decided that was enough treatment, and tidied up the box. She sat up and look Rotty in the eyes with a serious face, making the zombie feel very nervous.

"Rotty," Sky started in a soft tone, softening her face as well, "what were you doing to get so injured?" Rotty opened her mouth to speak. "Without saying 'I got an egg.'" The zombie closed her mouth for a second.

"I travelled to Mudbog Island to get the egg for you. I may or may not have miscalculated a few things and it went downhill from there," the zombie began, eventually telling Sky the whole journey. Their conversation ran well into the afternoon, and Sky had to stop Rotty at one point to go get some drinks.

"So you stole a Meera egg because you wanted to apologise? A 'sorry Sky' and some chocolates would've been fine."

"I did that last time," Rotty reminded her, "and I did it because I lo… I wanted to say sorry for everything I've ever done. For the birds, for hitting you, and for… I don't know, being a nuisance in general. I'm sorry," she finished, her eyes downcast.

Sky stared at the green girl across from her. She had stolen a predatory bird's eggs – a rare, exotic bird – and got injured in the process because she wanted to say sorry? 'She's a keeper.' Sky frowned. 'Will you stupid thoughts go away!?' She reached over and pulled her undead friend to her, securing her in a hug. The zombie returned the gesture, beginning to cry.

"It's alright Rotty, I forgive you. You don't need to cry," Sky comforted, rubbing Rotty's back.

"It's not that… I mess up so much and you always forgive me. It's the same with Shantae. I don't deserve any of this…" the rest of that sentence became an inaudible mess, Sky straining to decipher what Rotty was saying.

"You're getting better, though. But I'll only let you be around me if you promise me something," Sky said. This was the last time that she would forgive Rotty. 'Yeah, right.' The undead girl sat up, sniffling, and gave her attention to Sky. "I don't want you to run out like that and get all beaten up just for me, okay? An egg isn't worth you being wounded."

"I can just swap out the parts."

"That's not the point, Rotty." The zombie sighed.

"Fiiiine. I promise not to get you any more eggs."

"What?"

"Or birds."

"Are you serious? This isn't what I was say—"

"Or your favourite chocolate."

"Now that's just completely uncalled for." The duo looked at each other and burst into laughter. It was no secret how much Sky loved her chocolate. Particularly chocolate eggs.

"Seriously, though. I'm not promising to not get hurt for you. I'd do it again, if it kept you happy, or safe. Same with Snack Cakes," Rotty said, serious for a moment.

"You being hurt wouldn't make me happy. And you know how much she hates that name," Sky responded.

"I know, Bird Girl."

"Are you for real?"

"Don't get your bird brain all scrambled up over that, in case a silly idea comes hatching out of it," Rotty grinned.

Sky facepalmed. Then smirked.

"Your jokes really raise the dead, Rotty." Sky glanced up to see the zombie's reaction.

What greeted her was the most unamused face the undead girl had ever pulled. Sky laughed.

Worth it.

Yay, formatting issues needing a reupload. Fun.

Term's over, so I'm free to play Risky's Revenge and get any more necessary information I could need for the story. The next chapter should be up within 2 weeks - it's halfway done already.

Feedback appreciated! Point out any typos you might find. Proofreading this while tired isn't that effective, believe it or not.

Till next time!

-Tommycats.

P.S. There is not enough Rotty x Sky. Or Rotty x Anyone. Hmmm...

Edit: Also patched up some of the earlier chapters. Nothing major, just a few typos and grammar issues.