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Hey there everyfur! Because of my absence over the last week or so I've decided to bring you all something a little... different. Now as I mentioned yesterday with my post for art of Sebastian I was going to be changing things up a bit. I've said this many times before but I have been gifted with one of the most helpful, creative editors I could have ever imagined and I thank him every day for it, but I always feel bad that I get all the credit for the work I do when a majority of the ideas for each chapter come straight from him, I just write around them. So when he approached me asking if he could perhaps write up his own chapter, I jumped immediately at the idea and it has finally come to fruition today! So I bring you all this new interesting twist on Silent Soul from the POV of the Elijah's childhood friend, the quiet Bobcat Sebastian! Hope you all enjoy and I'll see you at the bottom of the page, but first... a message from the cool cat behind this chapter himself. :)

Hey everyone! I hope you'll all enjoy the newest chapter of A Silent Soul. My writing style contrasts a bit from Elijah's, and I apologize that this week's installment is a bit different from usual. I'd like to thank Elijah for this great and fun opportunity, I quite enjoyed writing this chapter from a perspective we have not seen yet in this story. If you are curious about what Sebastian looks like and haven't seen it yet, art for him should be available in Elijah's art folder. Thank you all for being so flexible, enjoy the story and we'll see you at the bottom of the page! --PestiLuke

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P.O.V. Change: Sebastian

Sitting quietly against my bed I read my book, a hardcover about a girl who learns she has superpowers, a guilty pleasure I always enjoyed. My phone buzzed next to my ear on the bed, making me jump. Placing a bookmark between the pages, I closed the novel and traded it for my phone.

I unlocked my phone and read the message Kylee had sent. "I can come ovr 2day rite?" She often came over to my dorm room to study for chemistry. She struggled with the content sometimes, but I think that's mostly because she has a hard time paying attention in class. I enjoyed her company either way, so I'm glad she felt comfortable asking me for help. Shrugging, I replied. "Of course, come over whenever."

Glancing up at the clock high on the wall, I noted the time before heading for the door to the bathroom.

Picking up a small bottle with the word 'Paxil' printed on it from the counter, I opened it, putting one of the small pills in my mouth before taking a sip of water from the faucet. I shook out my fur and looked at myself in the mirror for a moment, making sure my black pelt was groomed and my blue t-shirt wasn't tucked into my jeans anywhere. I closed my blue eye for a moment, pretending I had two green eyes. It bothered me sometimes that my eyes were two different colors, for symmetry's sake, but there was nothing I could do but pretend sometimes. Shaking my head at myself, I opened my eye and picked up a small comb. I brushed the stray gray hairs of my ears back into position, flicking my ears a few times for good measure.

A sudden knock on the door made me jump, and I quickly exited the bathroom, turning off the lights. I opened the door, and Kylee strode in confidently, carrying a few books as well as a notebook and several pencils in varying colors.

The sight of my friend caused my whiskers to twitch happily, and I closed the door as she settled on the floor, her books already strewn across the room. "Are you coming over or are you just going to stand there all day?" she asked, turning her head to face me. I nodded, walking delicately to avoid the books on the floor as I reached a safe spot.

Sitting down across from her, I pulled my own chemistry book from the shelf next to my bed and opened it. Kylee slapped open her book violently, something that was not uncommon, but I jumped at the sudden noise anyway. "Bit jumpy today? Then again, you're almost always jumpy. You're taking your medicine right? Oh man remember that one time when I came up and you..." her voice began to trail off, bushy tail swishing behind her impatiently as she spoke. I nodded blankly, eyes beginning to cloud as my own thoughts swarmed around me and pushed me under.

Kylee had been my best friend since Junior year of high school after we had both gone through a rough time. She had lost her best friend, and I had a girlfriend at the time, but it was not a healthy relationship. Ariel was her name, and I would have done anything for her. It was often that she took advantage of that, and I was regularly forced into doing things I didn't want. I think about her all the time, wondering if it's my fault that she did all those things to me.

Kylee was the one who finally made me realize how much she was ruining me, and she helped me escape that relationship. We clung to each other for dear life in those days, afraid of being left alone with nothing but our good intentions and bad decisions. We always held one another together then, even if we were determined to be the ones to break ourselves.

"HEY! Are you there??" A shrill yell of annoyance and a notebook slapping my knee snapped me back to the present, my heterochromic gaze slowly focusing on her own eyes. I blinked a few times, looking away. "Sorry..." I mumbled, clasping my hands together.

Her annoyed look softened into one of concern, and she placed a hand on my shoulder, a rare moment of kindness in her otherwise prickly and excitable self. I looked back at her thankfully. Instead of releasing my shoulder, she pulled me into a hug, her coarse fur warming my cheek. "Thanks for always being there." I whispered, grateful for her friendship. She giggled softly. "Same." She replied, before releasing me from the hug.

"Anyways," she began, her eyes sparking again with their usual light, "are we going to study, or what?"

We read through the content for an hour or two, stopping every few minutes when she would throw a piece of paper at me, or rip up tiny pieces of her notebook and sprinkle them on my head. At one point we paused to perfectly construct a paper airplane out of old notes.

She opened her phone to check messages, eyes widening. "Crap! Class starts in ten minutes. We should get moving." I glanced at the large digital clock on the wall. 4:48 PM. She began to collect the small pieces of paper littering the room as I stacked up her books on my bed.

Picking up her books in one graceful swoop, we exited the dorm, walking side by side in the afternoon heat. She turned to look at me, a look I knew all too well as her 'excited talking face.' "I love college life!" She spoke at her usual rapid pace. "It's so freeing and I can walk almost anywhere on campus! The classes suck sometimes, yeah, but I can see my friends every day if I want. The dining hall serves such good food..." This is how most of our conversations would go, she would talk to me about anything and everything that was on her mind, and I would nod my head or make small comments. It was completely fine with me, it was always fun to listen to her stories, and I'm glad we understood each other enough for her to know that I'm no good at casual conversation.

We arrived with a few minutes to spare, but the door was not open yet again. Our teacher's assistant has a knack for being late, but I don't mind a few extra minutes waiting. Vinesah was leaning against the wall across from the door to the lab room, and offered a small wave as we approached. Kylee fell silent, something I've noticed she only seems to do around the shy chinchilla. She's never told me why, and I don't want to pry into her personal business. Vinesah seems nice enough, and I wish I had the chance to befriend her without offending Kylee. I leaned against the wall next to her, placing myself between the two as usual.

We stood quietly for a few moments as more students began to pile up in front of the locked room. Spotting a pair of blue-and-white ears, I waved Elijah over to join us. "Is she late again? This happens way too often." Elijah frowned, casting an annoyed look at the door. "Agreed." I responded as the husky leaned on the other side of Vinesah, striking up a mild conversation with the gray rodent. Briefly, I wondered how he always seemed so confident, but before I could drown in my own thoughts again the professor's assistant, our usual teacher, arrived looking flustered and unlocked the door.

Today we were performing reactions and measuring the amount of energy released as heat using calorimeters. We spent much of our time simply gathering materials and setting up trials for Elijah as he was fairly experienced with the lab already and did a lot of the work, he always seemed to excel at this sort of thing.

My phone buzzed in my pocket as class was beginning to end, and I pulled it out to read the message. My three other groupmates did the same. Rachel had sent out a group message reading "Hey losers, we're eating together in the cafeteria after you get out of class, make sure you're there."

My whiskers twitched slightly in amusement. Rachel had a distinct way of talking to people, but she had good intentions and was generally a nice person. I was surprised she had Vinesah and Kylee's number. I looked up at my friends for confirmation. Elijah was doing the same. "Are you guys coming?" he asked, directing the question at all three of us. Kylee spoke up first. "Of course! You guys are super cool to hang out with, and I have to go get food anyway. I was just telling Sebastian earlier that--" I poked her in the shoulder, smiling at her sheepishly. She could talk all day, but right now was not the time. She looked at me confusedly for a moment before understanding bloomed in her eyes and she shut her mouth. "I'd be fine with going." I answered, turning to Vinesah for her answer. She nodded, exchanging a look with Elijah.

His ears perked with sudden excitement. "Hey, is it okay if I invite my friend Riley? He's really cool and I'm sure you guys would like him."

I tilted my head. "Riley, as in Riley from high school?" I questioned. I had never been close friends with the tall german shepherd, but I would see him in the hallways occasionally in years past.

He nodded vigorously, tail thumping against the metal stool. "I didn't know he was here until a few days ago! This would be a great chance for the whole gang to meet him."

All three of us nodded. "He sounds like a cool guy, I love making friends!" Kylee blurted out, looking at Elijah excitedly.

"Great! I'll just let Rachel know we're coming, as well as Riley." He sent the confirmation message to Rachel and began typing one to his high school friend as we all began to stand up, stretching from the hours of sitting.

"Meet you there!" Was all Kylee said as she practically ran down the hall, books in arms, bushy tail swishing behind her.

I blinked at the blue-tinged husky. "I have to go drop my books off in my room. I'll see you in the cafeteria." He nodded at me, and I walked off, enjoying the evening air as it rustled through the leaves of the trees. I had always enjoyed the outdoors and today was no different. I returned my books to their usual spot on a shelf in my dorm room and locked the door again, staring up at the darkening indigo sky as I strolled unhurriedly to the cafeteria.

I flinched as I opened the door and entered the lunchroom, startled by the uproar of shouting voices. Loud noises and crowds were some of my more distinct fears, making it especially hard to do things sometimes. Flattening my ears against the seemingly deafening sound I searched for my friends in the mob of boisterous college kids. I sighed thankfully when I spotted them a good distance from the large crowd.

I slid into a chair, exchanging greetings. It seemed the whole gang was here, other than Rachel and Riley. "You gonna go get food?" Kylee asked, chewing on her meal. I glanced over at the rough crowd surrounding the salad bar, dread swirling in my stomach. I shook my head, offering half a smile. "No thanks, I'm not hungry." She shrugged and returned to her meal.

Jasper and Elijah were huddled close together, practically eating off of the same plate. My heart warmed and an ear twitched happily. I was worried for Elijah in the beginning, Jasper had seemed like the type to use someone up and throw them away. I was extremely glad to learn that was not the case, and Jasper had been a very good addition to the husky's life. He has helped Elijah a great deal through the tragic death of his mother and I hope they continue to help each other. That's what a partner should be for.

I shook myself, knowing where my train of thought was headed if I didn't change it. I didn't want to think of her ever again.

On the edge of my vision a tall figure caught my eye, and I turned to look. Swiveling my head to glance at the approaching individual, I recognized him immediately. At a little over six foot, with his red-tipped hair and similarly red bandana, Riley was never one to blend into a crowd easily. Had he gotten even taller since high school?

Sliding into a seat beside Elijah they exchanged a fist bump. "Guys, this is Riley, a really good friend from high school." The shepherd offered a cool guy 'what's up' nod that was brightly contrasted with his friendly smile. "This is Sebastian," Elijah gestured to me and I waved shyly in response, "Kylee--" "Oh my gosh it's so nice to meet you!" she interrupted hyperactively. "And Vinesah." Elijah continued as if nothing happened.

Before we could further our introductions, a russet-colored hand slammed down on the table, making me jump yet again. Rachel raised her hand, revealing what appeared to be a flyer from her grasp. "Guys, look at this! Anyone up for a little bit of fun?" She exclaimed with an excited glimmer in her eyes.

Elijah picked it up first, reading it out loud for the rest of us to listen. "It's a fundraiser for Rawleigh's Hospital for children. $5 admission." He paused as he skimmed over the flyer. "There will be a game of capture the flag on the North Lawn at 9:30.. It's happening tonight! Are we going to go?!"

Elijah looked around the table at all of us, ears raised in interest. "I'm down." Jasper answered first, scratching behind Elijah's pointed ears affectionately. Riley nodded vigorously in agreement. "That sounds really fun, I'm in!" "I'll go with you guys." Vinesah responded quietly.

I opened my mouth, but Kylee beat me to it. "Sebastian and I will go! I LOVE capture the flag." I faced her for a moment but nodded in agreement. I usually don't like playing games, but I'm glad the money will be used to help others. Plus my friends will be there.

Glancing down to my watch I took note of the time. 8:46 PM. "It's going to start soon, should we head out?" I suggested, looking around as everyone finished up their meals. Jasper nodded as Elijah stood up, Rachel pacing impatiently next to the table, eyes bright with excitement. I stood, pushing in my chair and walked over to stand next to Rachel, waiting for everyone else to clean up their plates.

We walked outside into the cooling night air, Rachel in the lead, followed closely by Jasper and Elijah with Riley trailing close behind. I blinked down at the short chinchilla, who was walking by my side. I flicked my ears back, worrying like I always do. I knew the others would be fine, but Vinesah was so timid, I hoped she wouldn't feel overwhelmed in the game.

She turned to face me, noticing my look. "What?" she asked, her tiny voice squeaking. I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed. "Nothing. I was just... Are you sure you want to play?" I asked, immediately regretting the question when her ears snapped back in offense. "Why? Because I'm smaller than you?" she challenged, an edge to her voice as she glared up at me. I bowed my head to avoid her gaze, shame burning hot in my fur. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant..." I trailed off, unsure how to express my concern without accidentally belittling her. She narrowed her eyes at me and with a soft 'Hmph' she walked faster to catch up with the three in the lead.

Kylee tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a curious look. I shook my head. "It was my fault." I sighed, shoulders slumping.

We walked a bit further, the excitement quickly building within our group for the game. By the time we arrived at the North Lawn, most of the lights around campus had turned on. It was pretty secluded up here, with just a small parking lot off to the side to provide light on the field.

Around the entrance to the field were a few neon-clad volunteers handling admission and handing out similarly neon team numbers to be pinned on. With a bit of convincing from Rachel, we were all allowed to be on the same team. I reached the front of the line for payment, noting the numbers my friends were holding past admission. Team 4. I stepped forward, a short and bulky rhino holding out his hand. "Admission is five dollars." he stated gruffly at me. Hastily, I pulled out the money needed and a neon green number 4 was handed to me, as well as two safety pins.

"Bastian, we're over here." Elijah called to me, waving his arm. Jogging over to my team, we waited for the last few people to get their teams and attach their team numbers. A stout guinea pig joined our team as the last member to our group of eight, looking just as excited as we felt. Rachel bobbed energetically, throwing a few punches into the air for good measure. My whiskers twitched, amused. "I hope you're not going to be punching anyone, I don't think that's part of the game." I joked. She turned on me, feigning seriousness. "Hey, it's us or them! And I'm in it to win it."

A loud whistle sounded behind us and we turned to see a bear with two flags in each hand; two orange and two green. "Alright, everyone! First of all, I'd like to thank you all for coming." she called out, her voice echoing through the empty field. "There will be two games going on at once, one in the parking lot and one here, on the field. But before we start and divide into games, I have a couple of rules to go over. Rule one! If you get tagged while on the opposing side, you get sent to jail, which will be marked by the presence of Benny and Sandra on the field, Albert and Ryan for the parking lot." She gestured to the tough-looking rhino and a lithe doe, as well as a young crocodile and a zebra. All four had neon shirts on, making them stand out starkly against the darkness.

"Rule two!" she continued, "No standing within five feet of your team's flag! If caught guarding closer than five feet, you will be sent straight to jail." I nodded, glancing around at my team members who were all listening intently to the brown bear. "Rule three! You can be broken from jail if a teammate grabs your hand and takes you back to your side of the field without getting caught." She paused, thinking for a moment. "Rule four! The flag only needs to be carried to the center line of the field to win! If you're tagged with the flag, it goes straight back to where you picked it up."

She went over a few more rules, such as where is appropriate to tag, what would be considered fighting and the consequences, and how volunteers at the event would fill in empty spots on teams with fewer members. She also explained that this was a bracket style tournament, if you lost your game you were out, if you won, you'd move on.

"Not a very forgiving game, is it?" Elijah mumbled to Jasper, raising an eyebrow.

"That's all the basic rules! Teams 1 and 3 will start off in the parking lot, teams 2 and 4 will be on the field. The four other teams will wait near where you all paid admission for their turns." She handed Benny and Sandra each a flag, instructing them to put them on either side of the large field.

"Huddle up!" I heard Jasper call, beckoning us over as the other teams streamed to their respective locations. Bunching close together, we began hatching a strategy. Just as we agreed a whistle sounded, indicating the game had begun.

I jogged back a bit towards our flag, watching as the guinea pig and Rachel took opposite sides of the field. With keen eyes I tracked Elijah and Jasper's progress into enemy territory as they ducked into clumps of tall grass, the darkness concealing them. I had no problem seeing them through the gloom, that was part of the reason that I was instructed to hang back and defend.

Rachel had already begun chasing off invaders quite effectively; hiding in the grass and jumping out to scare the daylights out of them.

Suddenly, Elijah and Jasper shot out of their hiding place, heading straight for the flag. I heard the shrill sound of the guinea pig's laugh as a defending goat and armadillo fell for the bait, chasing after the duo as they ran like maniacs all over the field.

Quick as lightning, Kylee, Vinesah, and Riley bolted from their hiding spot on the opposite edge of the field, Vinesah snatching up the flag easily. A muscular horse stared her, eyes bulging. "Idiots! They have our flag!" He began to run after them.

The three were sprinting down the middle of the field, Kylee and Riley flanking Vinesah on either side. I couldn't help but smile, Kylee looked so protective of her small teammate at the moment. And Vin, there was no trace of the timid chinchilla in her form, her face etched with confident determination as she raced closer to the middle ground. Their feet pounded on the hard ground as they skirted a few clumps of taller grass. Out of nowhere jumped a raccoon, tagging Riley on the back with swift hands. "Keep going! You've got this!" he cheered as he slowed from his rush.

Panic sparked in the fluffy rodent's eyes as she glanced back at her pursuers; practically the whole team was after them now.

"Ack!" Kylee screamed as she stumbled over a patch of grass, falling behind into the swarm of enemy players. She was quickly overtaken by the orange team, tagged several times as they passed in pursuit. "You're so close! I believe in you!" I yelled, an unusual flare of competitiveness filling me.

Just as it appeared she was going to be caught, she raced across the line in the middle of the field, winning the game. Her eyes filled with the thrill of victory and she threw the flag on the ground, raising her hands in triumph. I jogged closer, ready to congratulate her on that fantastic game.

The opposing horse, who apparently had a knack for causing trouble with our group, stormed up to her and pushed her down to the ground, rage burning in his eyes. "She cheated! I saw it!" He screamed, raising his hand as if to slap her as Vinesah cowering on the ground, terrified.

Without thinking I sprinted between them, the claws of my feet ripping up grass as I slid to a halt in front of him. Snarling savagely I met the much more muscular form of the horse, claws extended and teeth bared, protective viciousness exploding in my chest. "Back away." I growled, short tail lashing and sharp fangs exposed. He hesitated slightly, the anger in his eyes threatening to burn a hole straight through me as we stared each other down.

Before it could turn into an all-out fight, Benny stepped between us, facing the horse. "Hey, you're done guy. You knew the rules, No fighting."

He glared past the rhino at the cowering chinchilla once more, then to me, and stomped off.

I stood up, relaxing my claws and blinking a few times to disperse my murderous glare. I turned to face Vinesah who was already being helped up by a concerned Elijah, Riley just behind him.

"What the heck just happened?" Rachel asked, jogging up.

"Nothing good if it involved that prick." Jasper responded, the words leaving his mouth like venom as he glared after the horse. He turned to face me, fury burning passionately in his green-eyed gaze. "What did he do?"

It was Vinesah who answered. "He... He pushed me to the ground. I thought he was going to.. to hurt me. But Sebastian leapt in front of me." she looked up at me gratefully.

"I've never even seen Bastian angry. He looked terrifying." Rachel said with a shiver and a glance my way.

"Hey, are you okay? You're shaking." Elijah asked me. Kylee peeked from behind him, looking anxious.

I looked at him blankly, not registering his words for a moment before I looked down at my hands. They were shaking badly. I gave a half-hearted giggle, I tend to laugh when I'm nervous. I was beginning to have a panic attack. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just going to go sit down for a bit. You guys keep playing." Elijah tried to walk after me but Kylee stopped him, leaning up to whispering something in his ear.

I began to walk on shaky legs to the edge of the field closest to the trees. Slumping down as my legs gave out on me, I brought my knees to my chest and closed my eyes, focusing on the sound of the breeze flowing through the leaves and the crickets chirping in the night.

I've never been in a fight before, if that even counted as one. My heart still was still beating rapidly and my breath continued its erratic escape.

About half an hour passed, I think, as I sat and simply tried to relax and stop shaking. After a while, I heard shuffling and a small thump as someone sat down beside me.

"I never actually thanked you for what you did. So, thanks." a small voice whispered. I opened my eyes to the soft form of Vinesah, her face highlighted in the emanating light from the parking lot.

Resting my head on my knees, I twitched my ears. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. You did great out there." I paused, searching for the words. "I was worried you would feel overwhelmed, I guess I didn't take you for the competitive sort."

She shrugged minimally. "Well, you were kinda right. But I'm having fun, and I'm glad I'm came."

She stood up, shaking out her fur in the night chill. "We're starting another game if you think you can come. We've already won our second game and if we win this one, we win the whole tournament." she stated, small whiskers twitching in determination.

I nodded and stood up as well, relieved to find my legs willingly supported me once again. We walked back to the others in comfortable silence, but I did not miss the annoyed glance Kylee gave me when she saw Vinesah and I walking together.

We all played our best in the final game, Riley and Jasper swooping in from opposite sides to distract, Elijah running up the middle while Vinesah and Kylee stalked through the grass; but the game ended after a 15 minute stalemate, since both teams had many of their offensive players in jail. It was decided that we both won in a tie. Luckily, they had planned ahead in case there were two winning teams, so we both got our extremely valuable plastic trophy cups.

Jasper went up to accept the cup on behalf of the team, turning back to us like an excited pup once he had his hands on it. Walking back graciously with the cup hoisted over his head he rejoined the group.

"I, Jasper McHugh, award this trophy to tonight's MVP." Friendly suspense hung in the air as we all waited for him to pick. He knelt down dramatically before thrusting the trophy towards Vinesah, who looked shocked and a little afraid. "Vinesah! I give you this trophy on behalf of that incredible play in our first round."

I repressed a smile. Jasper wasn't usually this animated in public.

Cautiously she reached out a hand and touched the trophy, looking around at all our faces to make sure we approved of Jasper's pick. "You did a great job out there Vin." I said, adding a friendly nod to let her know that it was all right to take it.

All of us clapped as she accepted the cup, excluding Kylee who looked on, her face unreadable. I sighed inwardly at her behavior. Her and I really need to talk about what's going on later.

We all strolled in a big group back to the dorms, the more energetic members of our group consisting of Kylee, Rachel, Jasper, and Riley all loudly sharing stories of their greatest moments in the games, occasionally trying to reenact them by jumping on each other.

I smiled at them, walking quietly just a bit behind. It's so good to see them happy, I'm glad we could all be together tonight.

I paused as they began to walk past my dorm, I knew it was my time to go.

"This is my dorm, guys." I called from behind them, causing them to whirl and double back.

Kylee ran up and hugged me goodbye, while Vinesah offered a small, polite wave.

"You were great out there standing up to him Bastian, Buck is a huge asshole." Jasper commented, laying a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm glad I got to come. Thanks for inviting us." I nodded to Rachel, the russet fox waving happily in response.

"See you later, Bastian!" Elijah called from over his shoulder as he jumped enthusiastically onto Jasper's back for the rest of the walk back to their respective dorms.

I waved as they went, then entered my room, sighing contentedly at the silence that followed the door closing. Flicking on the lights, I wandered over to my bed where the comforting hardcover book lay. I picked it up, crossing my legs to sit with my back against the bed. I opened it, retrieving the bookmark, and continued reading.

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Now I don't know about you guys but I just about screamed the first time I read this because of how fantastic it was. Now of course he came to me with ideas on what to write about and I confirmed certain things for him, but everything with the exception of Riley's dialogue is written by him. So guys please if you enjoyed this chapter and would perhaps be interested in seeing more of this later on be sure to go flood the comments with praise and whatnot for Mr. Sebastian. See you all again soon, hope you enjoyed! :D