FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

   I tried so much harder with this part, if you still follow this series, make sure to read this one and the ones to follow. :D

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   The lush greenery quickly flits past the window as our car travels down the long road from the hospital to our home. I stare out at the trees, lost in thought. I had only recently been allowed to leave the hospital, the reason I was in the car right now, and the hospital had been quick to notify my parents of the news. My mom had come to get me the very next morning. She had come to stay with me through the night, originally, but shortly after she arrived her work contacted her. I asked what it was about and she told me she would have to go in to the office that night. So, we spent the rest of the day talking about the things happening in our lives, her mostly wanting to know about Aluxes and me. Aluxes was there of course, so it was easy getting her filled in.

   The three of us, that is my mom, Aluxes, and I, were seated in our car and were currently on our way home from the hospital. Aluxes and I were sitting in the back seat together as my mom drove. I sat with my chin resting on my hand with my face angled toward the window. My other hand rested on the seat, fingers intertwined with his. The forest soon gave way to the large ocean as we drove onto the bridge, connecting our little town Mimir with the larger city Gehenna, which contains the hospital I had been admitted to. Mimir only had a few clinics dispersed throughout the town, any serious medical care required a trip to Gehenna.

   I looked away from the window, bringing my gaze onto Aluxes. He was staring out of his window, so I just looked at him. I traced the curve of his hair with my eyes, following it to his neck, where I let myself linger. His pale, white skin looked extremely soft in the gentle glow of the sun. I fought the urge to reach out and touch him while I followed the curves of his body. I noticed that, even with all of the forest running we had been doing, his skin and his skirt had still managed to stay clean and smudge free.

   I wondered about this as we left the bridge and drove into another thick forest. I really loved that about this area of the world, the towns were far and few between, with lots of natural environments dispersed in the surrounding areas. I especially loved forests, how the light shimmered down through the canopy of leaves and danced around the edges of the trees, providing a dim radiance during sunset. The ground was almost always covered in fallen leaves and an assortment of plant life, allowing one to walk in comfort. The wildlife was also very fascinating, there were so many different types of Pokemon in just one little forest.

   My attention came back to Aluxes, who was now turned in my direction. I looked into his deep red eyes and just stared. His eyes were so meaningful, you could almost read his emotions from a glance. I let myself get lost in them, reveling in the fact that we belonged to each other. He was smiling warmly, his eyes telling me of his undying love for me. I blushed slightly, thinking more to him than myself that I wished I could do that with my eyes. He laughed, the sound of it pleasant.

   "You do not need to, Clement, your mind tells a far greater story."

   I smiled back to him, the blush on my face deepening by several shades. I unbuckled and slid across the seat to embrace him, him turning towards me to receive it. I laid my head against his chest as he lay his head atop mine.

   "Thank you," I murmured.

   We sat together until we arrived at home. We pulled into the driveway, exiting the car. We followed my mom up to the door, waiting patiently as she unlocked it and pushed it open. My mom and I removed our shoes and adopted our house slippers while Aluxes just walked in. Aluxes and I went into the living room and flipped on the tv. My mom said something about dinner and walked off into the kitchen.

   Aluxes and I were seated on the couch, resting in each others' arms. The t.v. blared, but we hardly even noticed, our attention focused on the other. I was completely absorbed by his eyes, the ethereal quality of them had me totally entranced. Deep down, I was surprised with myself. I had never taken the proper time out to actually enjoy Aluxes, we had been so busy doing things before now. Aluxes was silently staring back into my eyes, a soft smile displayed on his lips. His hand eventually came up to caress my cheek, pausing under my chin, preventing me from even attempting to turn away.

   We stayed this way for several minutes. I could only guess at what he was planning right now, he had this mischievous little glint in his eyes. His smile seemed somewhat impish also, which made me feel giddy and uneasy at the same time. Aluxes began to move, his face steadily coming closer to mine. My heartbeat quickened, as I had a fairly good idea of what he was about to do. I started panicking, I had never kissed anyone before. A Pokemon even! This was really all too sudden for me. What if things changed between us? It was only a kiss, yes, but that two letter word just sort of floated around in my head. If.

   As his lips were on the verge of connecting with mine, the sudden fanfare that precedes a breaking news story in the middle of a tv program sounded. The blast of noise made me nearly fall off the couch in surprise. Aluxes had an annoyed scowl on his face, so I turned to watch the t.v. as my heart thudded noisily away.

   "We apologize for the interruption folks, but information concerning the bodies of two local residents has just arrived."

   The scene changed from the woman sitting in the studio to a reporter out in front of the morgue.

   "That's right, Diane. The two bodies were discovered by authorities late last night, the victims laying in an alleyway off of 2nd avenue. The autopsy results have just barely been received. According to the coroner, the victim's suffered a severe type of brain hemorrhage, causing the brain to collapse in on itself. The autopsy did not turn up any drug or alcohol content in the two individuals systems either. Now, police will be very active on this case, but at the moment, the outlook is not a hopeful one."

   I looked away from the screen to Aluxes. He was sitting in deep thought, staring at the t.v. screen. I reached for him.

   "Aluxes?"

   "I think," he began, "that this was the work of a psychic Pokemon. Or it is very similar."

   "How do you know that?"

   "The Elder told us many stories of humans and Pokemon fighting in the past."

   "I guess it's still happening today, huh?"

   "I think we should consult the Elder with this matter."

   "Yeah... I do too..."

   "What is the matter, Clement?"

   I scratched the back of my head. "It's just, I only just got home with my mom, and we're already planning on taking off again."

   "Then we shall come right back here after we speak with the Elder."

   "All right. But we should still at least tell my mom."

   "She does not know of the village, remember?"

   "That's right... well, I'll think of something, come on."

   I grabbed his hand and lead him into the kitchen. My mom was bustling around the kitchen, barely noticing as we walked into the room.

   "Hey mom?"

   She hardly turned her head, "yes dear?"

   "Well, Aluxes and I would like to leave for a little while."

   "To have a stroll through the wood, if that is okay with you," Aluxes added.

   My mom continued her work, never missing a beat, "of course it's okay, just don't stay out too long, dinner will be ready in about an hour or so."

   "Okay mom, thanks. Come on Aluxes."

   I grabbed his hand once again and lead him to the door, slipping on my shoes and heading out into the reddish sunlight of evening. I squinted a bit as we made our way down the little path leading to the gate.

   "Nice save back there, I had no idea what to tell her we were going to do," I told Aluxes, nudging him in the side.

   "It was really no trouble. Her mind was so focused on her task that we could have told her we were going to hand make bombs and throw them onto cars from the highway overpass and she would have let us."

   I laughed as we entered the forest, the trees enveloping us in their grasp within moments. We forged our path through the foliage rather quickly, having come through the forest so many times before. As we traveled through the trees, my mind wandered back to Aluxes trying to kiss me. My face turned red as I continued to think about it. It was just so, weird. I didn't even know Pokemon were capable of those types of feelings. Well, it does explain how there are so many of them. I shook my head and focused on the task at hand, barely ducking to avoid a low hanging branch.

   We broke through the wall of trees into the village not many moments afterward. We strode through the village until we came to the Elder's hut, climbing up the rope ladder and entering. He was sitting on the floor, eyes closed, as we walked in. His eyes opened and he smiled to us as we bowed, before taking seats on the floor ourselves.

   "Good afternoon Aluxes and Clement. What brings you two here today?"

   "We would like to discuss the bodies of two humans that were discovered," Aluxes explained.

   "Ah yes, I was hearing much of that matter as I was listening to the townspeople's minds."

   "Master, I think it may have been a Pokemon who has done this."

   "The town would be in agreement with you."

   Aluxes was silent. I sat and waited.

   "If this was performed by a Pokemon, that would be bad news. The only beings with mental capabilities such as ours in this area would be us."

   "But, wouldn't that mean..." I trailed off.

   "That would mean," the Elder continued, "that someone of this village has done this. Who would you think could have such a hatred for humans that they would kill them?"

   I drew in my breath and paused. I knew who he was talking about, of course there could be no other Gardevoir who would do such a thing. Yet, what about Aluxes? Her and him were close, they had grown up together. What would he think of this?

   "Hercilia," I mumbled, stealing a sideways glance at Aluxes.

   "Precisely. We may not have any proof as of now, but I am almost certain Hercilia will be the one we must deal with."

   Aluxes' face fell. I knew he would have trouble with this, I only hoped that I could be there for him.

   "What shall we do?" Aluxes questioned.

   "We shall wait and see, Aluxes, for it is all we can do. Be wary, but do not be reckless."

   "Yes Master," Aluxes and I said, bowing.

   He wove us off with a hand and closed his eyes again. We exited his hut and climbed back down to the forest floor. I looked up at Aluxes; he was staring off into the sky, his face an expressionless mask. I stepped in front of him and wrapped my arms around him tightly. He looked down at me, surprised.

   "Aluxes, I know this must be hard for you and all, you know, since you kinda grew up with Hercilia, but I just want you to know that I'm here and I want to help you as much as I can."

   He smiled down at me, but his eyes were still filled with sadness.

   "I am just sorry that she has come this far. Thank you, Clement. If I ever need anything, I shall ask it from you."

   "That's all I want."

   He hugged me back, before stepping around me and continuing our journey back home. I walked a little ways behind him, trying to study him and figure out if he was going to be okay or not. However, that proved extremely difficult as we once again entered the wall of trees separating us from my house. I paid more attention to the foliage to make sure I didn't fall and kill myself.

   The forging wasn't bad at all, the sun was low in the sky and the temperature was nice and cool. There was a breeze flowing through the forest and the trees seemed to hold in the coolness of the breeze. Still, I managed to work up a sweat, and by the time we emerged out onto the road in front of my house, I was panting slightly and wiping the sweat from my brow. Aluxes, of course, was perfectly fine. I wondered how he could not be tired, before I realized he was walking towards the house and had to jog to catch up.

   We entered the front door, me kicking off my shoes, as my mom rounded the corner of the kitchen doorway.

   "I was just about to come look for you two. Dinner's ready," she said, leading us into the kitchen. Sitting on the table were three plates piled with spaghetti, a little basket of bread sitting in the center of the table.

   "Wow, it smells great," I exclaimed, inhaling deeply.

   We each took our seats and began digging into the food. It really was as delicious as it smelled. I hardly paused between bites. Aluxes and my mom were chatting about something and I vaguely paid much attention as I ate my food, instead thinking. The Elder had confirmed my fear of Hercilia committing these murders. There was little doubt about it. Yet, it provided no comfort in knowing this, since Hercilia was still out there, watching and waiting in the darkness. Perhaps she will even make an attempt at our lives.

   "Clement, are you okay?" Aluxes' mind pushed into mine.

   I looked up. My mom was washing the dishes in the sink and Aluxes was staring at me worriedly.

   "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about what we were going to do tomorrow," I lied.

   "You don't have to worry about that," my mom called from the sink, "I'll have plenty for Aluxes and you to help me with around here."

   "Okay mom," I sighed. I really should have come up with a different lie.

   "Clement, I know that's not what's troubling you."

   "Let's go upstairs first," I whispered. "Mom, we're gonna head upstairs," I called over to her.

   "Okay, Clement."

   Aluxes and I stood, pushing in our chairs and heading into the living room, crossing and going up the staircase. We rounded the corner and entered my room. Aluxes crossed and sat in the desk chair as I shut the door. I went over and flopped on my bed.

   "Want to clue me in now?" Aluxes questioned.

   "I was worried about Hercilia. I was wondering if she's gonna try to attack us. It's kinda scary, you know? Knowing she's out there, but not knowing where. I was just worried."

   Aluxes came over and laid beside me in the bed.

   "You do not need to worry, Clement, I shall protect you from anything that attempts to harm you."

   "I know. And I do trust you. But I'm also worried about you. More than anything else, I'm worried about you. If anything were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do..."

   He wrapped his arms around me, as I rested my head against his shoulder.

   "You do not need to worry about me Clement, I have ample strength and skill to defend myself."

   "It's just how I am Aluxes, I worry."

   "Just do not needlessly worry yourself about everything," he said, smiling.

   "I'll try," I mumbled into his shoulder.

   We held each other. My mind wandered onto the subject of Hercilia once more, so I decided to let it wander. I thought of how we would capture her, since she is obviously in hiding. I remembered something about how Aluxes could sense another person or Pokemon's mind, but I was starting to fall asleep against him and could not remember properly. I shook myself mentally and looked up at Aluxes' face.

   "Aluxes?" I whispered.

   "Yes?" He answered.

   "I'm starting to get tired."

   "Then sleep."

   "Well, I don't wanna leave you all alone while I sleep and you don't."

   "To be honest, I am getting quite tired myself."

   "Okay then," I said, snuggling closer to him. I reached for the blanket and pulled it up over us, covering us up to our shoulders. I pulled a pillow under my head as Aluxes pulled one under his. I looked up to his face once more.

   "Aluxes?"

   "Yes, Clement?"

   "I love you," I murmured, blushing and pulling myself closer to him.

   "I love you too," he replied, shifting himself slightly against me.

   I closed my eyes, the softness and warmth of his skin gently lulling me to sleep. My mind brought up the Hercilia subject, but I forced it from my thoughts, instead focusing on Aluxes' presence in my arms. I smiled slightly as I drifted to sleep, knowing that I had nothing to worry about as long as Aluxes was with me.

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   The morning dawned brightly the next day. I could feel the sunlight pushing against my eyelids, coaxing me to open them. I did, squinting into the light. I looked around and noticed I was laying on top of Aluxes. It seemed as though he had rolled onto his back with me rolling on top of him or something. I must have been thinking about Hercilia and everything too much. I sat up into a kneeling position over him and was thinking about how I would get off when he slowly opened his eyes. I laid back down against him.

   "Good morning Aluxes," I said sleepily.

   "A good morning to you too Clement," he replied, rubbing at his eyes.

   "Did you sleep okay?"

   "For the most part. You were tossing and turning all over the place last night. You almost fell off the bed. I pulled you onto me and held you still until I fell asleep myself."

   "I'm sorry," I said ashamedly, hiding my face against his chest spike.

   "It is fine, Clement. I am not even tired."

   I sat back up over him and traced patterns over his dark green chest. I followed the color as it crept up his arm to his hand, where I pushed my fingers through his three and held up our hands. He lay there, staring up at me with a soft smile on his face. I blushed slightly, smiling down to him. He really was beautiful, his pale skin seemed milky white in the glow of the morning sun. His green hair was spilled out behind his head as he lay on the bed. His wide, vermilion eyes took up a great deal of his face, leaving his mouth resting under them, the smile still on his lips. I noticed that he looked as if he did not have a nose, but decided not to care. He was looking back into my face lovingly, as his hands found their way onto my cheeks. He softly caressed my face, as his mind whispered into mine. I sat, almost melting in his hands. He slowly began guiding my face down towards his, and I dreamily obeyed, not paying any attention to what was happening. Our lips were mere inches apart as I heard my mom walking down the hall and come into my room.

   "Hey guys, are you-"

   She stopped mid-sentence as she looked at us. Aluxes' hands dropped from my face and I turned to look at her while Aluxes peered around me. Her eyes widened and then narrowed. I was suddenly aware of how I was sitting on Aluxes, and quickly tried to move off of him, going the wrong way and falling off the bed. I got up, red faced and tried to explain this to my mom.

   "Mom, it's not what you think."

   "What do I think?"

   I stopped. What did she think? What did I think?

   "Aluxes was having a fitful rest, so I pulled him on top of myself to hold him from injuring himself or myself. We had just barely awoken as you came into the room."

   She eyed us suspiciously. I laughed and scratched the back of my head with one hand. She sighed.

   "Well, now that I know the two of you are up, I would like you both to come help me tidy up the house and do laundry," she said as she walked from the room.

   I sighed as Aluxes rose from the bed and walked over to me.

   "I do not see what she finds so problematic."

   I blushed as I looked at him. "How could you not? She practically walked in on us doing it."

   He looked down at me, grinning. "So?"

   My eyes widened and my blush deepened several shades. Aluxes merely laughed and, grabbing my hand, led me from the room. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Aluxes sure was acting strange recently. Maybe it's that whole "me being his One" business. I tried to push the thoughts from my mind as we headed into the living room. I could see my mom standing, arms crossed, in the backyard next to a basket of laundry. We pushed aside the sliding glass door and stepped onto the grass to meet her.

   She looked us over and turned to the basket. I groaned.

   "We have to hang the laundry?"

   "Well, it is your clothes Clement. I think it's fair you at least help hang them."

   "Why don't we just get a dryer," I muttered as I reached into the basket.

   My mom had told me when I was young that she would not use a dryer for laundry. I had been at one of her friend's houses while she was at work one day, and I noticed them doing laundry. When I got home, I asked my mom about the machines. She told me that she preferred using a washing machine and letting the clothes air dry on a line. When I asked what was so special about the clothesline, she told me that the clothes absorbed some of the sun's light while they hung out there and that when you wore them, the sun's warmth would warm you and dry away any of your sadness. I smiled remembering this, I was only about five or six at the time and had believed her completely.

   We chattered pointlessly as we hung the clothes. I noticed Aluxes pause every so often when he had one of my shirts that had a design or intricate logo across the front. I wondered about this, and as if he read my mind, which he probably did, his voice entered my thoughts.

   "These are interesting," he commented.

   "Why?"

   "I find shirts to be pointless, yet they have such grand designs across them. Males have nothing to hide in that area. In fact we really have nothing to hide anywhere, but I guess human society has rubbed off on me," he said, plucking at his skirt.

   My mom laughed and I rolled my eyes at him, making him smile. I grinned to myself as I finished hanging the last article of clothing. My mom brought in the basket, while Aluxes and I went and plopped on the couch. She walked around, putting away various things while Aluxes and I sat on the couch, before she came to stand in front of the tv a few moments later.

   "I'm not done with you buys yet, I still need you two to help."

   "Okay mom," I sighed, getting up off the couch and following her with Aluxes beside me. She led us into the garage, where several boxes were laying on the floor, some on their sides.

   "I accidentally knocked over these boxes and I can't pick them up on my own," she explained when I looked at her curiously.

   "I can do it," I heard Aluxes think as he raised his arms in front of him. The boxes were surrounded by an odd colored aura as they shook, slowly raising from the ground. They stayed in mid-air for a few moments, before they glided onto the shelf, neatly stacked on top of one another. The aura dissipated as Aluxes lowered his arms. I crossed mine.

   "Show-off," I muttered, pretending to scowl in anger. He grinned and threw his arms around my shoulders from behind.

   "You know you like it," he said to my mind only.

   "You know I do," I murmured to him.

   My mom eyed us suspiciously and I pulled myself away from Aluxes, the blood rushing to my face as I looked at her embarrassedly. She turned and went into the house, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the living room.

   "Aluxes, can you give Clement and I a minute?"

   "No problem."

   Aluxes stayed in the garage as we went to the living room. My mom led me to the couch and sat me down, sitting across from me.

   "Clement, I think it's about time we talked."

   "About what?" I asked nervously. Was she going to restrict me from Aluxes?

   "I know there's a time in a young boy's life when certain things become more interesting to him."

   "I don't quite follow you," I said, narrowing my eyes. What was she going on about this time?

   She twisted her hands together while she thought. "Clement, I know I didn't raise you to do this, but are by any chance, um, doing anything with Aluxes that perhaps I don't know about?"

   My eyes widened and my face became deeply red. "Oh god, mom! Why are you even asking about this?"

   "Well, I know he's a Pokemon, and a him at that, but sometimes these things happen, and I want you to know you can come to me, I myself actually have some experience with-"

   "No more!" I moaned, covering my ears. "We aren't doing anything, can we please not talk about this?"

   "Clement, you shouldn't be embarrassed about talking with your mom about this, it's a natural body function. Sometimes fun-"

   "Mom!"

   "Okay, okay. I'll drop it for now, but I just want you to know you can talk to me about these things."

   I sighed, my face still reddened. "Yes, I know mom. If I can't talk to you, who can I?"

   She smiled. "That's my boy," she said, pulling me in with an arm and kissing my forehead. I smiled. She could be pretty weird at times, but she was there for me when I needed her.

   "Although, I really do wonder about you two. I've seen the way he looks at you, like he wants to-"

   "Enough!" I cried, jumping off the couch and walking to the garage. She sat there laughing as I stalked away, my face positively burning with embarrassment. As I walked into the garage, Aluxes stood there with a mischievous grin on his face.

   "What's up with you?" I asked as I walked to him.

   "Come now Clement, I think your mom really ought to know about us. She is worried to death that she might hear us one night-"

   "Not you too!" I said, putting my hands over my ears and blushing deeper.

   He laughed and embraced me. "I was only joking Clement."

   "I know," I sighed, "but It's still an embarrassing topic."

   He smiled, "Would you like to talk about it later tonight?"

   I stepped back from him, wide eyed and blushing deeper that his eye color. "W-w-what?!" I stammered in alarm.

   He stepped forward and embraced me again. "I was only joking again, I am sorry."

   "Please don't do that, my heart can't take this much beating in one day." It was busy fluttering away at the moment.

   He laughed, "Let us go back in the house for now."

   We walked back into the living room, and as I opened my mouth to say something, my mom shushed me and pointed to the t.v. We all listened.

   "Several more bodies have turned up today, each with the same cause of death as the other two we found yesterday. Police have increased their search efforts, but so far, have not been able to discover any helpful clues. They would like to inform everyone to be careful at night if they must walk the streets, but if you can avoid doing so, it would be highly recommended."

   We were silent for a few moments. I looked out the sliding glass doors and saw that the sun was low on the horizon, casting its red rays across the sky, creating the most brilliant shades of red and orange among the clouds. I turned to Aluxes, whose face plainly showed his pain and sorrow. I wrapped my arms around him. My mom stood.

   "I think I'll go make dinner now, you two occupy yourselves."

   She walked off into the kitchen, leaving us standing there.

   "Aluxes?"

   He reluctantly looked at me. I almost couldn't stand to look in his eyes.

   "Yes?"

   "I'm so sorry," I whispered, pushing my face against his chest. He brought a hand up to stroke my hair.

   "It is okay, Clement."

   "No, it's not. I can see it in your eyes Aluxes, you're not okay."

   He sighed and was silent for a moment, staring out at the sky.

   "You are right, I am not okay."

   "It's alright if you want to confide in me, Aluxes. That's what I'm here for. Aren't I your 'one'?"

   He looked at me suddenly. "Of course you are. I have not forgotten that, how could I? I just do not want to make you bear my pain."

   "That's nice of you, but I couldn't care less whether you wanted to or not. Besides, not telling me hurts even more."

   He smiled sadly. "Of course, Clement. Forgive me."

   I smiled and traced my hand along his chest. "Of course you're forgiven, as long as you confide in me."

   "It is just that Hercilia has been in my life for a long time, and she has even loved me, perhaps she still does. Yet now, she has become so furious towards the human race that she has begun killing them."

   "But we don't know that for sure, it could be someone or something else."

   "Clement, she is the only viable option. To believe something else is doing this would be foolish."

   I sighed. "You're right."

   "I only hope that this ends well for her, I do not want to think of losing her."

   "Of course not," I said, looking up at him. A tear slid down his cheek as he looked back at me. I gasped softly and squeezed him.

   "Come on, let's sit down."

   I led him to the couch and sat down alongside him. He lay against me this time, his face resting against my shoulder, as he let his tears flow. He did not sob or anything, but merely cried quietly. I sat there, stroking his head, murmuring to him that it would be okay.

   The sun had dropped considerably lower by the time my mom came into the living room to tell us that dinner was ready. Aluxes merely mumbled that he was not hungry. I got up to go eat and he closed his now tearless eyes. I walked slowly into the kitchen, looking back at him once I had reached the doorway. He was laying still on the couch, his eyes closed.

   I crossed the kitchen and sat at the dining table, a plate of lemon chicken and rice pilaf slowly steaming in front of me. My mom did not make this dish often, and when she did, I savored every bite, as it was extremely delicious. Yet now, sitting here staring at it, I had no appetite. My mom was looking at me questioningly, so I just said "Aluxes". She nodded, and I got up from the table, slowly walking into the living room again. Aluxes was laying in the exact same position as when I had left him, his eyes still closed. I lifted his head carefully and slipped onto the couch, letting his head rest in my lap. He didn't even stir, which made me even more sad for him. The sun had now disappeared behind the mountains resting on the horizon, giving me a strengthening darkness to stare out into. I thought while I stared, thought of how we were going to deal with this mess. It definitely wouldn't be easy, and I hardly dared voice my opinion that it wouldn't end nearly as well as Aluxes hoped it would. I softly stroked his hair, which was unusually smooth compared to a human's. As I wondered how his hair was so smooth, he stirred and opened his eyes.

   "We must go out tonight."

   "Why?" I asked quietly.

   "To see if we may find something the police overlooked."

   "If you want to, than I'm okay with it. We just need to be careful."

   "Of course."

   We didn't leave the house until my mom was snoring in her room. My dad was pulling an all-nighter tonight at work, so we didn't have to worry much about him. We carefully stole down the steps and out the front door, closing it ever so carefully. Once we were successfully out, we set off down the road towards town.

   The city was much different at night now. Buildings everywhere were without light; instead, cops were out with dogs and flashlights, prowling through the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the murderer. We knew they wouldn't, she was not stupid enough to get caught. We just had to be careful ourselves. Aluxes had picked me up and put e on his back so we could travel faster, something which helped me as I was starting to feel tired soon after we left the house.

   Aluxes silently jogged from street to street, searching the darkness with eyes as well as mind. Nothing really eventful happened, aside from us almost being sniffed out by one of the policeman's dogs. We had taken cover in an alleyway, and the dog had stopped in the street, turning its head toward us, nose searching the ground. The policeman stopped too, letting the dog sniff. Aluxes looked around and found the alleyway had a back exit, so we left along that and he ran along several more streets until we were well away from them.

   I was starting to nod off against him, my head drooping, then suddenly snapping up as I tried to stay awake, drooping, then snapping up. I had let it fall against him and was closing my eyes when he suddenly stopped, stiff. I jerked my head up once again and looked around wildly, seeing nothing but darkness around us.

   "Quiet Clement, I think I may have sensed something."

   We were near my friend Jacob's house, and here the lights were off also. As if something as trivial as that could prevent Hercilia from getting to you. Aluxes was looking towards Jacob's house, slowly creeping along the street. My heartbeat quickened with every step he took, as I anticipated what we would find. Sweat was starting to form on my brow, even in the cool of the night. I wiped it away shakily as Aluxes continued towards Jacob's house.

   As he neared their yard, he stopped, looking around confused. I looked around too, although my eyes would be of no help in this blackness.

   "The trail is gone," his thoughts stole into my own.

   "Should we head back?" I muttered into his ear, yawning after I had done so.

   "I think it would be for the best."

   We quickly moved down the streets, making our way home. The silence in the night was almost unbearable for me, it was so unsettling. Although, I think it was due to the fact that Aluxes was avoided any roads with policemen on them. We traveled alone and in silence. I tried to find something to look at, but with Aluxes moving and the dark of the night pressing around my eyes, I settled for closing them and instead thinking. We had come out in search of Hercilia and we had to return empty handed. I could almost feel Aluxes' disappointment. I knew he wanted to find her quickly, before she laid waste to the entire town. I think he wanted to find her for more personal reasons, though. I think he wanted his friend back.

   "You are right," his thoughts whispered.

   I felt my eyes welling up with tears. I laid my head against his back and hugged him tighter. He said no more as we went up the dusty road towards my house. He raised almost none of the dust, even with how fast he was moving. I was surprised, but too tired to notice or question it. All I could think about was the soft comfort of my bed; my head resting against the pillow, Aluxes laying by my side.

   We sneaked into the house as carefully as we had left. He slowly put me down once we were outside of my bedroom door. I quickly embraced him.

   "I'm sorry we couldn't find anything tonight."

   "As am I," his voice whispered into my mind, his arms coming up to wrap around me. He let me go and opened my door, leading us into the room. I walked sleepily, and bumped into him when he had suddenly stopped in the middle of the doorway. I rubbed my eyes and looked at his back.

   "What's up?" I whispered.

   He said nothing but walked into the room further. I followed, and immediately saw what made him freeze. My window was standing open, and a single sheet of paper was resting on my bed. My eyes went wide and my hands went up in front of my mouth. Aluxes was the one to pick up the note, read it quickly, and then hand it to me. I reached out with trembling hands and took the note from him.

_Â Â Â So, you two thought you could hide from me, did you? You are not safe from my wrath, Clement, and I shall have you yet. You have been lucky these nights past, but no longer. You will be mine soon, and I look forward to it greatly, no matter what I must do to catch you, little weasel.

  Â

   Love,

   Hercilia

   P.S. I do hope you do not die too quickly before I manage to enjoy myself._

   I stood with the letter, shaking violently. Aluxes came to me and held me tightly in his arms, taking the note and setting it aside. I could do nothing but stand in his arms. I wasn't safe from her either. Honestly, I should have expected this, but I hadn't even thought of it. Of course she wanted me the most of all, I am the object of Aluxes' desire. Now that she knew where I lived, there was nothing stopping her from coming to pluck me in the night as an apple is plucked from the tree.

   "It's not safe here."

   "Of course it is not. We shall be going to the village."

   I nodded silently, still shaking slightly. He held me close for a moment, before swinging me over his back and running downstairs, out the door and into the night, the darkness consuming us.