Reviews :

Snake557 : Oh, no issue! Congrats! Hope that all goes well for you :D

Jay Sketchin : Thank you so much!

Burgie : T'was a small move, but a move nonetheless! :) Bigger moves will come with time, and bravery xD Thanks friend!


Song Listened To :

Shadows and Spirits by Imogen Heap (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)


*Chapter 93*

As the week came and went, band practices ran deep into the night, school work got piled, scraped and forced right at the last minute, Gunner nearly began to feel nervousness nip right at his heels, heels that cautiously now did everything they could to navigate the palace's glorious, high-arched corridors, Sugar Rush's main beauty and strong hold of incredible architecture. Dressed in a lovely tux with a heavy, slick black trench coat that draped over his tall, athletic and slender figure, he nervously tucked his hands into the gape of said coat's pockets and tried to remain cool. Not a soul to be found, his silent footwork finally began to step in further confidence as he found the palace's main kitchen. Although he knew he could simply teleport himself to Berri's tower's front door, via the teleportation hub he had just came from, he almost nervously peered back to it, over his shoulder; the teleportation pad being something daunting and intimidating, something he couldn't quite put his finger on nor figure out. The fear of accidentally zipping off somewhere he wasn't supposed to go, not to mention the very sight of Turbo's name on the list, he clenched his teeth and pressed on.

On a Friday night, it was typical that the palace's walls were silent and void of anyone; mostly everyone typically hung out either in the rec hall, in their respective homes or inside the irresistible clutches of Orion City. Although Gunner was interested in finding Zed and promising he'd return Berri safely, he crossed the palace's glorious, pristine kitchen in an almost sense of defeat and figured he'd likely have to ask Berri where to seek her main authority; he was sure Zed would likely be holding down the fort, thus bumping into him. In a hefty push of the heavy, back door, which was doubled and fogged on the inside due to the warmth against Sugar Rush's frigid cold, Gunner eased into the longest outdoor corridor on the lot, one that spanned across nearly half the palace's now snowy lot, and straight to the recreational hall. Although it also used to lead to Berri's tower, Gunner knew her tower was now a little deeper into the woods, something that didn't intimidate him too much. He knew the light from said tower would make it easier to find.

Through the long, outdoor corridor, high arches so softly illuminated with the glow of outdoor lights tucked deep into the high arches of white stone overhead, Gunner finally pressed out into the open and began to trek across the snowy path that lead to the recreational hall. As he approached the hall from the side, he smiled and could see a hefty amount of palace residents inside, loud music played and the warmth of the party seemed to radiate out into the stars and sky above. Gunner assured himself that, one of these days, he'd offer him and Berri to attend so he could get to know her family a little better, though for now, he pressed down the path that eased through the snow. Much to his surprise, he took note that the path began to illuminate underneath his feet, the deeper he went into the trees. A loving, tender show of his own coding color, which was a soft marigold, began to shine upwards at him, the path secretively grappled to the coding of whatever individual were to step on it, not only to light the way, but to make clear to the flyers, in the woods, of just who was approaching.

As Gunner pressed deeper into the dark, deeper into the thicket of layered snow and canopies that now blocked out the sky, he began to feel nervousness hit his heart. He was well aware that he'd eventually hit the palace walls, due to this whole enclosure being tightly sealed on palace grounds, though he swallowed hard and knew said grounds were massive. Not only that, but his heart began to race as he remembered the new enclosure that was built, what Berri had been ranting about all week, the very idea that said enclosure was as large as the entire palace lot, in of itself, had his head swimming. He immediately began to feel out of his element, and with such, he nervously began to look around, over his shoulders, up into the trees. Thick, darkened, creepy trees, with low hanging vines and dead shrubs that hugged lifted roots through the untouched snow, Gunner began to feel a strange sensation in his stomach. Although the path illuminated his coding color underneath his feet and pressed ten feet in both directions of the path, he still narrowed his gaze through the dark and now felt turned around. The bass of the recreational hall's music had vanished, the stillness of the lack of wind through the trees, Gunner's shaking hand pat his coat's pocket in preparation to maybe call Berri, though he grit his teeth, held fast to his pride and firmly pressed on in a puffed-chest manner.

In confident footsteps, he glowered into the night, as if to potentially prove to anything out there that he was man enough to just barrel on through and believe said path would eventually lead to Berri's tower, he furrowed his eyebrows in a draw of confusion as his now ten minute walk began to grow musty, hot and humid. Gunner's footsteps slowed to a tender stop as he finally took another look around. The trees seemingly grew in height tenfold, lush, dewy vines and canopies hung over head, and in the nervous realization of concern, he finally looked back down to the path and realized that there wasn't a single fleck of snow to be seen. Gunner felt his pupils tighten in searing hot nervousness, his eyes glared forward in a rush of terror, notions that now hit him head on, the raw fact that he had followed this deceiving path straight into the flyer's enclosure. Gunner huffed a trembled breath and felt his body want to begin to backstep, though he was frozen. He knew he had met Chester before, though due to such negative reactions from Chester, he was certain Berri had never introduced him to the other flyers as a way of protecting him. As silently as he could, he whirled around and prepared to book it in the opposite direction.

With the loss of all of the blood in his face, Gunner nearly jolted straight out of his own skin the second he was now face to face with a single flyer he had dutifully tried to avoid. With a sharp inhale of a gasp and a stumble of his heavy shoes in a back step, or two, Gunner shrunk into himself and peered up to the incredible, majestic beast in front of him. The path remained illuminated with Gunner's coding only, even though Royal's massive, chameleon paws and claws were firmly stationed there. Gunner's mind ran at the speed of light, how long this creature had been behind him was something he was sure he'd never discover, how silently Royal had remained, and for how long, Gunner bit his lip and uttered a nervous noise of question. Not knowing that Royal could talk, he held out his hand and began to fear the worst; where there was one flyer, the other four had to not be too far behind. Royal stood frozen, his underbelly and face was illuminated from the ground up, making his whole physique and disposition nightmarish to look at. His incredible golden orbs held unwavering to Gunner, his black pupils were mere slits, a hunting mode the flyers settled into for sheer intimidation.

"Well, well, well," Royal's deep voice so softly purred, a reverberation that hit Gunner's brain in whole confusion, "Would you look what we have... Here..."

"Fresh meat," Lickity meanly snipped with a fang filled smile from behind Gunner, he huffed a shaky breath and whirled around in confusion.

"Y-You guys can talk?" Gunner staggered in terror, he hoped to convey softness and camaraderie; he knew he was now programmed for Sugar Rush, and any form of a game over was safe, though the thought of dying at the paws of these beasts, on an important date night, or any night for that matter, was the last thing he wanted.

"We also sing," Balba sneered, a clear stab at Gunner's abilities, and as Gunner's eyes now dart to Balba, he began to feel dizzy with one raw fact; all five flyers now began to slowly circle him on his frozen, illuminated and trembling path of doom.

"I-I didn't mean to... I-I'm... I'm looking for Berri's tower," Gunner now staggered to get out, he clutched his chest in terror and watched as these huge incredible beasts so slowly circled him, each one of their eyes honed tight to him in animalistic fervor, as if the hunt was over, and they were now due to enjoying a game of 'play with your food'.

"Well, now that you're here, y'might as well get to know this side of Berri's family," Boss's incredibly deep voice grumbled, his vivid blue eyes honed tight to Gunner as the four sauntered in taunting, moseying steps full of huge paws, clacks of claws, the tuck and tighten of their huge wings, the sway of their long tails, the hang of their heads and sharpness of their gazes, Gunner huffed a shaky breath and dart his concerned eyes to each flyer in a show of plea.

"S-Sure, y-you guys a-are... related to Chester, right? I-Is he here?" Gunner's deep voice wavered, he tried his hardest to prove he wasn't shaken, though he knew he was failing.

"He's not here, and no, we're not all related to him," Boss grunted, everyone finally came to a slow saunter of an eventual stop, though they still hovered circled around Gunner, making it impossible for him to escape.

"He does look like a very healthy mixture of all of us, though," Balba bobbed a nod and stood up a little straighter. Although the gang was gung-ho on torturing Gunner, Balba was the first to show even a shred of kindness, "Allow me to introduce us to you... I'm Balba, I'm a lykata from Dead Zed. This, here, is my surrogate mother, Marble."

"We're all from Dead Zed," Boss blurt a small chuckle, their rumbling, deeper and louder voices glossed over Gunner's quivering soul with the very idea that these talking creatures had the raw, unwavering capability to rip him limb from limb, apex predators that likely hunted and proved their worth unabated, fervor and power they so willingly exuded on a daily basis. Boss lowered his head a little and eyed Gunner with a mean, toothy grin, "I'm Boss."

"A-Are... Are you the head of the pack, then?" Gunner wondered with a forced smile and a shrug, as if to act interested, though the terror in his eyes proved that he was only interested in high-tailing it out of the enclosure.

"No, the title of Alpha goes to my step son, Royal," Boss cocked an eyebrow and eyed Royal with a smile. Although they had previously gotten off on the wrong paw, the two head males of the group kindly found compromise; this showed with the look of confident pride in Royal's glistening eye contact to Gunner's.

"He's head of the hunting pack, as well," Marbles voice eased through Gunner's head like silk, though he was too shaken up to realize that it was telepathically delivered to him.

"If you really WERE fresh meat, you wouldn't have ever known that Royal was stalking you for the entire duration of your walk into our enclosure," Lickity blurt a small chuckle, though Gunner furrowed his brow and now nervously peered to Royal, a much larger, terrifying creature of ability.

"Wh-why not?" Gunner prod, to which Royal didn't skip a beat.

"Cause you wouldn't have lived to find out," Royal eased through his fangs; Gunner firmly swallowed and took a nervous step back, somehow hoping the circle would open, though it didn't, "I'm Chester's father. Balba is my mate, and Chester's mother... Lickity is my mother, and like Boss said, he's my step father."

"R-Remarried?" Gunner cheekily asked Lickity with a chuckle, though the group of predators held still and silent in a spike of dread, strictly for the fact that the subject of Orion's death was still not something they could easily discuss.

"My original mate died saving Royal's life," Lickity snapped meanly, she flattened her ears and gave Gunner a healthy glower.

"He didn't know, mom," Royal muttered to Lickity, as if to quietly ease her worries and assure her that Gunner wouldn't mention it had he known the issue.

"Besides, Turbo's going to turn that all around, anyhow," Boss eased with a confident nod, though Gunner raised his eyebrows in surprise and held his hand up.

"W-wait, Turbo? I thought... Berri told me that guy never comes around," Gunner eased quietly, though he flinched as the group of flyers fell silent one moment, and then burst out laughing the next moment.

"Ohh, of COURSE she told you THAT," Lickity snapped with a snide grin, she inhaled a deep breath and pressed a little closer to Gunner, each creature held height over him.

"H-He's around often?" Gunner prod in yet another spike of terror.

"He's practically right under your nose," Lickity hissed in a whisper, which had Gunner nervously confused.

"Should we tell 'im?" Royal muttered, he side-eyed Boss and both boys gave each other looks of sly cheek.

"I don't think he'd take it well," Boss quietly volleyed.

"Tell me, Gunner, what are your intentions with my baby niece?" Lickity pressed dominantly; although Royal was the alpha male of the clan, and Balba was technically grandfathered in as alpha female, in that respect, everyone knew that Lickity held a very real amount of a higher rank, being the Queen's flyer. All respective flyers flattened their ears in response to the growing fervor and dominance in her voice, "You're here to sweep her off her feet, take her to all of Arcade's stages, show her to fancy dinners, an expensive lifestyle, celebrity status that only luck could've afforded anyone... I don't think you even see the other side of this coin, do you?"

"I care for Berri, I want nothing but to treat her with respect and love like she deserves," Gunner pressed, almost in an insulted tone; he gestured his hands out and stood his ground, though as Lickity came upon him, he visibly shrank as her slits of pupils held tight to him, a terrific sight Gunner was certain would bring him nightmares for weeks to come.

"You've given her an incredible life outside of Sugar Rush, but... Do you understand what kind of a life would be awaiting you here, on her turf?" Lickity pressed patiently, though the cunningness in her tone was sharp and precise, "She's Sugar Rush's princess... How would you fair knowing that, if you were to deepen anything with Berri, you'd be Sugar Rush's next King?"

"Yeah, right. Over Turbo's dead body," Royal muttered as he eyed Lickity, though she bared her fangs, hissed him a sharp noise of urgency, as if to ask him to shut up; all the flyers flinched, upon her fervor; Gunner, as well, the second she stabbed her attention back to him.

"Y'gunna just be with Berri and then eventually break her heart? Just date her for a short while, get all the talent you want out of her, then leave her once your band has made enough money?" Lickity darkly prod, to which Gunner gaped a few noises of protest, sharply furrowed his eyebrows and was prepared to defend himself, though Lickity sharply pressed on, "You realize staying with Berri means being a Prince. Running a whole game. Following in King Zed's footsteps. You know how to operate a code room?"

"I-I think it's a little too early to be thinking about marriage and... Being handed over a throne in which I know Tessa and Zed aren't ready to part with," Gunner firmly defended, though Lickity flattened her ears and got right into Gunner's face.

"If you do anything to so much as harm a single blue hair on Sugar Rush's princess's head," Lickity began in a soft whisper of death, "It's not King Zed you'd have to worry about first."

The whole jungle of an enclosure fell silent, Gunner peered up into Lickity's incredibly creepy, vivid green eyes in a swathe of terror, and although he so desperately wanted to fight back and prove that he was man enough for this conversation, he knew he didn't hold a candle to these incredible beasts before him. He knew he'd have to take the L here and just accept that the palace's pack of flyers were incredibly protective of the royal family's brood, something he was thankful for, deep down, though he somehow couldn't help but feel a billion questions come up, due to just how much these flyers mentioned Turbo. Gunner swallowed his pride, bobbed a nod and tried to give Lickity confident eye contact.

"Yes, ma'am," Gunner eased quietly, and as he apprehensively gave each flyer the same look of understood defeat, he was surprised to feel that Lickity's hovering presence was unwavering.

"C'mon... I'll show you to Berri's tower," Balba pressed in a sweet tone of reservedness, as if she were in agreeing to Lickity's words, though also wanted to make sure Gunner made it out of the enclosure alive.

Gunner bobbed a nod and nervously began to sag closer to Balba's comforting presence, and as her agile paws softly fell into rhythm with the clunks of his footsteps, Gunner bravely looked over his shoulder after a few seconds. Lickity, Boss, Marble and Royal all stood poised and still, frozen from their previous position, the stuff of nightmares, a vision that one would only beg to not stumble upon in the woods, in the middle of the night. As the glow from Gunner's coding began to inch away from the four flyers, only the glint and green glow of their haunting, night-vision eyes could be seen, something that officially made Gunner shudder and turn around for good. He clenched his teeth and eased closer to Balba's warm and comforting presence, and although he was well aware she'd likely take the side of her other flying companions, Gunner was floored she offered him a temporary shred of camaraderie. As the two silently eased out of the enclosure and into the gentle billow of snow that gathered on the edge of the enclosure's entrance, Gunner heaved a shaky sigh and finally felt comfortable enough to speak.

"Thank you, for helping me," Gunner's soft voice eased, he glanced up to the side of Balba's face and was happy her ears gently pricked in the direction of his voice; she bobbed a nod and glanced to him.

"You're welcome," She volleyed softly, it was clear she was still holding him at arms length, for reasons he wasn't sure about. As the path suddenly diverted and began to illuminate in a direction Gunner hadn't previously seen, the two eased to a stop as Balba unfurled her gorgeous, green, feathery wing and pointed it in the direction of said illuminated path, "Berri's tower is down this path, maybe a two minute walk. You can't miss it."

"I appreciate your help," Gunner eased warmly, he halted his footwork and finally gave Balba an inquisitive look, "Can I... Can I ask you a question about Chester?"

"Sure," Balba eased, her ears perked in dominance, as if to silently covey that Gunner watch what he said here, due to Chester being her son.

"I... I really don't think he likes me, and I have no idea why," Gunner worried with a frown, "Every time I try to come near, he growls and shows his teeth. He's usually so friendly with everyone else. Is there any way I can help him warm up to me?"

Balba narrowed her gaze in thought, looked off and softened, though she nervously gave Gunner a sly look and nearly smiled.

"Although Chester is blind and mute, he is incredibly intuitive," Balba's voice eased, though Gunner could feel her motherly sternness now eke onto him in a swathe of an equal amount of intuition, "He can pick a dishonest man out of a crowd of hundreds. He can sense wavering loyalty from a million miles away..."

"I don't understand, I-I... I'm not dishonest, nor do I have unwavering loyalty," Gunner begged in sincerity as he gestured to himself, he shook his head and softened in a show of vulnerability with a creature that knew Chester best, aside from Royal and Berri.

"... We all have skeletons, Gunner," Balba pressed sneakily as she flattened her ears, "You may be honest and loyal and sincere right now, but is there something, from your past, that is hindering you from moving forward? With Berri?"

Gunner sagged, shook his head, looked off and tried not to seem too obvious that he was contemplating just where he had gone wrong; he was frustrated to find that Balba had sneakily caught on, as well.

"Whatever it is, Chester is cued to it," Balba nearly whispered, and it was here did Balba's unwavering loyalty stick like glue to the rest of her pack, the same coldness they delivered now began to proverbially frost her warm fur, as well, "That's why Chester loves Turbo so much. Sure, Turbo did some incredibly terrible things, but he's the first to openly admit and own it all, and has... He can look himself in the mirror and agree that he screwed up, big time, and is doing his best to be a better man."

Gunner now glowered off into the distance and felt that sting of frustration come back to him, one he had so secretly did everything to stuff, a dark past of hurt and pain that he didn't dare let fly, he heaved a shaky, fogged breath and nervously eyed Balba, as if to hope she maybe wouldn't reveal, to anyone, that he was struggling with a certain something.

"The second you can be honest with yourself is the second Chester will ease up," Balba kindly concluded, "If there's one thing I've learned from my son, in his disabilities, is that they're not disabilities at all... Chester's been more honest and more open with the people around him, than anyone I've ever met... And everyone else can talk. What does that say, to you?"

"H-He's pretty special," Gunner agreed warmly, he looked down to his feet and sighed a fogged sigh, though he flinched in surprise as Balba tenderly began to step away.

"Get right with yourself," Balba pressed darkly, though somehow she still radiated sweetness, no matter how distanced it was, "You can't get right with anyone until you're honest with yourself. Get a handle on that first, before moving forward. Mark my words."

Gunner raised his eyebrows in nervous surprise as Balba finally peeled her vivid, haunting, turquoise eyes from him and slowly began to ease away and into the darkness, back to the flyer's enclosure. Gunner held his breath and felt a wash of uncertainty fall over him, the sheer fact that all of these flyers were not simply just guard-dog-like dragons that lived on the palace lot, though rather they were nearly other-worldly beings, ones that could look straight through your soul and mind, read you like a book, rip the pages from your spine and toss you to the wind without even batting a lash. Gunner began to apprehensively step down the right path, something that resonated with him. He knew this night was all about him and Berri, as well as the burning question of desire he was itching to ask Berri, though now that the topic of Turbo and Chester and a million other things were clouding his thoughts, he wondered just how he'd be able to get through the night without seeming suspicious of a wandering, agitated mind.