Ep. 8 Family Fights

September 24th, 2023

  The next day, it was colder than usual. There were rumors the Daycarers were losing

control over the weather. They needed Dasher back. Nature was doing better thanks to the water, but Freedom wondered how long it would last for. They needed to create a

plan immediately. They only had five days left. Therefore, they decided their best bet

would be Princess Guardians.

On the way to the mayor's house, they also heard rumors about Freedom not being

home the last few days. People were starting to get suspicious of Nature and Freedom's

friendship. They ignored it and continued forward despite the whispers on the streets.

They knew they could not simply walk into the mayor's house, but they could explain

to Princess Lullaby they needed to see Princess Guardians. They hoped the stubborn

princess would listen to them and help against Jack. There was a fifty percent chance

she would based on their evidence.

Freedom and Nature walked up the stone steps to the wooden porch. Gently, Nature

knocked on the door. A few moments later, Princess Lullaby opened the door.

"Hi, Nature," she smiled. Nature had a good friendship with majority of the Royal

Family, especially with Princess Lullaby. "My mother and aunt were complaining about

you getting poisoned. Are you alright now?"

Nature glanced up at Freedom. "As well as I can be. If it wouldn't be any trouble,

could we talk with Princess Guardians?"

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we need her help with something important. It's urgent."

"But you and my cousin hate each other."

"We made an alliance. Please, Princess Lullaby?"

"...If it's that important, I'll ask her. I'll be right back." In a few minutes, she returned.

"She's okay with it."

Nature sighed in relief, but Freedom was still holding his breath.

"Your highness, who is guarding Princess Guardians at the moment?" Freedom

asked.

"Your brother actually."

"Which one?"

"Sir Jack, why?"

"I was just wondering," he stayed calm. "Thank you, your highness." He bowed.

"Of course. Follow me."

Princess Lullaby lead them through a hallway and up a flight of stairs before stopping

at an office door.

"Here you are. I'll be down stairs."

She walked back down the steps. When she was out of ear shot, Freedom and Nature

turned to each other.

"I swear she had better not be dead," Freedom whispered. "Equality will lose it."

"Let's hope...."

They both took a deep breath and slowly turned the door knob. The door fully opened,

and Princess Guardians sat at a desk reading a book. Jack was behind her holding a

knife. He dropped it when he saw them and froze.

"Ha! Caught you red handed!" Freedom exclaimed.

Princess Guardians put her book down quickly. "What? I didn't do anything."

"Not you, Princess Guardians," Nature groaned.

"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded. Nature shut the door.

"We should be asking you the same thing!" Freedom returned the attitude.

"I'm guarding you idiot!"

"Yeah, your cover!" Nature scoffed.

"I'm sorry, what's going on here? I thought someone was coming to talk to me!"

Princess Guardians got up out of the seat.

"We were," Nature and Freedom said at the same time.

"He was about to shank you though!" Freedom stated.

"What?" Princess Guardians questioned in shock, looking from Freedom to Jack.

"No, I wasn't!" Jack denied. Nature pointed to the knife on the floor.

Princess Guardians instantly backed away from him.

"That's not mine," he growled.

"Liar," Freedom said bitterly.

"It's not mine!"

"Please, don't believe him!" Nature begged Princess Guardians.

"He poisoned Nature," Freedom added.

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know, Jack! What are you planning?"

"You have no evidence I did it!"

"You were the last one with her before I showed up!"

"If it was me, wouldn't I have killed her?"

"You've used this excuse before," Nature shook her head. "You're not fooling me this

time!"

Princess Guardians was unsure who to believe, but better safe than sorry. She rushed

to Nature's and Freedom's sides.

"This is ridiculous!" Jack snickered darkly. "You think you can barge in here and

interrupt me without getting into any trouble? I don't think so. Isn't it funny I have the

three of you right here in the palm of my hands?"

"Not yet you don't!" Freedom told him off.

"Oh, dear brother, do you need a lesson on keeping to yourself? You're usually so

quiet. What has Nature influenced in you?" He grinned. "It's fine though. You're not

getting out of here alive."

He picked up the knife and Freedom got in front of the girls. Freedom knew it was

knife against fists, an unfair fight, but he had to try. He had to. All he had to do was

remember what he was taught and pray.

Jack attempted a slash at Freedom's face.

Quickly, Freedom shoved him away, knocking him into the desk.

Then, he punched Jack on the arm, causing it to bruise.

Jack grunted and kicked Freedom away from him.

He got back up to slash at Freedom again.

"What should we do?" Nature panicked, desperately asking Princess Guardians.

She looked around and her eyes caught a vase in a corner.

"Get that vase!"

Jack had Freedom to the floor, both panting for air.

Freedom was trying to stop Jack from penetrating his skull with the knife.

He forced Jack off of him, only to be punched back down into dizziness.

Since his brother was down for a moment or two, Jack turned his targeted direction at

the girls. Nature had grabbed the vase and gave it to Princess Guardians.

"How's a vase going to stop me?" Jack menacingly laughed.

Princess Guardians threw the vase at Jack, but he dodged it swiftly. It shattered onto

the rug into several pieces.

Jack charged himself at them, and they both went different directions away from him.

Princess Guardians successfully got away but Jack caught Nature by her hair. He held

her in a standing basket hold. Freedom sat up and rubbed his head.

"Ah, how nice of you to join us, Freedom!" Jack once again cackled. "Care to watch

her die first?"

"Jack!" Freedom snapped out of it. "Jack, don't you fucking dare!"

"Why not, Freedom? Are you attached or something?"

"Don't do it!"

"What are you going to do? There's nothing you can do!"

"Do. Not."

"Is that a threat?"

Without even considering how serious Freedom was, he taunted his brother by

stabbing Nature in the arm. She screamed from the unbearable pain. Then, he pushed

her aside onto the floor. She cried and shuddered there.

A flame lit inside Freedom, fully ready to cause an avalanche.

In the blink of an eye, Freedom was standing face to face at Jack with deadly eyes.

Jack figured out right then and there he messed up terribly. Freedom wasn't going to

show an inch of mercy to him; even if it killed him.

Jack quickly backed up from his brother to avoid a punch to the gut.

He swung the knife at him, but Freedom caught it half way there.

Then, Freedom tore the knife out of Jack's hands and tossed it onto the floor.

Freedom launched himself onto Jack with the intension of hitting the life out of him.

But, before he could, Princess Guardians teleported herself, Freedom, and Nature

into the forest not far from Freedom's home. When Freedom realized it, he twirled

around to the princess in such a hurry, she thought it would knock her over.

"Why did you do that?" He yelled.

"You need to calm down!" She ordered.

"Oh, yeah, because I can totally be completely calm during a situation like this! Bring

us back!"

"No!"

"Guys...don't fight...please," Nature gasped.

"Look, I think I know why you guys came, so if I'm going to help, I need the full picture," Princess Guardians restrained herself from pushing the argument to a worse point.

"I wasn't finished with him!"

"If you don't calm yourself, you're going to pass out! Now, please, cease!"

"He was right there!"

"He's...not going...to listen," Nature stated, feeling one of the pains coming on. "Freedom, please...you need...to get ahold...of yourself!"

  He paced around, still on the borderline of being a ticking time bomb. He heard Nature

and Princess Guardians, but he was furious. He wanted to hurt Jack to make him pay

for everything. His mind was also screaming Nature was more important. Justice would

come later!

He picked Nature up carefully and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Princess Guardians panicked.

"We're not safe here. If you want to help, you have to agree to go to the Hunters' Territory," he huffed, turned around.

"The Hunters' Territory?" She said in surprise.

"We'll be safer there."

"...Okay, let's go."

Princess Guardians trailed behind since she was wearing heels. Freedom could feel Nature still trembling and it was tearing him. She needed treatment.

"Freedom?" Nature whispered. "It's... happening... again."

"Just wait a little longer," he gently replied.

Princess Guardians had never been in the Hunters' Territory, so its beauty shocked

her. It was all pure country. She also admired its variety in biomes. Foxy smelled them a

mile away and meant up half way to the house. He had brought his father with him.

They were in the valley before the woods that lead to the house.

"Why is there another Human with you?" Foxy asked. "And what happened."

"She's a princess, Foxy," Speedy answered for Freedom. "Freedom, you look like you

want to break something in half."

Freedom handed Nature to Foxy. "This is Princess Guardians," he tried to calm down.

"She's the other one we were talking about. We left to go talk to her about my brother-,"

he clenched his fists, "but he beat us there. We walked in on attempted murder. He tried

to kill us, and he hurt Nature." He darkened again, feeling his anger return. "Princess

Guardians just had to teleport us out of there-!"

"If I didn't do that, you would've killed him! I'm sure you don't want to be charged for

murder, Freedom," Princess Guardians crossed her arms. "It sounds like it's the last

thing your family needs right now."

"You need to chill, Freedom. This is an easy fix," Foxy reassured him, observing

Nature's wound. "She'll be fine."

"I'm...just frustrated," he sighed.

"Well, come on. Let's get this fixed up," Speedy said, keeping his anger within.

He was not angry with Freedom. How could he be? Freedom has been highly nice to

them since his arrival, and he helped them. He was upset with Freedom's brother. He

didn't sense any danger Princess Guardians could bring but it was debatable.

They all went to the house. Foxy continued to calm Freedom while Speedy took care

of Nature. Princess Guardians stood by the couch, unsure what to think. She was still

confused. Foxy gave Freedom some ice for his head, catching Rose's attention in the process.

"Do I even want to know?" Rose asked Nature as Speedy stitched up her arm.

"No... you...don't."

"Rose, does Nature look pale to you?" Speedy asked.

"Yeah, actually," she agreed, feeling Nature's forehead. "I think you better rest some more."

  "I... can't. We... we're running... out of... time."

Foxy had walked away to his room to find a notebook, so Princess Guardians and

Freedom were left alone in the living room for a moment. She watched the slow

argument between Nature and her parents.

"What's wrong with her?" Princess Guardians asked. "Besides her arm."

"Poisoned."

"Yeah, I know that. I'm not stupid though. I know there's more to it than that."

"It's some kind of forbidden soul magic. It slows a growing process."

"Does it come and go?"

"Pretty much."

"So, what's going on exactly? Why did you two need my help? What can I do?"

"We were hoping you had an idea what Jack might be doing. We heard him talking to

someone, a female actually, about a plan. There's a specific reason he needs Dasher,

Nicole, Jewel, Butterfly, you, me, and Nature. I didn't really understand it, but there was

a combination mentioned."

"What is it?"

"Strength, flight, communication, analyst, unity, defense, and time."

"Interesting," Skate said, walking down the stairs. They jumped in surprise. "So, you're

Princess Guardians?"

"Yes?" She answered in confusion. "Freedom, I'm not sure the combination is going to

help-."

"It can and it will," Skate interrupted her. "Those seven elements are the formula for

Dark Magic."

Princess Guardians thought for a moment. "... Yes, that makes sense. I've read about

it before but only in restricted books. How did you know that?"

"The Hunters have forgotten their magic abilities. There are records of it, but most

Hunters think it's a myth. It's very real though and very dangerous. In less you know a

thing or two about controlling magic, it should not be toyed with."

Nature stumbled her way into the living room, wanting in on the conversation. Rose

told her to rest, but she was being stubborn. She had to get to Freedom anyway.

"Jack never... attended... the Magic Academy," Nature weakly said.

"You look terrible," Princess Guardians stated.

"Get used to it," Freedom sighed.

"Freedom?" Nature started.

"Later, Nature."

She groaned and slumped down onto the floor.

"Oh, I should mention the Guardians are not too fond of Dark Magic," Skate added.

"They are terrified of the stuff."

"How do you know?" Princess Guardians asked.

"I've seen it. They live far into the forest here. I've seen and heard all sorts of things.

Talk to demons, revive animals with their hands, create items. This one time, there was

a demon there. They were trying to restrain it, but it got away. The demon used Dark

Magic. It distracted them, so the escape was successful. They quickly used a crystal of

some sort to get rid of the Dark Magic."

"A crystal?"

"It shined like one anyway."

Freedom got up and walked over to Nature to check on her. She was slowly losing

conscious.

"Okay, time to rest," he said, picking her up. He carried her to her bed and laid her

down.

"What's the deal with those two?" Princess Guardians asked.

"Why don't you ask them?" Skate said. He walked away into the kitchen and went out

the back door.

Princess Guardians shook her head. Out of curiosity, she walked to Nature's bedroom

door. She knew eavesdropping was wrong, but she needed information.

"Are you still awake, Nature?" Freedom asked, reaching into his bag to get the bottle

Lady gave him.

"B-Barely," she answered.

"You know this is only to get worse right?"

"We...have...five...days."

"I know. You're going to be okay, Nature. Open your mouth."

She opened and he gave her a drop of the water.

"Don't worry, we won't continue without you."

"I... would... rather... if you... did. We... we need... a solution... before... it's too late."

"I suppose we could brain storm then. Get some rest."

When Princess Guardians heard footsteps nearing the door, she quickly and quietly

returned to the couch. Freedom came out and closed the door behind him.

"Well, I hope you're ready to play detective, your highness," Freedom said, walking to

her.

"Tell me what you've got," she nodded.

"As we were talking about before, I guess the combination is for the dark thing-."

"Dark Magic."

"Yeah, Dark Magic. Yesterday, Nature and I heard my brother talking about it with

someone. They sounded female. Do you know James?"

"I do. Nature told me about him, and he sounds like a liar."

"That's one way to put it. James was a distraction, like we had solved, so this female

must know a thing or two about magic. She gave him the formula."

"Do you get a look at her?"

"No, she was above us. Jack already has Dasher, Nicole, Jewel, and Butterfly. He

needs us three next for unity, defense, and time."

"Interesting. I've only ever read Dark Magic as myths. Why is your brother planning

this anyway?"

"I don't know. I wish I had more to tell you, but we don't know much."

"Maybe if I can get my hands on that book, we can get more information."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. We're trying to keep a low profile, your majesty. We

can't risk him knowing where we are."

"How do you know he doesn't already?"

"We don't, but better safe than sorry."

"So, you have no idea what you're doing?" Speedy asked in the kitchen frame.

"Oh, hi. Not exactly, Speedy. It's good we have an idea what we're up against,"

Freedom shook his head.

"What is Dark Magic?" Rose asked, appearing beside Speedy.

"...It's dangerous. It's like a demon that crushes your soul. Not to mention, it would be

very difficult to control. It destroys anything in it's path. If there's too much magic level

involved, it can grow and become a Dark Magic Monster. They're another myth, but we

cannot be sure now. It's been a long time since Dark Magic has been made. The person

who did it meant a terrible fate. The key components are just flight, strength,

communication, and analyst, but the other three parts will create a monster. It will

destroy the land until nothing is left."

"Is there a way to stop it?" Freedom asked.

"The only way to take down one is an insane amount of magic to overpower it. The

only way I can think of a solution to this is either asking the Guardians or stopping Jack

before he can do anything."

"Princess Guardians, we only have until the twenty eighth. We need to act."

"I don't know where to find the Guardians unless we tell my mother what is going on,

but I'm not sure she'd listen because your family is already having problems. She

wouldn't want to stir up more trouble. Are you sure you don't have any pure evidence?"

"The only evidence I can think of is I can prove he poisoned Nature. He was the last

one there. I checked the schedule and everything."

"Hm, that might work or not. How was she poisoned?"

"Coffee."

"They could argue the server did it."

Freedom groaned and sighed. "What are we going to do then? We can't just do

nothing!"

"Do not get worked up again. I'm thinking too, you know?"

Right at that unsettling moment, there was a loud bang from outside. Rose's and

Speedy's ears twitched, listening in for clues. Fit ran into and slammed the door behind

him and pushed against it.

"What was that?" Rose asked.

"Guess who!" Fit grunted.

"It had better not be who I think it is," Speedy sighed.

"It is."

"Who is it?" Freedom questioned.

"Dr. Stitches," Rose answered.

The three Hunters hurried outside and left them alone. After another moment, there

was a whistle and the other members of the family rushed to join them. Princess

Guardians and Freedom looked out the window.

The Hunters were avoiding bullets and other things that could definitely kill them. Dr.

Stitches was not too far away, observing the machines trying to bury the Hunters into

the dirt. He seemed bored.

Dr. Stitches' hair is grey with blue highlights, and his eyes are green. He wears suits

like Emos and had small bags under his eyes. His wolf ears and tail were grey. Dr.

Stitches was highly intelligent like Foxy.

The two Humans jumped when Nature opened her bedroom door. She looked and felt

much better. The water truly did help. They turned around to see her also looking out

the window.

"Why do trials and errors exist?" She sighed. Princess Guardians and Freedom

looked at one another in confusion. "I see you've seen Dr. Stitches."

What's the deal with him?" Princess Guardians asked.

"He's an outsider who tries to kill his own species."

"Why?"

"Why do Humans hurt other Humans?"

"Point taken."

"I don't think he's that bad though," she slowly walked to the window frame to join

them.

"How come?" Freedom asked.

"He's only killed one and that was his wife."

"Really?" His eyes widened.

"I know it was an accident, but the others refuse to believe me. He's five hundred

years old."

"Are Hunters immortal?" Princess Guardians asked curiously.

"Not all of them. Some, yes. Others, no."

"What happened?"

"He shot her. They were divorced, and he was doing his usual attack. She was

helping defend like the others and got too close. He was terrified at what he had done."

"Why would he continue to attack then?"

"He tried to explain it was an accident, but they would not listen. So, the two signs

were angry at one another. Hatred if it's a better term. Poor, Eunoia."

"Eunoia?"

"It means "well mind" or "beautiful thinking". He's a genius. We made nicknames for

each other a long time ago."

"Why?"

"Well, it all started when I was allowed to go along with them during the fights...."

August 18th, 2011

The Sun was setting, and Nature's family was at it once again, defending the Hunter villages from Dr. Stitches. Nature watched them, waiting to finish. She thought they were strong and brave but also foolish. She was four years old. Nature sat on a log as a butterfly fluttered past. It had blue and black wings.

'Extraordinary,' she thought. 'That's my word for the day.'

She looked back at her new family she had come to love and would do anything for.

She was glad to see them winning. They were half Human and half animal, yet they

could defeat metal.

'Metal. Is that all it is?' She wondered.

Her childness for adventure was kicking in, wanting to learn about the strange man

with metal moving about. On another hand, she knew she'd be in trouble. Was it going

to stop a determined four-year old? No, of course. Not Nature anyway. So, when she

found a moment in time, while the man was trying to escape, she hopped onto his

shoulders.

Dr. Stitches wobbled on his hover board by the sudden weight gain. The hover board

zipped through the trees out of his control. Nature's family called for her in the distance,

but quickly their echoed voices disappeared. Finally, they reached a break from the forest, into a grassland. The hover board missed a stump in the tall yellow grass, so

they fell off of it.

Luckily, the grass was soft, so they landed safely without being hurt. However, Dr.

Stitches' glasses fell off of his face. The grass shallowed them. While he eagerly searched for them, Nature hid within the grass, watching every move he made. He found his glasses and put them on. He had to blink twice when he sensed he was not alone.

"Hi!" Nature exclaimed, popping up out of her spot.

"Aa! What- wait- what are you?" He panicked at first but became interested in her scent. Nature got closer.

"My name is Nature. You're Dr. Stitches. Are you okay, mister?"

"How did you even-?"

"Are you going to die? Can I have your flying thingy if you're going to die?"

"No!" He rejected. "And I'm not going to die! Go back to where ever you came from!"

Nature looked around. "I can't."

"And why not?"

"I don't know where I am. Hey, what are your metal thingies?"

"What are you?"

"...A... person like you? Shouldn't you know that?"

"Never mind. How do you know me?"

"My family told me about you."

"Family?"

"Yeah, I want to know more about you. You're an interesting guy with your metal thingies."

"They're robots," he corrected.

"Oh, that makes more sense. It's basically a machine, right? You must have a pretty bright eunoia to know how to make those."

"I'm sorry, how old are you?"

"Four."

"How does a child your age have a vocabulary like that?"

"I read a dictionary. It had great words in it."

"You read a... dictionary? How do you have the tension span for that?"

"Why do smart people ask so many questions? Is it because they want all the

information they can get?"

"I guess you'll have to answer that one for yourself. There, you meant me, now go

scramble on!"

"Or, we could talk for a bit."

Dr. Stitches sighed, "What do you want from me?"

"I just wanted to know you. Why are you an outsider? Did someone hurt you?"

"No."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Listen, kid, I don't care about anything. I'm an outsider because I'm evil! Rotten to the core!"

"You were really a big and bad guy; I'd be dead by now."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've watched you. You've never actually hurt anyone."

"Really? Who do you think I am then?"

"Maybe you're actually a real soft guy misunderstood by your former peers," Nature

shrugged.

Dr. Stitches' mood changed a bit. He softened and started to laugh. Nature looked at him in surprise. What was so funny? All she had said was her opinion.

"You're alright for a four-year-old, kid. Come on, I want to show you something."

"Should I? I thought you were evil. How do I know you're not trying to kidnap me?"

She teased him. "I'm just kidding. Let's go!"

Through the tall grass and up a hill, a large, illuminating building stood. It heightened

one thousand feet up into the air. The outside appeared as mostly glass, similar to towers in New York City. The very top lengthened into a pyramid shape with a ring of white marshmallow clouds circling it. The sight amazed young Nature.

"Wow, did you build that?" She said agape.

"Yep. Home, sweet home, she is."

"They continued down the hill to the building's entrance. Once there, Dr. Stitches pressed a button and a voice spoke out of a speaker.

"Name," the machine voice said.

"Dr. Stitches."

"Access granted."

The door slid open from left to right and they walked in. The door also closed behind them. Nature followed Dr. Stitches through the large double stair case room. There were robots and slime balls with one eye rolling across the floor.

"What are those?" Nature asked, looking at the slimes.

"I call them Globs. They were a failed experiment, but they proved to be useful."

After the stairs ended and they were on the second floor, they passed through a few

hallways and many doors. At the end of one hall, Dr. Stitches stopped and turned the

knob of the door in front of him. They walked in, he pulled a switch, and the room no

longer was dark.

The room revealed itself to be a lab. Across the room was a collection of computers, to their left were science related items, and to their right was a desk, a panel, and a large bookshelf. The desk had a stack of blue prints on it and a lamp hung over the desk and wooden chair. All three faces of the room were window. Nature wondered how easy they would break if she walked up and touched one.

"Stay here for a moment. Don't touch anything!" He stressed before walking out of the room.

Nature understood she could not touch anything, but he did not say she could not look

around. He had many tools she had never seen before. For example, microscopes,

computers, strange liquids in bottles, and many other items. When she came across the panel though, she gazed about at all the buttons.

"Maybe just one," she said. But one button was actually nine or ten, and it set off an alarm.

"Self-destructing in 10... 9... 8... 7," a computerized voice began.

"Oopsie."

A speed lighting second later, Dr. Stitches slammed the door open and ran to the panel. He slapped a blue button.

"Self-destructing successfully canceled."

He let out a sigh of relief. "I told you... not to... touch anything," he caught his breath.

"Sorry," Nature apologized. "I couldn't resist."

Instead of leaving her alone, he took her outside with him to the project he was working on. It was a big rocket. He was working on the wires while Nature stood silently watching him.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" She asked at last.

"Yes, do you know what this is?"

"No."

"It's a rocket."

"Oh? Eunoia," she smiled.

He looked at her strangely, kind of flustered.

"What? You don't get complements much, do you?"

"No, it's not that," he continued his work.

"Then, what is it?"

"I got kicked out of there because they were afraid of my ability."

"You mean your brains?"

"Yeah, sure, kid. My brains if that's how you want to put it."

"Well, that's no good. I quite admire your work."

"Your kindness is going to get you killed someday. You know that?"

"At least I got to go by doing the right thing. Oh, the Moon's up! Turn your lights off!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it!"

Dr. Stitches turned them off, and the night sky was lit with stars and the Milky Way galaxy. He looked up at it in a daze. He had never seen such beauty before, but right there, at that moment, it had been there all along, hidden by his artificial lights.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Nature asked. "I wish I could be there to feel its warmth and see all its glory and read its tale. One tiny unknown fragment in time created such an explosion that would lead up to the creation of life. The ability to love, live, and create together. Extraordinary, isn't it?"

"Yes, it quite is, Noceur," he replied.

"Noceur?"

"It means "one who stays up late". Maybe I could power the rocket to get to the Moon."

"Could you?" Nature asked, filled with a sudden eagerness.

"If I tried hard enough."

"DR. STITCHES!" Speedy yelled. Nature's family had shown up, thankful that she

seemed okay.

"I knew they would come," he sighed.

"Give us back Nature before I run your head into the dirt!" Fit threatened.

"You had better go," he said to Nature.

"Wait, maybe it doesn't have to be this way!" Nature refused.

"Go."

"But-!"

She could not finish her sentence though because her family had sprung to her side to

defend her. She tried to break past them, but they wouldn't budge.

"Come on, Nature," Rose reached for her hand.

"No! He isn't as bad as you think he is!"

"It's time to go!"

She refused and refused and refused until they had to drag her away. Dr. Stitches did

nothing to stop them. He felt it was for the best.

"Let go!" She tried to pull away. "Ugh, goodbye, Eunoia! One day we'll get there!"

"Until we meet again, Noceur," he quietly said. Then, he turned around and went back into his building alone.

September 24th, 2023

"...I haven't interacted with him since, and I was not allowed to tag along anymore either," Nature finished explaining. "The only way I see him now is through windows, as you can see."

"He doesn't seem that bad. If anything, he kind of looks like Speedy, Emos, and Grey," Freedom looked back out the window.

"Well, that would be because he's their father."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's really sad," Princess Guardians commented. "How could they do that?"

"I don't know the full story. They don't like to talk about it."

"Would you look at that!" Freedom smiled, raising Nature's arm that Jack had stabbed.

"It did more than help your soul."

"Yeah, I guess it did."

"They look like a bunch of animals, don't they?" Skate asked, walking down the stairs.

"Dr. Stitches created me."

"That's right!" Nature exclaimed. "He did create you!"

"He did?" Princess Guardians asked.

"Yes, I was made to destroy the Hunters, but he didn't realize I became my own

person. I wanted to be free. Nature convinced the others not to tear me apart, and I've

been a part of the family since."

"How did he make you?" Freedom curiously asked.

"How would I know? He also made Boxy. His story is pretty similar to mine."

"That's incredible," Princess Guardians said.

"I hate to end the discussion, but I'm going to go see if I can make them quit. We are

limited on time, so we shouldn't be wasting it. Besides, Dr. Stitches can probably help

us," Nature stated.

"Be careful," Freedom reminded her.

"Stop worrying so much." Then, she slipped out the door.

"There's something you two should probably know," Skate began. "Don't tell anyone I told you this; especially Nature. We've never told her this before. You know we can smell and sense things, right?"

They nodded.

"Well, twelve years ago, when this family first adopted Nature, there was something off about her. Even after myself and Boxy were here, we noticed it too. She was never fully Human or Hunter. Her scent never matched. But her scent doesn't even match a Guardians', despite the process of elimination. She's different, something else entirely but not quite. She is like us- like everyone. All three. I believe that's why your brother needs her for unity. She's a balance."

"A balance for what?" Freedom asked.

"We don't know yet. It's why understanding her is so complicated for us. She doesn't

make sense. Sometimes, I'm not even sure someone like her should be able to exist."

"I was reading about souls the other day, and I found something interesting. "The greater the soul, the more powerful the magic, the greater the bridge." Unity is a powerful word. It combines two differences to find a happy medium. It creates friendships, partnerships, solutions, and a satisfying peace," Princess Guardians said.

"It's funny," Freedom started. "This whole time, I've been asking her who she is, but only once we talked about what she may be. Whatever she is, I'm not going to let Jack win. He can't."

"That's the spirit," Skate smiled. "We should go help Nature. They're not going to listen to her."

Following Skate, Freedom and Princess Guardians walked outside. Dr. Stitches had

paused his attack, but now they were arguing. Nature had stopped the battle but not the

war. She slumped herself against a tree, waiting for them to quit acting like children.

The three made their way slowly to her.

"At least no one is hurt," Skate said.

"Yet," Nature sighed.

"What are they arguing about?" Princess Guardians asked.

"Dr. Stitches' wife."

"Well, come on. Standing here isn't going to fix this," Skate stated.

The four joined in on the heated argument, but they paid no attention to the four.

Nature tried to get them to listen to her, to stop shouting for one moment, but they were too focused on biting each other's heads off to even notice her. The negativity being passed around was draining her from energy. At last, she backed off to take a break.

The other three were also not having any luck.

Nature hated to see them fighting like how they were. They were a family- a good one

too. Why wouldn't they listen to her? Was she not loud enough? The negativity was starting to annoy her, making her angry too. She decided to try again. But one step led her into a crashing pain, causing her to fall onto the ground.

"Nature?" Freedom panicked, abandoning his goal to help her instead. He helped her up.

"Ugh... I swear... I'm going to hurt... whoever made... that poison," she mumbled.

The Hunters had finally stopped, wondering why Freedom hurried past them so quickly. Even Dr. Stitches had silenced himself to see what was wrong with his Noceur.

Speedy took a step forward.

"Nature-?" He began.

"DON'T 'NATURE' ME! THIS- THIS NEEDS... TO STOP! YOU HAVE... NO IDEA... WHO HE IS! YOU BROUGHT THIS... UPON YOURSELVES! HE IS YOUR FATHER... BUT YOU ALL... SHUT HIM OUT! THERE IS NOTHING... AND I MEAN NOTHING... WRONG WITH HIM... BEING DIFFERENT! FOXY IS SMART... BUT YOU HAVEN'T SHUT... HIM OUT! DID YOU EVER EVEN- DID YOU EVER EVEN CONSIDEDR... WHY HE'S VENEGEFUL... IN THE FIRST PLACE? THERE... IS NO ONE... ELSE HERE... BUT YOURSELVES... TO-TO... BLAME!" Nature yelled furiously at them.

   Nature, you need to calm down, or you're going to pass out!" Freedom shook her,

realizing how warm she was.

"I-CAN'T- I CAN'T... TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

"Nature-!"

"YOU'RE ADULTS! START... ACTING... LIKE...IT!"

Then, she passed out, falling out of Freedom's grasp and onto the grass.

There was no source of breeze or air flow, yet a chill was sent down Nature's spine as

she slowly woke. She was no longer outside and had been put inside, but she did not

feel like she was anywhere. All she felt was a lonely emptiness; a void. She was

somewhere but nowhere it seemed.

In reality, she was in the living room, on the couch. Rose had attempted to cool her

down by laying an ice pack on her forehead. It had worked, but she was in a daze. The

water was not fulling helping like it should have. Freedom sat in front of her on the floor,

trying to also hear what was going on in the kitchen.

So Freedom could watch Nature, Skate and Princess Guardians had taken full

leadership of calming the Hunter family down. Nature's words had scarred them and

kept them from saying another word to each other. They were also worried about her

condition. Dr. Stitches had hastily picked up on something was going on here in

between the lines. Princess Guardians and Freedom were the dead giveaway to him.

All the numbness Nature had been experiencing vanished, and she looked to her left to she Freedom looking at her. Her head hurt like a train had run over her. She

struggled to sit up and failed, leaving her back to the pillow her head had been on. But

despite the issue, she was happy to see Freedom.

"Are you okay?" Freedom whispered gently to her.

"My head hurts, so no, not really...," she quietly replied.

"I told you to calm down."

The events that took place came back to her in a flash and she saddened. "I'm sorry. I

couldn't. It was the truth."

"You scared the hell out of them and it worked. You were so heated in the moment, I

was expecting you to twist my arm or something."

"Is Princess Guardians still here?"

"Yeah, so is Dr. Stitches."

"... Oh, I hear them. Maybe I knocked some sense into their brains."

"Do you even remember all you said?"

"No, not really. Honestly, I think I spat out whatever came to mind."

Freedom sighed, "Well, I'm just glad you woke up." He removed the ice pack off of her

forehead to check her temperature. "Want me to help you up?"

"If you can."

He pulled her up so she was sitting and took her hands. Then, he tried to help lifting

her up onto her feet. However, her legs were shaking and were getting ready to give

out. When, he let go, she fell right back down.

"I'm sorry, I just feel too weak," she apologized.

"It's okay. It might be too early yet." He sat down next to her. "I have a theory on how

we can avoid this more."

"I'm willing to try anything."

   "I think the poison looks for openings where you're weakest. When you get hurt, or

something bothers you, it takes advantage and fights your soul. The more things like

this happens, the more it will progress."

"Freedom, I can't be happy twenty-four seven."

"I know, but try to cut down on getting uptight quickly, please?"

"... I'll try."

The Hunter family and Princess Guardians noticed Nature was awake, so they walked

into the living room and surrounded the couch.

"That was fast," Princess Guardians said.

"It felt like a century," Nature shook her head.

"We're... sorry," Speedy hesitated. "We can a bit out of hand-."

"A bit?" Nature raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, a lot, but you were right. Our actions have been irresponsible and we're adults.

Situations like this should be handled properly. As our first move, Dr. Stitches has

accepted to help."

"Well, I'm glad you listened to me for once. What now though? We need ideas and

fast."

"I did have an idea, but it might be risky," Dr. Stitches started.

"What is it, Eunoia?"

"What if you got concrete evidence like hand writing of this plan?"

"How would we do that?"

Freedom bit his tongue. "I know how, but it might not be easy. We might find

something in my brother's room, but being sneaky is the tricky part."

"Then, do it on a week day. Your brothers are guards, so they should be around the

castle and Mrs. Wishes should be at the school," Princess Guardians suggested.

"No," Nature refused.

"Why?"

"When Jewel and I was interviewing the guards with purple wings, he should have

been working, but he gave a different story. He said he had off. I even had Queen Sun

verify he should have been there. I don't know what he was doing, but that is not a good

idea. We don't know where he will be."

"Okay, let's do this: Princess Guardians, Skate, Dr. Stitches, and I will come up with a

plan. You need to rest more," Foxy said.

Nature sighed, "Okay."

Later, after Nature could walk again, they were still coming up with a plan. Nature

needed a break, so her and Freedom decided to go on a stroll through the forest. They

were by a stream and its gentle delicate flow could be heard. It soothed her, hearing the

stream and having Freedom by her side.

But the peace was soon interrupted, Guardian Hannah was frustrated nearby.

Freedom pointed her out to Nature, and they hid behind a few oak trees. The Guardian

was alone which was probably for the best. She picked up a stone and threw it at a

birch tree.

"If only I could do that to her...," she ranted. "Get Phoenix feather and rain crystal she

said! Why couldn't she do it instead?"

They followed her to an opening at the base of a plateau. There, in a circle, was a

small group of people. There was Guardian Phoebe, Guardian Jason, a man who looked like a king, three blond men who looked like guards, another male with brown

hair, and a woman who looked like the Grim Reaper. Guardian Hannah joined them.

"There you are, Hannah," Guardian Phoebe smiled.

"Here," she rudely replied, shoving the items to her partner.

"Oh, thank you. We were just reviewing the plan."

"Does it have to be three thousand years?" Guardian Jason groaned.

"Yes. Kaylee, make sure you and Reilly keep me on tabs with the souls' statists."

"Sure thing," the woman who looked like the Grim Reaper agreed.

"Are we all set then?" Reilly asked.

"Yup, that's everything," Guardian Phoebe nodded. "You guys can go. We'll handle

the rest."

The three blond men gave Guardian Hannah a hug and disappeared into the forest.

Reilly soon followed them and Kaylee afterwards. Guardian Jason sat down against the

plateau. The man who looked like a king stayed for a moment.

"Please, be careful," he said.

"We always are," Guardian Hannah scoffed.

"Watch your mouth, Hannah! Just because we'll be on opposite sides of the Universe

does not mean you should get any ideas. That's a warning."

"Go easy on her, Brayden. She knows better," Guardian Phoebe reassured him.

"Hm, okay. Let me know if you locate my dad."

"Of course."

"Take care of her. You know who I mean."

Then, he also left into the forest. Guardian Jason clapped his hands together and got

up.

"So, what's next on the agenda?" He asked.

"You need to leave!" Guardian Hannah burst.

"But, why?"

Guardian Phoebe walked over to the plateau wall, placed her hand in a certain

location, and a door opened. "Stop fighting. Come on! We have lots of work to do!"

The other two Guardians sighed in disgust at each other, but they listened to her. The

three walked through the entry, and the door closed back into dirt as if a door had not

even been there in the first place.

"Was that more Guardians?" Freedom whispered to Nature.

"I don't know. It most certainly seemed like it. We had better get out of here though."

They returned back to Nature's home just in time for the others to say they came up

with a plan. Nature looked over it, making sure it could work. There were some parts

she was skeptical about, but in the end, she accepted it.

Her and Freedom were really going to try to take down Jack.