AN: Sorry that chapter posting have been pretty inconsistent lately. As you can imagine, school assignments and ridiculous errands with my dad have been sucking away my time. Hopefully, now that were almost out of the third quarter, things will begin to wind down some. I hope to start being able to post one chapter a week again soon! Until next time my friends!

(Ravio)

As he was in the kitchen and trying to take the tea he had made off the stove, he was so dazed that his hands fumbled about, dropping and knocking over kitchen utensils and mugs. He winced at the ugly scene. Thankfully, nothing broke. After blundering over and over and nearly getting himself burnt, a giant crash sounded from the living room, causing him rush out. Ravio gasped and dropped his mugs in horror as he took in the scene before him. He froze, his mouth agape and his mind racing a thousand mile per minute.

The room was completely demolished. The front wall of the room was just... gone, smashed right through. There was no other way to describe it. Stone bricks, plaster and wreckage of furniture littered the oak floor in. "Sh-, I'm gonna have to pay for all this!" He gazed at the horror of it all, the fact fact that his first new home and his first try at a new path was gone. Then it struck him: Where's Emerald? "Emerald!" He called as he searched the ruins for any trace of the girl.

"Ravio! Look out!"

The merchant was caught by surprise when a massive paw clipped his left side; shadowy, black as coal with curved, lethal claws. Ravio was thrown off , but slipped away from the monster's claws before he could be killed. He tumbled back, crashed into wall and pain shot straight through his left arm. Barely moving from agony, Ravio peered at his arm and then looked away is disgust. It was bleeding from three wide slash marks running across it, the purple fabric of his tunic turning a dark shade from the scarlet blood seeping in. He howled in pain, trying to fight the tears.

"Ravio! No!"

Ravio lifted his head wearily to see Emerald, covered in dust and dirt, clutching a sharp piece of metal that must have come from the rubble somewhere. He could see the wild look in her eyes that stirred and blazed. Then there was the attacker: a lizard-like beast identical to the one that they had encountered before. Its starving orange eyes were focused on the girl, the enemy's claws extended and painted red and stained brown underneath the red from many other slaughters.

The lizard thing attacked in similar manner, thrusting it's bloody talons outward and trying to grab her. Emerald jumps out of the way awkwardly, her foot getting caught by one claw in the process. She stumbled backwards, landing on her side. The girl picks herself up unsteadily with her right ankle wounded and bleeding. Ravio gulped worriedly at her sluggishness, and seeing that their for survival was slipping away.

-()-

(Link)

Irene handed him a cocoa brown leather bag. She met his gaze and explained. "Okay, so I made a potion based on the symptoms you described. This stuff is strong, but it will make her really drowsy. The best time to take it is about an hour before she goes to sleep, but it can be taken right before too, but it will through off her sleeping schedule. Also, there's two blue healing potions and a couple sterile bottles to fill with other medicines and potions and fairies."

After she had finished, Link hesitated to respond; his mind still hung on the fact that Irene's Gram had passed away and he had not taken notice. Irene explained how she passed away from old age two years ago, and that Irene did send him a letter. Why did he never get though? Surely, he wouldn't have ignored something that important-

"Link, you okay?"

He blinked, finding himself staring into Irene's deep blue-violet eyes. "Sorry, I was just..."

"You don't need to say you're sorry, Link. It's over, and there's use just dwelling on it," she explained.

He knew it wasn't alright, but he wasn't about to argue with this girl. He wrapped his arms around her in a much-needed hug. "Thanks so much, Irene."

A smile appeared on her face like he had not seen in such a long time. "It's nothing."

"Alright, I should probably get going." Link turned to leave

"Wait!" Irene called for him. "You wanna ride? Like old times? I could take a break and take you back."

Link turned back, grinning. "What kind of question is that?"

-()-

The world below him zipped by as Link clutched the end of Irene's broom. It was somewhat of a bumpy ride, but definitely better than having to walk the whole way back.

"Geez, you got bigger, Greenie!" Irene called form the front.

He knew she was just joking around. "By the looks of it, you did too."

Irene just smirked. Then, she began to do wild barrel rolls and loops, laughing in satisfaction as Link shouted for dear life. "What was that, Greenie?"

He gulped, "Nothing."

"You said that joker lived on Amethyst Boulevard, right?"

"What is that?!" Irene shouted as the ride came to an abrupt stop, causing Link to almost loose his grip.

Link's eyes fell directly below him. "No..."

-()-

(Emerald)

Goddesses, how long do I need to keep this up? Emerald gripped the metal pole that was starting feel really heavy. She could feel her own strength and power dwindling, the fire in her was dying. Her filthy, bleeding hands shook wildly under the weight of her makeshift weapon. The sharp end started to lower and fingers and arms gave. Her tool hit the oak floor with a silencing thud, and that was it. It was all she saw.

Darkness consumed her vision, nothing but the color black. Emerald began to panic, much like she did when had awoken to meet Ravio. This type of darkness was different though. Am I dead? No! I can't be... I just can't...

Just as it had come, the shadows were gone. The piercing shriek of the beast both frightened and relieved her as she saw it's grotesque dragon face again, only from a different angle, a view closer to the ground. "What the?" Emerald's eyes darted to the cracked mirror to her right. "Oh goddesses!" She yipped in surprise. There was not a girl facing the shadow beast.

Instead, there was figure, of a smoke grey pelt, long smoke mane, and a pair of massive feathered wings, folded; the figure of a Wing Fang.

The creature caught the wolf-girl's attention with a blood-curdling roar. Emerald faced the beast and growled, still exhausted even in wolf form. "This goin' to be ugly," she gulped. She sensed that the odds were not on her side. Everything seemed to weigh her or slow her down; her form, her health, her mentality, even the air felt like bricks on her shoulder. The wolf could feel the pain of her wounds received in human form, right where they would be if she gotten them as a wolf. However, there was nowhere to run, no town hide in.

The enemy outstretched its deadly gripping talons, poised to strike its final blow. Emerald tensed and growled, not willing to go without a fight. When the lizard lashed out, it froze in a flash in mid-pounce. The wolf gazed at the hideous lizard statue, feeling as of the Goddesses sent her a blessing. Emerald wasn't sure how this beast just froze as if the whole had just come to an abrupt stop, but she was ultimately grateful to the Goddesses that she was still alive, even if she was in the shape of a wolf.

"Emerald... I-i-is that-?"

She turned, eyes glimmering with a hurricane of mixed emotions as she saw Link with his jaw dropped in befuddlement. "It is me."