Blaze sat there with a blank stare on her face. "W-What? Why? What's going on?"

"Those people, the Headmistress or whatever, she's going to kill you! Tonight!" Zorua was trembling with fear. "I... I overheard them talking about you, and she said that she didn't want another incident like that day to happen again, s-so tonight she's going to make an excuse of putting you in isolation to continue working, but she's really going to take you deep into the forest and kill you!"

Blaze was stunned. She knew this sounded ridiculous, but she also knew Zorua wouldn't lie to her. Her head was spinning and she couldn't think straight. "S-So what do I do? How do I get out of here?!"

Zorua parted the bush that she always used to come on this side of the fence. "I've been digging this hole for a while, trying to make it big enough for you to crawl through." Blaze suddenly realized Zorua's paws were covered in dirt and scratches, and she looked exhausted. "Please, you have to go now before it's too late!"

Blaze pushed her way into the bushes and crawled down the hole, the already dirty white gown each child in the orphanage was given to wear growing muddy and brown. She looked over her shoulder, but noticed Zorua wasn't following her. "Zorua? What are you doing, we have to go!"

Zorua turned her back to Blaze. "I... I have to buy you more time..." Blaze saw a flash of purple light as Zorua had transformed into her. Zorua faced Blaze, her eyes tearing up yet a smile on her face.

"Zorua... what are you-!" Blaze started, but a knot tightened in her throuat as she already understood Zorua's plan. "No, you can't! Just come with me, we can escape together!"

Zorua shook her head. "No, it has to be this way. Only one of us can make it, and it has to be you. I am glad I got to know you, I'm glad we became friends. I have no regrets." She crouched down to the hole and grabbed Blaze's hand. "You have to wait in here until everyone is called back inside, then run as far away from here as you can."

Tears were pouring out of Blaze's eyes. "No, Zorua! Don't do this! You don't have to-" But she was cut off as the bell rang for the children to return. Zorua leaned towards Blaze's face, and touched their noses together. Without saying a word, Zorua let go of Blaze's hands and pushed her back down the hole. Then she turned around and walked back to the Headmistress.

Blaze was about to scream, but slapped her hands over her own mouth. Her tears streamed down her cheeks and over her hands, landing on the ground like the soft pitter-patter of rain. She waited until the door had closed, then scrambled through the hole to the other side of the fence. She slowly peered her head out of the bush and looked at the windows to make sure nobody was looking out of them, and bolted in the opposite direction.

Blaze had been running for a day now, and her pace had slowed to a mindless wander. She kept staring at the ground, replaying the last moments she had with Zorua. She felt numb, as if she was half asleep. She wasn't aware of anything around her, she didn't feel like this was real. "Must... keep going... because... Zorua's last... Zorua's..." She did nothing but continue walking. She didn'y know where she was going or how soon she would find somewhere to stay, but she wouldn't give up. Not just yet.

She kept thinking about Zorua and everything that had happened to her. The memories she had contained nothing but pain and sadness. Eventually, the numbness wore off, and she fell to her knees. "Humans..." She muttered, tears leaking out of her face once more. "...we are all cruel and violent..." She gritted her teeth and started trembling with fury, then she burst out and screamed to the sky, "I HATE HUMANS!"