A/N - Thanks so much for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! I finally finished writing Harlequin's backstory this past week. It won't be posted for a good few weeks yet, but it's so nice to have that story completed. I can now focus on finishing the last two or three chapters of the main story. That's right! I am very nearly finished writing! =D

Path of Revenge

Part 3

The raucous cries of murkrow sounded in the distance as Yurlik's flock engaged the outlaws. Harlequin tried to tune them out, silently thanking the flygon and sableye for helping them. Part of her wished she'd stayed to help, ignoring his command for her to flee. Her paws ached from running, and Harbinger limped along ahead of her, his blistered paw leaving bloody smears on the soft woodland floor.

"We should stop." Harlequin's words came out as a gasp, drawing a concerned look from the absol.

"Do you need a rest?" he asked.

"I think we all need a rest." Harlequin looked up at the surrounding trees. 'But where?'

The trees grew closer together at the heart of the woods, making it harder for low growing plants to survive. Only hardy ferns grew around the tangle of trees, refusing to be strangled out of existence. Their broad leaves provided good cover for walking, but they wouldn't hide her and her friends for very long. They'd be spotted by aerial eyes in no time.

"Perhaps there'll be an old burrow," Harlequin suggested. "We'll spread out and have a look. Meet back here in a few minutes."

She didn't wait for a reply. She left Harbinger and her friends and crept through the ferns. The musty smell of rotting debris filled her nose, spotted with murkrow droppings. Perhaps this location wasn't the best? She crept over the leaves and lowered her head to the trees, searching for old burrows. Memories swirled in her mind, bringing with it the scents of warm earth and cured meats as her mother sat by the fire. Fear swelled in her chest and she raised her head, searching for a nearby bramble.

A trickle of snow cascaded from the branches above and Harlequin jerked her head towards them, dark energy swirling around her teeth. Flutterwick perched lightly on a branch, spreading his wings to steady himself as he peered inside an old pikipek nest. Deciding it was much too small, he leapt from the branch to a nearby tree. Harlequin took a breath to calm her racing heart and plodded on through the undergrowth.

After a few minutes she gave up, returning to the meeting spot. Harbinger was already there, sitting beside Mischief. The ferns across the path parted, letting Scratch and Claw trot silently through. The pawniard twins' light movements always astounded Harlequin, given their dense metallic exoskeleton.

"Any joy?" Harlequin asked.

Flutterwick descended onto Harbinger's back, his tiny body trembling from the cold. Harbinger glanced up at him then turned his gaze back onto Harlequin.

"No burrows," he said. "But Mischief found a bramble thicket."

"A thicket?" Harlequin gasped. "In this area?"

Mischief shrugged, and nodded behind him back where the twins had emerged. "It's back that way, near a stream."

Harlequin silently scolded herself. The stream. She should know the Border Woods better than that. Her anxiety was getting to her. She nodded to Mischief, letting him lead the way back to the stream. It was more than a few minutes' travel, and she wondered how Mischief had managed to cover ground so quickly. He lead them off the beaten path past a fallen tree. It lay at an awkward angle, held up by the sturdy branches of an ancient oak. Harlequin heard the gurgling of water as the stream wound its way around scattered rocks. The bramble thicket lay in the shelter of a willow which dipped its long branches in the gentle water. Thin layers of ice clung to the banks, chipped away by the current.

Above them, the sky showed through the canopy. It had grown dark faster than Harlequin had expected. Stars scattered through the clear sky. The lack of clouds plunged the temperature to freezing. Harlequin inspected the thicket, nosing aside a frozen branch. Tiny icicles clung to the thorns, pricking her fur with their chilling bite.

"It's empty inside," she said, pulling her head back out. "There's plenty of room. We should be good to rest here."

"I'll keep first watch," said Harbinger.

Harlequin nodded, knowing that arguing would get her nowhere. She reached into her bag for a sitrus berry and rolled it towards the absol.

"For your paw," she answered his confused glance.

Without waiting for a reply, Harlequin tugged the branches aside to let Mischief and Flutterwick enter ahead of her. The pawniard waited outside with Harbinger. She knew they'd find somewhere to shelter.

The distant caws still echoed on the breeze, more spaced out. The battle must have ended. Harlequin's ears twitched, trying to locate the murkrow. She reluctantly lay down on the damp earth against the prickly branches, barring the cold air with her body.

"Do you think that flygon is okay?" Mischief asked.

Harlequin looked up at him. "Yeah. I think so."

"I hope so." Mischief huddled into himself, curled up with Flutterwick.

"He seemed pretty strong," said the mothim. "And they didn't want our help, did they?"

"No." Harlequin lowered her head onto her paws. "They didn't."

"I hope we see them again." Mischief yawned and huddled into Flutterwick's wings.

Harlequin watched them, feeling the cold bite through her fur. She resisted the urge to join them, instead turning her sapphire gaze on the gap between the brambles.

"Do you think we'll be here for much longer?" Mischief mumbled.

Harlequin sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I hope not. Hopefully… we'll reach the wall tomorrow."

Fear stabbed at her chest and she cast a glance back at her friends. She still felt there were too many of them. That showing up in such a large number increased the risk. If it were just her, she'd be able to sneak in undetected. Her friends didn't possess such a luxury. And the larger number meant there was a bigger chance of them being spotted before they reached the wall. They'd been seen once already. Any surviving murkrow would be raising the alarm.

She clenched her jaw, and silently hoped they'd be able to spend the night unseen. This was her mission, and she'd dragged her friends into it.

Sleep came in snatches, swirling with darkness and the glistening fangs of that pursuing zoroark. Harlequin forced herself awake, trying to shake off the nightmare. When it refused to let her sleep in peace, she gave up and forced herself from the thicket.

Harbinger looked at her with surprise. "Already?"

Harlequin grunted. "I can't sleep. I'll take over."

Harbinger returned her grunt with one of his own and looked out at the stream. Harlequin glanced at him, opening her mouth to ask why he wasn't going to his nest.

"I'm sorry." His words took her by surprise.

"What for?"

"For what I said earlier." His shoulders rose with a sigh. "I lashed out. You don't work for the Darkness anymore. So why would you be okay with 'pointless deaths'?"

Harlequin gave a dry laugh and glanced away. "I wonder that myself. It's so easy to fall into the habit of drawing my weapon to poison others." She paused and licked her lips. "I poisoned one of those cacturne without even thinking."

"That attitude might help you with Hydreigon."

Harlequin looked away from him. She really hoped so.

"You've given me a second chance," he said. "I shouldn't be holding it against you for wanting to spare a murkrow."

"That's different." She looked back at him, her sapphire gaze softening. "You were my friend."

"I still tried to kill you," he grunted. "I… I've killed so many pokemon with the amount of disasters I've caused. Thinking about it, that doesn't make me any better than the rest of your enemies, does it?"

Harlequin's ears drooped. "Then stop doing it."

"Easier said than done. It's like you drawing your nidoking horn." He gazed off across the stream. "Old habits are hard to break."

Harlequin stared up at him silently. After a while, Harbinger sighed and rose to his feet.

"Perhaps I should get some rest." He nodded to her and turned to the thicket. "Good night, Harlequin."

"Good night." She watched him vanish into the nest then turned to look out across the stream.

Loneliness washed over her and she sank to her stomach, letting her head rest on her paws. Closer to the ground, she'd be harder to spot.

Moonlight shimmered on the stream's surface, making it look like liquid silver. She followed it upstream with her eyes, where it curved to vanish behind a knotted sycamore. All rivers ran away from the Shadow Lands. If they followed it, they might reach the wall before long.

A harsh caw resounded several feet away and Harlequin turned her head sharply towards it. Sitting in a tree to her right was a lone murkrow. It didn't appear to have seen her. If she kept low and quiet…

A few yards away, another murkrow cried. Then another. Harlequin's stomach lurched and she sat up again. The murkrow didn't move. Its attention was also on the river, almost as if it were fishing. The cries were just a roll-call. As reassuring as that should have been, her heart was still pounding. She turned slowly and silently to face the thicket, her mind swirling as she looked back at the murkrow. If it noticed her… if it noticed all of them…

It was too dangerous. Her markings helped her blend into the shadows, but Harbinger's white coat would stand out like a sore paw pad in these woods. Stabbing pain seared her chest and she clenched her jaws. She wasn't about to lose anyone else. This was her mission. She couldn't let them get mixed in with it any more than they already were.

She looked back at the thicket and lowered her head. "I'm so sorry." Her words came out as a breath.

On silent paws, she trotted upstream, leaving her friends in the safety of the thorns. She kept her ears trained on the bird, flinching at every little sound. It still hadn't noticed her. Good. Now she just needed to lure it away from her friends.

It wasn't until the thicket was well out of view that Harlequin finally stopped. She looked back the way she'd come. No sign of the murkrow. She opened her mouth and fired a dark pulse into the trees, shattering one of the boughs. It crashed down in front of her with a sound like thunder. She leapt back to dodge the spindly branches as they whipped at the air, tearing through the bracken.

Then silence.

It was a fleeting heartbeat yet seemed to drag on for an eternity. Caws split the air, spreading through the woods like a shock-wave. Red eyes flashed in the moonlight as the murkrow flock stirred in the branches. There were so many.

Harlequin took a step back, swinging her head around as the very leaves seemed to animate. Her heart froze as her jaw went slack. So many eyes locked onto her and the cawing intensified. The murkrow swooped from the trees towards her. Harlequin bolted, her feet pounding over the earth as she followed the river towards the Shadow Lands. Her breath came in heavy bursts and her vision tunnelled. Claws raked at her fur and she shook them off, straining to stay ahead of the swarming birds, leading them away from her friends.

Her heart sank as more murkrow swarmed from the trees ahead of her like a black cloud. The zorua's eye went to the river and she took a deep breath before throwing herself to its mercy. Cold water swept over her head as she plunged beneath the current. It tore at her fur, straining to wash her back downstream, but she hadn't given up. Her paws churned the water, forcing herself upstream. Above her, the muffled caws of enraged murkrow filled the air. Claws splashed at the water, falling short of Harlequin's ears. Triumph swelled in her chest. Her paws sought purchase on the rocks to push herself off, fighting the current. Her right paw slipped on algae and she fell, her mouth gaping open in a yell. Bubbles swarmed from her jaws as her mouth filled with water. The river forced her back, turning her upside down. For a fleeting moment, Harlequin couldn't remember which way was up.

The murkrow flock's caws turned to cries of triumph, fading as the river tossed Harlequin downstream. She sought her way back to the surface, her chest screaming for air. Her paws met rock and her heart lurched. She couldn't see anything in the blackness. How had things gone so horribly wrong? Her energy waned as she fought the current, straining to find her way back to the surface. The water tossed her around again and her head struck the rocky riverbank. Spots danced before her eyes, flooding her with nausea. Her paws scrabbled at the rocky surface until her claws found the tangled roots of some sturdy plant. She dragged herself towards what she hoped was the surface. Her chest was burning. Finally her head broke through the current and she gasped, sucking in air. Her fur was plastered to her body, her ears drooping with the weight of silt and water.

Raucous caws sounded far away, echoing in the water swirling in her ears. She shook her head to clear it and claws glinted at the corner of her eyes. Harlequin yelled, spraying pink light against the murkrow's talons. It shrieked with confusion and faltered. It wasn't alone! Harlequin took a breath to ready another disarming voice, but her cry died on her throat as claws fastened around her ear. Green sparkles swept through the air on a violent breeze, causing the bird to release her and sending the flock into confusion. Flutterwick flew into the cloud of black feathers, whipping up the air with his wings. Another bug buzz engulfed the murkrow, tearing at them as they dropped like flies.

"Flutterwick!" Harlequin gasped.

She turned her head to see further downstream, but her head was spinning. She tried to drag herself onto the river bank, coughing up silty water. The mothim doubled back towards her and fastened his claws into her ruff. His wings strained as he dragged the waterlogged zorua from the river. She collapsed on the bank and heaved, vomiting up most of the river. The mothim darted from her, whipping up another bug buzz. The sound thumped in her ears, sounding muffled with water. She shook her head again, but it only made her more sick. Her head throbbed where the rock had struck it.

She pushed herself to her feet, swaying. Flutterwick danced around the birds, green dust sparkling against their black wings. He was so fast the murkrow couldn't catch him. A crescent of wind slammed into one of the birds, knocking it from the air. Harbinger leapt through the bushes, his eyes flashing with rage. He said something to Harlequin that didn't register. Blades flashed before her eyes as the pawniard twins leapt from the bushes, cleaving through a murkrow in a shower of crimson.

Harlequin's heart pounded. This was her fault. This was all her fault.

Flutterwick arced into the air, a murkrow on his tail. Harlequin reached for her bag, drawing her nidoking horn. She threw herself towards the murkrow, falling short. Flutterwick whipped up the air. Buzzing thrummed in Harlequin's ears and she yelped as the bug buzz swept over her. She fell beside the murkrow, who rose to his feet in a daze. Harlequin turned her head, jabbing the nidoking horn into his flank. The murkrow screeched, rounding on her. Harlequin jumped back to her feet and slammed the murkrow aside with a heavy paw.

She leapt around the fallen bodies, casting a glance back to Flutterwick. He was free of the murkrow and had swerved away to intersect another. Harlequin's gaze fell on Mischief, huddling in the bushes. Spots danced before her eyes again, blurring the whimsicott. She tried to shake it off, stirring up yet more nausea. But she couldn't rest. More murkrow swept from the trees, snatching at her fur with their claws. She turned, snarling. Her weapon slashed the stomachs of two birds which fell away with screeches of terror.

The horn's presence didn't cause the flock to falter. If anything it made them swarm on her more heavily. Claws and beaks tore at her fur. Fear pulsed through Harlequin's body and she swung her head left and right, slashing with the nidoking horn. Harbinger reared up above her, roaring as he beat the birds aside with his paws. Buzzing echoed in Harlequin's head and she cried out, dropping the nidoking horn. She wasn't going to lose. She wouldn't let harm fall on her friends.

The Darkness would not win.

Her yell turned into a roar of desperation. Pink flurries flew from her mouth, knocking back two of the murkrow.

Her sapphire eyes widened and she shouted again, sending another disarming voice into the flock. It parted as more birds fell, sending the murkrow into confusion. Caws echoed through the flock, and the birds increased their attack. Swooping in then backing out as Harlequin turned her head towards them.

Mischief stepped from the bushes several feet away, catching her eye. Harlequin hadn't the time to say anything to him. She leapt from the cloud of birds, her body screaming with pain, and yelled once more. The disarming voice washed over the flock and struck Harbinger, sending him reeling back. He stumbled over the fallen murkrow, giving the birds all the window they needed. They were on him like fleas. Scratch and Claw had no choice but to look on hopelessly, knowing their attacks would only hurt their friend.

Harlequin sought out her weapon and ducked to grab it. No sooner had she lowered her head, pink light flooded the woods. She looked up as five murkrow fell to the woodland floor. The flock hesitated as several turned to locate the new threat. One fell victim to Harbinger's claws.

Mischief stepped forwards, his paws raised as he glared up at the murkrow. "Leave my friends alone."

The birds cried out, parting as half of them swept towards Mischief. The whimsicott threw his arms wide, sending another dazzling gleam into the flock. Every one of the birds dropped at his feet. He turned his orange gaze onto the rest.

Flutterwick faltered above him, looking between the fallen birds and those left flying. His eyes lit up and he swept into the flock with another bug buzz.

The murkrow didn't know who to focus on. As a result they split apart, each with its own target. Their cawing intensified as confusion spread through the now much smaller flock. Harlequin fought back with renewed vigour, desperate to get rid of the birds before Mischief succumbed to the pokerus. She sheathed her horn in favour of using disarming voice. Much to her delight, the next attack came on command, blowing back another murkrow.

The canopy lit up with another dazzling gleam, claiming two more birds. Seeing they were now on the losing side, the remaining murkrow doubled back, cawing with rage as they vanished into the canopy. Mischief shot past Harlequin after them, his paws raised.

"Go!" he shouted back at them. "I'll finish them off!"

Flutterwick twirled in the air to follow him. "You're not fighting alone!"

"Flutterwick, no!" Harlequin cried, freezing the mothim to the spot.

The zorua stood panting, her fur clinging to her body with blood and water. "Come on. We need to go."

Flutterwick looked back at her with confusion, torn between following her and helping his friend.

Harbinger's lip curled back from his canines. He left Scratch and Claw and plodded towards her, his ruff red with blood. A long scratch curved over his muzzle, closing his right eye.

"What were you thinking?" he snarled.

Harlequin opened her mouth to reply.

"You could have been killed!" Harbinger roared. "And you just left us?! Why, Harlequin?"

"Harbie, we have to go!"

"Not until you answer me!" Harbinger's ruff bristled. Harlequin's world shrank down until all she could see was his livid ruby glare. "What were you-"

A screech cut Harbinger off and he flew sideways with a grunt. Mischief sat on his shoulder, his face twisted with mania as he tore at Harbinger's scruff. The absol roared, turning onto his back to dislodge the whimsicott. Mischief clambered onto his chest, his stubby paws beating at Harbinger's face.

"Mischief, no!" Harlequin screamed.

Scratch and Claw joined her side, looking on hopelessly. Harlequin roared, throwing herself at Mischief. She tackled the whimsicott to the floor, pinning his shoulders with her paws. She struggled for balance as another wave of dizziness washed over her. His feet struck her stomach and she grunted, falling off him. He clambered onto her chest, his orange eyes blazing with malice. Malice that echoed that of her nightmares. The zoroark's grinning face filled her mind. Bile rose in her throat as fear paralysed her, her sapphire eyes meeting his.

Harbinger's white paw struck Mischief across one his his horns, sending him sideways. The absol pinned him with Flutterwick, the latter begging Mischief to come to his senses.

Harlequin pushed herself to her feet, shaking off her fear. Mischief's enraged screams echoed over the canopy, drowning out the disoriented murkrow. Harlequin's heart lurched. What was she meant to do?

A dazzling gleam lit up the woods, sending Harbinger and Flutterwick flying backwards. Harbinger's large body landed on the mothim, and a loud scream pierced the sky. Harbinger rolled off him, turning to check over the fallen moth. Flutterwick struggled to his feet, one wing hanging limp at his side. His orange eyes widened as Mischief flew straight at him. Before anyone could react, Mischief had Flutterwick pinned. His claws tore at Flutterwick's delicate wings and thrashed across his head.

With a cry, Harlequin tackled Mischief, wrapping her paws around his neck. The pair of them rolled over the tangled roots, each of them vying for control. His paw connected with her muzzle, then swiped across her ears, but Harlequin did not relent. She never fought back. All she wanted to do was get him away from Flutterwick. The zorua landed on her back at the base of a tree and fear pulsed through her body. She forced Mischief from her and sat across him, pinning him with both paws. The whimsicott's eyes were closed, his body limp.

Harlequin swallowed a lump in her throat and pushed herself off Mischief. Her head was spinning. She swallowed a few more times, growing aware of the sudden silence. She didn't want to look up, but she forced herself to locate Harbinger. He stood over Flutterwick with the pawniard, nudging the mothim with his nose.

"Is he-?" Harlequin's voice cracked.

Harbinger nodded once.

Grief washed over Harlequin and she opened her jaws wide in a silent wail. This was all her fault. Tears streaked from her eyes and she sat down heavily. The woods turned on their side as she sank to the floor, darkness spreading across her vision as exhaustion swept her away.

...

Harlequin sat beside Harbinger and the pawniard. The ground was uneven where they'd buried Flutterwick. Mischief was still unconscious, but they had to move. It wouldn't be long before another flock of murkrow came to finish off the job.

Harlequin and her friends had worked in silence, but she could feel the anger radiating off Harbinger. It had been a pointless death. One they could have avoided if she hadn't tried to lure the murkrow away. If she'd just woken him he could have dealt with it stealthily. Instead she'd woken the entire woodland.

"He was too young." Harlequin blinked tears from her eyes.

Harbinger looked up at her, his expression oddly soft.

"I promised I'd find him a home," Harlequin went on. She shook her head slowly. "I… I should have just sent him to the Fairy Garden."

"He helped us," Harbinger told her. "Without him, we might not have made it out of that battle with the duraludon. And you would have been drowned by those murkrow." He said the last part softly, but the anger was plain in his voice.

Harlequin licked her lips and lowered her head. "I still shouldn't have dragged him into all this."

The bushes stirred as Mischief crept from them, and a wave of relief washed over Harlequin. It was followed quickly by grief. Mischief looked over each of them, worry creeping across his features.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked, his voice cracking.

Harlequin closed her eyes and took a steadying breath.

"Where's Flutterwick?" Fear revealed itself in Mischief's voice.

"He's gone," Harbinger told him.

"Gone?"

"He was killed in battle." The absol lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

Harlequin bit her lip. She could read it on Mischief's face. He suspected the worst.

"By a murkrow?" Mischief asked, his eyes darkening.

Harbinger said nothing. Harlequin knew what he was thinking. Should they tell him? His friends had already kept things from him. Was it really fare to let him believe a lie? The truth would only come out sooner or later.

"It was me, wasn't it?" he asked. The silence had answered his question for him.

"Yes," said Harbinger.

Mischief's shoulders slumped and tears flooded his eyes. His mouth opened wordlessly.

"You lost control," Harbinger told him. "It was an unfortunate accident."

"No… It was me." Mischief's voice cracked and he sank to the floor. "I killed him…"

Harlequin rose to her feet and plodded over to him. "Mischief, it wasn't your fault."

"No!" Mischief waved a paw, making Harlequin stop a foot away from him. "It was my fault! I shouldn't have joined the battle!"

"If you hadn't helped us, we'd all be dead," said Harbinger. "You turned the tide in our favour."

"And cost Flutterwick his life!" Mischief buried his head in his paws. "I hate this! I… I'm a monster."

"You're not a monster," Harlequin told him.

Mischief's shoulders shook in a silent sob.

"It was a pointless battle," Harlequin said quietly. "One that could have been avoided. If it's anyone's fault, Mischief, it's mine."

He looked up at her, wiping tears from his eyes.

"I shouldn't have tried to lure the murkrow away from you." She shook her head as tears streaked over her muzzle. "I was… I was trying to protect you all." She screwed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry."

"You're not the one who killed him." Mischief rose to his feet. "This wretched pokerus might have won us that battle, but at what cost?" He kicked out at a stone, sending it bouncing over knotted roots. "If I hadn't lost control then he'd still be alive."

Guilt gnawed Harlequin's gut. It wasn't Mischief's fault, but there would be no convincing him of that. Grief and the desire for revenge had clouded Harlequin's judgement. If she'd been thinking clearly, they could have come up with a better plan together. Because of that, Flutterwick had lost his life. Harlequin closed her eyes, wishing more than anything that she could turn back time.

That she could save Flutterwick.

That she could save Enigma.

Harlequin's shoulders sank as she sighed. It was over. There was nothing left they could do. "Let's go."

She turned to follow the river downstream.

Harbinger rose to his feet, watching her. "Where are you going?"

She looked back at him, meeting his ruby eyes. Blood still matted his fur. The scratch on his muzzle had dried, and his eye had opened slightly. Mischief stood a few feet away, his shoulders hunched. Scratch and Claw looked exhausted. None of them were fit to fight any further.

"We need a new plan," she said. "I'm going to ask Cleo for help. Perhaps… perhaps we can get help from the Outcasts?"

"The Outcasts?" Harbinger scoffed.

"It's a long shot." Harlequin's shoulders slumped. "But… Cleo's my friend. With her, with Faith…"

Harbinger plodded over to her, his voice flat. "Go and ask them. But I won't be going with you."

Harlequin jerked her head up. Her eyes widened and she stuttered for a moment. "What?"

"The Outcasts won't want me," he explained. "I'm going to go to the Fairy Garden. All of this," he gestured to the woods with his tail, "has made me realise we can't do it alone. We've never been able to fight back against Hydreigon! You're right, Harlequin. We need more help than this if we're to finally rid Estellis of the Darkness. I've been given this Mega Stone, so I'm going to find Xerneas and learn how to use it. Perhaps then we'll stand more of a chance?"

Harlequin's throat thickened. Tears stung her eyes, but she nodded. "Then let's go. We'll stay together until we leave these woods."

They walked in silence, keeping their heads low. The bodies of murkrow littered the river bank. The birds still hadn't regrouped, making the Border Woods feel eerily silent. Once the trees began to thin out, the sun had risen high above them. But it did little to alleviate the heavy darkness that hung over Harlequin and her friends. Mischief's expression was unreadable, and the loss of Flutterwick hung heavily over them. She kept expecting to see him riding on Harbinger's back. The absol's feet were heavy yet silent over the snowy ground. They kept to the river, following it downstream until the Border Woods were far enough behind them they could no longer hear the murkrow flock's calls.

"Harlequin?" Harbinger's voice sliced through the silence, drawing the zorua's attention.

She looked up at him and her ears drooped. He stared over his shoulder away from the river.

"Take Scratch and Claw." He looked back at her then. "I'll go alone to the Fairy Garden."

Harlequin looked up at him with a start, but Harbinger didn't meet her gaze. The two pawniard clung to his side, their protests garbling together.

"I don't know how long I'll be, but I know they'll look after you," he said, bringing the twins' arguing to a stop. "They've looked after me for years. Once I've learnt how to use this Mega Stone I'll come and find you."

Harlequin nodded stiffly, meeting Claw's stoic gaze. His brother still huddled near Harbinger, his eyes clouding with uncertainty.

Harlequin didn't know what else to say, so instead she just blurted, "Thank you."

Part of her wanted to go with Harbinger, but she couldn't turn away from her mission.

Harbinger lowered his head to Harlequin close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. "Safe travels, Harlequin. I'll see you soon."

Harlequin swallowed around a lump in her throat. "Take care, Harbie."

He nodded and turned to race across the snow, leaving the twins behind him. They moved to Harlequin's side and Scratch rubbed his claws together, the sound muffled by the snow. Mischief rubbed his paws over his arms as he shivered beside Harlequin.

"Aren't you going with Harbinger?" Harlequin asked him.

"No." Mischief looked away from her. "I'll stay with you as far as the Moorland's Forest. Then I'm going to find a cure."

Harlequin's throat thickened. "I'll help you."

"No." The harshness of his word made Harlequin freeze.

She shook it off and turned fully to face him. "You don't need to go alone, Mischief. I know about poisons. Together we can-"

"Harlequin, stop." Mischief's voice wavered as he continued, "I'm too dangerous." He balled his paws into tight fists. "I can't risk hurting anyone else."

"Mischief-"

"You find Cleo." He met her gaze for a moment. "And keep her safe."

Harlequin nodded, feeling a stab of pain in her chest. "I promise."

Mischief returned her nod and trudged on through the snow.

Harlequin's heart was heavy as she fell in step beside him. Everything had gone horribly wrong. Her mind ran over the events again, wishing she'd done things differently. If she had, perhaps they'd have won?

As she continued on with her friends in silence, snow began to fall once more. It felt oddly tranquil. Like a calm before a storm. Harlequin didn't look back, but she knew she'd be returning to the Border Woods soon. Next time, she'd make sure she made it past the wall and into the Shadow Lands. No more pointless deaths. Hydreigon would fall.

...

Review Replies

Darkstalker111 - Thank you so much for reading and for your kind review! I can't believe you read all this in two days! That's amazing! I did send you a PM but I'm not sure you got it? I'm pretty new to using the FFNet app, I use it primarily for reading. Updates are weekly on Saturdays. I've very nearly finished writing this, so there should be no further hiatuses.

Thanks everyone for reading! Please R&R! =D