Protecting yourself is self-defense. Protecting others is warriorship.

- Bohdi Sanders

CatNap stalked the hallways of the school. Normally, he would never come here, but the shrine for his god had been reduced to ash. He was beyond furious. The human would suffer like all the others. Like every other heretic who defied their savior.

He followed the scent of vanilla. The pest had freed the mongrel from his prison and killed several of the Little Critters in the process. No doubt, she had come here to heal his wounds. He knew that Miss Delight was already dead. He found what was left of her. Now she was a part of the Prototype.

He turned a corner and found a nurses office, and the door was open. He saw a shadow moving around in the room. He stalked closer to the door, and flooded the room with his Red Smoke. He waited a few seconds, and heard loud thumping. He entered the room, being immune to the Red Smoke, and looked around. On the floor, he saw nothing but a pile of blankets. Assuming the human was under the blankets, he ripped the blankets away. The next second, CatNap felt pain in his chest and he screamed in pain. The human then jumped up from the blankets and stood up to her full height, wearing a gas mask and holding a large knife, which was dripping blood. His blood. CatNap recovered and swiped at the human, but she brought her knife up, impaling his paw. CatNap flinched and screamed in agony, pulling his paw away and the knife retracted from his paw.

While CatNap recoiled in pain, Koa used her Grab-Pack to pull herself up to the vents. CatNap noticed and took a swipe at her legs, but missed by an inch. CatNap then backed out of the room just as a jar fell from the ceiling, breaking open upon meeting the floor, and the whole room, still filled with the smoke, burst into flames, which singed CatNap's face, who screeched in pain as he was blown against the far wall.

In another room down the hall, DogDay watched how CatNap violently wiped his face as if to sooth pain through the door's window. So far, Angel was doing good. He saw some blood running down CatNap's arm from his paw, and more blood running down his chest. When CatNap calmed down slightly and shook his head, DogDay ducked from sight and backed away from the door.

CRUNCH!

DogDay paused, and looked under his foot. He had stepped on broken glass.

He gasped and backed away from the door, trying to find another way out. Just as he made it to a door on the opposite end of the room, CatNap burst through other door, his chest covered in blood and he was limping slightly. DogDay panicked and ripped the door open and ran through it just as CatNap exhaled his Red Smoke.

DogDay ran as fast as he could trough the halls of the school. Behind him, the Red Smoke came up fast. Just then, the sound of glass breaking was heard behind him and the smoke ignited, stopping it from spreading further. CatNap could be heard screeching in pain again. DogDay continued to run, wanting to put as much distance between himself and CatNap as possible. Though DogDay didn't make it far as he hadn't used his legs in so long and he only just got them back.

Slowing his running to a jog, he rounded corner after corner, doing his best to keep his distance from CatNap. Once he rounded another corner, CatNap roared loudly and knocked DogDay down, who screamed in fear as he fell onto his back. CatNap growled angrily as DogDay whimpered, scooting backwards to get away, but CatNap grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him closer, hissing in his face. Memories of CatNap literally tearing him in half flooded DogDay's head, and he felt the excruciating pain from those memories. He started to tremble and submitted to his fear under CatNap's hold.

"Hello, DogDay," he whispered. "It's been a while. I'm surprised you've made it this far."

"CatNap, p-please, don't do this," DogDay begged.

CatNap squeezed his ankle, not hard enough to break it -yet- but hard enough to inflict pain as his claws dug into his skin, causing DogDay to whimper in pain and fear, tucking his tail between his legs.

"You are such a coward, DogDay. This could have been avoided if only you had obeyed The Prototype. He saved us all, and this is how you repay him? Disobeying direct orders? Escaping punishment? Stealing an offering? Fraternizing with one of THEM?!"

DogDay whimpered louder, tears welling in his eyes. "C-CatNap, please. Please. Let me go."

CatNap only chuckled, enjoying the fear he was causing.

"Don't think I don't recognize that human," CatNap hissed. "I saw how you looked at her. I saw how friendly you and the others were with her. You no doubt take her side despite what she's done?!"

"CatNap, s-she didn't know! She had n-n-nothing to do with a-any of this! She h-h-had nothing to do with o-our torment! She didn't know - mph!"

CatNap released DogDay's ankle and covered his mouth to shut him up, though CatNap was pressing so hard it was growing difficult for him to breathe and he was crushing his head. DogDay tried to pull CatNap's paw off of him and back away from him, but he couldn't.

"That means nothing! That human is a false prophet! She came back to kill us all! She came back to put us all in a cage! She killed Miss Delight. She killed several of the Little Ones. She will kill you and me the first chance she gets! She is filling your head with lies!"

He leaned closer into DogDay's face, their noses only inches apart, malice and sadism written all over his smiling face. DogDay tried again to pull away but it did him little good, as CatNap held his tight grip on DogDay's face.

He whispered sadistically, "but I'm feeling rather generous. I will save you from her manipulative lies. I will save you from her inevitable betrayal. I will grant you the death you wanted, and you won't have to watch me rip her apart."

He lifted his right paw for a fatal strike, blood still seeping from his wound. DogDay squeezed his eyes shut in complete fear, tears spilling from them as he did. Before CatNap could deliver his killing blow, the ceiling vents above him came collapsing down, Koa falling through the ceiling feet first, her knife above her head. At the last second, CatNap turned over, but it wasn't enough. Koa's knife caught CatNap's shoulder deep, right were the seam on his shoulder meets his arm. The sounds of slicing skin and metal scraping bone echoed the hall just as Koa landed next to CatNap, who screeched in complete agony as his arm went limp.

Koa ran to DogDay, who had already rolled over to his knees while coughing during Koa's ambush, and helped him to his feet.

"Move move move!" Koa yelled. DogDay got up as fast as he could and ran down the hall with Angel behind him, sheathing her knife as they ran.

After a few minutes, they ran into a closed gate. Koa cursed and ran to a charger, charged the Grab-Pack's green hand, and passed the charge to the receiver in a matter of 20 seconds. The gate however, raised up too slowly. CatNap limped around the corner. Blood trailed down his injured arm. He was beyond angry. His white eyes full of bloodlust. Koa saw he was preparing to exhale his smoke, and Koa pulled out her last Molotov cocktail and set the cloth wick on fire with her lighter. Upon seeing this, CatNap backed off but didn't take his eyes off of them. Seeing CatNap retreat slightly, Koa took the opportunity to get through to CatNap.

"I'm not like the scientists who hurt you!" Koa yelled. "I would NEVER condone what they've done, and I'm sorry for that! I'm sorry for what you've been through! I know it means very little to nothing now, but I'm still sorry. Everything I've done since I got here was self defense! They attacked me first! I didn't want to do it, but I had to! Let it be known, if I wanted DogDay dead, I would've left him in the Playhouse! I saved him from what you did to him! And what you've done is BARBARIC!! Brutalizing and murdering your own friends! ALL OF THEM! And for WHAT!? A FALSE GOD!!"

She snarled and pulled out her knife, which was still soaked in CatNap's blood, and pointed it towards him, "I will not let you hurt anyone else, CatNap! Heed my warning, you even try to touch DogDay again, and I will set your hide ablaze, and watch you BURN ALIVE!"

To prove her point, she threw the Molotov cocktail in-between them and it burst into flame upon making impact with the floor. The flames reflected in Koa's eyes, enhancing her anger and threat, "Just as I burned your pagan shrine!"

DogDay flinched at Angel's anger and threat. He saw and heard CatNap snarl, then CatNap gave a furious roar, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!!! YOU AND THAT FILTHY MONGREL HERETIC!!!!"

"JUST TRY IT!! I DARE YOU!!" Koa challenged.

CatNap then backed up slowly and limped away back in the direction he came, his limp right paw dragging on the floor, leaving a puddle of blood behind him, never taking his eyes off of them, growling the whole time. Once he was gone, Koa sighed loudly, dropping her arm to her side. She continued to breathe heavily through her mouth, trying to calm down. Her grip on the knife loosened, but it wasn't enough to drop it. She turned and faced DogDay, her face full of shame and remorse for her outburst. DogDay placed his hand on her shoulder in comfort.

Neither of them said anything. DogDay couldn't help but feel amazement and gratitude towards Angel. Sure it scared him when she threatened CatNap, but it got CatNap to back off and she saved his life once again. No one had ever defended him like that before. She gave a small smile, but DogDay could tell that this confrontation had taken a lot out of her, not just physically, but emotionally as well. He held her close as they left the school.

The world is full of monsters with friendly faces and angels full of scars.

- Daily Quotes