Hello There! Here is the next chapter! I hope you like it!

Enjoy!

-Joyful Wild:)

CHAPTER 16: A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW

Artham woke up with a great headache as he opened his eyes. He saw a light coming from in front of him and once his eyes adjusted, he saw a small campfire and around it was at least ten fangs. He was laying on his side with his hands behind his back. He meant to sit up but realized that his wrists were tied up with something cold and hard. He looked at himself and saw that he was tied up in chains. The chains wrapped around his ankles, knees and torso which kept his wings against his back. He moaned a little at the aching that came from his wings that wanted to move so badly. "The birdman is awake." a deep voice came from the one of the fangs. He looked up and saw a grey fang walking towards him, "You had a good sleep birdman? You were out for a long time."

"So, you're telling me you all have been guarding a prisoner that can't move a lot and has been knocked out for a while whenever you could be doing other things?" Artham asked.

The grey fang growled, "Don't try anything birdman. We gonna stay at our post until Murgah gets back to decide what we're gonna do with you." The grey fang said. Wait did he say Murgah?! The grey fang smiled at Artham's surprised face before sitting back down at the small fire. Artham didn't know what to do except think so that's what he did. He thought back at how the day began to now, until he had an idea. "You know it's a shame that you guys are being replaced." The fangs stopped talking and looked at him until one of them said, "Shut up!" The fangs laughed.

"No, I mean it. You guys were fun to fight against and now you're being replaced by cloven who obviously seems a lot stronger in my opinion." Artham had been trying to shift his wings to see if there was anything he could to escape.

"We are not being replaced by a bunch of Darkstoners which are different than cloven." A green fang said.

"What's the difference between a cloven and Darkstoner?" Artham asked hoping he could either get important information or annoy them.

"Well, a Darkstoner are creatures that are a lot worse than cloven." The grey fang said as he stood and walked towards Artham. " You see you have choice of becoming a cloven, but you don't get a choice when you're chosen to be a Darkstoner." The grey fang grabbed Artham by the collar and lifted him up from the ground. "A Darkstoner has a heart that's like a stone. Once your heart has been turned to stone then you become stronger, faster, and the want for war increases!" The fangs cheered out of excitement and Artham assumed that they were to be Darkstoners next. Then Artham picked up his feet and kicked the fang in the gut which made the grey fang double over while dropping Artham. Once Artham got to the ground he rolled to his knees and used all of his strength to break the chains and stretch his wings out before the rest of the fangs could react. Artham ran to the grey fang who now found the strength to stand up and pull out his sword. Artham quickly disarmed him and used his sword to finish him off just in time to catch another fang who tried to swing his sword at him.

Even though the fight lasted five minutes it felt longer than that to Artham. He eventually found his own sword leaning against a wall and used two swords which frightened the fangs. It was hard enough to fight a highly skilled Throne Warden with only one sword but now he fought with two. But finally, the fight was over, and Artham looked around and listened for any other fangs or creatures. Once he was absolutely sure that no one was there he took a sheath from one of the fangs and his own and tied both around his waist and made a break for it taking the extra sword with him. Artham surprised himself when he realized that he still knew how to fight with two swords even though he hadn't done that in a long time. He kept his hand against the walls and trying to remember how he got in but stopped when he saw light so that he could catch his breath. He followed the light and found his way out into the open where he took a deep breath of fresh air. He looked at the sky and noticed that the sun was close to setting and he remembered what he saw and heard before he got knocked out.

He flew again and went back the way he came. His wings were aching and tired, but he had to warn everybody before it was too late or at least he prayed it wasn't too late. The thought of failing again and fear started to slow him down, but this time he refused to listen to it. He kept on thinking about how they would be okay...somehow. He wasn't sure how, but he knew the Maker had something. He then wondered what he was going to say to Podo. He heard Podo call out to him before he flew off and a part of him wanted to turn around and hear what Podo had to say but his anger controlled him, and he flew off and at first it felt good to just leave Podo behind. And now they were great danger, and he could help them if he had stayed where he was. The sun started to go down behind the trees again which made Artham fly even faster. Then finally, he found the ledge that he was at that morning. He landed there looking around for any signs that could tell him if anybody was there, but he had found nothing. He chose to walk to the cave where they stayed at and sighed of relief when he saw light coming from the cave.

"Guys! Are you there-" Artham stopped in his tracks when he found the cave with no one in it...except for one girl. She turned around and fear filled her eyes as anger suddenly started to boil again in Artham. She was the one that had told those monsters about his family. "YOU!" Laylah ran into the vines while Artham chased her telling her to stop running. Once he followed her through the tunnel and into another cave, she stopped at another ledge that was even higher than the last one he was on. Laylah turned around to face Artham who stood a couple of feet away from her so that she had to look up at him. "Please, y...you have to g...go!" Laylah begged.

"Not until you tell me where everyone else is!" Artham exclaimed.

"Okay, okay! They should be at Throg right now. If you go now, you can save them before it's too late."

"What do you mean 'too late'?"

"Before they're all Darkstoned!"

"You mean the creatures that are worse than Fangs and cloven?"

"Yes, them. But if you go now, you can rescue them!"

"You're acting as if you didn't just turn them in to those monsters."

"I had no other choice, but I can't tell you anymore so please just go!"

"NO! Tell me what happened now! What do they want with us!?"

"I can't tell you!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I just can't! If I do, then something very bad would happen!" The all of a sudden, there was a light that came from where Laylah's heart was. It was a strange light. It looked like a pitch-black shadow, but it glowed at the same time. Artham backed away as the strange light surrounded Laylah until he couldn't see her. It only lasted a few seconds then it left just as quickly as it came. He stared at Laylah who now looked different. She looked like a wolf on two legs and her skin had turned to fur and her hands and feet had turned to claws. And the blue highlights in her hair glowed and the black stripes turned to blue that also glowed. And instead of round pupils in her eyes she had little black slits that replaced it and her eyes seemed to glow too. She looked down as her ears went down too. "I think it would be best if you left now."

"So, you're one of them." Artham said.

"Yes, I'm one of them." Laylah said as she looked up at Artham. "You should probably get going."

"How did you change like that?" Artham asked.

Laylah started to walk slowly alongside of the edge, "It's what happens when you don't become a full Darkstoner."

"How do you become a Darkstoner?"

"I can't tell you!"

"Laylah, I need to know what these monsters are if I'm going up against them just tell me already!"

"Well, why don't you just go to Throg and find out. But even if you did know everything about them, they could still easily kill you."

"My family and friends are at risk I can't lose them."

Laylah was quiet as she crossed her arms lowered her head and faced the woods that were now dark in the night. Then she said quietly. "No one wants to lose something that they have and yet eventually it disappears."

"Okay fine I want everyone I love to be safe."

"Even the old man that you were angry at?"

Artham froze. "What are you saying?"

"I heard you two arguing. It sounded like you didn't have anyone to love and yet they all decided to stick with you. Even all the way out here."

" So, you were spying on us?!"

"Well, this ledge isn't far from the one you two stood at. But I think you are right robin," Laylah turned to look at him and he didn't even care that she called him robin, "People should be more grateful for the things that they have because some of us don't even remember our families." Laylah stared into Artham's eyes when he realized that there was more to Laylah than he thought. She had a past that was probably as dark as his and she was only fifteen years old! She probably had no memory of who she was or where she was from. Artham finally gave up and started to find a way to Throg until Laylah spoke again as she looked back at the woods, "If you're really going to Throg you might want to find something to protect yourself. Because when I say that they can kill you I really mean that they can kill you."

"Was there a time where you saw them kill?"

"Only when they were hunting and when they were after me."

"What do mean? Why would they go after their own?"

"I tried to escape a few times, but every time was the same punishment. You get locked in a cell for two days except for the last punishment they gave me. I tried to fly away multiple times, but the last time almost made them cross the line."

"But how can you fly if you don't have any wings?"

Laylah sighed and reached up at the button that held her cloak around her shoulders and let the cloak fall to the ground. Artham gasped at what he saw. Laylah had blue wings, but they looked twisted and broken. The wings looked dead compared to Laylah who had glowing blue stripes and highlights on her. The wings had stripes as well and he wondered if her wings would glow if they were alive. It made him sick to his stomach to think that the monsters would do this to a child. "After I discovered I had wings I would try to escape they kept on telling me that they would break my wings, but I never took them seriously. Until they actually did it. And now if I go against them, they will take away my wings completely." She shivered at the thought. "So, if I tell you their secrets that's what they'll do to me."

"But how would they know?"

"They will find out. And I know it sounds crazy, but you have to trust me. I didn't want to do it, but I had no other choice." Her voice cracked and she fell to her knees as she cried into her hands. Artham's heart broke as he watched her cry in front of him. There was a small doubt that she could be faking it but the sight of her wings and sobbing that shook her whole body made him realize that she was telling the truth. He needed to get to Throg but it felt wrong to leave her here alone with her pian and darkness. "Artham, I know you've probably been through a lot but at least be grateful that you had some time with your family, and you know where they are," she said. For a moment Artham's heart skipped a beat when he heard those words. He had been holding a grudge like Podo did, upset for being blamed for things that he didn't do. He wanted to stay angry at Podo, but he couldn't. And just like Podo he never took the time to see from a different point of view. He was angry about what she did but never thought why.

He walked to her and picked up her cloak. She sniffed and turned to look at him. "C...could I have it back?" She asked quietly. When Artham heard her shaking voice and saw her shaking form it reminded him of when he was the crazy Sock Man, and his instinct was to curl up and be alone in the dark. He carefully wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and picked up the button that held it together but then he stopped when he saw it. It looked like gold, but it didn't shine because it was so dirty. But he noticed something on it, it had a picture of a dragon on it. "Where did you get this?" He asked looking on the back of it.

"Oh, I just found it in a cell. Why?"

"This is the symbol of my home."

"Really?"

"Yes." He fastened the brooch onto her cloak and looked at her. She wiped away her tears and sniffed and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scared you like that."

"It's okay-"

"No, it's not."

"Well, I mean I've seen scarier things. You should probably get going if you want to bring your family home."

"May I ask one more thing?"

"Depends on what it is." Laylah said while fidgeting with her clawed hands.

"What made you want to escape?"

Laylah looked down, "I just felt like this wasn't where I was supposed to be. I don't know where I'm supposed to be, but I just know that here isn't my home. And I thought that if I leave here then maybe I could find my home. But as you can see it's not going to happen anytime soon."

"What if you helped get my family and friends out of Throg?"

"I told you I can't."

"But what if we made it look like you captured me but then we can get in there and free everybody."

"Exactly how?"

Artham took the two swords and took them out of their sheaths. "Say that you captured me and was able to take these."

Laylah looked at the swords then back at Artham, "I doubt they'll believe me, but I guess."

They both stood up and Laylah carefully took the swords, "Remember," Artham said, "I'm trusting you with these."

Laylah smirked again, "Let me guess the rules are, don't break them, don't lose them, and don't stab you or anybody else."

"Yes, it would be nice if you followed those rules until we get to a certain point where I may need them."

"Alright, well, get a move on robin. And also, do I get anything in this or is it just for you?"

"Well, if all goes well and if we can escape then maybe you can come home with us. It might not be the place that you're looking for, but it can be a start."

Laylah stared at him, "You actually think that all of this is possible."

Artham smiled, "You know for the past nine years I've learned anything is possible."

Laylah stared at him again, thinking, then she spoke, "Okay, let's try one more time."

"One more time." Artham repeated as they ran as fast as they could to Throg.