A/N - Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! =D There's a lot of information in this chapter. I hope you enjoy!

45 - Snowfall

Enigma trudged his way over the battlefield, nudging a fallen murkrow with his foot. The battle had been a nasty one, and only a few murkrow had lost their lives. Most of them had managed to recover, fluttering away from the fallen Outcasts to nurse their wounds in the boughs of a tree. They hadn't stuck around for long. Now the little mountain wood was quiet.

He checked over the Outcasts, feeling around their necks for a pulse. All of them were still alive, although the meowstic was barely clinging on. Her left ear was mangled, lying at an awkward angle beneath her head. The hum of psychic energy had long since fizzled out. The dedenne lay huddled underneath Harlequin's thick fur, and the zorua's paws twitched occasionally as they slowly began to regain consciousness. The mawile lay curled at the base of a tree, the yellow fur around her shoulders matted with blood. There was no sign of the whimsicott. As far as Enigma was concerned, the battle could have gone a lot worse. Harlequin had caused a stir with their poison, keeping the murkrow at a distance as they tried desperately to avoid the deadly nidoking horn. The shadowballs Enigma had thrown had disrupted the flock further, causing them to fly into a confused frenzy as they tried to work out where their hidden assailant was hiding. With the odds against them with two professional killers in the mix they'd soon retreated, satisfied that the Outcasts were down if not eradicated. They definitely weren't part of Yurlik's ruthless war-hardened flock, that was for certain. They would have slaughtered their enemies no matter what the cost, or face Yurlik's wrath. The Outcasts were lucky. Harlequin hadn't collapsed until the murkrow had started to back down. The zorua had given in to their extensive wounds and exhaustion, falling under a flurry of wings as the birds foolishly believed the battle was about to turn in their favour.

A soft groan came from Faith, and Enigma tore his attention from the canopy to watch her. Her claws scraped over the grass as she tried to right herself, her eyes screwed shut with the effort. Enigma dropped beside her and helped her up until she was propped against the tree's sturdy trunk.

Faith groaned again and rubbed a paw across her face. "What… happened?"

"You lost."

She jerked her head towards him and winced. Her paw flew to her wounded shoulder and came away sticky with drying blood. Her eyes widened with realisation and she looked around at her fallen friends.

"Is everyone-?"

"They're all alive," said Enigma flatly. "I checked."

"We need to help them." Faith tried to push herself up, but Enigma shoved her firmly back against the tree.

Without a word, he trudged over to the meowstic and dropped beside her to fumble in her bag. He found a couple of oran berries and returned to Faith's side.

"Start with yourself." He dropped one of the berries into her lap, then tore the other open to squeeze its juices over her shoulder.

Faith hissed but that was the extent of her protest. She obediently took a bite of the oran berry then cast him a sideways glance.

"You helped us, didn't you?" she asked.

Enigma said nothing as he rubbed the berry pulp into her fur. He could feel her violet eyes burning into his head, and it took all his strength to not meet her gaze. He was already warring with conflicting emotions and part of him was scared of what she'd see there.

"Thank you," she said.

Enigma shrugged and wiped his paws on his scarf, leaving Faith to finish tending to her own wounds. He wasn't sure if her thanks was for his help with the berries or her correct assumption he'd assisted them in their fight. The mawile took another polite bite of her berry and adjusted herself so she was sitting more comfortably.

"Oh my goodness, this is such a mess. What happened?" her voice wavered slightly. "Where's Mischief?"

"Gone," said Enigma. "That honchkrow carried him away."

"Did you see which direction she went?"

Enigma shook his head and looked away from her, his eyes lingering on Harlequin's twitching paws. Relief poured through him and not for the first time. He still remembered the fear he'd felt as he dashed to the fallen zorua's side, beating off the last of the lingering murkrow.

"Then… I guess we have to find him." Faith stood up, wincing slightly. But her movements were much more fluid. The berries were doing their job. "I need to check on my friends. Do you mind helping me?"

Enigma opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as Harlequin let out a loud whimper. The zorua tucked their paws beneath themselves as they rolled over onto their belly, completely smothering the little dedenne.

The banette shook his head again and stood up. "I should go. I'm not hanging around where I'm not welcome."

"Not welcome?" Faith gasped. "But you helped us."

"I was only returning the favour."

"What for?"

"Getting me out of that Heretic lab." He fixed her with an amused raise of the eyebrow, which she mimicked perfectly. "As far as I'm concerned, we're even."

"But-"

"That meowstic has plenty of oran berries. You'll be fine without me." He leapt up into the branches where he perched on all-fours, leaning down to catch her eye. "See you around, Faith."

Before the mawile could respond he warped away from her, deeper into the woods.

...

Voices pulsed through Cleo's head, muffled and distant. She knew them, but she couldn't place them. Her parents? Her siblings? Pain pulsed with them, in rhythm with a faint light, causing her to grit her teeth. As the light grew brighter she hissed, flinching back from it. She raised a paw to her head, the source of the pain, and snatched it back just as quickly.

"Is she actually awake?"

Spark!

Cleo's eyes shot open and she hissed again, screwing them shut once more. Her claws brushed dried leaves and dusty feathers and she retracted her paw back to her side. It was all coming back to her now. The battle. Mischief. The brutal loss. Her heart twisted in her chest and she groaned, rolling onto her back. The pain in her ear was nothing in comparison.

"Cleo?"

She opened her eyes again, turning her head stiffly towards Spark's voice. Three faces stared down at her, Spark's from between Harlequin's pointed ears. The concern on each one of her friends' faces melted with relief and Harlequin sat down abruptly, causing Spark to vanish down their back with a yell of alarm.

Faith crouched down beside Cleo as the meowstic reached up to her mangled ear.

"I've rubbed some oran juice into it," Faith explained, "and fastened it closed with some goosegrass. It might be a little uncomfortable, but I don't think it's broken."

"Thank you." Cleo pushed herself up, aided by Faith's arm.

Spark poked her face out between Harlequin's ears again. "You were misfiring confusions for a good minute back there. Sent the murkrow into a tizz 'cos they didn't know what was going on. I think it scared them off."

Faith cast a glance Spark's way, but the look on her face suggested to Cleo that it wasn't her unconscious attacks that scared the murkrow. For one thing, murkrow weren't affected by 'confusion'.

Cleo looked over each of her friends, noting the extent of their injuries. Faith's shoulders were matted with dry blood, and a strong smell of oran juice came from her fur. Long, red welts lined Spark's flank and vanished towards her back. Cleo hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked. Harlequin's ears were nicked and a long scratch scoured their muzzle, but all in all the zorua looked less worse for wear. They'd even managed to reclaim their satchel which hung neatly at their side.

The satchel…

Cleo lowered her face into her paws as the memories came back thick and heavy, and a loud groan escaped her throat. "We lost Mischief."

Her friends were silent, and Faith closed her eyes as she lowered her head. Only the sound of the breeze stirring the evergreen leaves filled the woods. The murkrow were long gone.

"We can go after him if you want?" Harlequin's voice caused Cleo to look up too quickly, sending a flood of nausea from her ear into her stomach.

"I know what it's like to lose a friend," Harlequin went on. "I don't think the murkrow will harm him. They want to take him to Hydreigon. And…" The zorua paused and licked their lips. "That… might not be such a bad thing." At Cleo's blank expression, Harlequin elaborated quickly. "I mean, one dazzling gleam from Mischief and that dragon is history. He could be an unexpected hero."

"Are you suggesting we just let him walk right to his death?" Cleo snapped.

"I'm not saying that at all!" Harlequin gasped. "I'm suggesting we go after him. But if we don't succeed then we need to look on the bright side. Who knows? Mischief might even have planned this!"

Cleo lowered her head into her paws again. Perhaps Harlequin was right. Everyone knew Mischief was unhappy with his situation, thinking himself a danger to his friends. Yet the thought he'd willingly enter the Shadow Lands to face Hydreigon still filled her with dread. She couldn't imagine he'd willingly go that far. But how much did she really know him? He didn't even know himself.

"I'm sorry to suggest this," said Faith, "but I really don't think it's a good idea to go after him right now."

"What?" Cleo looked up at her, fixing the mawile in a glare.

Faith shook her head, her lips turned down in a frown. "I'm sorry, Cleo. But we're not in any fit state to face those murkrow again. You least of all! If we try, we might all be killed. I think Mischief can actually handle this."

"Yeah, he might have already," said Spark. "I mean, if Harlequin's right, then… well, I don't know what to think. But he could totally handle those murkrow."

"He's a grass-type," Cleo reminded her. "A grass-type among a flock of flying-types!"

The dedenne opened her mouth to reply then closed it again, glancing to the side. Harlequin lowered their head and looked away, their face sullen. Even Faith had nothing to say.

The mawile sighed and climbed to her feet, offering a paw to Cleo. "Come on. Let's find shelter. You need some rest."

Cleo took her paw and let Faith help her to her feet. Faith looped a paw around the meowstic's back, supporting her on her shoulder.

A soft clatter drew Cleo's eye and she looked down to find Harlequin carrying a loop of white metal in their jaws. The collar! Cleo's eyes widened as the zorua dropped it at her feet.

"I suppose you want to put it back on?" Harlequin took a step back and raised their head, exposing their throat. "Go on."

Cleo looked between the zorua and the collar. Her eyes wandered to the zorua's bag, hanging over their shoulder, expertly fastened so not a hint of the toxic horn was visible. She reached down for the collar, but Faith stopped her. The mawile grabbed the collar and handed it to Cleo without question.

Cleo stared at it for a moment, her mind whirling. She still remembered Harlequin bolting off into the ferns. She'd thought the zorua had left them to their death and fled. What was clear to her now was that Harlequin had known Mischief had left their bag in those ferns. Harlequin hadn't left them at all. Cleo had told the zorua to save Spark, and Harlequin had done just that. There was no question about it. Cleo tucked the collar into her bag, followed swiftly by her bracelet. Harlequin's sapphire eyes widened, remaining fixed on Cleo's satchel.

"There's no need," said Cleo. "You've proved you can be trusted." She met Harlequin's eyes which glistened with tears. "I know you want to find your friend, so you're free to go."

"I…" Harlequin stuttered and looked away from the meowstic. "No. Not yet. I… I want to make sure you're all okay first. You're all in worse a state than I am."

The zorua turned, leading them through the trees. Cleo and Faith fell in step behind them, following slowly.

"Thank you," said Cleo.

Harlequin's ears pulled back slightly and they gave a stiff nod. "It's okay. I might even have something in my bag that can help you."

"I thought you only carried antidote herbs?" Cleo questioned.

"I know a lot more about natural remedies than you think," said Harlequin.

Faith flashed Cleo a smile. "She really does! It was Harlequin who suggested I bind your ear with goosegrass."

"It's tough and sticky," Harlequin explained. "It won't be coming off in a hurry." They glanced back at Cleo. "I can teach you some things if you want?"

"I think that would be very interesting," said Faith.

Cleo nodded, a smile spreading across her muzzle. "Given how long a rest we're all going to need that might actually pass some time."

"I'm all ears," said Spark. She'd moved down onto Harlequin's back, huddling into the zorua's thick black ruff.

Harlequin smiled, a natural one that lit up their whole face. The zorua's pace picked up and they marched confidently through the woods, slowing when they realised how far behind Cleo was falling.

The walk wasn't a long one. They soon reached the edge of the woods and Cleo let out a sharp gasp. A huge blanket of grass spread out before them, rising and falling over steep mounds as far as the eye could see. In the far distance the hills rose up into rocky peaks crested with white.

"Rolling Hills," said Harlequin quietly.

The grass had a yellow tint to it where it reached the tops of the hills, parched from the drought. It was virtually untouched by paws, showing no one had come through recently. The long grass came up to Cleo's waist and she staggered through it as they climbed up the first hill. Already out of breath, Cleo needed to stop and leaned heavily against Faith as the group looked out over the hilltops.

Grass, with very few trees for cover. The sky above was turning grey as the clouds blew in from the mountains, hiding the sun and chasing away the remaining white clouds. Not a single murkrow was in sight, but what might be lying in wait in the grass was another story entirely. Cleo was beginning to feel very exposed. They'd be easy targets.

"It might take us a while to find somewhere to rest," said Spark.

"Then let's keep moving," said Harlequin. "I don't like the look of those clouds, either."

"On the upside," said Cleo as she followed Harlequin down the gentle slope, "if it snows, the murkrow won't fly."

"No, but weavile will ride right through it." Harlequin glanced back at her. "Quick. There's got to be a bush or something around here."

As they pressed on through the long rolling meadow, finding shelter seemed more and more unlikely. With each hill climbed the sky darkened as the heavy clouds rolled in. A soft cold flake of snow brushed Cleo's nose and she raised her face towards the sky. More of them begun to drift down, growing larger and heavier.

"It's snowing," said Faith.

"And it looks like it's going to be a heavy fall," said Cleo. "We need to find shelter fast before we find ourselves trapped in a blizzard."

Spark huddled down into Harlequin's thick ruff. "The Cold Season is officially here. Well, on the upside I can look forwards to a nice winter hotpot at the next Guild hall, huh?"

Cleo picked up her pace as best she could as they climbed the next hill. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, Spark. I didn't have any plans to stop at another Guild."

"Oh man!" Spark whined.

The snow fell heavily around them, blanketing the long grass. It buckled under the heavy flakes, becoming less of an obstacle at the topmost parts of the hills. Each crest was soon covered in white, leaving the rest almost bare as the snow gradually filled in the gaps in between. The wind picked up, billowing snow into Cleo's face. She snorted, shaking her head to free her whiskers. Her fears were soon confirmed. The wind buffeted them as it grew stronger, whipping snow across her vision until she could barely see her paw before her face. She squinted against it, trying to peer out past the sheet of white into the oncoming stormy darkness. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned further into Faith's warm body. But the cold still penetrated her fur. Just before her she could make out Harlequin, their body held low to the ground and ears back as they forced their way through the blizzard.

"There's not a single tree!" Harlequin barked, their voice muffled by the barrier of wind and snow.

"Don't lose hope," said Faith. "If we can't find somewhere then there's nothing stopping us from digging a burrow in the snow."

"That sounds exceptionally cold," said Spark.

"You'll be surprised how well insulated it is," said Faith, lowering her head as the snow blew towards them. "But I suggest it only as a last resort."

"I'd be happy enough just to find a tree," said Cleo. "Somewhere to prop up our tent."

"It would blow away," said Harlequin.

Cleo hissed through her teeth. Not because Harlequin had corrected her, but because she now realised how silly her suggestion had been. She was too tired and beaten to think straight.

"I'm beginning to miss that hut back in Stonehaven," said Spark, hugging her tiny arms around herself.

"Me too." Cleo shuddered, and she felt Faith's arm tighten around her waist. "Right now, I'm regretting leaving that wood."

"If this storm doesn't let up soon we're gonna become tiny little pokemon-shaped icicles!" said Spark. "Surely one of these hills has a burrow already in it, right? Like an old bunnelby den?"

Harlequin had stopped in front of her, bring Cleo and Faith to a sudden halt.

"How about a bush?" Harlequin asked, raising their head to look at Cleo.

Cleo blinked snow from her eyes and squinted past the zorua. She could just make out the form of a large bush with thick, broad leaves. Before she could answer, Harlequin stuck their head inside. Just as quickly, they came back out and nodded at her.

"It's spacious. We could all fit," said the zorua.

"You don't need to ask me twice." Spark bailed from Harlequin's back and vanished inside the bush.

Harlequin ushered Cleo and Faith in ahead of them. The bush was indeed spacious, and its branches were so thick with leaves they created an impenetrable barrier against the snow. Cleo settled herself down at the far end, but something had caught Faith's eye. She crouched in the opening to inspect the floor and almost toppled over as Harlequin bumped into her.

"Faith!" Harlequin shook their head, sending up a flurry of snow. "What are you-?"

"There are flowers here." Faith looked up at them, her face lit up with delight. "Do you know what that means?"

"That the cold season is so late the flowers didn't get the message?" Spark asked.

Faith shook her head. "No! These are the wildflowers that Xerneas leaves behind."

"Wait." Harlequin pushed in beside Faith and sat down, staring at the flowers. "Are you saying he put this bush here?"

Cleo folded her paws in her lap. She couldn't take her eyes off the tiny flowers trailing into the bush. "He must have. I mean… These hills seemed devoid of any cover."

Faith nodded enthusiastically. "That means he's watching over us."

"Then what about Mischief?" Cleo met Faith's violet gaze.

Faith sat back on her paws. Her smile didn't falter, but the light of joy left her eyes. "I honestly think Mischief will be fine wherever he is."

Spark inclined her head on one side. "But… he was snatched away by that honchkrow."

"I believe Xerneas is watching over him whatever happens." Faith closed her eyes in a smile. "No matter what happens to Mischief, he'll find his way back to the Fairy Garden."

The group fell silent. A dark, heavy fog had descended over Cleo. She lowered herself to the ground as exhaustion took over, and she raised a paw gingerly to her sore ear. 'Whatever happened'… She bit her lip, hoping desperately that Mischief was still alive.

Faith gazed out at the blizzard from the opening to the bush, then tugged a few of the branches forwards to keep it at bay before it changed direction.

"We could be here a while," she said quietly. "Why don't we pass a little time?"

"What? Like play charades?" Spark asked as she took a berry from Cleo.

Faith chuckled and shook her head. "No. I just think this might be a great time to get to know each other better. I mean, I don't even know how you guys met! I have a vague idea of how you met Harlequin." She flashed a smile at the zorua then turned back to Cleo and Spark. "But how did you two end up working together?"

Spark looked up at Cleo and twitched her little nose. "Huh. Well, that's not a story either of us like re-visiting."

Faith's smile melted away. "It's not a happy one then?"

Cleo shook her head as Spark answered, "Not at all."

Faith nodded her understanding. "Well I don't want to force you. How about you?" She turned to Harlequin.

"You already know how I met Cleo and Spark," said Harlequin.

"Yes, that I do." Faith chuckled and turned slightly towards the zorua. She folded her paws neatly in her lap, then said, "I'm curious as to how you ended up teaming up with Enigma."

"Really?" Harlequin raised an eyebrow and recoiled slightly. "Why?"

"You're an odd duo." Faith shrugged. "I'm surprised there's even a ghost-type working for the Darkness. But you two clearly have a reputation. I was just curious as to how it all started."

Harlequin snorted. "Well I suppose it all started the day he showed up in my room behaving like a goofball."

"A goofball?!" Berry pulp sprayed from Spark's mouth and she wiped a paw across her whiskers. "I find that hard to believe."

Harlequin shuffled their paws uneasily. "Believe it or not, he wasn't always such a sadistic moron." The zorua turned and slumped to the ground, tucking their nose beneath their tail.

"Now you've got my interest," said Spark.

The fur on Harlequin's tail stirred as they huffed through their nose. "Well it's not my place to talk about it."

Cleo and Spark exchanged glances, but they didn't have much time to think about what the zorua had said. Harlequin took a breath, drawing their attention back.

"I suppose it all started when he saved my life."

"Really?" Spark scoffed. "Huh. I didn't think the Darkness looked out for each other. I mean I've seen enough murkrow ditch their flockmates to come to that conclusion."

"Well Enigma isn't a murkrow," Harlequin spat. They lowered their head onto their tail and sighed. "No. It was all my fault anyway. I mean, I completely lost it after a training spar. It wasn't long after I'd joined as an assassin, and I found out that there was absolutely no way for me to avoid evolving. I'd planned to wear an everstone, but assassins can't wear items since they're hazards. We can get trapped on things, snagged, or even have them used against us."

"Really?" Cleo raised her head slightly. "But I thought Enigma wore a scarf."

"And bell," Spark added.

Harlequin shrugged. "His items are made from ghost materials. He can manipulate them." Noticing their answer satisfied the pair, Harlequin went on. "I wanted to find a way to carry one without it becoming a problem, but I was upset. I could think of nothing other than to embed it into my body in some way. So… I tried to force a shard of it into my leg." They extended their right leg and nodded at it.

"Yikes." Spark's spine bristled and she flinched back. "Talk about taking things to the extremes."

Harlequin snorted and tucked their leg back in. "Thankfully Enigma found me. It's all a bit of a blur, but he removed the shard and sealed up the wound. If he hadn't found me I would have bled to death."

Cleo looked away, trying to blink the awful image out of her mind. For a pokemon to go to such extremes… She recalled the time they'd apprehended Harlequin how the zorua had walked with a limp. Then later, their attitude towards Spark at her remark that they'd not evolved. Cleo had never heard of a fear of evolution before, but had such a thing come up among the Outcasts she was certain there would be support for them. To cause someone to feel forced to take matters into their own hands? Cleo hadn't thought it possible to loathe the Darkness more than she already did. She became aware the entire bush had fallen into silence. She turned back to Harlequin who was staring blankly at the wall of leaves.

"So you're afraid of evolving?" Cleo asked.

Harlequin shrugged. "Pretty much."

Cleo licked her lips and relaxed back on her paws. "But you've still not evolved."

"Yeah, I know." The zorua took a breath. "We think part of the shard broke off and is stuck in my leg. Even if I wanted to, I've lost the chance now."

"Well you don't need to evolve anyway," said Faith. "Just be yourself."

Harlequin let out a bitter laugh. "That's one thing you can't be in the Shadow Lands. 'Yourself'."

"What do you mean by that?" Spark asked. "Did they force you to become an assassin or something?"

"Yes, actually." Harlequin raised their head to look Spark dead in the eye. "But that's not what I was getting at. There's a reason I'm scared of evolving." They diverted their gaze as their eyes widened at some unseen memory. "And there's a reason I've been living a lie since I arrived in that wretched place."

All eyes were on the zorua as they took a few deep breaths. Harlequin closed their eyes briefly then looked at each of their friends.

"One thing an assassin cannot be is female," they said. "It was either lie, or be thrown into the breeding pens."

"Wait." Spark held up a paw. "So everyone in the Shadow Lands believes you're a male?"

"There have been a couple who worked it out near the start of my training," Harlequin explained. "I just never bothered correcting anyone."

"And I guess that goes for Enigma, too?" Faith asked.

Harlequin shrugged. "Believe me, it's not been an easy decision to keep lying to him all these years. As for everyone else, making them think otherwise was a piece of cake. You see, zorua might be small and weak, but one thing we are great at is deceiving."

...

Snow buffeted Mischief's small body, soaking through his thick fur. Ilana's talons felt like icicles around his shoulders, and blood matted his fur where her claws had pierced his skin. Her wing-beats were stiff as she soared through the blizzard, and the smaller murkrow accompanying her shuddered. The occasional one lost momentum and dropped towards the ground, only to regain itself and carry on below them.

Mischief clenched his teeth tight as he craned his head to look back. He couldn't see the woods anymore. They'd been flying for ages, and the blizzard obscured anything further back than a mere paw's length. It had seemed to come from nowhere, surprising the honchkrow and her flock and biting through Mischief's thin fur. Her instructions had been to find a tree for shelter, but what did that mean for him? Mischief didn't plan to make it that far. Now he'd put enough distance between the birds and Cleo he could break free and flee. The blizzard would only serve to help him hide from their prying eyes.

The whimsicott looked back up at his captor. Her red eyes were focused on the path ahead, narrowed against the storm. The feathers of her face were tinted grey and white with snow, and she blinked to dislodge a flurry as it blew straight into her eyes. Now would be the perfect time to strike, while the wind was in his favour.

Mischief balled a paw at his side then, grimacing against the tightness in his shoulders, he brought his paw up in an arc. A shimmering purple light flew out from him, striking Ilana in her underbelly and clipping the murkrow closest to her. The honchkrow squawked with surprise, veering up away from the attack. Her talons loosened, and Mischief dropped suddenly towards the ground. He caught an angered glare from the large bird before the snow swooped in to obscure it.

The whimsicott turned as gravity pulled him downward. The wind filled the fluffy white fur on his back, slowing his descent. He turned his head to squint through the snow, but there was no sign of the honchkrow. Just in case, he turned against the wind, letting it blow him wildly off course. Where was the wind even taking him? Back towards the woods? His heart ached and he resisted the urge to look around him and loose his balance. He had no idea where the wind was carrying him, except away from Ilana. Perhaps, just maybe, he'd find Cleo waiting for him at the end of it.

...

Ilana swooped back and forth, squinting towards the ground. Her flock fluttered around her, desperately searching for a glimpse of their prisoner in the storm.

"What on earth was that?!" she screeched. "Argh! We've lost him!"

"Ilana…" A small, scrawny murkrow drifted closer to her. The wretched thing's feathers were plastered to her body, and she flailed her wings against the wind to stay airborne. "We can't find him in this storm. We need to find somewhere to rest and wait it out."

"By then he'd be miles away," Ilana protested. "We must find him!"

"He'll suffer as much as us," the murkrow went on. "He won't stand the cold for very long alone. And neither will we if we don't rest."

"Really?" Ilana looked around at the rest of her flock. "Does anyone else agree?"

The rest of the murkrow looked back at her with pleading eyes. Their feathers were heavy with snow, and many struggled to remain airborne. The honchkrow sighed and pushed back from her flock.

"All right," she said. "We'll find shelter, and look for that whimsicott when the storm subsides."

The murkrow rallied beside her and they forced their way against the wind. Snow buffeted them as the wind picked up, almost forcing Ilana to close her eyes. She yelled a command to pan left, letting the wind carry them higher. She had no idea where they were. No idea if they were even travelling over woodland anymore. For all she knew, they could be over the ocean.

A shrill cry echoed from behind her and she jerked her head back to see one of her flock drop like a rock through the snow. The murkrow's small body clipped the wing of her flockmate and the pair went spiralling into the blizzard. Panic flooded Ilana's chest and she almost turned back to search for them, but she remembered the rest of her flock. Their tiny, weak wings beat against the cold air as they fought desperately to stay airborne. A few bolder ones turned back to retrieve their fallen comrades.

"Press on!" Ilana called, stopping their descent. "Don't look back!"

The birds rallied themselves again, following their leader through the storm. Soon Ilana could make out the spindly branches of a tree through the blizzard. Its branches were heavy with snow, weighing down the brown leaves that still clung to it. It stood on the edge of a small grove, surrounded by bare oaks and fruit trees. It would have to do.

Ilana landed close to the trunk where the branches knotted overhead. Her flock gathered in around her, and once they were settled she looked back out at the storm. Narrowing her eyes was pointless. She couldn't see anything through the curtain of spiralling snow. Her heart was racing, her mothering instinct to retrieve the fallen birds warring with her desire to warm up her stiff body. Instinct won.

"Huddle together," she demanded. "I won't be long."

Before they could protest, she kicked off the branch and soared back into the blizzard. She lowered herself closer to the ground, squinting at the vast whiteness below her. It was likely a fruitless endeavour. Just as she was giving up hope and about to turn back, her eyes picked out black among the white. She swooped towards it, reaching out with her talons. They fastened around the cold, still body of a murkrow. Not far from her flockmate's fallen body she could see the snow stirring. Ilana reached out again, fumbling until she found the second bird. She didn't stop to check them over. She swooped back towards the trees, her beak clamped tight as the cold shocked through to her bones.

The honchkrow's stiff wings carried her back to the tree where she first deposited the two frozen murkrow. The first one she'd grabbed was barely breathing, while the other trembled like a sickly chick. Their flockmates steadied them before they fell from the branch like bird-shaped icicles. Ilana landed heavily between them and spread her wings, huddling the trembling birds against her freezing body. With the rest of the flock huddling in around her, the blizzard didn't seem quite as cold. She just hoped it would end soon and they'd all make it through alive.

...

The bush had fallen into silence as the Outcasts absorbed Harlequin's words. The zorua fidgeted, occasionally glancing out at the falling snow. Cleo folded her paws in her lap as she thought over what the assassin had told them. As much as the Shadow Lands was an awful place, she'd had no idea those who worked for the Darkness suffered the way they did.

"How on earth did you end up there in the first place?" The words left Cleo's mouth before she'd even finished thinking them.

Harlequin shrugged her shoulders and curled her tail around herself. "I was plucked from the Border Woods while I was still a hatchling."

"You were kidnapped?" Faith gasped, clapping both paws over her muzzle.

"Kind of," said Harlequin. "I was at the older stages, not quite an adolescent. Not that it really matters. Hydreigon was desperate to fill out his rapidly depleting forces and sent Yurlik into the borders to find anyone who would be willing to work for him."

"And you were willing, I guess?" Spark scoffed.

Harlequin fired a glare at the dedenne. "I had to be, I was terrified. How would you have felt? A kid just dropped among vicious assassins and forced to train or die?"

Spark opened her mouth to retort, thought twice, then closed it again.

Cleo closed her eyes briefly and turned back to Harlequin. "So… you said he wanted to fill out his army? Had something happened?"

"Yeah, cos I was under the impression we were on the losing side," said Spark.

"Well, I suppose there's no harm in telling you." Harlequin shifted with unease. "When Hydreigon overthrew his father for the throne not long before I was born, the Shadow Lands rebelled." Cleo's jaw went slack, but Harlequin continued. "He lost a lot of soldiers. They either fled or were slaughtered. Only those loyal to him remained, and were sworn to secrecy."

"Hang on a sec." Spark raised her paws, looking a little winded. "Are you saying the Hydreigon we've been fighting all these years isn't the original one?"

"That's what I hear, yes."

"That's huge!" Spark squealed.

Cleo brushed back the fur between her ears. "So the one in power is the former Hydreigon's son? Did he… kill his father?"

"That's exactly what he did," said Harlequin quietly, casting a glance outside. "And I'd keep your voices down. This isn't common knowledge."

"No, it's huge!" Spark repeated. "This could like… be used against him."

"Precisely," Harlequin hissed. "So before anyone overhears and decides to silence us all, hush!"

"You said it happened before you were born," said Cleo quietly, drawing the zorua's eye. "So how long have you known?"

"A few days," said Harlequin.

Cleo nodded stiffly and bit her lip, glancing aside. "So is that the reason you're turning against him now?"

"No. I'd decided that before I found out." Harlequin shifted again.

Cleo took a deep breath through her teeth. "Well, Spark is right. It could be used against him. We need to inform the Guild."

Harlequin's fur bristled along her spine, but she didn't retaliate. Instead she licked her lips and cast another glance out at the snow. The only pokemon who didn't seem disturbed by the news was Faith. She sat deep in thought as she mused over everything Harlequin had told them.

Seeing the zorua's discomfort, Faith picked up the conversation again, moving it away from the topic of Hydreigon.

"It mustn't have been easy for you," said the mawile. "I mean, taken from your home and forced to work for a cruel leader under a disguise? How did you manage to keep your secret for so long? A zorua's illusion isn't exactly unending, is it?"

Harlequin shrugged and rolled the mega stone under her paw. "It didn't really matter at the time. When I arrived there were plenty of female assassins. Hydreigon hadn't put the rule in place, and doing so was a tough decision. It reduced our numbers by about a third, further damaging his army."

"And you managed to avoid it," said Spark bluntly.

"I had to." Harlequin pulled her ears back and stared down at the absolite. "If I didn't I'd have been thrown into the breeding pens. I…" Her eyes widened and she dug her claws into the earth. "I'd sooner die."

"If you don't mind me asking," said Faith gently, "what happened for him to put that rule in place?"

"A mission went wrong," said Harlequin. "It cost the lives of two female assassins, one of which was a scrafty named Niana. She worked with her brother in the barracks, looking after those too young to fend for themselves. It meant a lot of us got rather attached to her, and her death broke morale." She paused and took a deep breath, and Cleo couldn't help wondering if she was hiding something. "Assassins aren't meant to have attachments. Families are considered a weakness. We're not even meant to have friends."

Cleo's mind flashed back to Enigma's assault on them near the old abbey. His scathing comments to Harlequin about them never being friends. Suddenly, it all began to make sense. She bit her lip as Faith probed a question.

"You said two were killed." The mawile inclined her head on one side. "Who was the other one?"

Harlequin was silent for a moment, staring into the shadows cast by the leafy walls. "A weavile," she finally said. "Named Kera."

"Kera…" Spark twitched her nose at Cleo then turned back to Harlequin. "I think you mentioned her before."

Harlequin nodded stiffly.

"A friend of yours?" Faith asked.

The zorua took a deep breath and shook her head. "Not mine, no." She waved a dismissive paw before Faith could ask any further questions. "It's… not my place to talk about it."

Spark threw her paws in the air. "Aww, now I'm curious."

"Anyway," Harlequin shot her a scathing look, "to prevent such things from happening again, Hydreigon kicked all the females out of the barracks."

"He discarded them all as breeding stock?" Spark spat. "That's abhorrent!"

"Exactly." Harlequin bristled. "But some thankfully managed to avoid that fate. They found positions in the Thieves Guild, which has its own rules separate from those over Hydreigon's armies. They serve him, yes, but they don't work under him like the soldiers and assassins do. He'd probably destroy them entirely if they didn't serve some purpose, but that's where most of his supplies come from."

"Thieves…" Cleo rolled the word over her tongue. "Weren't they the guys who jumped us?"

"The thievul and nikkit?" Harlequin nodded. "Yes, they're part of the Thieves Guild."

The bush fell into silence again as the Outcasts digested everything. Now they knew more about what went on in the Shadow Lands it made the Darkness seem even darker somehow.

Harlequin lowered her head onto her paws and let out a long sigh. "So… now you know. That's me."

"So you managed to go on undetected?" Faith asked softly.

"Exactly."

"That must have been really difficult." Faith's expression had turned sullen. "To have to lie about who you are for so many years."

"I did what I had to in order to survive."

"I know, but…" Faith looked up at her, but the zorua didn't meet her eyes. "You said you aren't allowed to be friends there, but Enigma is your friend, right? Surely he wouldn't have betrayed you?"

"No. I don't think he would have." Harlequin's eyes welled up and she closed them tight. "But I had no choice. Lying to him made it easier to lie to myself."

Spark scratched between her ears. "Why would you need to convince yourself you're a male?"

Cleo lowered her head to whisper to her friend. "I don't think that's what she means."

Spark gave her a baffled look which Cleo ignored. The meowstic sat back on her paws again and twitched her foot.

"Well, since Harlequin's told us a bit about herself," she began slowly, "then I think it's our turn, Spark."

Faith looked up sharply, her violet eyes sparkling.

"Wait, what?" Spark gasped. "Are you sure about this?"

Cleo shrugged. "I'm anxious about re-living it, but… I think it might help to get it off my chest. I mean, we've never really told the entire story to anyone before."

"Not even Tinker?" Faith asked.

"He has an idea. I mean, if it weren't for him we'd both have died," Cleo explained. "But he doesn't know the finer details. It was pretty traumatic. It's always been something we both don't really like to talk about."

"Until now, apparently," said Spark. She hugged herself and huddled next to Cleo. "Somehow I feel it's about to get a whole lot colder in here."

...

So there you have it! Harlequin's secret is out, and much earlier than in the original. I feel it worked well this way around.

Thanks for reading! =D Please R&R!