I personally think this chapter kinda sucks. I'm only proud of the ending...

Notes related to this account: Winter is the blonde and purple haired girl who will occasionally appear on my deviantart, will start appearing very often in my author notes with me, and was my icon before I changed it. I made her about three or so years ago, and she's my OC representation. She's not me. I'm not blonde. At all. I'm

Yeaaaa new chapter :P
Marrion is adorable, Amethyst is amazing, Grayson is a great replacement dad, Zayliee is weird as always, and Drake is awkward. Also, new character is introduced!
Remember to leave feedback for these, guys. I love to hear your opinions on where this story is going! Also, they encourage me to keep going. No notion on how you guys feel about these means a sad Captain D: And no power in CaptainBat's Fanfiction Incorporated. That just gets Winter hissy at me because she can't work on scripts or keep everyone in line in the dark.
Winter: The power is already flickering, Captain...I blame you.
Hey, hey! I can't help the fact that I have other stuff to do! And I'm enjoying my summer break!
Winter: Hmph.

Notes:
*Referencing the scene in Chapter 2 when its pointed out that Amethyst was drinking a lot of hot chocolate, implying she really likes it. She carries that love with her through her life.
**Grayson's deceased wife, Mandy, is the older sister of Luke's wife, Sabria, making Luke and Grayson brother-in-laws, and Grayson the uncle of Luke's daughter, Livia

Amethyst's heart was pounding the moment she saw the shoe imprints in the soft earth. No one was supposed to know where she lived. No one one but Luke. Now, someone else had found it. She'd left her door unlocked, believing she wouldn't be gone long. She wasn't. That would be fine, if they had gotten in and took her things. They were just that. Things. Nothing more. They could be replaced.
What couldn't be replaced was her angel, her little girl, who she had left behind, under the eye of Zayliee. If anything happened to her, she could never forgive herself...
She shot up the path, shoving low hanging branches out of her face, eyes blown wide. They swiped and cut across her now uncovered cheeks, leaving pale scratches along her skin. She had to go, had to go quicker, had to protect her child...
The front door was open, but the inner door was closed. That confused her slightly, wondering what robbers closed the door behind them, but didn't ponder on it much longer. Her booted foot made contact with the oak wood, the door slamming open in tune with her cry of, " MARRION! "
The intruders spun around, eyes meeting hers with looks of shock. Marrion burst into tears. She felt her jaw drop open when the realization set in. They'd found her. Drake, and Grayson, they'd found her again. After so long...they were back. Why were they back?
Grayson whispers, " Amethyst? " She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of his voice. Anger bloomed in her chest, a burning feeling she hadn't felt in years. After all this time, after all these years, where they'd left her alone, where she'd been able to start a life, to find happiness, to be herself, they show up again? Just burst into her home, as if they have the right to do so? To send her beloved wolf into attack mode? To make her child cry!?
She shot past them, sweeping her daughter into her arms, cooing softly. The black haired child sniffled and nuzzled her face into her neck, choking out a sob. She cuddled her closer to her chest, rocking her gently, hand rubbing small circles on her back. She began crooning in another language, trying to calm her down.
Drake spoke up first. " Amethyst...? That...really you? " The Nether princess rolled her eyes. " Who else might it be, Drake? " She asked, sarcastically. He raised his hands in a surrender motion. " No need to get snappy. Im not here to get into a fight with you. I'm just surprised, that's all. " She huffed. " Yes, same here. More so on why you are here in my home than how you found me, but...nonetheless. " She spun around, turning her attention to her daughter once more, gently stroking her cheek. The small girl raised her head, looking up at her with glossy blue eyes. She sighed and nuzzled her forehead. She felt something brushing up against her, and looked down to see Zayliee rubbing against her side. She scratched her head, between the ears. " Tell me, my friends. Why have you come back here? Why have you come after me? "
" We, ah, we weren't actually after you...we were trying to find the merchant. We needed help with some journal pages. " She stiffened. " J-journal pages, you say? " " Yeah. Written by someone called the Journalist. You wouldn't happen to know anything about those, would you? " He crossed his arms, voice obviously accusing her of something. She tensed, eyes darkening. " I have no idea what you speak of, Crown. " she muttered. " Actually, I think you do. " Drake walked over, pressing the paper in his hands into her looser one. " ' The Puppet ' mentioned in this one is obviously Armen. He came and talked to you, didn't he? Besides, why else would this be in your home? "
She sighed and crushed the paper in her hand. " Alright. Yes, I am The Journalist. Thank you, f-for finding my pages. I, ah, I had an accident last week with one of them. I lost many of my pages. " She sent a light glare in the direction Of Zayliee, who seemed to be playing innocent at her side. Marrion has stopped crying, and was now watching the men, a look of awe mixed with confusion on her face. Grayson caught her eyes and smiled, bending down slightly and waving at her. She giggled and hid her face against her mother's chest.
A smile graced the face of the Nether Princess at her child's laugh. She lifted her up under her arms and placed her in Grayson's. The blonde's eyes widened, and he adjusted his hold on the tiny girl. " Amethyst, why are you...? "
" Go sit down, if you would. I shall make drinks. I want her out from under my feet, so she will not be harmed. " Grayson looked confused. " Why would she get hurt? " " Grayson, she is three. They can find every way to harm themselves, whether it seems like it would be dangerous or not. I have lost enough mugs and removed enough glass from her body to know that. " He nodded and carried the toddler over to the red couches, sitting down on the far edge of one. Zayliee and Drake followed. The Ender hybrid flopped down beside the shorter, Zayliee laying by their feet beneath the wooden coffee table. How she even fit, they didn't know.
Amethyst busied herself with heating up water and searching for clean glasses. When she opened up one shelf after gathering what she needed, Drake caught sight of what was in it and started laughing. " Please tell me you don't have a shelf for hot chocolate.* " He chuckled. Amethyst's face flushed. " Hush, mortal. " She muttered as she continued on her work making the hot drink.
She left her and her friends' glasses alone as she took three ice cubes from her ice box, enchanted to keep whatever inside cold or frozen. She hissed and whined as her skin met the frozen liquid, which hurt her just as bad as water did. She quickly dropped them into Marrion's glass, not going to risk her daughter burning herself. She might also be considered a demigoddess, in some way, but she completely lacked her mother's powers. She was fully mortal, ability and defense-wise.
She walked over, the burn of the glasses not affecting her. Amethyst placed her own down on the wooden coffee table and her friends' their's. Marrion gave a soft, happy, " Yay! " and quickly began drinking the cooled chocolate. Amethyst settled down on the couch across from them, absent-mindedly sipping from her own mug, eyes unfocused.
" I never wanted to leave, you know. " She suddenly spoke. " I had no choice in the matter. " Grayson frowned. " What do you mean you didn't have a choice? Of course you did! " She shook her head. " I either left, and let you back on your original destinies, or not one of us would have made it from Iron Myre alive. I was told by Notch himself, Grayson. The god over both our lives, and over destiny. Does it really sound like much of a choice to you? "
Grayson looked down at the child on his lap, content with her drink, oblivious to the conversation between him and her mother. She might not have been born if Amethyst had stayed. No, not might. She wouldn't have been born. Neither would Louis, if she'd stayed. At least he'd gotten to spend five months with the boy. To never have him be born...it hurt to even think about.
A soft, overly warm hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up to see Amethyst staring at him from her side, eyes not giving away her emotions, as always. He shuddered. " Stop that, 'Thyst. Your eyes are creepy. "
She blinked before pulling away, nodding. " Apologies, my friend. " She murmured. The princess of the Nether, however, seemed to forget what she'd just done, however, because her eyes, tired and knowledgable as they were, met his again. " Are you alright, Grayson? "
He scoffed. " Why would I not be? " She huffed. " You seemed rather distanced. I just wanted to make sure that there was not high wrong. " His gaze softened. He knew she couldn't help but be worried. " Yeah, 'Thyst. I'm fine. Just thinking. "
" Okay, enough about us, and how we are. " Drake said. " I have some questions for you, Amethyst. About what happened with you during our time apart. " She nodded her head and leaned back in the soft couch, steam still rising from her glass. She kept it constantly boiling with her powers. " Ask, Ender. "
" First off...where'd the kid come from? " He questioned. Marrion looked over at him, cocking her head to the side. Amethyst chuckled lightly. " It is a bit of a longer story...do you remember the night we spent in Iron Myre...? "
-Flashback-
Notch had never warned her about this loop in her life. This possibility. She had only expected to follow Father's instructions, head to the west, and find the mortals he was sending her to. To wait for her friends to find her and Zayliee, hopefully. Not this. This is nowhere in the plan.
Zayliee's head nuzzled into her jaw again as the demigoddess tried to halt her cries. She peered over her legs, sniffling. Her companion, her best friend, stared at her with wide yellow eyes, tail swishing. She was already getting so big...and she wasn't even done growing yet. She smiled softly. Just focus on that, she thought. Don't focus on what you've just learned.
Not only was she and Zayliee alone, hopelessly lost, and barely surviving, she now had been stuck with another mouth to feed. Another life to defend.
She was two months pregnant.
It didn't take long to understand who the father was. She had only been with one person during the time prior. The man she had had to leave behind.
Guilt hit her hard again. Here she was, complaining over her petty issues. Her future child would be the one to suffer from her mistakes. She raised her hand to pet Zayliee, willing her to take away her grief, make her smile. She needed it now more than ever.
-End Flashback-
" Wait, " Drake held his hand up in a stop motion. " You, and Armen, did...and you got...and had...? " Amethyst remained straight-faced. " Yes. " He moaned. " Mental images, 'Thyst. They're not pretty. " A wet nose pushed into his leg. He looked down to see Zayliee, gnawing on a ball, her face close to him. He smiled and patted the soft, white fur. Her tail thumped in response. The demigoddess shrugged. " That I cannot help you with, Drake. Your mind is one place that even I have no hope of saving. " The ender smirked and shook his head at her.
" Anything more you need to ask? " The brunette crossed her legs, raising her glass to her lips and taking a drink. Grayson nodded. " I have one. How'd you get the the Empire, anyways? "
A laugh bubbled from her throat this time. " You can thank Luke Rain for my arrival here. He rescued me from the Badlands. "
-Flashback-
It was official. Amethyst hates the night. It was cold, which burned at her skin and left her achy all day, it was too dark, it made her feel even more lonely, and this terrible world became even more frightening. Don't even get her started on the monsters. Oh, the monsters.
She did not understand why her father insisted on their creation. Sure, they helped keep populations under control, but they also destroyed villages. Ruined crops, took too many lives. And, now, it seemed, they'd turned on their creators daughter.
Another arrow lodged itself into the thick wood of the spruce tree beside her with a thunk. She gasped, stumbling away and almost loosing her already failing balance. Zayliee snarled at her side at the advancing mobs, fur bristled and blood stained teeth gleaming in the moonlight. Blood splashed over her once clean, snow white fur, staining it pink. She limped badly, with an arrow lodged in her muscled shoulder, tearing with every movement. Her ear was torn bad.
Amethyst was not much better. She was clutching her arm, bleeding sluggishly from two small puncture wounds. Spider bite. She'd left the monster behind in a pile of ashes, and, thankfully, saw it in time to know it probably wasn't poisonous. She'd never loved Firesoul more.
Her knees were torn open and bloody. Same as her elbows. Dirt, bruises, and cuts littered across her face. Her white shorts were more tan now from dirt and mud, and clung stiffly to her legs. And, to top it all off, she was eight months pregnant. Not a very good mix.
She let out another cry as the arrow finally struck its target, right in her calf. She toppled forward, curling herself in a way that would protect her stomach. She wasn't going to let this child die. Zayliee yippee in fear, nudging her, trying to get her back on her feet. She cast her pet a sorrowful gaze and shook her head. She couldn't get up. It hurt too much simply to breathe.
Zayliee grabbed onto her shirt, tugging on it. Amethyst cried out, curling in on herself. Zayliee finally realized that her master wouldn't be getting up, and lay beside her, wrapping herself around the Nether princess to protect her from the approaching mobs.
Her ears suddenly perked up. She heard footsteps. The wolf, realizing that this might be the last chance to save her master, let out a sharp whine, trying to get the attention of whoever was close. The steps stopped, then came again, louder and more urgent. They'd heard her. They were coming.
A voice cried out into the darkness, " Dear Notch! Tanner! " A dark shadow leaped from the as-dark trees, bearing a long sword that he used to strike down the oncoming mobs. Another man, taller than the first, followed, wielding a sword similar to his. The monsters that had not even moments before been threatening their lives fell under the power of the men.
The first one, an average sized man with lilac colored hair, orange/blue eyes, and a set of armor adorned with purple. He knelt in front of the wolf and master, gently reaching out a hand to the beast. Zayliee leaned forward, nudging the skin with her nose, whining softly. He looked over at his companion, a tall black haired man with tan skin, and patches of freckles the color of dirt covering his face. He, like the other, was wearing a full set of armor, but his color was blue. " The girl's hurt. Head back to the castle. Tell Stephen, that we need use of the infirmary. It's not good. " He nodded, and turned, running back into the shadows.
Amethyst moved her tired eyes to the man, a small smile forming on her lips. He returned it. " Will your wolf let me touch you? " He asked quietly. She nodded. He hooked his arms under her body, Zayliee jumping back to give him space. He cursed when he saw her stomach. " Don't worry, kid. I'll get you both out of here. " He murmured. Amethyst didn't answer, just closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms. She was safe. She would be okay.
-End flashback-
Amethyst jumped when Grayson slammed his hand on the arm of the couch, cursing. Marrion bounced on his leg, almost spilling her glass. Amethyst's eyes widened, then narrowed. " Grayson! " The blonde didn't hear her. " Luke Rain saved you!? " He spat. " That lying, traitorous, scumbag!? " Amethyst stood suddenly, snarling. " Luke Rain is an honorable man who has done nothing but help me, and Marrion. And, are you forgetting your ties to him?** " He rounded on her. " Don't. Don't you bring Mandy into this. He is not my family, and he never will be. " " You cannot deny your ties, Grayson. I cannot ignore mine, and neither can you. " She retorted. Drake stood up, slamming his hands in the table. Four sets of eyes turned to face the now fuming ender. " That's enough. From both of you. We shouldn't be fighting now. There are more important things to focus on. " The mortal and demigoddess continued staring each other down until Grayson huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. Marrion, bored now, slid off his lap and toddled over to where Zayliee was, and flopped by Drake's feet to play with the large wolf.
A loud knock sounded on the door, and Zayliee started barking, startling Marrion, who tumbled back into the couch. Amethyst chuckled quietly. " Speak of the devil... " she murmured. Her head snapped to face her friends. " You two. Follow me. "
She leaped from her couch, heading towards a corner of the room. They looked at each other, confused, as she knelt down, reaching down towards the floor. Their eyes widened as they saw she was pulling on a latch, which opened to reveal a trapdoor. She looked over her shoulder at them, stepping back. " Get down there, and stay quiet. He does not know it exists. You will be fine. "
Grayson cautiously got to his feet, Drake following. He jumped down below the house, not bothering to use the ladder. The ender was a little more careful, actually using the ladder for its purpose. The Nether princess let the hatch fall again. She walked briskly over to the door, tugging up her hood to cover her eyes, pulling it open to reveal the purple-haired mercenary standing there, smirking.
She dipped her head politely to him. " Luke. " " Amethyst. " He stood up from his spot on the wall. " How've things been for you? " She shrugged. " As fine as they can be. You? " " Same. Livia's a lot better than she has been. It's Sabria I'm worried about now. She...she hasn't been taking Mandy well. Which is expected, but...it doesn't seem to be getting any better. " Amethyst sighed. " I doubt she will for a while, Rain. Give her time. It's only been a few months since. " She turned around. " Let me get the potion. This should be he last one, no? " Luke nodded. " Yeah. She's almost healed. I didn't think it would take this long, but at least she's alive. Tanner's son wasn't that lucky... "
Amethyst had walked over to where she'd dropped her bag, going through it and pulling out a glass bottle almost full of lightly bubbling, gleaming pink liquid. Marrion had walked over to her mother to see what she was doing, and Amethyst swept her up into her arms. She walked back over to Luke, passing the bottle over to him. He took it and slipped it into his bag.
" You should have taken her to a doctor, Luke. She could have been fixed within three months. " Luke frowned and shook his head. " You know it's not that easy, Princess. Mercenaries don't always get the same pay. The Emperor picks his favorites. I'm not one of those. I didn't have the money for a doctor then. Even now I don't. " " You could have came to me, Luke. I have enough money to help out, I could have helped you with the bills... " " No, Amethyst. I couldn't have asked you to do that. You need what you can get. " He put a hand on her shoulder. " Let me at least pay you this time... " Amethyst narrowed her eyes at him. " No. I will not allow that. Go, Luke. Get that back to your daughter. Make sure she is okay. " He watched her for a few moments before nodding. " Alright, Amethyst. Be careful. " He reached over and tickled Marrion, who giggled. " See ya, Mary. " The toddler waved at him as he turned on his heel and walked away from the house. She watched him go, then when he was out of sight she closed the door and set Marrion back down. " Go to your room, darling. " She murmured. " It is starting to get late. I will come in later, okay? " The little girl nodded her head. " Okay, Mommy. " She toddled off to her room, Zayliee walking beside he, casting a large shadow over her.
The demigoddess walked over to the trapdoor, pulling it open and jumping down. The boys are standing in the first room, staring around in awe. " You really got into your potion making, haven't you? " Grayson asked her, motioning to the neatly set up room.

She gave no answer. " It is late. I cannot risk you two being upstairs where you could be seen. There is enough space in the storage room for now, until I find a better solution. " Neither of them said anything about it. They knew she wasn't all that happy with them, and were just glad she wasn't kicking them out. " Thanks, 'Thyst. " Grayson told her. She snorted, but said nothing.
Amethyst walked back over to the ladder, climbing back up. " Well, let's get to sleep, I guess. " Drake shrugged, and walked over to the glass doors leading into the room. Grayson kept his gaze on the ladder for a few moments longer, then nodded and turned, following the ender.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Armen! Armen! " She knew he was here. She wouldn't have been brought here if he wasn't. Every person in her dreams had their own special setting; Her mother was their nether fortress, Aunt and Uncle was the lake back with the army. Armen was Iron Myre. And that's where she was.
She sprinted down the roads of the empty city, trying in vain to find the man she loved. They didn't have much time, they never did in dreams that involved him, and she needed to find him, needed to make sure he was okay-
" Amethyst! " She dug her heels into the gravel, sliding to a stop. She looked around. Where did that come from?
" Amethyst! " There. From the direction of the church. She shot off again, bathing growing heavy. She felt like her chest was being crushed. She needs to hurry, go faster, you're not going to make it-
She burst through the church doors, and there he was. His blue eyes were wide and tired-looking, much like her own. His usually messy black hair was worse that she'd ever seen it, tangled and greasy looking, showing it was in need of a washing. His skin was covered in darker patches, burns, and faint bruises from the battle. Hanging from his wrists were a set of snapped chains, clattering against each other. He looked as if he'd been crying.
She gave a soft sob and rushed forward, throwing her arms around her lover. He returned the gesture, holding her close as she cried. It had been so long since they'd last seen each other...
" Amethyst... " Armen pulled away. " I would love to talk with you more, but...I can't. I only have limited time, and I have something I need to warn you about. " Her face fell. " Wh-what? "
" You aren't safe, Amethyst, " He cried. " Not you, not Drake, not Grayson, not Zayliee, not even Marrion. He plans to take you out tomorrow, you have to go... " She grabbed onto his arms. " Armen. I can fight my father. He won't hurt us. " " No! You don't get it, he's stronger...even you can't take him down. Please, go, before someone pays the price... "
" But I am stronger too. I will fight until I cannot fight any longer to protect us. You need not worry, my love. " She pulled him into a hug. " I will keep us safe. "
He smiled, a weak one, but a smile nonetheless. It suddenly fell, though, as the dream world seemed to begin collapsing around them. Armen's form began wavering. " He's fighting me! " Armen yelled. " I can't- keep it up... " Her eyes widened. " Armen, no! " He ground split below her feet, and she screamed as she was sent falling down into a dark abyss.

In a house on the edge of the empire, a young woman jolted awake, the end of a scream still on her lips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Get up. Both of you. " Was the first thing that Drake was greeted with the next morning. The second was a pounding headache. He grunted, pressing his fingertips to his head, before looking over to see who was there. Standing in the darkness of the room was Amethyst, her face dark. Marrion was in her arms, clinging tightly to her her mother's cloak.
" 'Thyst, what's wrong... " Grayson mumbled, yawning. " Come see for yourself. " She spun on her heel, and walked back to the ladder. The men looked at each other, confused, but got up and followed her.
She stopped to open up a glass case and pull out a diamond sword; a disguised Firesoul. Amethyst walked outside, and raised her hand up towards the sky. " Do you see that? " She asked.
" See what? " Drake looked confused. The only thing off was how dark the sky was, especially when the sun should be up by now. Amethyst growled. " He is coming. "
" What!? " Grayson shouted. " The darkened skies is one sign. He is coming and we are in danger. " She turned to face the boys, the froze. She shoved Marrion into the arms of the blonde once more and spun around, throwing up her hands. A translucent, glowing orange half circle formed above them, reflecting a large fireball sent their way. Marrion screamed. Amethyst looked over at them, eyes narrowing. The shield fell. " We need to get out of here, " She murmured.
" Amethyst, watch out! " Drake yelled, moving forward to pull her away from a new ball, but Zayliee beat him to it. She lunged at her master, slamming into her body. They both rolled away from it as the ground exploded into flames where they once had been. Zayliee whimpered as the flames burned lightly at her flesh. Amethyst hissed, gently pulling her wolf off of her. She rushed forward, grabbing Marrion and dodging another attack sent at her. Some of the flames met her home, and it slowly started burning.
The brunette faced them. " Keep him busy. I need to help my animals- " She stooped when she heard a loud explosion, and several cries. She spun around to see her animals pens burning, trapping the creatures she'd come to love inside. She gave a choked scream and ran towards the fire. If anything, she needed to save her horses, and her donkey. They were a must.
Amethyst ran through the closed gates of their outdoor pen, going to free her donkey first. She ignored the blistering metal of the gate latch, and threw the latch open, the gate flying open. Her donkey rushed out, and she moved on to her horses, doing the same with them. Ameera ran for the back fences, jumping over them and running into the forest. Oberon and her donkey, however, weren't as lucky, as the fences slowly stated burning around them. With tears in her eyes, she turned back to help the boys. She clicked her tongue for Zayliee, who was under her bushes, to follow her as she rejoined her friends.
" We need to run! " She yelled. " My home is burning down, there will be no other way for us to- " she stopped. Then, a loud explosion, three sets of loud cries and shouts, one little girls wails, the howl of a wolf, and fire.
Notch, help them all.

Amethyst awoke to silence, the strong smell of smoke, soggy ash and soot clinging to her face and hair, and rain thundering down on her, drenching her cloak and causing it to cling to her body. She sat up, groaning and wincing at the burning in her limbs. She sat up, and heard a small whimper. Curled at her side, protected from the force of the landing and from the fire that had raged around them, was Marrion. The little girl opened her blue eyes and stared up at her mother, crying out again. The demigoddess swept her into her arms, holding her close. " Oh, I am so sorry, my darling, I didn't want you to get caught up in this... " She murmured. Her heat suddenly stopped. Zayliee. Was she alright?
She jumped to her feet, looking around. Both boys looked like they were waking up, which was good. But where was Zayliee?
A soft, gentle whining noise rose from the top of the crater. The Nether princess pulled herself out, hissing and grunting, and saw Zayliee, struggling to stand on one of her paws. Her fur was soaked and sticking to her skin, making her look tiny. Her white fur was greyed from the ash, and her muzzle was bleeding.
Amethyst knelt next to her. Zayliee sat down, holding her front left leg oddly. She took it in her hands, examining it. She sighed. " I will get that healed in a minute, okay? " She told her quietly, resting her forehead on her's. Zayliee responded by licking her cheek. She pulled back and smiled. " Wait here, darling. " she set Marrion down next to her wolf, and jumped back down into the crater to get the guys.
Grayson, looking to bee in the same condition she was, was trying to get Drake on his feet. Every time he'd finally get up, his leg would crumble beneath him, and send him to the ground once more. She sighed. " Keep him down. Let me look at his leg. "
The brunette fell back down, groaning. She fell to her knees beside him, looking over his leg. After a few moments, she slid off her bag and opened it, pulling out a bottle full of a liquid like the one she gave Luke. " Healing potion. Take half, I need to give the other to Zayliee. Your leg will be healed in about two hours. "
She did as told, and she took the bottle and jumped back out of the hole. She sat next to Zayliee. She snapped her fingers. " Open. " the large wolf opened up her mouth, and Amethyst poured the rest of the liquid in. She patted her pet's head, and picked Marrion up, pulling her cloak over her to protect her from the rain. Zayliee jumped up as well, her injury not as bad as Drake's, which sped up the healing process. Grayson helped Drake up and slung his arm around his shoulder, helping him out of the crater.
" We need to get moving. Where were you two planning on heading after here? " She asked. " The Red Keep. " Grayson told her. She nodded. " Then we shall head there, no matter the length of the trip. Maybe we can find other people there that need our help. " They made their way through the ruins of Amethyst's home, and the surrounding forest. She tried not to look at her home, which was completely destroyed. It didn't matter. They were just things.
The group of friends remained oblivious to the figures on a nearby hill, watching them walk off into the woods, drawn by a frightened, yet familiar, horse, explosions, and fire. They didn't know that they were very, very familiar to some of them, and that they would eventually become one of their greatest problems.
They didn't know that the mercenaries were already after them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Her life these days consisted of two things. One, always stay moving. And two, trust no one. These cultists around had made sure she knew no one was safe, that everyone could be dangerous. That she wasn't safe anywhere, or with anyone. Not since Sage. Not since...not since that day.
She took another step, her legs trembling beneath her. She'd been at the Keep for not even a day now, and she was already wary. It wasn't often she found shelter, and for someone with a twisted foot, who was extremely tired and malnourished, and had been for a few years now, this was a heaven to her. Safety, food, clean water, and shelter. It was all she needed in her life. Only the necessities.
She felt her leg ready to break beneath her once more, and she leaned on her stick, trying to help get her balance back. She thought she'd heard something, something other than the Paganum wandering around. She understood them, something you learn to do when they're the only ones you know aren't corrupt, since they can't understand a word of anything but Paganum.
She froze. Yes, there it was again. Voices. And was that...barking? Oh, no, they had a wolf with them. Wolves were bad, they were vicious, vile creatures that hunted down stray people in the night to tear them apart and-
" Hello? " She squeaked when she heard a voice call out to her. In English, nonetheless. She raised her head, eyes wide, to take in the newcomers, who seemed to have been running only moments before.
One of them was a slightly short blonde, in a black jacket and green shirt, looking tired, and soot-covered. They all were soot-covered, she realized. They must have...have ran into him.
The one beside him, the one who had called out to her, was a very tall, darker skinned man, in a blue t-shirt and purple-ish pants. Half of his skin, his right side, was black, ender black. His eyes was purple, and that, too resembled an ender's eye, with a long, pointed elf-like ear. A hybrid.
The last was a short, brunette woman, dressed in a dark, dark red cloak,maths reminded her of the color of blood. Blood, blood is bad, blood has only meant bad things for your it means death, death of everything you know-
Focus, Roxy.
A long scar ran down the center of her face, down the bridge of her nose. She leaned in slightly closer to look at her eyes. They looked...weird. That's when it hit her. They...they were his eyes. They looked almost identical to His, that was bad, she could be dangerous. But, she also could not be. If she was like him, then the others would be dead. He was unforgiving. Maybe...maybe she would spare her, like she had the others. Or, maybe it wouldn't be so bad going...she'd be back with those she loved again...
The woman had a baby. She was tucked under her cloak, asleep with her head on the woman's shoulder. She resembled no one on the group, but...she does look a bit like Him. Dear Notch, why does everyone associated with this woman look like that monster!?
She saw the wolf. A large, white thing, with gleaming yellow eyes and sharp fangs, black markings scattered over its body. It...didn't look very dangerous. But some of the most deadly things you never would have guessed to be deadly in the first place. She knew better than to let her guard down.
" Hello? Are you alright? " The hybrid called again, stepping closer to her. She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. Maybe...maybe she could trust them. Just...just for a bit.
" ...No. " She finally got out, right as her legs crumbled beneath her. The ground rushed up towards her, footsteps ran forward, and she knew no more.

UHM...
IM SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER...?
WOULD THE FACT THAT I KINDA HATES WRITING FOR A BIT BE A GOOD EXCUSE...? AND THAT IT MADE ME FEEL SICK WHEN I DID IT...?
THATS PROBABLY WHY THIS CHAPTER SUCKS. BECAUSE YOU ALL KNOW THIS ONE SUCKS.
Winter: All your chapters suck.
Shut up, Winter.

Stuff happened a little fast, but then again this is Herobrine. He ruins moments. And anything remotely happy. I mean, look at his marriage.

Anyone get my name drop? Mmhmm. If you follow my Twitter, you already know what this chick looks (COUGHCOUGHH ARCHY COUGHCOUGH)

Anyways, I guess that's it. I plan on getting out the first chapter of Minecraftia's factions next, and I need to make an announcement about that, since the original faction actually got reset, so...
See you all next time.

Keep on mining, my mineshafters!
-CaptainBat