My Literature

Pretty much stories with my characters in them that i was too lazy to write on paper.




"No, really. That's very interesting. Please, go on. I apologize greatly, from the bottom of soul and depths of my heart, for interrupting your lecture about why we shouldn't go through a city when we have human form. It's obvious I have failed to see the error of my ways!" Mayhem said to Phobia as he walked pass her, heading Northeast toward a large city called New York City. He was getting tired of hearing Phobia's many excuse of why they, meaning Mockery, Mayhem, and she, couldn't go through a city. The three were heading for the East Coast to Phobia's homeland that was somewhere in the Middle East. They had been arguing for hours, while Mockery just followed silently along.

They had all obtained human form a while back. Phobia had long brown hair that came down below her shoulders and she was around 5'5, and looked to be in her twenties. Mockery, Mayhem's little brother, was 6'0 and looked to be in his teens. He had piercing blue eyes and a claw-mark shaped scar across his left cheek. Mayhem looked the strangest of them all. For starters, he was unusually tall at 6'6 and still had wings. His hair was short, coming down to his ears but not over his eyes, and was solid black with a bright red highlight. They all had ragged clothes, which had been torn by branches and thorns from travelling. Even Phobia's cloak was starting to tear.

"I'm serious. You know, if we got caught, they'd send you back to a lab. Do you really want to risk that, stupid?" Phobia said, having a firm grip on her blade inside her cloak. She was getting annoyed.

"Pho, I'm immortal, I can turn into a fricken skeleton, I have incredible strength, I can run faster than any human, and I have wings. Do you REALLY think I'd be in a lab for more than 2 seconds?" Mayhem said, walking ahead, crunching leaves as he went. "And besides, if I fold my wings up like this, you can hardly see them under my shirt." He finished, furling in his wings tight against his back under his shirt. He looked like he was born with a spinal disorder. Phobia laughed.

"Yea, if you count a giant lump under your shirt as 'barely visible.' We're NOT going in a city." She growled. Mayhem's eyes turned to a dark red as he turned around, towering over her.

"Yeah, we are." That was all he said, then he turned back around and continued onward. Phobia looked angry while Mockery looked frightened. Phobia was an excellent Assassin. She could take down enemies twice her size without them having a chance to strike back. But a battle with Mayhem would've been unfair, and Mayhem would've never done it, nor would she. They were best friends, but they both a strong personality

-to be continued-

Phobia mutterred a low growl, shoving onward with Mockery behind her. Mayhem had his hands in his jean pockets, and his head was slumped over. He hated fighting with Phobia.

About a half hour later, Mockery spoke, with an annoyed tone in his voice.

"Why don't we just fly to New York?" He asked as they trudged through the dead leaves and brush.

"Well, a flying wolf is pretty strange, even for New York City, Mockery. It would be even stranger if the flying wolf had an assassin and teenager riding him." Mayhem said without looking back. Mockery didn't say anything.
Suddenly, Mayhem paused and held up his hand so the others would stop as well. His eyes widened.

He grabbed the hood of Phobia's cloak and Mayhem's jacket and jerked them back five feet. Not a second later, a whizz of air flew past their faces; a dagger had planted itself in the tree in front of them.

"Oh shit." Mockery mumbled. Mayhem changed to his wolf form, his wings unfurled, as did Phobia. She had her blade out.

-to be continued-

Mockery stayed in his human form. He had a better chance that way.

All three of them were scanning the forest for any hint of movement. Mayhem's wings twitched from agitation and anticipation. Phobia held her blade down with her paw.

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell from the trees. It was trailed by a long black cloak, similar to Phobias. The stranger took off his hood, revealing a jackal-like face. The jackal's fur was a dark red. He had a big, crooked grin on his face.

"Abelben!" Phobia said, releasing the blade and running up to him. "What the hell? Throwing a blade? Trying to kill us?"

"Just a little joke. But what about you? Are these...things....prisoners of yours?" Abelben said, looking past her and toward the two brothers.

Mayhem laughed. "Prisoners? I'd love to see her try. Phobia's my friend, and this is Mockery, my brother." He said and stepped toward the jackal.

"....But he's human. How are you brothers?" As if on cue, Mayhem shifted to his tall, dark human form. Phobia did the same. Abelben gasped.

"We obtained human form." Phobia mutterred.



"....I see....." Abelben mumbled.

"Do you now? Well obviously you couldn't see what you were throwing that blade at. It would've killed them if I hadn't jerked them back." Mayhem said angrily.


"Well, usually, Phobia hears me. Since she's been out of training so long, I guess she's become sloppy. We used to throw blades at each other all the time when we were kids." He said matter-of-factly.

Mayhem glanced at Phobia. "I'm a bad infulence." He grinned. "You're losing your touch, miss."


Phobia narrowed her eyes up at Mayhem. "I am NOT. I'm just not used to hearing blades flying through the air anymore, because I've been stuck with you two."

"Like I said, I'm a bad infulence." Mayhem snickered and softly hit her arm. She didn't looked amused.




-to be continued-

Phobia sighed angrily and ignored the punch. He wasn't worth it.

"So, where you headed?" Abelben asked curiously.

"Don't think that's your business, shrimp." Mayhem said, walking up to Abelben and towered over him. His wings were unfurled. Abelben had never seen a human with wings before. Phobia scowled at Mayhem.

"Back home. I, er...forgot something." Phobia lied. She hadn't told anyone, not even Mayhem why they were returning. As usual, Mayhem didn't question her.

"Oh really? Mind if I come with?" Abelben asked. "We can save those two for a fight later. I'd take 'em easily." He whispered in Phobia's ear, now that she had shifted back to her wolf form. Mayhem remained a human. He seemed to enjoy it. Phobia narrowed her eyes.

"I heard that." Mayhem said firmly. His arms were crossed and his eyes were a light red, a sign of coming anger. "And you have no idea of my abilities."

"He's right, Abelben. Just stay out of it." Phobia folded her ears back. "Even you couldn't fight him off, much less outrun him..." Phobia mumbled the last part so Abelben couldn't hear. Mayhem grinned from ear to ear, because he clearly heard it.


"Well what's stopping me from following you, smartass?" Abelben snarled in Phobia's face. She stood her ground, showing no emotion.

Mayhem snarled in return, taking a step forward. His eyes were maroon. There was something in his eyes Phobia had never seen before.

Mockery stepped out of his quietness. "Hey, stop it, before I kick everyone's ass."


The small group roared with laughter. It was rude, but if Phobia couldn't take them on, then Mockery definately couldn't, considerring his size, age, and inexperience.


Mockery growled and stomped off a few feet into the forest. Mayhem stopped laughing and kind of glided up to meet him, using help from his wings. He caught Mockery's elbow with an gentle yet unbreakable grip.

"Hey, come on buddy. We're joking." Mayhem picked him up and carried him by his side like a dog, as if he Mockery didn't weigh much at all, and carried him back to the group, despite his frequent punches on Mayhem's stomach.


-to be continued-

Mayhem set Mockery down, and Mockery glared up at his brother, though Mayhem had turned his attention back to Abelben.

"You're not coming, Abelben. Respect my wishes, alright?" Phobia growled in his face.

Abelben folded his ears back. "You've changed Phobia. You're not that ruthless, low-tolerance-for-bullshit girl I knew back in the Middle East. I'll respect your wishes, but I want you to know that I've grown less trust worthy of you. Esepcially with these two bodyguards with you. You never needed anyone before."

Phobia and Mayhem growled at the same time, their cold eyes locked on the assassin.

"They are not my bodyguards. I can take care of myself, just like I did years ago." She retorted.

"Yeah, and just then you almost got killed by a single blade. Now tell me you haven't changed, Phobia. You have." Abelben said, concern expressed in his face and words. Before she could say more, he had seemed to disappear into the tree he landed from, slender as a shadow.

The trio sat there for a moment in silence, then Phobia sighed angrily and walked past them, towards the coast again.

Mayhem caught up with her, Mockery running to keep pace.

"Oh come on, Phobia. You haven't changed. Your still bad ass, trust me." Mayhem implied, his way of comfort.

Phobia stopped. She turned around to look at them.

"I know I haven't changed...I just....I..." She stuttered, searching for the right words. "Look, a lot of people have told me I've changed...but the truth is...I've just found myself. Who I really am, who I would've been if I wasn't forced into being an Assassin. And that's who I plan to be, for the rest of my life." Then she continued forward, confidence in her voice.


Mayhem had a crooked grin on his face. He looked down at his brother.

"She's turning into you, you know." Mockery said, looking up at Mayhem.

Mayhem watched as Phobia raced ahead into the forest.

"Yeah. I just don't know if that's good or bad." He chuckled, then grabbed Mockery and held him to his torso.
He took off, his wings flinging them into the air, and catching up with their killer companion.

-to be continued-

"Oh no!" Phobia cried when they reached the edge of the forest. Bright lights and sounds of traffic filled her ears, making them twitch.

"Mayhem!" She yelled. As if on cue, Mayhem landed on the ground with a thud, releasing Mockery from his arms.

"Yeah?" He said casually, leaned against a tree. She knew there was a reason he had remained human for quite so long. They had ended up in New York City, where he had wanted to go.

"Look out there. Tell me what you see."

"I see...a lot of buildings, some cars, humans, traffic-" He rambled on.

"You led us to New York you idiot!" She shouted at him coldly. His eyes remained a happy green. He was used to Phobia's temper.

"Actually, I led you 3/4 ths of the way, then you took over once Abelben showed up. And you kept going in the direction I was." He said matter-of-factly.

"You little..." She didn't say the end of her sentence, but instead turned human. It was unbelievable how much a different Phobia and Mayhem were. It was like a cat and a mouse.

"Let's get this over with." Mockery suddenly said, and stepped out into the smooth, cut grass of New York.

-to be continued-

"See this isn't so bad." Mayhem said. He had bought a new hoodie for himself at the first store they came across. It was a lot thicker, and it hid his wings better.

"I still don't understand how you got out of there without paying for it, and without the police on your tail." Mockery commented to him as they walked along the thick, night-time streets of New York. Phobia hadn't said a word, she just kept walking along, the hood of her cloak over her eyes.

"Phobia, lighten up. We'll find an airport soon enough." Mayhem hissed under his breath. He wanted them all to have a good time and not be afraid for once.

"Oh sure, like I WANTED to get on a plane, when we have a flying wolf right here who's strong enough to get us to the Middle East. Why would I want that?!" She growled loudly at him, her brownish black bangs falling into her eyes. Mayhem grabbed her head and pulled her to his side, his hand over her mouth.

"Shut up!" He snarled at her quietly, then released her.

"Mayhem, if you ever do that-"

"It's Justin. Well, it is while we're around humans. You're Jessica remember? And Mockery is Jack. For some reason, our original names are odd to humans." He said, glancing around the street.

-to be continued-

Phobia mutterred something that sounded somewhat like a growl, and Mayhem gave her a warning glare as a passer by glanced at her strangely.

They walked for quite a while, passing many food carts and stores.

"I should've brought a leash for Mock-I mean Jack." Mayhem said, trying to make a joke about Mockery's wandering, wanting eyes. Mockery glared at him. Phobia just moved silently along, like a shadow on the sidewalk. She was obviously still angry about earlier.

After another half hour, a plane soared over them. A large, commerical plane.

"I bet the airport is around here some-Hey look, I found it." Mayhem said, pointing to a sign above a large, glass door. He walked in, followed by his brother and Phobia.

Inside, almost everything was made of glass. There were a HUGE amount of people, and by looking at Phobia's face, you could tell she didn't like it. Mayhem smiled wryly at her.

"Something wrong, Jessica?" Mayhem asked sarcastically as they searched the large, electric signs over head for a plane heading to the Middle East.

"You know I don't like people. I don't exactly hate them, but I'm happier when they're not around. You know that, too." She mumbled angrily. As her two companions dazed over the sparkling glass walls, the small concession stands, and anything new to their eyes, she found a sign reading: IRAN-LAST PLANE-9:45.

She went over and grabbed Mayhem by his jeans, and he yelled in surprise. She emptied out his pockets: some cash, pocket lint, a paperclip, and finally, what she was looking for, his watch.

"9:32. If we have enough money, we can take that plane over there and fly to Iran." Phobia said, and grabbed Mockery's hood. She jerked them along, cutting in front of the large line that stood in front of the sign and desk. A short, young, blonde headed woman was selling last minute tickets.

"No cutting in line, ma'am." The woman said to Phobia when they reached the front desk. Mayhem's eyes clouded over, creating a darker green. Then he smiled. Phobia looked up at him, then back at the woman.

"We need to get on this plane. Now." Phobia said, counting the money she stole from Mayhem's pocket. "I have 35 dollars. Will that be enough?" She asked in a demanding voice. But the woman didn't hear. She was looking up at Mayhem, her eyes fixed on his. And he was smiling, evily. She raised an eyebrow as the woman gave her three tickets and opened the gate to get in.

"That won't be necessary, please, go in." She said in a monotone. They went through, and as soon as she had left Mayhem's gaze, she gasped and shook her head.

The trio walked through, had their tickets punched, and boarded the plane. It was crowded. They took their seats, waiting.

"So, what was that?" Phobia asked Mayhem. He smiled.

"What was what?" He asked sarcastically.

"You know what." she said warily. "Sometimes, Mayhem, you scare me." Mayhem frowned down at her.

"Why would I scare you? You know I'd never hurt you." he said sincerely. Phobia raised an eyebrow.

"I was kidding." she said.

"Oh."

-to be continued-

The three sat in silence, but Mockery looked like he was about to barf. Mayhem put his hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" Mayhem asked.

"I've never flown before." Mockery mumbled lowly.

Mayhem laughed. "I'm not too happy about this either, but it's our only option. I would've preferred my wings more than anything." he whispered. "Relax." Mayhem laid back in his seat, and looked to his left.

Phobia was gone.

"Where'd she go?" Mayhem asked frantically to the empty seat.

"I'm not sure, I didn't see her get up." Mockery replied. Mayhem's eyes turned to a dark red. He stood up and walked over to the flight attendant. He towered over her; she was a young, black haired woman. She gasped as she turned around, almost bumping into Mayhem.

"Have you seen a brown haired girl, maybe a foot shorter than me? With a black cloak on and jeans?" He asked, trying to sound calm.

"Y-yes, sir." the flight attendant stammerred. "She went back in the coach area, away from this first class area." She pointed to a door that lead to the back side of the plane. He nodded a quick thanks and walked through it. Once he got through, he immediately spotted her. She was opening the emergency exit to the plane.

What the hell? Mayhem thought as he strode towards her. People were shushing at him, warning him to sit down. But he didn't listen. The plane engine roared to life, and they took off, sending Phobia flying back into Mayhem's chest, and he fell to the ground with her. They laid there until the plane had entered a cruising altitude; the emergency exit had been closed by the force of the plane soaring into the air.

Mayhem stood up, his hand around her wrist tightly. He glared at her, his eyes dark red.

"What the hell were you doing??" He asked angrily as he jerked her back to their seats. He set her down and took his seat beside her. Mockery watched them.

Phobia sighed angrily. She leaned up to his ear and whispered, "There is another Assassin on this plane. I don't know who yet...I can't recongize them in human form."

Mayhem seemed surprised, and his eyes returned to a normal green, finding the explanation reaosnable.

"How do you know?" he asked warily.

"I'm not sure, it's one of those sixth senses that pop up at random moments. But this Assassin knows who were are, I can tell, and it's not too happy about it."

"Do you think it's Abelben?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I have no idea. I don't know how he could've gotten human form like us. But he might've. I don't know, Mayh-...Justin." She said, trying to fix her mistake of almost calling him Mayhem.

"That still doesn't explain why you were opening the emergency exit, Jessica." He said.

She narrowed her eyes. "I never said he was in the plane...I have a hunch he might be flying solo, in other words, in the cargo pit or even under the wing." She said coldly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, just sit tight. If this thing crashes, I need to know where you and Mockery are. If it crashes over the ocean, I'm making sure a flying wolf, Assassin and brother make it out alive. You hear me?" He said seriously.

Phobia smiled faintly, and nodded. "As long as you let me handle the Assassins."

Mayhem laughed. "Not by yourself, no." Then he laid his chair back, his arms behind his head. "Might as well rest." He mumbled to her. Mockery was already laid back, asleep.

She sighed, and laid her chair back, too. She pulled the cloak hood over her eyes and turned over. Mayhem watched her closely, knowing she wasn't asleep, and making sure she didn't try to go after the Assassin again.


-to be continued-

Mayhem opened his eyes.

"Fuck!" he mumbled, his words slurred. He had fallen asleep. He turned over frantically to look at Phobia's seat.


Empty.

"Damn!" he yelled and got up out of his chair, many people staring at him. Mockery was still asleep.

Mayhem strode down the isle, angry as hell. He went back to the coach area. He looked around, but saw no sign of her. He became worried.

"She's gonna get it this time. I warned her!" he yelled at himself. He ran back to the first class area. And there she sat, as if she had never moved. He stomped back up to his seats and sat down, glaring at her.

"Where were you??" he asked angrily. She looked surprised.

"There's a thing called food. You need to eat it to keep your strength up. I went to the dining area. Jeez. No need to yell." she said casually.

Mayhem felt guilty for a second. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to wake you up." she mumbled.

Now he felt really bad about yelling. "Listen, what if that Assassin had followed you and I hadn't-" he started to say, but the sharp sound of something metallic came from between them. A long, sharp blade had emerged from Phobia's long leather arm straps.

"Mayhem. What do you think I did when you weren't around? Before we even met? I took care of myself, by myself." she said coldly.

Mayhem sighed. Phobia smiled mentally in her head. She thought she had gotten away with the lie she just told. But then, Mayhem spotted it.

A splotch of dried blood rested on the leather below her neck, and some blood was dried, ecrested, in the designs of the blade.

"What's this??" He asked, suddenly raising his voice. He glared at her. She showed no emotion.

"You just lied to me, like a whole bunch. You went after that Assassin and you fought. You fought him. You could've been killed." he said, stating the obvious coldly.

"But I wasn't killed." she retorted. "And I found out who he was. He was sent to follow us by Abelben. And he failed. I bet the waitors will have a fun time cleaning that up."

Mayhem's jaw dropped.

"What happened to staying low??" he said franctically.

"They couldn't see my hidden blades. I said I punched him in throat after he grabbed me. I said it was self defense." she said, happy with herself.


"I swear..." Mayhem growled, his eyes a dark red. "You are /not/ leaving this seat again." he stated.

"Oh?" Phobia growled back. "Who says?"

"I do!" he growled loudly back. People stared.

"Well, I'm sorry, but you do not control me." she growled lowly back.


"I do when it comes to our safety." Mayhem said, serious.

The rest of the plan ride was silent...a whole two hours. Neither of them moved, and the suspense was getting to Mockery once he woke up.

"You guys fight or something?" Mockery asked dazed.

"Go back to sleep." Mayhem said, calmly but coldly. Phobia just stared out the window, not meeting the gaze of either one of them.

Mockery started to say something, but the pilot came over the intercome.

"Alright, passengers, thank you flying Air Heights today, and I hope you choose us again. We are about 30 miles from landing, and at this time I'd like to ask everyone to put their seatbelts on. Thank you." The intercome made static noises as it shut off. Obviously, the pilot was not informed of Phobia's "accident" in the dining room.

Mayhem and Mockery quietly put on their seatbelts, but Phobia continued not to move.

Mayhem sighed angrily.

"Put it on."

"No." she said icily.

"Don't be stupid. Now do it." Mayhem commanded, and his gaze turned darker when she still sat as still as before, unmoving.

Growling, he reached over her and grabbed the belt and pulled it around her waist, fastening it in place.

"I swear, you hold a grudge. Do I have to do everything for you?"

"You don't do anything for me. This may come as a surprise to you, but I don't need you to live my own life." She said, her gaze finally meeting his. Her's was darker.

Mayhem felt hurt, but his temper flared.

"If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead. No more. Gone. Gone, Phobia. None of your Assassin instincts could get you out of that. When Abelben threw that blade...remember that, Phobia? Remember? I saved your life. Not to mention the countless times I saved your hide from patrolling Assassins that formed in large groups when they caught you escaping. What about those times? Do they not matter anymore?" He cried out, ignoring using her human name. People couldn't hear him though, the plane was desending, and the roar of the engine filled their ears.

Phobia sighed. It was not anger, nor saddness; much more like defeat. She turned her head away. If it hadn't been for the seatbelt, her head would have skyrocketed into the metal roofing as the plane soared downward, and landed bumpily.

Mockery found it quite amusing, and responded with a crooked grin as the plane bounced them around. Mayhem turned to Phobia as the passengers started to scatter off the plane.

"I only do those things because I care. Walk a mile in my shoes, for once. See things from my perspective."

Phobia inhaled and turned to him, and unbuckled her seatbelt.

She stood up and walked off, waiting in line to get off. Mayhem shook his head slowly and unbuckled too, and went to stand behind her. Mockery was already bouncing off the walls at this point, excited to see what Iran looked like.


As they took the steps down to the exit of the plane, Mayhem hit his head on the bar above, thanks to his tallness. Phobia laughed at him suddenly, but quickly supressed it.

"I knew you'd forgive me." He said, a faint grin on his face.

"What makes you say that?" She said, light heartedly this time.

"Because he knows you as well as you do yourself." Mockery butted in. They both turned to stare at him. Mayhem glared at him as they took their first steps on Iranian soil...for Phobia, it was a dream and a nightmare at the same time. She was glad to be back to her homeland, but terrified of the memories that it brought back. She winced as she looked around.

"Is it the same as when you left?" Mayhem asked, whispered in her ear.

She shook her head. "No." she simply mumbled, as she gazed at the line of tanks and helicopters that roamed the airport...all the military personell, all the guns, the weaponary at their sides, held by American officers.



They walked forward, the American soliders eyeing them suspiciously.

"Remember that disaster called 9/11 I believe?" Phobia asked suddenly as they reached the exit of the airport. Mayhem nodded.

"Yea, worst disaster in American history, I believe. Well, for the humans anyway. Made no difference for me." he said casually.

Phobia looked down. "The Assassin's did that. Our rules were simple: Be discreet, do not harm an innocent person, and do not betray the brotherhood. The Master had it in the minds of the young, unexperienced Assassin's that the American humans were killing us; destroying us; taking away our homes. But that wasn't true...all those people that died...were innocent. He broke the most sacred rule of ours." Phobia said, the words came out painfully.

"And that's why were here. To put an end to terrorism." She said suddenly bravely, and said the word in absolute disgust. Mayhem raised his eyebrows, surprised, yet proud of her at the same time. Mockery didn't believe it...if the American soliders couldn't do it for what...8 years...then how could 3 dogs do about it?

-to be continued-

Once they escaped the airport, after being searched multiple times, they entered the small forest that lied a few miles off. It wasn't much of a forest, not compared to the ones in America. This forest had very few trees, hardly any shade, and it was mostly palm trees and cacti. Jungle would've been a better word for it. The three changed back to their wolf form as they entered the foresty area.

"That feels so much better." Mockery said thankfully, and stretched out his legs. "I don't understand how humans take it. My legs are so sore."

Phobia shrugged it off and Mayhem glared at Mockery. "Stop your whining. We have a job to do here.." Mayhem mumbled.

Mockery growled. "I don't know what's in her head. If all these troops couldn't stop, even find these Assassins, then what makes her think she can handle it? She's puny and she's lost her touch." He said cruelly.


Phobia's eyes glitterred in saddness; he had struck a nerve, and Mayhem noticed. Mayhem turned around, unfurling his wings, and towered over his younger brother.

"She has me, now. That's what makes a difference. She's not puny, and she hasn't lost her touch. Now, shut up. I don't want to hear a word from you."

Mockery cowered under him, and he narrowed his eyes. Mayhem furled his wings back in and caught up with Phobia, leaving him in the dust.

Mockery folded his ears back. She does have you now. There's no reason for me being here, anymore. I don't know why I even came. He thought to himself. Silently, he stopped and turned around, running in the opposite direction of them. He didn't know where he was going, he just wanted to go live on his own again.


-to be continued-

After about 15 minutes of silence behind them, Mayhem sighed.

"Mockery, I'm sorry I snapped at you. Just pick your words better."

Mayhem folded his ears back when he got no reply from behind him.

"Mockery? I'm talking to you." he said. And again, no reply. He whirled around, and his eyes widened in shock. Phobia stopped and turned her head, too.

~~~

"He's gone!" Mayhem cried. If there was any paw prints, they had been dusted away by the wind.

Phobia's eyes widen in horror. "He'll get himself killed out here. We need to find him. I can search more in the forest on foot; go up in the air and scan the desert. A black spot shouldn't be too hard to find." Mayhem and Phobia both nodded.

Mayhem unfurled his wings, and with a jump he took off into the air, while Phobia raced back further down into the forest.

~~~

Mockery hunkered down into a wet patch of vines. He had found a large tree in the forest, and he had climbed up it, and now he settled himself into a huge thicket of vines that rested on the branches.

"I'm perfectly fine here." he told himself, trying to feel happy, trying to make the best of his new home.

He laid his head on his paws, and a hint of saddness creeped up inside him. He would be taking care of himself now.

He had almost closed his heavy eyelids. The muggy, wet air made him feel sleepy.

~~~

"Mockery!" Phobia shouted helplessly into the forest. She had picked up on his scent and it was getting stronger...he hadn't gone far.

She stopped suddenly, her ears slightly twitching. Something dark moved in between the trees. She looked ahead, and noticed a small, black and red streak of fur asleep on the branches. She sighed in relief, but quickly cut it short as a shadow leapt past here...towards Mockery.

~~~

"Agh!" Mockery cried as he felt the sharp sting of a knife across his face. Thick walls of blood rushed over his eyes and nose, intoxicating him. He tried to wipe it away, but the blood kept coming. He sat up and pressed a leg over the cut. It was right on the forehead, and it was deep. He looked over at the branch beside him....a blade sat in the branch over, obviously thrown.

He groaned, keeping his front leg over his cut, ignoring the sting. Suddenly, a wave of black flooded over him, knocking him flat against the branch.

He cried out in pain as he felt one of his ribs snap. Who was doing this to him?

Suddenly, the weight was lifted off of him.

"Get up Mockery! Get out of here!" Phobia's voice sounded heavenly to his confused mind. He heard snarling sounds, fighting sounds.

A gust of wind rushed over him, and he sensed Mayhem's presence as he landed heavily on the branch. More fighting sounds.

"Get him out of here! He's injured. I'll be fine until you find someplace safe-" Phobia got cut short as she let loose with a snarl, and it was muffled by something.

Mockery was suddenly lifted up, and he was cradled. Wind suddenly flew through his fur, and the blood was wiped away from his eyes. He stared up into his brother's horror stricken face, and they were soaring in the air.

~~~

Mayhem gazed down at Mockery's face. The cut on his forehead had started to clot, and he could feel his broken rib. Anger soared through him, but not at Mockery, but at the Assassin that had tried to kill him.

"You okay buddy?" Mayhem asked, his voice quivering in anger.

"S'okay..." Mockery mumbled back, obviously dizzy from the pain and loss of blood.

"Yeah it'll be okay." Mayhem replied, and spotted a large rock on the outskirts of the forest.

-to be continued-

The rock tunnelled deep inside. It was a nice, carved, smooth, hole. Mayhem landed on the top of it, and set Mockery down inside it. Mockery had gotten ahold of himself by then.

"Don't ever pick me up again!" Mockery cried at Mayhem. He hated to be treated like a child. Mayhem smiled faintly when his brother had finally become alert and aware.

"Well did you want to be left back there?" Mayhem asked.

"I should've helped, it was my fight. Not yours, or hers. I'm on my own now. You don't control me, you don't help me." Mockery said coldly, and got up out of the hole and onto the hot desert sand.

"Its hot.." Mayhem mutterred.

"I know!" Mockery growled, and he was ignoring the pain from the heat that shot through him. He started to walk away from Mayhem, back toward the forest. Suddenly, he bumped into something big and rough. Mayhem had flown over, too fast to see, and planted himself in Mockery's path. Mayhem glared down at him, angrily.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Mayhem asked with a frown.

"Where ever the hell I want! I told you, I'm on my own now." Mockery growled and walked around him, Mayhem's eyes following him. "You care about her more anyway. She could be dead by now, and you're dealing with me? Go away. You're not my brother."

Mayhem held back a vicious snarl, and tried to see it from Mockery's point of view. Then he understood.

"Oh, your jealous!" Mayhem suddenly cried, trotting after him.

"I told you to leave. And I'm not."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. Phobia can take care of herself, I know it. But you can't. Not out here, at least. And I care about the both of you the same way. Whether you want me to or not, I'll always be your brother Mockery." Mayhem sighed. Mockery just kept on walking.

"Go save your girlfriend, runt." Mockery growled. Mayhem narrowed his eyes.

"First off, she's not my girlfriend. And how 'bout we both?" Mayhem responded, and suddenly jumped up into the air, unfurling his wings, and grabbed Mockery by the waist. They soared up into the air, turned around, and headed toward the forest. Mockery beat on Mayhem's waist, since he couldn't reach his face.

"That doesn't hurt, ya know." Mayhem said quietly as they got closer to the forest.

"Do you want it to??" Mockery growled, and Mayhem burst out laughing. Suddenly, they were directly over the forest, over the large tree where they had left Phobia to fight. Mayhem spied her almost instantly. She held a dark pelt over her lap...and was she....humming?

-to be continued-