Hardened bare feet hit the ground at a rhythmic speed. Strong blood-accented arms clutched their precious bundle. Stringy brown hair streaked across ashen skin and hallowed white eyes.

Shelby was unconscious at this point, and that was panicking Herobrine. Clutching her to his chest and pushing the flimsy wood door with his shoulder, he stumbled only momentarily when the cool night air hit him like a blow to the face. Mind racing with a million different thoughts at once, he tightened his grip on his bleeding lover and raced across the shadowy plains grass. With one weak thrust, he launched himself over the fence that lined the now-finished village.

Ignoring the branches and leaves that cracked and poked at the underside of his feet, the man ran toward a small area in a large forest guided only by memory. As he began to tire, he stumbled more, alerting the notice of a shadowy figure in the trees far away. A small flicker of a campfire not far away caught his attention, and like a moth to a flame, he ran towards it with his silent stalker not far behind.

The glint of metal caught his attention and he ducked. A long shaft of polished wood edged in sharp iron streaked across the space his head had been moments before.

"Aren't most people smart enough to stay indoors at this time of night? Or have you no need of fear for the darkness?" cooed a seductive voice he'd recognize anywhere.

"Hello, Sydney Ender-bane." He replied, trying to keep as calm as he could in the current situation.

"Put down the girl right now, or you won't live to see my face." the young woman replied, a hard edge to her voice.

"Sydney, listen…" As he began to speak, his vision went black.

Herobrine woke up tied to a tree. It was a new experience for him and he wasn't sure if he particularly liked it. As he opened his eyes, he realized with a panic that he didn't know where Shelby was. Moving his mouth to speak, he realized with a shock that he'd been gagged with a dirty piece of cloth. Before he could complain, his eyes came into focus to see his attacker.

Sydney was squatted next to an unconscious Shelby, dripping the contents of a bright pink bottle onto her wound. He sat for a moment to watch, curious as to what she was doing. Corking the empty bottle, Sydney looked up at the man.

Sydney was a short figure, strong and agile with carefree shoulder length brown hair that seemed to be everywhere at once. Tight black and dark blue clothes showed more than necessary and an enderpearl and creeper-claw trophy necklace hung ominously from her neck.

"I don't know why you were carrying my best friend out in the middle of the forest at midnight, but I will not give you the honor of the benefit of the doubt. Despite being in contact with each other once or twice a few years back, I will treat you like anyone I find dangerous. Now, I'm going to cut off that gag, and you're going to tell me how you came into possession of Shelby, what you did to her, and why the Nether you would take her out here."

Spitting out the residual taste of cloth, Herobrine looked into the young woman's piercing blue-gray eyes.

"Sydney, I helped her survive in the Nether. We were there until not too long ago. Then Notch came along with Richard and Steve. And- and then Richard shot Shelby…" Words beginning in confidence broke off into choked gasps of air as he fought off the sudden fear and anger he had fought to control. Sliding his outstretched knees up to his chest, he leaned his head on his dust and blood covered jeans, hiding his face from the cold-eyed hunter.

"And you killed him." She finished stiffly.

"Yes." Lifting his head from his knees, eye twitching slightly from repressed emotion, he looked evenly into the eyes of Sydney.

"I killed him because he shot my Shelby. I killed him and his blood still coats my arms underneath the layer of her blood. I left the Nether because in there I was trapped. I came to find you, Sydney. Because I know that you wouldn't turn her down."

"Herobrine, I don't know what the Nether happened to you, but I can tell from the way you glare at me now, that one of those was Shelby. I'm going to let you go, and you may go to her, but if you harm her in any way, I will not give you the mercy of having your death quick and painless."

With that, she cut the rope fastening him to the tree. He dragged his feet as fast as he could over to the broken girl on the small blanket near the shade of a tree, not too far from the central fireplace. Sliding up next to her on the soft grass, he stroked her cheek and whispered her name, ignoring the burn of Sydney's curious eyes on the back of his head.

"Brine..?"

Shelby's cracking voice almost cried out from her half-conscious state, reaching her hand out and gently running her fingers on his torn shirt and struggling to open her eyes. The man replied silently by threading his own fingers between her small, pale ones and sliding to an uncomfortable half-sitting position next to her.

"I told you it'd be okay."