A/N - Almost left this until tomorrow! But I found time to proof-read and edit. Here it is! Part one of the three-part interval, Path of Revenge! Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! =D

Path of Revenge

Part 1

Flutterwick returned from the the river, clutching a large leaf in his paws. Water sloshed over the side of it as his body shook from the chill. By the time he'd set it down before Harlequin there was very little water left in it, but she didn't say anything. She gratefully lapped it up, keeping one eye on the mothim. He gazed back out at the river and began to beat his wings in a bid to warm himself up, but it only stirred the snow, wafting it into the air around his friends.

Everyone had been very silent since Harlequin had relayed her news. Harbinger and the pawniard had returned with blood flecking their hides. None of them had said what they'd done to the weavile, but it was pretty clear to Harlequin.

The absol sat several feet away grooming his fur. Scratch and Claw curled up together beside him, their metallic bodies reflecting the early morning sun. Mischief kept his distance, but he'd received a look off Harbinger that confirmed to Harlequin what he'd told her was true. It was clear Mischief didn't trust the absol, but he kept it to himself.

Harlequin wiped a paw across her face. Her cheeks were crusted with dried tears and her eyes stung. She dragged herself to her feet and plodded to the river, wading into its cold embrace. She sucked in a sharp breath as the icy current bit through her fur. It was bracing, dragging her out of her thoughts and back to reality.

Enigma was gone.

She choked back a sob, not wanting to succumb to tears again. She could feel the watchful stares of her companions. Someone rose to their feet; Harbinger, she guessed. Harlequin plunged her face into the water then dragged it out again with a gasp, shaking water from her fur. She quickly abandoned the river and shook out her pelt, sending a cold shower over the frozen ground.

'Thanks for sharing, Harle!'

The voice had been in her head, but she froze anyway.

Everything was so quiet.

She looked up at the canopy and a lump welled in her throat. Part of her expected to find Enigma there, lounging on a branch. The empty bough only filled her with a burning anger, and not for the first time. It warred with the grief in her chest, forcing the threat of tears yet again. She steadied herself with a long, shuddering breath and returned to her friends. No one said a word. Someone would have to break the silence sooner or later. It was agonising.

Harlequin picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She didn't need to check the contents.

"I'm going to the Shadow Lands." Her words sounded like thunder, jolting her companions to attention.

Harbinger stiffened, his fur bristling along his spine. "Why?"

Harlequin looked up at him, her expression stoic. "Why? To kill Hydreigon, that's why!"

Her friends were silent, but their faces spoke clear words. Each one of them looked aghast. Flutterwick looked petrified.

"Are you crazy?" Harbinger spat. "That's suicide!"

"Maybe it is." Harlequin turned fully to face him. "But someone needs to do it, before anyone else loses their lives!"

"Pokemon have been dying in this war for years, Harlequin!"

"Yes, and it needs to stop!"

Harbinger narrowed his eyes. "It took Enigma losing his life to make you realise that?"

Harlequin's jaw went slack. She snapped it shut again as tears forced their way from her eyes. Harbinger glanced away from her and muttered an apology.

"I realised it a long time ago," said Harlequin dully. "I've just acted too late."

"You can't go on your own." Mischief's voice took her by surprise.

The whimsicott sat with his back to a tree, juggling a snowball between his paws. He wasn't looking at her. "We should go back to Cleo and ask her for help. Ask the Guild. You can't do it yourself."

"You really think the Outcasts are gonna care about Enigma?" Harlequin growled.

"You don't need to mention him."

Harlequin let out a silent laugh and rolled her eyes. "Don't you think if the Outcasts felt they could do anything they would have done it by now?"

Mischief stared at her for a long, silent moment. "I don't know. I don't remember much before meeting Cleo."

Guilt bit at Harlequin and she shook her head, glancing away. "Well this is something I need to do myself."

"A revenge path?" Harbinger spat. "That's insane. You'll only end up getting yourself killed!"

Harlequin rounded on him. "At least I'll have died trying!"

The twins had woken up and stared at her from their make-shift nest. Harbinger's ruby eyes narrowed as he sought for a counter-argument.

Harlequin's shoulders slumped as she sighed. "It's the least I can do. I have… a lot to make up for."

"So you're gonna throw your life away?" Harbinger's voice softened. "Harlequin, you're one small zorua declaring war on Hydreigon's massive army-"

"It's smaller than you think."

"It's still an army. You're one. One pokemon can't make a difference." Harbinger lowered his head to catch her gaze. "So I'm going with you."

Harlequin gasped and jerked her head up. "What?"

Harbinger met her gaze. "It's the least I can do after all I've done to you."

"But Harbie, you can't!" Harlequin's voice cracked and fresh tears pricked her eyes. She placed one paw forwards towards him and quickly retracted it. "You need to go to the Fairy Garden!" She nodded at his mega stone. "Xerneas told me to send you to him!"

Harbinger snorted and flashed a canine. "I'm not about to let you walk to your death!"

"I'll go with him." Mischief stood, dusting snow off his fur.

Harbinger looked from the whimsicott to Harlequin. His fur levelled out along his spine and he grunted. "Then that makes three of us."

"Five." Scratch and Claw stood beside Harbinger. The absol nodded at them.

Harlequin looked at each of them in turn then shook her head sharply. She spun to face Mischief. "I thought you didn't want to fight."

"I don't." He joined her side but his expression was cold. "But if I'm going to fight anyone, it should be Hydreigon."

Harlequin stared past him at Flutterwick. The mothim trembled at the base of a tree, his orange eyes impossibly wide. Harlequin looked back at Harbinger and her ears drooped.

"Someone needs to take Flutterwick to the Fairy Garden," she said. "He can't possibly go by himself. It's freezing!"

Harbinger stared pointedly at the mothim. The pawniard twitched at his side. Scratch, or Claw - Harlequin could never remember - looked up at the absol, oozing confidence.

"I'll take-"

"No." Flutterwick cut him off.

All eyes went to the mothim. He rubbed his paws together, flinching under the combined power of their gaze.

"I-I'll go too," he said. "I c-can fight the Darkness."

Harlequin's heart swelled. She shook her head slowly. "No. I said we'd find you a home."

"Home can wait." Flutterwick twitched and glanced away from her. "I kn-know what it's like to lose someone close. I couldn't help the combee. I just… hid." He screwed his eyes shut, trembling. "I hid! But this time, I… I won't hide. I'll fight with you!"

Harlequin's throat tightened and she blinked back tears. "Flutterwick…"

"So what's your plan?" Harbinger asked.

Harlequin turned back to him and sat down heavily. Her shoulders slumped. "I… don't have one."

Harbinger huffed a laugh. "You always did strike me as impulsive."

Harlequin flicked her tongue over her teeth, her eyes growing misty. "We head to the Border Woods," she said quietly, "and look for a way into the Shadow Lands from there."

"The Border Woods is packed with murkrow and outlaws," Harbinger reminded her. "We won't exactly get through unseen."

"I'll take on the form of a weavile," she said. "I'll act like I'm taking you all there for questioning. They're already looking for Mischief." She glanced at the whimsicott. "He can aide our disguise."

"And you really think they'll let you bring me into the Shadow Lands?" Harbinger scoffed. "My kind were driven out of there once. Hydreigon won't look kindly on you bringing me into his domain."

"I'll say you have information on the Outcasts," she said. "That you've been following Cleo and the others and know where they're hiding."

A smirk tugged at Harbinger's muzzle. "Sly. I like it. Now… how long can you hold your illusion?"

"As long as I can focus," said Harlequin. "I've had a lot of practice. I'll use it before we enter the Border Woods. We just need to get there without drawing attention to ourselves."

Anxiety flooded through Harlequin's chest. She glanced over at her friends, a party of six. It would have worked a lot better with smaller numbers. She couldn't help but fear something was going to go terribly wrong. She tried to shake it off, forcing herself to look confident to mask it.

"Let's go." She rose to her feet and cast Harbinger a sideways glance. "Before I change my mind about you joining me."

...

The journey to the Shadow Lands was long. They remained by the river, hugging the shadows. The wild rapids raced past them, tracing a downhill path through the mountains and carrying Harlequin's confidence with them. As each day passed by, she began to question herself. Several times her paws faltered, drawing the concerned gazes of her friends. But she masked it with a rest, sharing her thin rations before seeking out a den for the night.

The snow kept most of Hydreigon's armies at bay. The cold season had always been a lull in the ongoing war as very few pokemon could brave it for long. It also made things very silent. The snow absorbed sound, muffling their paw steps and making their voices sound close. They ducked in and out of it, returning to the shelter of the trees whenever Mischief showed visible signs of discomfort. He'd protest, eager not to slow them down, but it never lasted long. Flutterwick barely uttered a word of complaint, huddled against Harbinger's thick white coat.

The forest was dark, blocking out most of the weak daylight. Above the canopy the sky was grey, threatening to release another blanket of snow. Harlequin lead them away from the river for shelter should the clouds break. She picked out a path that had once been well-trodden but had been left to the mercy of the forest. Nettles grew in thick patches and pine needles lay wherever there was space, creating a soft blanket. The trees hugged close together, blocking out the biting wind.

Flutterwick relaxed as the trembles left his body, but his wide orange eyes remained ever alert, his antennae twitching at the slightest sound. None of them said a word. All ears were pricked. Every slight movement drew scrutiny from the wary travellers.

Harlequin lost track of time as they pressed on through the dark forest. She was about to suggest rest when voices reached her ears, bringing all of them to a sudden stop. They froze, ears trained on the trees to their left.

"-can't believe he's actually found the thing."

"I know. And it's just… living in the Shadow Lands. Did you see what mess it made?"

"I know. Lord Hydreigon's forces are already small. What's he thinkin', letting that monster eat us all?"

Harlequin's blood turned cold, forcing her fur to stand on end. Monster? What monster? She inched closer to the trees, catching a questioning glance off Harbinger. She lowered her head, mouthing him to stay put, and crept towards the edge of the path.

"He won't. I hope." The speaker was a weavile, talking to another identical to him. His twin was picking his teeth with a small bone.

A scrafty sat among them in the small clearing, wiping his paws on his saggy skin. Several holes were punctured into his mohawk which whistled as the wind whipped through the clearing. He hugged himself, casting a glance at the trees. The assassins were gathered around a small pile of berries and dried meat, with a few water skins dribbling their contents on the floor.

"What did he say it were called?" the scrafty rubbed his chilled arms. "Yveltal or somethin'?"

Harlequin's heart flipped and she stifled a gasp. She couldn't have heard that right.

"Aye, that's what he said." The weavile flicked the bone into the trees and settled back against a stump. "It might not be long before we're fed to that bird, either. Don't wanna go back, I'll be honest."

"Neither do I," said the other weavile. "Let's just focus on findin' Harlequin, eh? Perhaps then he'll spare us and we won't be turned to stone."

Harlequin shuffled backwards onto the path. The looks on her friends' faces told her they'd heard every word. Harbinger looked confused, while Mischief oozed anger. His paws twitched at his sides and he looked from Harlequin to the clearing.

Harlequin herded them to the other side of the path, pushing through the trees towards the riverbank. The gurgle of water cut through the silence, drowning out the voices of the assassins.

"Did he say that?" Mischief asked quietly. "Hydreigon's woken Yveltal?"

Harlequin nodded and sat down heavily. "We're too late."

"What on earth is Yveltal?" Harbinger scoffed.

"Death." Harlequin met his wide, ruby eyes. "He was banished from the Fairy Garden for bringing death into the world."

The absol dug his claws into the soft earth and glanced at the floor. "This is all… very confusing."

Flutterwick gulped and wound his paws into Harbinger's scruff. "Does that mean… we're all gonna… gonna die?"

"No," said Harlequin. "Xerneas has defeated Yveltal once before. He'll do it again."

"Then why doesn't he act now?" Harbinger spat. He waved a paw towards the Shadow Lands, almost sending Flutterwick to the floor. "That thing is in there, just waiting to wipe us all out?"

"It's not as easy as that," said Harlequin.

"Then what's the problem? If he's done it once before?"

Harlequin's ears drooped. "To be honest, I don't know the answer."

Harbinger fell silent, his ruff bristling. He looked away from Harlequin, muttering under his breath.

"Yveltal has awoken…" Mischief swallowed and balled his paws into fists. "We're not meant to be afraid."

"Well I'm terrified," said Harlequin. "This changes things."

"Changes them how?" Harbinger asked.

"If Yveltal is in the Shadow Lands, then if we go in we won't make it back out." She looked up at him. "I'll be going in alone."

Harbinger recoiled, raising a paw. "You're not serious?"

"I'm deathly serious. We have less a chance of success if we all go in. And if I'm acting as an assassin who's captured you, then you'll be taken off me and thrown to Yveltal! I'm not going to risk that!"

Harbinger huffed through his nose but didn't say anything else.

Harlequin glanced at each of her friends and sighed. "We should keep going. We need to get away from those assassins."

She stood and walked on, but Harbinger remained where he was. When she realised, she looked back at the absol. He was sitting among a tangle of roots, staring back at the cluster of trees that hid the assassins.

"Harbie?"

He twitched at her voice and motioned for her to come back. Once she'd joined his side, he spoke in a low voice.

"We need to do something about those assassins."

"We need to leave them," she protested.

"They're looking for you," he said. "Once they have your trail you won't see or hear them coming. We need to act now."

Harlequin shook her head. "If we do that, then they'll be denied the chance to change. I was offered that chance. They should be too." When Harbinger didn't look convinced, she added, "They already fear Yveltal."

"They want to capture you to appease it," he said.

Doubt clouded Harlequin's mind. She looked back at the trees and sighed.

"If you want your plan to succeed," Harbinger explained, "you need to remove the obstacles."

"I don't know-"

"I'll do it," said Harbinger. "I can knock down a few branches and crush them."

"That sounds too messy." Harlequin didn't meet his eye. Guilt gnawed at her chest as the words tumbled from her mouth. "I'll do it. You create a distraction, lure them from the clearing."

"What do you plan to do?" Harbinger's question was answered as Harlequin rummaged through her bag. "Oh. I see." He turned to the pawniard and carefully removed Flutterwick from his back. "You two are with me."

The twins nodded and followed Harbinger into the trees.

Flutterwick and Mischief stood beside Harlequin like chalk and cheese. Flutterwick flinched at every sound, while Mischief glared down the path Harbinger had taken.

"You look after Flutterwick," Harlequin told the whimsicott. Her voice was muffled around the vial clutched carefully in her teeth.

Mischief nodded once, not taking his eyes off the trees. He barely noticed the mothim move closer to him, drawing confidence from the whimsicott.

Harlequin crept back towards the clearing. The three assassins were still talking, although the conversation had changed to gossip. She only caught a snatch of it when a loud snap came from the opposite side of the clearing.

The weavile closest to it stiffened and all three turned their heads towards it.

"What was that?" the scrafty asked.

Before the other two could offer an answer, the bracken swayed dramatically. Small footsteps crunched over dry pine needles. Claws scraped against bark. A flash of steel caught the weak light.

The scrafty leapt to his feet. "Someone's there!"

The two weavile flexed their claws.

One of them said, "I'll go see who it is."

"We'll all go." The scrafty brushed back his head fin and turned with a flourish. "No sense in one of us walking to our death, huh?"

"I can take whoever that is," said the second weavile. "Probably some mangy outlaw lookin' for a place to hide."

The three assassins left the clearing, their voices fading into the forest.

Harlequin took a deep breath and crept into the clearing. Their rations lay in a bundle on a piece of cloth. She popped the cork out of the small vial and edged closer to the rations. She faltered as footsteps raced through the trees just outside the clearing. She heard the weavile shouting to each other, and hoped deeply they didn't spot Enigma.

Enigma?

Harlequin clenched her jaw around the vial and took a careful breath. She was already making mistakes. She silently berated herself and emptied the venipede poison onto the assassins' food. It was odourless, and mingled with the juices of the berries. Her heart ached. But Harbinger's reasoning made sense. If the assassins found their trail they'd track them, and they'd be forced to fight. Either way, there'd be a losing side, and she couldn't afford to be on that side.

She quickly backtracked and replaced the vial in her bag, setting it in a small pocket. She exchanged it for a bite of pecha, just as a precaution. Mischief and Flutterwick had taken to the shadows of a bramble. She picked up their scent and she joined them. The mothim huddled beside Mischief, his antennae twitching at the faint sound of footsteps. A loud crash shook the forest and the branches swayed dramatically above them, raining down snow and pine needles. Not long after, Harbinger returned with the twins. He motioned for them to follow him. They walked briskly through the forest, away from the clearing. There was no sign of the assassins.

After a long while, Harlequin ventured to ask, "How did you distract them?"

"I felled a tree," he answered between breaths. "It crashed down well away from us. They won't find anyone there and by then we'll be long gone." He cast her a sideways glance. "Did you poison their food?"

Harlequin nodded. She tried to ignore the gnawing guilt in her stomach, instead focusing on her plan. To avenge Enigma and be rid of Hydreigon. After that, no one else need die.

...

Harlequin dashed through the dark forest, her paws kicking up dried leaves. He was just ahead of her. Moonlight reflected off his smoky grey fur just before he vanished into the shadows. The faint tinkle of a bell encouraged her on, always just out of reach.

"Enigma!"

Crimson eyes glanced back at her and she heard a chuckle. "Come on, Harle. Keep up!"

Her muscles pumped until her legs ached, but he always remained several steps ahead of her, moving in and out of the shadows. She kept her ears trained on his bell, desperate not to lose him in that dark forest. The shadows were growing, and the sky was turning a deep red, black clouds streaking across it to block out the weak moonlight.

Harlequin's heart flipped. No, not now. She silently urged her feet to move faster, her sapphire eyes focused on the banette. Behind her, a branch snapped.

No.

She didn't want to look back, but her head turned anyway. Blue eyes rose from the shadows, surrounded by a shaggy mane. Canines glinted in the starlight and wicked claws flexed, itching to rake through her fur.

A scream left her throat and she bolted, streaking after Enigma. The soft tinkling of his bell faded as he moved swiftly away, his encouraging voice dying with it. Heavy paws crunched over the dry leaves, as threatening as the heavy panting from the zoroark. His shadow fell over her and long, red claws swiped down at her scruff.

"No!"

She twisted, snapping her jaws, falling short. She was lifted into the air and tossed through the trees. A scream left her throat and the dark forest faded into a shroud of leaves.

"Harlequin?"

She jerked her head up with a gasp. Her nose bumped against warm fur and she yanked her head back, meeting a pair of confused orange eyes. Mischief brushed his snout with a paw, blinking at her. Harlequin stuttered, looking for words. Failing that, she shuffled her paws in her nest and glanced away, her gaze wandering over the thick wall of broad leaves that surrounded them.

"Are you all right?" Mischief ventured, keeping his voice quiet.

Her paws were slick with sweat, with bits of rotten debris clinging to her pads. The nest she'd made was scattered around her and clung to her shaggy fur. Her heart was still racing and her head swirled with the aftermath of her nightmare. She shook it sharply, avoiding Mischief's probing gaze.

"I'm fine." Harlequin pushed herself to her feet. "Is it my watch?"

"No, I've not been awake long," said the whimsicott. "I heard you moving and wanted to check you were okay."

Harlequin huffed, taking in the rest of their makeshift den. Weak moonlight trickled through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating Harbinger's white fur. His flanks rose and fell steadily to the rhythm of sleep. Flutterwick curled up beside him, his soft snores creating an odd sense of peace. There was no sign of the twins, and it took her a moment to remember they'd opted to sleep in the bracken to avoid hurting her or her friends on their sharp blades. So she'd not woken anyone. She let out a small sigh of relief.

She turned back to Mischief. "I can take over."

"It's fine, really. Get some sleep."

"No, I won't get back to sleep after that nightmare." She met Mischief's eyes briefly and moved past him. "I'll take a double shift. It might clear my head."

"Nightmare? Is that the horrible things you see when you sleep?"

Harlequin faltered by the small opening with one paw raised. She glanced back at the whimsicott, now sat against the bush's spindly trunk. "You have nightmares?"

Mischief raised his paws in a weak shrug. "Horrible ones. Often about murkrow, or that I can't find Cleo." His eyes wandered to the wall of leaves.

Harlequin grunted. She'd been hoping his nightmares might have been more illuminating to his life before pokerus. She pushed her way through the leaves and sat down on the bare ground. The trees grew close together in this part of the woods, preventing the snow from covering the fragile undergrowth. The cold night air caused dew to form around her blue paws and she raised one to lick it away.

Rustling came from the bush and she looked up as Mischief sat down beside her. Harlequin bit back a sigh, instead licking her paw dry.

"I don't like nightmares either," Mischief said softly. When Harlequin didn't respond, he added, "I was having one before Harbinger woke me."

"Get used to it," said Harlequin. "I can't recall a night I've not had one."

"So they're normal?" Mischief dragged up a small plant and scraped soil off the roots. "I don't remember having any at all before I met Cleo."

"Some pokemon have them more often than others," Harlequin explained.

"Sometimes… I see myself hurting her." His voice choked.

Harlequin glanced at him, but he was fixated on replanting the sapling he'd dug up. "I know you won't hurt her. And so does Cleo."

"Neither of you know that," he mumbled, then gave her a quick glance. "She's okay, isn't she?"

Harlequin was silent for a moment, watching the whimsicott scoop loose soil around the little plant. "Cleo's strong, Mischief. She'll be fine."

"I hope so." Mischief took a trembling breath. "What are your nightmares about?"

Anger bubbled inside Harlequin's chest but it was quelled as she met the whimsicott's innocent gaze. Moonlight glinted off his watery eyes and he wiped a paw across his tear-streaked face.

"Someone from my past." Harlequin shook her head sharply and stared off into the shadows. "I don't like talking about it."

"It might help."

Harlequin clenched her jaw and hissed through her teeth. "Drop it."

Mischief closed his mouth and looked away from her. A tear dropped from his face to land beside the lop-sided sapling. Harlequin swallowed back bile. The nightmarish zoroark flashed through her mind, wearing a grin of sharp, wicked teeth. She sighed, closing her eyes in a bid to block it out.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked.

"Because… I want to believe I'm normal…"

"Nightmares are normal, Mischief."

The whimsicott's breath trembled again, and he dug his claws into the earth. "Is it normal… to dream you've killed your friends?"

Harlequin had no answer for that. She gazed off into the trees, her heart aching.

"I want to be normal," said Mischief. "I want… to find a cure for this pokerus."

"So do I."

She felt the whimsicott's eyes on her.

"Well… I did." Harlequin took in a breath. "Enigma… he had it too."

Mischief's orange gaze widened. "He did?"

Harlequin nodded once. "I told Cleo there might be a way to be rid of pokerus. There's no known cure, but we might be able to poison the parasite."

Mischief almost leapt to his feet. Harlequin hissed at him to be quiet and he sat back down lightly.

"You have poisons," he said quickly. "Will… will one of them work?"

Harlequin's heart hammered in her chest and she glanced from her bag to Mischief. "I don't know."

"But you said-"

"I said it might be possible," Harlequin spoke through her teeth. "While it might kill the parasite, it could kill the host too. It's too risky to just test it without any evidence first."

Mischief slumped, his smile melting into a frown. He tugged up another plant, his eyes turning distant. "So… now Enigma's gone, you don't want to help anymore. Is that it?"

Harlequin's hackles rose and she swung her head around to face him as her lips pulled back from her canines. "What?!" she hissed.

Mischief didn't flinch. He stared back at her, unwavering.

"How could you say that?" she whispered through her teeth.

Mischief shrugged. "It just seems that way to me. You say there might be an answer, then refuse to try it."

Those words stabbed through Harlequin like a hot blade. She shook her head and looked away from him.

"You're a grass-type," she told him, exasperated. "Poison is your weakness. It could kill you!"

Mischief closed his eyes and his shoulders sank in a sigh.

Harlequin blinked back tears. If she hadn't known any better, she'd had thought the naive whimsicott had been stabbing at her out of anger.

"Does it matter?" he asked. "I mean, either way, my friends would be safe, right?"

Harlequin watched him for a moment, stuttering over her words. Was he being serious? He didn't look up from the stem he wound idly around his paw. She thought of Cleo miles away, worrying about his safety. It was an awful feeling. Countless times Harlequin had scolded Enigma for fighting as if he didn't care about his life. And now…

A hollow void opened up in Harlequin's stomach and she began to feel sick.

"Do you think that would make Cleo happy?" Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat. "Because I can tell you for certainty, Mischief. It wouldn't."

Mischief swiped a paw across his eyes. He didn't make any noise, but Harlequin saw his shoulders tremble.

She flicked her tongue over her nose, removing a salty tear. It took a lot of effort to keep her voice steady. "Let me think about it more. There might be something."

Her words didn't placate Mischief much, but he nodded anyway. He rose to his feet, dusting soil off his fur. "I'm sorry, Harlequin."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I just… I want to get better." He took in a long breath. "At least I might be able to sleep better now."

"That makes one of us." Harlequin looked away, keeping her ears trained on her surroundings. Shadows loomed ahead of her, screaming threat. It looked oddly like the forest from her nightmares. Dark, desolate, unwelcoming. It made her feel very small and alone. Part of her wanted to ask Mischief to stay. She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "Good night, Mischief."

...

Thanks for reading! Please R&R! =D