When Octavia woke up the following morning, the fatigue of the previous night was still lingering within her. Sitting up in her bed, she couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh as her parents' argument downstairs once again rang in her ears.

"You are a fucking disgrace!" she heard her mother scream, undoubtedly trying to belittle her father for his poor choices once again.

Before, now would have been the moment she got her phone and stuck her earbuds in to drown her parents out. However, for some reason, she didn't feel like doing it today. Frankly, she had too many things on her mind to even care what her parents were doing right now. Looking over at the empty pet basket over to the side of her bed, Octavia let out yet another saddened sigh. It may not have been the first time she had woken up without seeing Snowflake asleep in her basket or curled up on the foot of her bed, but it was certainly the first time the little fox wasn't anywhere in the house since she arrived. If she was being honest, after spending so much time with the Kitsune pup, the Goetia Princess felt a lot of unease and a sense of longing she never had before. What's more, the fact that Snowflake was gone also reminded Octavia that Mick wasn't here either.

After the Cat Demon contacted her last night to tell her that he had found a place to stay, the Goetia Princess wasn't going to lie and say she wasn't relieved. Knowing that her friend was safe despite his circumstances certainly felt like a great weight had been lifted. Still, despite knowing that, she still missed him terribly… probably a lot more than she should.

It was strange. All her life her mother had tried to groom her into the perfect example of Demon Royalty, always trying to go through life with elegance and grace while looking down on those she considered lesser Demons. And yet elegance and grace were practically thrown out the window since Octavia reached her permanent goth phase, and the Demon she considers her dearest friend was a Sinner no less… a Sinner that somehow made the Goetia's chest feel tight every time she thought about him. Furthermore, it was thanks to Mick that Octavia's friend circle was starting to grow a little, and not by those snobby Nobles who she was forced to spend time with at her school.

Thinking back to the conversation she had with one such friend last night in the library, the Goetia Princess was suddenly reminded of what she was planning to do that very morning. Feeling that there was no time like the present, she reached out for her phone on the nightstand and proceeded to look through her contacts. Hopefully, she still had the number she was looking for. Finding it pretty quickly, she made the request for a video chat. A phone call would have spared her from showing off her sleepwear but she didn't care, right now she just needed someone to talk to regardless of her situation. Soon enough, a familiar pale face with blonde hair appeared on the screen.

"Octavia?" she answered with a yawn before obtaining one of her signature smiles "Hey! How're you doing?"

Seeing Charlie appear on her phone, Octavia was a little hesitant to answer back. After all, it had been a while since she and Lucifer's daughter had actually spoken.

"Hi, Charlie," she eventually greeted. "How've you been keeping?"

"I'm good, I'm good… for the most part," Charlie answered, her smile fading for a brief moment before she perked back up almost immediately. "So what's up? No offence, but I never actually thought I'd get a call from you… I'm surprised you still have my number in all honesty."

Octavia couldn't blame Charlie for feeling that way, of course. After all, she tended to "lose numbers" every time one of the other members of Hellish Nobility tried to share contact information. But she seemed to get along well enough with Charlie at the banquet so she was a bit more reluctant to do so this time. And frankly, she was glad that she didn't. Of all the Demons in Hell, Charlie Morningstar may be the only one she knew who could understand what she was going through.

"Yeah, I get that," the Goetia Princess sighed. "But… Charlie, I really need to talk to you."

"Oh? Is it… about anything in particular?" Charlie replied, completely taken by surprise as she took note of the expression on Octavia's face. "You DO seem a little down."

Seeing no point in beating around the bush, Octavia let out another sigh and chose to get straight to the point.

"Is it… difficult, Charlie?" she asked, much to the other Princess's confusion. "The fact that you're so close with a Sinner, I mean. I know you can probably do whatever you want since your dad's the head honcho, but you must have had some… disapproval somewhere down the line, right? How do you deal with it all?"

Taking all of Octavia's words to heart, Charlie had to say she was taken aback by such a question. Not that any of it was untrue, but regardless, she wasn't expecting to hear such a question from her fellow Royal.

"Well… I suppose I've dealt with stuff like that, yeah," she replied awkwardly. "But honestly, I never had much in common with some of the other Royals anyway, so their opinions never really mattered to me. What brought this on?"

"Well, I have this friend who's of… lower status than I am," Octavia answered, not wanting to lie but still feeling awkward in letting her thoughts out. "And yesterday he ended up somewhere pretty rough and… well, I'm worried about him."

Taking account of every word Octavia tried to force out of her mouth since the conversation started, it didn't take long for Charlie to put the pieces together. After which a small smirk appeared on her face.

"Oh…" she said playfully. "This friend of yours… it wouldn't happen to be that Masked Sinner from the banquet, would it?"

The moment Charlie asked that, Octavia's face instantly turned a deep shade of red, giving Lucifer's daughter her answer without even saying a word.

"I thought so!" Charlie laughed. "You two did seem pretty close that night… And I also heard about what happened the following morning. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that."

Recalling that particular memory, Octavia couldn't help but shudder.

"Thank you," she replied. "I appreciate it."

Giving the other Princess a grateful smile, Octavia allowed herself to calm down a little.

"So this place your friend ended up in yesterday… where is it exactly?" Charlie asked, choosing to get back on topic

"The… Wrath Ring," Octavia answered awkwardly, wincing as she heard Lucifer's daughter gasp in shock.

"The WRATH RING!?" she exclaimed. "You know that a Sinner in one of the other rings isn't allowed, right!?"

"I know! I know!" Octavia snapped back. "But apparently my mother told him that there are exceptions if said Sinner works for Demon Royalty."

After taking a moment to calm down and take a deep cleansing breath, Charlie spoke again.

"Well… I suppose that IS true," she admitted. "But still, that's quite a bit of news, Via. I can understand why you'd be so worried."

"That goes without saying," Octavia replied with another sigh. "I want to help him but I'm basically useless right now and I just can't stop reeling over it."

The moment she said that, Charlie soon began to tap her chin in thought before another large smile appeared on her face.

"Octavia," she said. "When was the last time you left your house? You know, just for a day out or something."

The Goetia Princess had no idea why Charlie would ask such a question but nonetheless, it got her thinking. Honestly, as far as she could tell, the last time she went on a "day out" was when her father took her to Loo Loo Land, but even then it was a while ago and it wasn't exactly what she called "fun".

"Uh... well, I honestly can't recall," she eventually answered, choosing not to even mention the nightmare of a theme park. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, seems to me you can use a little time away to clear your head. And I just happen to know of a great new place that just opened," Charlie answered, much to Octavia's further surprise. "How about you join me and Vaggie tomorrow to check it out? We'll make it a girl's night."

Was she being serious right now? A girl's night!? Never in her life had the Goetia thought she would ever be invited to one of those! Granted, she had been invited to small get-togethers by some of her fellow Nobles before, but they were mainly just for show for those of a lower rank in a sad attempt to use her family name to better their own. But this? No, Charlie was too… nice for something like that, which was pretty ironic considering who her father was.

"You sure?" Octavia asked, making sure she wasn't just being played with. "I don't want to impose or anything."

"C'mon, we're friends aren't we? We'd be glad to have you," Charlie giggled, surprising the Goetia even more by calling her a friend. "Besides, you'd be doing me a favour. Things are kinda hectic here, and I could use a break from everything in the hotel."

CRASH!

At that moment, Octavia heard something being smashed against the wall in the background of Charlie's end of the call.

"Damn it, Angel, why are you such an unbearable asshat!?"

"Takes one to know one, bitch!"

"Vete a la mierda, desvergonzado chupapollas!"

As soon as she heard those two voices behind her, Charlie let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I better go, sounds like Vaggie and Angel are at it again," she said, trying her best to put on a smile again. "I'll text you the address later and you can meet us there tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Y-yeah, sounds good," Octavia replied, still somewhat hesitant with her reply, but seemingly satisfying Charlie with it regardless.

"Great!" she exclaimed. "See you then!"

It took about two minutes after Charlie hung up for Octavia to fully comprehend what she just agreed to. A girl's night with Charlie and Vaggie? She had to admit, the thought of it intrigued her. Plus it may actually help her take her mind off things if she had something to look forward to. Still, Octavia couldn't help but feel a little nervous. If her mother ever found out about it, she'd be REALLY pissed off… all the more reason to go for it, in all honesty.


Meanwhile, back down in the Wrath Ring, the very same Cat Demon who was the root cause of Octavia's worries snored peacefully away in a small hammock with Snowflake nuzzling into his chest. After being shown to his room on the upper levels of the saloon the previous night, it didn't take long for Mick to completely doze off after laying down in the hammock without so much as taking off his mask. After everything he had been through yesterday, it was a wonder he didn't immediately slip into a coma.

"GOOD MORNING, SUGAR!"

"GAH!"

And thus his peaceful slumber ended immediately. Jumping in fright at the sudden arrival of Ember through the bedroom door, Mick soon found himself landing face-first to the floor with a loud clang.

"Ooooow," he let out with a soft groan, Snowflake softly landing on his back with a small yip.

"Oh, Satan!" Ember exclaimed, quickly realizing her mistake. "Are you okay!?"

Not wanting Ember to feel bad over what had just happened, Mick quickly tried to brush the whole thing off.

"Yeah, fine! All fine!" he replied, cracking his back as he staggered back to his feet. "I suppose this is your usual way of saying 'good morning', is it?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Ember apologized with a sheepish smile. "I suppose I did come in a little hot there, huh?"

Mick couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Just a little," he joked, happy to see Ember seemingly take it in stride as she let out a small laugh of her own.

After letting out a few small giggles, Ember eventually cleared her throat and tried to put on a serious face. Although, if Mick didn't know any better, he'd say that for some reason she looked a little nervous.

"Say, um… if you don't have any plans for today, perhaps I can show y'all around town," she said, much to Mick's surprise. "Ya know, since you're new n' all."

Hearing that, Mick felt a mix of intrigue and dread. Granted, he was curious to see what the rest of the area was like, but then again, after the events of yesterday, he wasn't looking forward to any repeats. Still, Ember seemed trustworthy enough, so if he was in a circle with her, he should be okay, right?

"Well... I suppose I AM interested in seeing what this Harvest Moon thing's all about," he admitted, scratching the back of his head in thought. "Might as well see what it's like before I get back to the Pride Ring."

The moment the Cat Demon said that, a large toothy grin spread across Ember's face.

"YEE-HAW!" she cried out, quickly turning for the door. "Then we better get some victuals before we head out. Granny made a big breakfast today."

After Ember had made her exit, Mick found himself a little dumbfounded over witnessing such excitement from the young Imp. Unable to avoid catching a glimpse of her rear as she left, he suddenly felt a small wave of heat under his mask, which, unknown to anyone else, was now hiding a goofy grin. Snowflake, however, wasn't impressed. In fact, seeing her master act like this, she couldn't help but stare at him with a deadpan expression as if she were looking at a total moron.


After a large breakfast of Hellhog sausage and eggs, it wasn't long before Ember led Mick out of the saloon and into town. Despite looking like a hobo yesterday due to the day's events, the Cat Demon felt a bit more at ease since he had the chance to wash up and get a change of clothes. Long gone were the tattered remains of his work clothes, having now been replaced by a short-sleeved white shirt and a pair of denim overalls. Had Mick been an Imp, he would have blended right in with the locals.

With a stretch of his back and Snowflake curled up on his shoulder, Mick kept a steady pace with Ember as they strolled down the street. Despite the obvious stares he was getting from random passerby Imps, Mick didn't feel the same amount of tension he had the previous day, whether it was because he had the chance to relax last night or because Ember was the one giving him the tour this morning was somewhat up in the air.

Taking note of his surroundings, the Cat Demon took note of how different everything seemed now that he was able to get a second look. Between the small general stores, the tailor shops and even the gunsmiths, the place really did look like a town from an old cowboy movie. However, it wasn't the town itself that drew that much of Mick's attention. As he and Ember continued their walk, the Cat Demon couldn't help but notice a few early morning Imps setting up wooden stalls meant for games, novelty shops and other assorted practices that would normally take place during a fair. There was even a large wooden stage being set up at the far end of town, most likely for the festival's hosts to make their announcements.

"You folks really like this Harvest Moon Festival, huh?" Mick couldn't help but comment, earning himself an earnest smile from the Imp walking next to him.

"Damn right, we do," she declared proudly. "Although I think it's more to do with the Pain Games than anything else."

"The Pain Games, huh?" Mick repeated, recollecting when he heard the same thing from Jo and his family yesterday. "What are they, exactly?"

At those words, Ember's smile grew into an excited grin.

"Oh, it's THE best part of the festival," she began, soon going into a very detailed explanation with delight etched across her face. "Every year, the Harvest Moon Festival hosts this big competition with all kinds of events. Mud wrestling, tug o' war, you name it. And the winner of the whole thing gets big prizes and is declared the roughest, toughest bastard in Wrath!"

Seeing how enthusiastic Ember was about the whole event, Mick couldn't help but feel a little intrigued. Of all the times he ended up stuck in another Ring of Hell, it would seem that this was one of the more exciting events he could encounter. The more he thought about it, the more the Wrath Ring didn't seem so bad.

"Sounds like it would be fun to watch, I must admit," Mick confessed, Snowflake nodding her head in agreement as she listened to the conversation from atop Mick's shoulder.

"Well, from what Granny told me, it's more fun to join in than watch," Ember commented with a shrug. "In fact, she actually entered the games last year and almost came out on top."

Mick couldn't help but snort at that.

"From what I experienced last night, I can definitely believe THAT!" he joked, causing the pair of them to share a laugh.

This was nice. While Mick was understandably hesitant at first, simply strolling through town and having a pleasant chat with Ember like this was a fresh breath of air compared to his first day in Wrath. Even Snowflake seemed to enjoy herself a little bit judging from the way she wagged her tails now and then… though for some reason she also kept a vigilant eye on Ember as if she were a predator waiting to pounce… then all of a sudden, something else caught her attention.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Suddenly tensing up like a frightened cat and snapping herself around on Mick's shoulder, the Kitsune pup let out a fierce growl, followed by a loud series of yips, drawing Mick's attention to the Imp Child trying to pull something out of his back pocket while he wasn't looking.

"HEY!" the Cat Demon snapped, turning around and grabbing the little pickpocket's wrist before she could make a break for it. "What the fuck!?"

Glaring down at the Imp child before him, Mick couldn't help but wonder how he didn't notice her approach. From what he could see, she was a skinny child who was about 10, maybe 11 years old, with light red skin, a freckled face, two large twin ponytails in her otherwise messy black hair, a pentagram tattoo on her exposed left upper arm, and most notably of all, a black, leather eyepatch over her right eye. Staring back up at the Cat Demon with her one good eye, the child gave a sheepish giggle.

"Uh… parlay?" she said awkwardly, only to receive a glare from Mick for her trouble.

"Why, you little-"

CHOMP!

"GAAAAAHHH!"

Suddenly, the Cat Demon felt a sharp pain on the end of his tail, forcing him to let go of the child's wrist and allow her to kick him in the groin. Grasping his now-sore genitals and collapsing to the ground with his eyes rolled back, Mick could only gasp and whimper as two more Imp children came out of hiding and quickly empty Mick's pockets. While Snowflake tried her best to defend her master, the Imps were too quick after the initial collapse for her to do anything. By the time she managed to shake off the shock from falling off Mick's shoulder, it was already too late as all three children began to run off down the street.

"See ya, sucker!" one of them called back over his shoulder. A tall boy around the same age as the twin-tailed girl, who wore tatty blue overalls over a bare chest and had a tuft of white hair sticking out from under a trucker's cap.

Following that, the smallest of the three turned back, stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry back at the Cat Demon. Considerably younger than the other two, she was very small, had a round face with big eyes with red irises and wore a pink frilly dress and a purple-spotted bow in her hair. If it wasn't for the fact that she was also laughing at him with a creepy mouthful of giant shark-like teeth, Mick would almost say she was also the most adorable of the three. By the time Ember managed to help Mick back up to his feet, all three of them were long gone.

"I swear… I'm gonna beat the shit out of those three…" she muttered, glaring out in the direction the three kids ran before checking on Mick's condition. "Are you alright there, Micky?"

However, Mick was unable to answer straight away due to still being in total shock after what had just happened. After about a minute or two, his left eye soon began to twitch.

"Did... did I just get mugged by a bunch of KIDS!?" he exclaimed, the feeling of shock and embarrassment coursing through him being too large to even be put into words.

Ember let out an exasperated sigh at that.

"'Fraid so, sugar," she said. "Looks like you got the official welcome from Chimp, Champ, and Chomp."

"They sound like a trio of breakfast cereal mascots," Mick commented, raising an eyebrow after hearing such baffling names. "I take it you know those little bastards well?"

It wasn't that far-fetched of an assumption. After all, Ember's tone did somewhat give that impression away in an instant. Still, that didn't mean she was proud to admit it.

"In a way," she replied. "Them kids have been picking pockets all over town for a while now. Almost everyone in the area had their stuff pinched by them at some point or another… well, except my Granny. I mean they're brave but they ain't suicidal."

Well, any good opinion Mick might have had on the Wrath Ring was officially flushed down the toilet after hearing that! So not only are the adults gun-crazed loons, but even the kids are a bunch of little thugs on top of that!? Fuck, this ring blows!

"Well, good thing I didn't have my wallet on me," the Cat Demon sighed, for once glad to have left that particular item back up in Pride. "All I had in my pockets were my phone, my weed and my-"

And that moment, Mick choked on his own words as his eyes widened in realization and horror.

"No…" he exclaimed, frantically patting himself down and pulling out every one of his pockets. "NO!"

Alas, no matter how much he searched, the one item he was looking for was no longer on his person. He could handle losing his Hellphone, after all, it was a stolen good anyway… he could even handle losing his marijuana, Granny might be able to lend him some to tie him over until he went back to the Pride Ring… but the one item he couldn't bear to lose, the one item he always carried on him even before he came to work for Octavia and her family, was no longer there… the little fuckers had stolen his Rosario!

"Those little SHITS!" Mick furiously yelled, his eyes instantly blazing with large turrets of blue flames as his anger reached a boiling point in a matter of seconds.

Witnessing Mick's burst of rage for the first time, Ember was understandably unnerved by the display, so much so that she had to take a few steps back in fear of being burnt by his fire. Even Snowflake looked a little scared upon seeing her master's anger, hardly ever seeing him in such a bad state except on rare occasions when someone REALLY pissed him off.

"Woah, hey, hold on there, Micky!" Ember exclaimed, trying her best to diffuse the situation before things escalated. "Calm down for a sec!"

"Calm down!?" Mick snapped, snarling like a wild animal at the Imp for a moment before quickly seeing the looks on her and Snowflake's faces and realizing how badly he was acting. "Sorry, but you don't understand. I never go anywhere without my Rosario. Nowhere!"

"Your Rosario?" Ember repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's this little cross thing I always keep in my pocket," Mick elaborated, growling again as the thought of those smug little Imps laughing while running off with his stuff flashed across his mind. "Well, if those little bastards think they can steal it from ME and get away, they've got another fucking thing coming!"

Seeing Mick so worked up over such a small object, Ember couldn't help but wonder if the Cat Demon had actually come from the Greed Ring for a brief moment before shaking the idea out of her head. After all, Mick didn't seem like the greedy type, so there had to have been some significance to the item in question.

"Is it really THAT important to you?" she asked, only to receive another snap for her trouble.

"YES!"

"Whoa, easy there!" Ember declared, raising her hands defensively. "I meant no offence."

Quickly realizing he was getting overworked again, Mick allowed himself a few moments to breathe and allow the flames in his eyes to dissipate before speaking again.

"Sorry," he said with a sincere sigh. "I didn't mean to snap. It's just a sensitive subject for me."

That much was obvious, judging from the Cat Demon's reaction to her question. Still, Ember could also see how much anguish Mick was going through even without being able to see the expressions on his face. As such, she couldn't just stand idly by while someone who had been so nice to her was going through such emotions.

"Well, if it's that important to you… then I'll help you get it back," she said, placing a comforting hand on Mick's shoulder and giving him a sweet smile. "How's that sound?"

Though taken aback at first, Mick was nonetheless overwhelmed by a rush of gratitude and relief. Despite receiving a bout of verbal abuse from him, Ember was still willing to help him out regardless. Just how nice is this girl!?

"Thank you," Mick eventually replied with a heavy sigh, still feeling a little guilty for how he acted mere moments ago.

"It's no problem," Ember said back with another smile before her face turned serious. "Okay, the first thing we need to do is figure out where those kids went. I've seen them around town from time to time but I've never really figured out where they hang out."

At those words, Mick smirked under his mask.

"Oh, that will be no problem," he said, turning towards the little fox at his feet and holding up his tail. "Snowflake… seek!"

Perking up at the sound of her name and the instructions she had just received, Snowflake let out a happy yip and proceeded to take a few sniffs from the drool-covered area where Chomp bit her master's tail. Moments later, the Kitsune pup started sniffing the ground around the two demons standing over her, both of them looking impressed.

"This little critter can track 'em?" Ember asked, trying to fathom what she was seeing.

"Oh yeah," Mick answered smugly. "She may be small, but my little Snowflake has got a nose better than any Hellhound. NO ONE is getting away from her."

Ember couldn't help but grin at that.

"Well, well," she said. "And here I thought she was some little pampered pet."

"Pampered, yes. Lazy and useless, never," Mick retorted.

Of course, what Mick failed to mention was the fact that Snowflake's nose did have its limits. So long as she had a clear scent to track and there were no distractions, she could find just about anything and anyone. However, her ability is reduced to practically nothing if there's water involved, should the Demon she tracks cross a river or runs into a downpour of rain, then they might as well be lost. As much as she hated it, being a fire-based Demon, the poor fox couldn't do a thing about it. It was one of the main reasons she couldn't help find Linda during Hurricane Pruflas, as a matter of fact. However, on a glorious day like this…

AWOOOOOO!

Her ears and head suddenly perking up, the Kitsune pup let out a loud howl and broke into a run, giving Mick cause to smirk under his mask.

"She's got them!"

With that final declaration, both he and Ember ran after the little fox as she continued down the street.


Meanwhile, on a different street, two of the three Imp children walked out of a run-down-looking pawn shop with smug looks on their faces to find their sister, the elder girl, Chimp waiting for them.

"How much did we get?" she asked curiously.

"50 souls for the fancy phone," The smaller girl, Chomp answered, her smile so wide her shark-like teeth were on full display.

"And 100 souls for the cross," the only boy, Champ added, brandishing the small stack of cash and pocketing it.

"Not bad," Chimp replied with an impressed smile. "Not bad at all."

Satisfied with how much they made selling off their stolen goods, all three of them casually walked down the street as if they were on top of the world, soon breaking into a small laugh.

"Wow, can you believe how easy that last score was?" Chimp chuckled, biting her nails as she thought back to that feline sucker she and her siblings managed to rob.

Her brother, however, merely rolled his eyes at that statement.

"Tch, would have been better if he had some cash on him," he muttered, earning himself a small jab in the shoulder from his big sister.

"Oh, quit complaining!" she snapped, readjusting her eyepatch. " "Besides did you see the look on that retard's face when we swiped his shit!?"

Once again, Champ rolled his eyes at her sister's words.

"Uh... NO, I didn't see his face, 'cause he was wearing a mask!" he pointed out, quickly identifying the flaw in Chimp's argument.

"He's got ya there, sis," Chomp added, fuelling Chimp's irritation even further.

"Details, details!" she retorted, waving her hand dismissively as if her siblings' words were nothing to take mind of. "He was a bit of a weirdo though. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen him around before."

Both her siblings shared a curious look after hearing that.

"I think he was that Sinner who's supposed to be staying at Granny's," Champ spoke up, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know the full details, but I hear he's supposed to be staying here for a while."

"What the fuck's a Sinner doing in the Wrath Ring anyway?" Chimp thought aloud, a statement she seemingly shared with her siblings.

"Maybe he's moving here?" Chomp chimed in.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Good one, Chompy!" Chimp cackled, both she and Champ unable to contain their laughter at the little sister's joke.

"Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen!" the lone boy added, wiping away a tear of joy from laughing too much. "And even if it did, that chump's never gonna last long down here if he couldn't handle us!"

"Oh, I think he'll last a lot longer than YOU will, sonny,"

Upon hearing that familiar, daunting voice, all three pairs of eyes shrank in terror. Just as they were rounding a corner, the three Imp children looked and gasped upon seeing none other than Mick glaring down at them, his arms crossed and his eyes roaring with literal fire. Standing next to him was Ember, looking just as displeased with the three children, and at his feet was Snowflake, who let out a low growl as she arched her back, ready to pounce.

"Now, I'm only going to ask you this one time…" the Cat Demon snarled, taking an unnerving step forward. "Where's. My. STUFF!?

In response to this, Chimp had only one thing to say…

"SCATTER!"

Just like that, before Mick could even react, all three Imp children ran off in different directions, much to his chagrin.

"Get back here!" the Cat Demon yelled, running off after Chimp before calling back to Ember and Snowflake. "I'll get her, you take the other two!"

At those words, all three Demons quickly ran after the kids as they split off in different directions, with Mick going after Chimp, Ember going after Champ and Snowflake going after Chomp.


Chimp was a fast little bugger, Mick will give her that much, but nothing was going to deter the Cat Demon as he continued to chase her through the streets.

"Come on, can't y'all handle a joke!?" the Imp child called out to the Sinner chasing her, panting heavily as her legs carried her as fast as they could manage.

"Not when it's on me, kid!" Mick snapped back, snarling like a jaguar in hot pursuit of its kill.

At that moment, Chimp noticed something up ahead that gave her cause to smirk.

"Oh yeah?" she called back. "Well too bad a chump like you can't catch me!"

It was then that Chimp dove forward and rolled under an oncoming wagon as it was making its way across the road. Understandably spooked by the small creature coming into its field of vision, the Hell Horse whinnied and reared up in a panic, causing the wagon it was pulling to come to a sudden stop and tilt. Mere moments later, the Imp driving the wagon lost his balance, falling off the vehicle around the same time two wooden barrels did.

"Just try and catch up, sucker!" Chimp cheered victoriously, believing she had caused enough of a commotion to slow Mick down and make her escape.

The Cat Demon, however, wasn't deterred in the slightest. It didn't matter what this Imp did, NOTHING was going to stop him.

"Cute!" he called back "But Imps have got nothing on CATS, kid!"

To prove his point, Mick proceeded to jump over every obstacle Chimp tried to put in his path. Putting every ounce of willpower into his feline reflexes, he leapt over the barrels, springboarded over the back of the horse, and landed gracefully on his feet when he reached the other side. Needless to say, Chimp was dumbfounded when she turned her head back.

"Oh, COME ON!"


Meanwhile, Champ wasn't having any better luck with Ember as he continued to flee for his life from the elder Imp.

"Why are you still chasing me?!" he exclaimed, his voice riddled with panic. "It's Chimp you want!"

Ember, however, merely smirked in response.

"Sorry kid, nothin' personal!" she called back, practically enjoying the thrill of the chase.

Soon enough, the two of them rounded a corner near a local inn, but while Ember was more aware of her surroundings, Champ, on the other hand, foolishly turned his head to look back. Had he kept his eyes on the path ahead of him, he would have noticed the horse trough just ahead of him.

"It was just some stupid shi- WHOA!"

SPLASH!

Before he even realized what was going on, he fell face-first into the trough, causing the entire top half of his body to be submerged into the water as he lost his footing. With a light chuckle at the kid's expense, Ember casually walked closer, grabbed Champ by the back of his overalls and lifted him out with ease.

"You done?" she asked, a smug grin on her face as Champ stared fearfully at her after spitting out a stream of water.

"Aw… shit."


As for the youngest of the three Imp children, she too was having trouble shaking her pursuer. However, unlike her siblings, Chomp seemed to be enjoying the chase a bit more than she should.

"Nyeh-nyeh! Can't get me!" she called back to the Kitsune pup chasing her, blowing a raspberry like the child she was.

With a huff and a growl, Snowflake quickly tried to pick up the pace. There was no way she was going to let this kid get away with that! Suddenly, the little fox found herself chasing the Imp through the open doors of a building that smelled like old hair and shaving cream. Seems like the little brat was trying to lose her pursuer by getting her mixed up in the local Barbershop!

"Wheeeee!" Chomp cried out, suddenly jumping up onto the chairs and to a further extent, the crotches of all the Imps sitting in them. "Y'all gotta do better than that, little critter!"

With all the chaos the child was causing, Snowflake was going to have trouble keeping up with her if she didn't come up with a plan. Thankfully, Chomp failed to comprehend two things… 1: She wasn't dealing with any ordinary fox. And 2: This particular fox wasn't just smart, but also resourceful when she needed to be.

"HEY!" the Barber screamed as he tried to quell the mayhem in his shop. "Get the hell out of my–"

Suddenly, Snowflake leapt up and snatched the electric razor out of the barber's hand while he was distracted by Chomp. Seizing her chance, she then circled around the child before she could make it to the front door again. With a great burst of speed, she began to run around her over and over again. So much so that Chomp actually began to feel a little dizzy. Before she realized what had happened, the cord of the razor tightened and Chomp found herself tied up like a lassoed and hogtied Hellhog by the smug-looking fox.

"Hey, no fair!" she cried out with a pout as she struggled and squirmed against her bonds and fell to the floor. "No fair!"

Satisfied with her catch, Snowflake quickly grabbed the other end of the cord and pulled the struggling child out through the front door. Dragging her back into the street, she had to quickly break back into a run as the pissed-off Barber chased them out.

"And stay out, you damn varmints!"


Back with Mick and Chimp, the Cat Demon continued to run after the Imp child no matter how many obstacles she tried to throw at him. However, despite both of them being exhausted and gasping for air, the pair of them were either too stubborn or too persistent to give up.

"You… you can't run… forever, you little brat!" Mick called out, his voice now hoarse from all the shouting and running.

"I… can TRY!" Chimp called back.

It was around that moment, Chimp found herself rounding another corner, leading into an alley between the wooden buildings… little did she realize, that while Mick was pissed at her, the Demon she suddenly found herself bumping into was FAR worse.

"Oof!" she uttered, falling flat on her back from the impact.

"Hey watch where you're… YOU!"

Looking up at the older Imp's snarling face, Chimp soon found herself gasping in horror, her mind now entirely focused on the Demon in front of her rather than the one who was just chasing her. What she didn't know, of course, was the fact that said Demon skidded to a halt before entering the alley himself due to hearing the older Imp's voice. Peeking his eye over the corner, he too gasped upon seeing the face of the Imp standing over the terrified Chimp… and the severely damaged eye that he himself caused!

"M-Mr Scorch!?"