"Where's Prince Scorpio and the weird beast?!" Leo's harsh voice vibrated through the house. "We know they're here!"

"Her name's Lydia!" Eva's growl was equally loud. Her footsteps were thundering across the ceiling. "Get that right!"

Lydia immediately got up from bed. She walked over to the stairs until her foot stepped on one of her tails. She cried out as she fell. In the process, she knocked several things over. Lydia sighed. She grumbled a few Nourasian words under her breath until she was able to reach the top floor.

Before her was what seemed to be the living room. Several crystals that were shaped like furniture sat in one corner of the room. However, one table seems to be split in two. To the right a large hole opened before Lydia along with several faces that she was glad to see. Eva had her hands around the large arm of General Leo. The Crog was holding young Cupunio upside down, flailing about.

"Put him down," Lydia shouted. She unleashed her tail and smacked Leo. With her other tail she set Cupunio down. Lydia sighed once again. Her fox ears drooped slightly. She was soon met with hugs by Ishtar, Alon and Symphony.

"Mistress!"

"Miss Lydia!"

"Lydia!"

Lydia smiled. Her tails wagged. Her arms wrapped around them. Tears in her eyes. "I'm so glad you're ok."

Eva ran over to Lydia. Spirit was kneeling down and patted Lydia's head. Rush and Aikka came over with contented smiles on their faces. Their moment of happiness was interrupted by the sounds of grunting that was coming up the stairs. They all turned to see Prince Scorpio being supported by Argin.

General Leo cocked his head. His one yellow eye is in pure surprise. "Ah Scroprio, good to see you. I haven't seen you this ill since your disappearance. Found yourself another girl?'

"Shut up," Prince Scorpio growled. He leaned back against the wall. He tried to look menacing but the droop in his ears couldn't hide the fatigue he's trying to fight off. On his head, Blazing Stars peeked between the ears. The little lizard hopped off and crawled over to Lydia.

Blazing Stars shuffled his claws nervously. "H-hello…Are you my fellow kin?"

Ishtar, Symphony and Alon all went down. They stared at him in pure shock. After a moment of silence, Symphony was the first to hug Blazing Stars. Ishtar and Alon soon followed.

Eva's eyes sparkled at the sight. A squeal escaped her lips. "So cute!"

Lydia knelt down. Her tails laid on the floor. "Blazing Stars, I'd like to introduce you to Ishtar, Alon and Symphony. They were carved before you did." Her ears flicked upward as she heard heavy footsteps. A screech only a few feet away from them. Lydia slowly got up.

Eva stared at her in confusion. "What's wrong?'

Lydia returned Eva's stare. "Where's Sagittarius?" A heavy thud answered her question. She turned to see Sagittarius wheezing hard. Ears drooped down and clutching his knees. "Sagittarius!"

Aikka faced Sagittarius. To his surprise, a familiar giant beetle joined them. "G'dar!" He embraced his insect. His smile grew large with each second.

Sagittarius slowly got up. His breathing didn't even out. He began to flail his arms around. He shook his head for a moment. Then, he began to hand gestures that were almost hard to read. He pointed to his right.

Spirit's eyes widened. He slowly got up. He soon gestured. We need to go. Sagittarius' distraction will end in about ten minutes.

Everyone tensed up as a faint rumbling was heard in the distance. Cupunio screamed and ran back downstairs with his grandfather. Both of them jumped over Prince Scorpio. The rest of the group ran out of the house. They saw what looked like a strange creature made of crystal moving in their direction. It let out a massive roar that shattered several windows.

Lydia's ears perked up. "Sagittarius! What did you do?"

Sagittarius' ears drooped. "Let it be known that part of that fool-hardy scheme was General Leo's idea. I had to improvise!" He got up from his spot. "I had to knock several items over and create a series of small explosions from chartreuse-colored crystals. Then, I cut the ropes from G'dar and ran!"

"What about the ship?" Eva was on the verge of yelling into his ears. Her teeth gritted.

Sagittarius groaned. "It was too heavily guarded. I nearly got skewered by a set of large spikes." He held up his arm, a piece of armor broken. "I was lucky that it didn't pierce my skin!"

Aikka immediately got onto G'dar. He gave his hand to Eva to help her up. "We best head out while we still can. We can rethink another plan of getting out of here."

Rust tried to pull out his weapon, but it hit a nearby house. The impact met by screams. He cringed and scratched his beard. "No complaints here."

As Rush clambered up, Lydia ran back inside to get Prince Scorpio. She could see her familiars staring up at her in confusion. She picked them up with one tail. Lydia spotted the Crog prince staring at her with great confusion.

"What's going on now?" Prince Scorpio tried to get up, but he only slumped back down.

Lydia didn't want to leave Cupunio and Argen alone, but she couldn't stay long. If they get discovered, it might put the two locals in harm's way. She extended her tails and picked him up with ease. He let out a shocked cry and struggled for a moment. "Sagittarius cause a distraction, but our window of getting out of here is small. We need to take it now."

Prince Scropio didn't say anything. He looked back down the stairs for a moment. Then, he nodded to Lydia.

Lydia shifted her tails. Her cheeks burned as Prince Scorpio was drawn four inches from her face. She quickened her pace and set him on G'dar's back. Just as she was about to hop on, a crystal shard about the size of a football shot past her. Lydia saw the crystal monster getting closer. She hopped on just as G'dar took flight. The wind whipping her hair.

They were only a few feet in the air when something exploded in front of them. Dozens of crystals rained from above. Some even went as far as scratching their arms. Nets and spears tried to come at G'dar. Aikka retaliated by unleashing a barrage of spells that would slow them down. It managed to leave a small opening closer to the gates.

Eva's eyes lit up. "We're going to make it!"

Suddenly, a giant shadow slithered through the buildings. It rose before them. A face of a fox-like creature appeared before them. Red lines ran down its body. Nine black tails wrapped around them. Then, it opened its jaws wide and swallowed them whole. Screams were drowned out in the darkness.

—-(A few hour later)-

A cool sensation was felt underneath her paws. Lydia felt her tails and wrist bound together. What made it even more strange was the fact that she was muzzled. She squirmed for a bit. The firm back of Prince Scorpio gave her a sense of relief. She groaned as pain entered her ribs. Suddenly, she was held upright. Her hair pulled from her head.

Light burst into her sockets. Lydia tried to bite off a scream of surprise. My eyes! My eyes are burning! She began to grow uneasy as her vision adjusted to the light. She glanced around. To her relief, her friends were close by. G'dar was heavily chained to one wall.

"So…" A harsh voice verberated through the throne room. "After all this time, there's still one little Silverpelt left after all."

Lydia's fur stood on end. Her tails fidgeted, trying to break free. Her eyes grew wide as she saw what was standing before her. It was a thing from nightmares.

A throne stood before her. Carved in pure red crystal. A lone figure sat on it. He was fox-like with red robes draped onto him. Four red eyes peered at her in a red-orange mask. Nine black tails rested on an armrest. His hand held a massive whip. Fox ears twitched every once in a while. Red veins pulsed along the black fur.

Lydia's throat went dry. She heard several groans behind her. Lydia got onto her feet and tried to shuffle over to protect Eva and Aikka. The grip on her hair only grew tighter. One finger even scrunched up one of her fox ears.

"Leave her alone!" Ishtar growled from her small cage. It hung above the throne along with the other three. She banged her snout against the bars. Then, she was met with an electric shock.

"Ishtar!" Lydia's scream was slightly muffled by her muzzle. She pulled her arms, but the bonds refused to break. Her eyes went back to the figure. A growl escaped her throat.

A sigh came out of the mask. "Now that nonsense is settled, I suppose I should introduce myself." He bowed. "I'm The Monarch. Ruler of this planet. Everything that is brought down here belongs to me."

"Yeah right!"

Lydia turned to see Eva got up from her spot. The young human girl had her arms bound behind her back. Eva was soon struck from behind by a whip.

Eva gritted her teeth. A bright red line lined the small of her back. She was on the ground for a moment. Then, she slowly got up again and took a deep breath. Eva flashed the monarch a grin. "That all ya got?"

The Monarch remained in his seat. He didn't say anything, but some of his fur began to stand on end. His tails twitched so quickly that no one would notice. "Impressive. You're quite a sturdy human. I suppose that'd be no surprise since you've raced aliens before."

Something about those words made Lydia's skin crawl. How could he know about Eva's race, she thought. It was to be top secret even on her own planet! Lydia heard something behind her. Her heart skipped a beat as Prince Scorpio got up from his spot.

Prince Scorpio glared at the Monarch. His ears twitched in irritation. "What do you want with us?"

The Monarch was silent for a moment. He tilted his head. His fingers twitched against the armrest. He stalked over to Prince Scorpio. His head was so close that Lydia could practically smell blood on his breath. A small sniffing noise was heard through the mask. Then, he stalked away from the young Crog Prince and sat down.

The Monarch snapped his fingers. A young guard came rushing in. The warrior had rose quartz for armor. A spear of copper gleamed in the light of the torches. He slowly turned to the guard. "Bring us the two criminals. They'll need to be here for the final trial."

The guard drew back his lips into a thin line. He looked at Lydia, the rest of the crew and back to the Monarch. Then, he hustled out of the room.

The Monarch glanced back at Prince Scorpio. "I remember you." Something about his voice sent chills down Lydia's spine. "You were that little black speck I saw when I was out hunting." He chuckled. "You've just seemed to grow more as a large ink blot."

Prince Scorpio was confused for a moment. However, it didn't stop him from getting up. He stared at the Monarch for a long time.

The Monarch groaned. "Not too bright are you?" He got onto his fox feet. "Typical Crog behavior. Perhaps this'll jog your memory." He took off his mask and cape. A black tunic with free-flowing pants were the only things he wore. Cracking filled the air as the creature shifted before them. Tails extended. Red patterns became more visible. Four eyes glared at them. In his place was a creature that was almost as big as G'dar.

Prince Scorpio's eyes went wide. His ears were pinned against his head. "You…"

Lydia twisted her head hard. Without even thinking, she headbutted the guard holding her hair. She leaped in front of Prince Scorpio and the others. A low growl erupted from her throat. Fox ears pinned back.

The Monarch only laughed. "So, little Lydia has grown a spine after all this time?" He gave a wicked grin that even made General Leo nervous. "Just as foolish as your father."

Rush grimaced at this. "What in the stars is he talking about?"

A loud thud of the door resounded. Two guards burst in. Both of them holding onto Argen and Cupunio. Argen thrashed and screamed at the top of his lungs. Cupunio barely kept his eyes open, his body covered in bruises.

Lydia stared in shock. "Argen! Cupunio" Her voice was muffled through her muzzle. She frantically pulled at her restraints with all her might. She growled. Her head was shaking violently. Her tails slammed hard. Before she could do anything else, she was knocked into the wall by a large paw. Pain erupted from her skull to her back. A ringing erupted into her ears.

"Lydia!" Prince Scorpio got to his feet once more. He flinched as a strange sensation drilled into his chest.

Lydia groaned. She got up but her arms were held up by several guards. She watched as the Monarch put his mask back on as he shrunk down to his size.

"So annoying." He grumbled. He grabbed her muzzled face. His grip was so tight that it forced Lydia to look the Monarch in the eyes. "You try to be such a noble protector. Yet here you are as a worthless pup that can't have better control of your powers." Without warning, one of his tails shot forward and stabbed Cupunio in the stomach.

The crew stared in shock. Cupunio's eyes widened in pain. Only a heartbeat could be heard. The crew watched as Argen fell to his knees as the black tail pulled away. Cupunio tried to cover the wound, but the blood seeping out betrayed him.

"Grandpa!" Argen screamed. He yanked his arm away from the guard's grasp and ran to his grandfather. Sobs soon wracked the room.

Aikka gritted his teeth. The Nourasian Prince got onto his feet. "What is the meaning of this?! I thought you were going to put them on trial!"

"They were." The Monarch's voice held a heavy annoyance. He didn't even bother to look at Aikka. "Anyone who didn't report their findings to me is considered an act of treason. Plus, these findings are the younglings that I've longed to have a personal 'meeting' with for a long time."

Lydia felt his claws dig deeper into her cheeks. Hot blood began to trickle down her neck. "Ow! You're hurting me!" She tried to kick him, but she received a blow to the stomach. She slumped down to the floor. More kicks soon came after. Each one was more painful than the last. Her muffled screams drowned out the rustling of chains. Her friends' muffled shouts of letting her go.

More of Lydia's ears rang. This hurts, she thought. She moved her head to see Argen still crying. The little alien got up to his feet only to be knocked down by one of the guards. A mixture of rage and sorrow filled her heart. I have to do something. At this rate everyone will be killed. She felt her head being slammed against the wall. Her world exploded into thousands of colors. But…what can I do? I can…barely…break free…

A rush of heat caressed her body. Lydia flinched. She tried to curl up but the pain in her ribs made it unbearable. Then, Lydia felt being picked up. A wall of warmth coming over her. She could make out a molten glowing orb staring at her. As she focused, she realized they were two.

Prince Scorpio was holding her in his arms. Despite his large fingers, he was able to get Lydia's muzzle off with ease. He then removed the restraints from his tail. His black body was riddled with strange orange markings. They were lined in a way to resemble flame. "Are you alright, Lydia?"

Lydia was stunned. She couldn't explain it, but she could feel her heart almost be in sync with his. She nodded. "The others," She said. "What about-" She soon spotted flames flickering around the room. Lydia looked around to see Eva and the others getting up from their spot. Their chains had completely melted off. The Monarch laid on the ground unconscious along with several guards.

Further away from them, the doorway that Cupunio, Argen and the guards went through was smashed. A large hole was created, big enough for G'dar to run through. Standing beside it was a massive lizard with more horns on his head and spikes ran along his back. Alon, Ishtar and Symphony were all sitting on top of the horns. Faint shouts were heard on the eastern side.

"We gotta go!" Eve looked around for anything to use as a weapon. She soon picked up the nearest spear.

Prince Scorpio let Lydia down with ease. His eyes were unable to move away from hers. His ears flicked.

Lydia noticed Cupunio was lying on top of his grandfather. Cupunio wasn't moving. Lydia's heart froze at this. She ran over to Cupunio and Argen. Lydia knelt down next to him. "Cupunio?" She tried to place a hand on him, only for it to be smacked away.

"This is all your fault!" Argen glared at Lydia. "If you didn't come to my planet, my grandpa wouldn't be like this." He began to shake his grandfather hard. "Grandpa! Grandpa! Please get up!"

Cupunio let out a soft groan. He turned his eyes to his grandson. "Ar-Argen…You must leave…"

"I can't!" Argen cried out. "You're the only family I have left!"

"No…" Cupunio put a hand on Argen's shoulder. "You must leave this planet. Staying here…would only bring you misery."

"My friends are here! We can set up a rebellion and-" Argen's tears only grew bigger at that point. He looked at the hallway.

"You'll die here…along with your friends…" Cupunio turned his head to Lydia. "Mmmmmmisss Lydia…Please take my grandson with your crew."

Lydia opened her mouth in protest, but closed it. Cupunio was right. His death was going to be inevitable. Whether here or on the ship, she thought. Tears welled in her eyes. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"NO!" Argen screamed on the top of his lungs. He thrashed and kicked as Lydia picked him up. "Let me go! Let me go! I wanna stay with grandpa!"

Lydia ignored his cries and followed everyone down the hole. She could only curl her tails around the little alien without hurting him. She tried to fight back her own sorrow. Her mind went back to her own mother. Her body lay on a cold floor somewhere, unmoving. She shook her head, focusing on the task at hand.

Lydia watched as Sagittarius ran over to a nearby hallway as debris began to fall down. She moved her tails around once more to make sure that none of it would hit Cupunio.

Sagittarius pointed. "This way! This is where they've stored our ship!"

"Think you can run it?" Eva asked.

"Good news is: They didn't really gut anything, so it won't be too much trouble."

"And the bad news?" Rush asked. He soon spotted several guards coming at them. With a swing of his fist, he hit the nearest pillar and it tumbled in front of them.

"They…" Sagittarius' ears drooped. "Have damaged most of our weapons. We'll have to escape as fast as we can." He barely dodged a guard that was thrown right into his face.

General Leo gave a facial expression similar to a smirk. "What for? I like a challenge." He was soon met by a smack to the head by Prince Scorpio.

"If we continue to fight, we'll end up prisoners permanently." Prince Scorpio picked up General Leo with ease. He ignored the squirming and cursing. "Lead the way."

Sagittarius led the group down the hallway. It stretched for a mile or so until they reached a room filled with treasure. Jewels, cloth, tapestries. Among them was the ship. So were some castle guards. Sagittarius let out a loud roar and managed to knock over at least five before six more came at him.

Rush pulled them off of Sagittarius and tossed them to the side. He found a strange looking axe. He picked it up with ease.

Eva punched the guards while Aikka performed his usual fighting techniques. The duo throws kicks and punches. Ishtar and Symphony became their shields as they grew in size.

Spirit warped, his shape melted onto the floor. He slinked around with ease. None of the warriors could catch him. Spears and swords dug into the floor. He made it to the ship. He vanished between the cracks of the door.

The ship roared to life. The engine hummed. The door hissed as it slowly opened. It hovered only a few inches off the ground.

"Time to go!" Rush yelled. He pulled off one more punch before he ran into the ship.

Everyone ran to the ship as fast as they could. Lydia taking up the rear. She struggled to hold on to a thrashing and biting Cupunio. She gritted her teeth against the pain. Argen slipped out, but Lydia grabbed him before he got far. He was about to yell at her, but she slapped him with sudden ease. "Now stop that! You'll only hurt your grandfather more if you get hurt! The Monarch will kill you and nothing on your planet will change."

Argen was stunned. His eyes glittered with tears. His claws held together. He momentarily turned back but the moment he was in Lydia's arms, he gave up. His head hung low.

General Leo stared at Prince Scorpio. "You're not really thinking of going with them are you?"

Prince Scorpio began to twitch. His nine tails shrunk away. His face went back to its original shape. His breathing went heavy. "Would you rather…be stuck here?"

General Leo stared in pure shock. He watched as his prince went inside with Blazing Stars shrinking down. The little lizard crawled up to his shoulder.

Eva ran past the group. She went over to the control panel. Her fingers punched the buttons quickly. Her teeth gritted in concentration. "Come on! Come on!" The screen roared to life. "Yes!" As everyone got into their seats, Eva snatched a lever. "Hang on!"

Lydia set Argen in her lap. She took great care of putting the seat belt over them. Her tails curled around them. The force of the ship caused her to lean back slightly as it began to lean forward. She could hear metal scrapping hard beneath them. Lydia wrapped around the boy.

Each sharp turn jolted the crew from side to side. A few loud pings echoed across the hull. Outside, the ship performed sharp turns and dives as it maneuvered through the castle. Then, it reached a pair of iron doors loomed before them.

"Eat this!" Eva slammed her fist on a large red button to her right. Before long, the ship began to go into breakneck speed. Everyone in back screamed at this.

"Someone get the cannons!" Aikka yelled.

"On it," Rush yelled. He undid his seatbelt and ran to the door on the west side.

Before long, energy blasters soon appeared. They exploded upon impact, the iron door had a large hole in it. Big enough to slip through with ease. The city was beginning to shrink with every passing minute.

Everyone let out a sigh. Spirit peeled himself off his chair, his whole body vibrating. Prince Scorpio slumped in his chair. Blazing Stars also followed his master, almost ready to roll off. Alon, Ishtar and Symphony were hiding inside the thick fur of Lydia's tails. Alon was the one who shivered the most. General Leo and Sagittarius both sat in their seats, stunned at what they had just witnessed. Aikka unbuckled his seatbelt and went over to comfort G'dar.

"Eva…" Aikka's voice sounded tired and slightly shaken.

Eva laid her head against the consoul. "Yeah?"

"Dont…" Aikka gave a crooked smile. "Ever do that again."

Eva chuckled. "Can't make any promises."

General Leo grunted. "Don't celebrate yet. We still need to get out of here."

Lydia listened for any sounds. She slowly uncurled her tails. They slowly drifted down to the floor. Fur still on end. She even began to sniff. Smells of blood, sweat and fear hang in the air. She looked down at Argen.

Argen was only breathing heavily. His hands wrapped tightly around hers. His mole head leaned back. Shock still hung in his eyes.

Lydia unbuckled her seatbelt and set Argen down on the floor. This time, she had him face her. "Argen…Please Argen. You need to help us out. You're more familiar with the tunnels and cave system of your planet." When she was met by silence, she hugged him. "I know what it's like to lose family." Lydia trembled at the memory of her mom being lifeless, struggling to breath.

Eva looked on at the two. She knew exactly what Lydia meant. She walked over to the two. "Argen. When we're far away, we can perform the funeral rites you do on your planet, ok?"

Argen was silent for a moment. He looked at his hands. Then, he sighed. "Promise me to find me a home after this." He got onto his feet. "I want a place that's Monarch free." His voice shook as he spoke those words. He walked over to the screen as Eva sat back down on the seat. "Just follow my instructions and speed up when I say so, got it?"

Eva gave a grin. "Got it, little man!"

—-

That ends this chapter. The crew got a new member. What role will Argen take in? Review please!