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Nicholas Hale opened his apartment door at half past ten to find two familiar faces waiting for him on the other side. "You're early!"

"Yeah," said Jacob in a deadpan fashion. He stood once again in full uniform, making his expression appear all the more serious. "We need to talk."

Nick stood casually in his simple white t-shirt and shorts. "Aw shit, what happened? Did Jasper get suspended again?"

"It's worse than that," Jacob said before Jasper could protest. "Much worse. Can we come in?"

"Yeah, dude. Of course."

Nick's apartment was kept exceptionally clean compared to the stereotype typically aimed toward college students. His roommate had not been the neatest person around, to say the least, and as such the place had been quite a mess almost all of the time. Now though, after said roommate had left, the place was kept quite tidy and organized. It was a simple setup with a kitchen directly across from the living room. The living room had a flat screened television against the wall and a formation of chairs with a couch facing it. Down the hall were the bedrooms and a single bathroom.

"You want something to drink before work?" Nick asked as he crossed over to the fridge.

"No thanks," said Jacob. He watched his friend toss a can of soda to Jasper before taking one himself. The fox cracked the can open and took a long satisfying sip.

"So what's up?" He inquired.

"It's Jasper. He -" Jacob glanced toward the living room. His brother's drink stood alone on the coffee table, but the wolf was nowhere to be seen. He must have gone to the bathroom or something. "Nick, he's a Dark Elemental."

The fox remained stony faced, perhaps to mask his own disbelief. "Say that again?"

"He's a Dark Elemental," Jacob repeated. "He got his Brand today, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. I just don't want to believe it." Nick snapped with a bit of a growl. "Are you sure it's a Dark Brand? I mean, he's got the mark and everything?"

"He's got the mark. I saw it with my own eyes," said Jacob. "You wouldn't see it now if you checked, though. We bought some fur dye on the way here to cover it up."

"Right," Nick sighed. He set his soda down to rest both paws outspread on the counter. His eyes stared intently back at the wolf. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Do about it? Nothing," said Jacob. "We can't let anyone know what's happened."

"...why not?"

Jacob stared at the fox. "Why not? Because they'll throw him in jail, that's why!"

"You don't know that. People have gotten off just paying a huge fine, which is something you can afford to do," countered Nick. A stony determination, different from the type he had demonstrated at the Sanction station earlier, resided in his eyes. "The point is he broke the law. So he should be turned in. It's that simple."

"Wha - how can you say that?!" Jacob exclaimed. The fox had been an avid rule follower since he graduated high school, but this was too far. "He's only sixteen! You know him; he would never do something like this!"

Nick arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? You saw the shit he tried to pull at Recruitment Week. What's to say he wouldn't try it again?"

Jacob shook his head adamantly. "I know him. He wouldn't do this on purpose."

"So what am I supposed to believe? That he got sabotaged?!" Nick exclaimed, gesturing widely. "Is that the story you're going with? Because that's what it sounds like!"

"Well," the wolf contemplated. "That might be true. From what it looked like, that might have been the case."

Nick stared at him silently as if trying to decide whether or not his friend's sanity was totally intact. "Tell me what happened. Don't leave anything out."

And so Jacob did. He told him everything that had transpired at the hospital, starting from the beginning of the appointment to the moment they left. The further he progressed in his tale, the wider Nick's eyes got. After he finished, the fox only stood in stunned silence, muzzle agape.

"You did what?!"

_ _ "I did what was necessary!" Jacob retaliated in frustration. "If I hadn't frozen those two doctors, we'd both be locked up by now!"

"As you should be!" Nick said. "They've probably died because of what you did! By keeping this a secret, you're only digging yourself deeper!"

"How many times do I have to tell you...he didn't sabotage his own procedure! You can ask him yourself!"

"He'll lie."

"Are you suggesting that Jasper deserves to be put in prison?!"

"No! I'm not - fuck," Nick stammered, coming down from his rage. "What I'm saying is by not doing anything about it, you're only making the situation worse for yourself. You could get fired!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Jacob snapped before checking his anger as well. "You're upset that he's got an illegal Brand. I get that. But Jasper wouldn't do something this drastic. I know he wouldn't."

Nick sighed in exasperation. He took a couple large gulps from his can before continuing. "Look, I just think it's best - for everyone - if you just told the authorities about it. I mean, you've been in Sanction for what...three years now? Three and a half? You're a trusted member of their ranks now; maybe they'll make an exception and let you off with a minor penalty."

"Unlikely." Jacob pinched the bridge of his muzzle with two fingers. "Last year, one of the officers was found out to have spoofed his Branding. He was fired on the spot."

"Wait, really?" Nick questioned curiously. "You can check for that kind of thing?"

Jacob nodded. "Someone started a rumor, so they looked at the records of his procedure. Apparently there are patterns you can look for in a spoofed Branding. And he only had an Air Brand, so the difference between it and the standard were subtle, but not impossible to find if you know what to look for."

"Okay, I don't get that part," Nick relented. "If it's one of the originals, I'd let that go."

The wolf shrugged. "They don't want people messing with the balance. The different Brands are already distributed pretty evenly, so spoofed Brandings might cause one to be favored over the others, which is bad for business."

"Still though, that's pretty fucked." Nick shook his head to clear it. His expression changed to one of pleading. "Look, at least think about it? Yes, he's just sixteen, but think of the consequences. The longer you stay quiet about it, the more you have to lose. And you've already lost so much."

"Um, are you two okay?" The wolf and fox turned to find Jasper standing at the corner watching them. Jacob must have been correct in his assumption that he'd gone to the bathroom. "I heard you arguing."

"We're fine. Why don't you go do some homework and I'll come join you soon, kiddo," Nick suggested, still maintaining his serous tone.

Jasper frowned a bit at being treated like a child, but obliged, disappearing around the corner again.

Jacob looked at him sternly. "Can I trust you to take care of Jasper alone? No calling the police, no getting him in trouble?"

Nick appeared conflicted, but his respect for his friend eventually took over. "Yes," he said resignedly.

"Good. I need to leave," said Jacob. "Remind him to use his fur dye again in the morning. And make sure he gets to bed on time, which means no late night gaming sessions."

Nick rolled his eyes with a scoff and a bit of a grin. "Will do, dad."

Jacob raised his voice as he moved toward the door. "Jasper, I'm leaving! I'll be back in the morning, so be ready for school when I get here!"

"Okay, bye!" Jasper's adolescent voice sounded from one of the bedrooms.

"Stay safe," said Jacob as he emerged into the hallway. Before he could close the door, Nick spoke one last time.

"You too." Nick looked at him expectantly, his emerald gaze appearing as though demanding something from him. Jacob denied him, shaking his head and closing the door.

................................

It was deathly quiet so late at night at the Sanction station. What was usually a large campus bustling with activity turned into a metaphorical ghost town when the sun went down, the halls and walkways virtually devoid of any sound or movement. It was just Jacob and a few other officers on night watch, positioned at various security desks across the campus.

The wolf himself remained just as silent, slumped in his chair with his feet on the desk. Perched in front of him were several monitors displaying CCTV footage of multiple rooms split across their screens. He listened through one earbud that connected to his phone, which was currently playing one of many movies that he had on a prepared playlist he used just for nights like these. It wasn't breaking the rules, not really. It was understood that it could be difficult to stay awake during night watch, so they were told to do anything they needed, within reason, to do so. Usually, that meant keeping a steady supply of caffeine on hand. That was provided for them - the break room was kept open for this very reason - but many found other ways to keep themselves awake; namely, movies and music. As long as it wasn't loud and it didn't distract them from their work, no one batted an eye.

Jacob shifted in his seat, giving a sigh that betrayed his exhaustion. Already he could feel a telltale heaviness in his eyelids, the gentle pull of the dream world tempting him to fall into its warm embrace. He resisted though as the movie he was watching on the tiny screen kept him awake and moderately alert. The wolf had seen this movie several times, but its premise had always appealed to him. The film featured a fair wolfess in a futuristic dystopian world where the entire continental stretch of land the cast lived on was ruled by a single government based in the capital city. The nation was divided into twelve sectors in which the residents made lives of their own. To scare the people into submission, the ruling body held an annual event in which two children between the ages of twelve and eighteen, a boy and a girl, were randomly selected from each sector to participate in a literal fight to the death from which only one person could survive according to the rules. The wolfess and an unfortunate male dog were selected for the event, but in the end managed to circumvent the rules by refusing to murder each other after coming out as the last contestants in the fight. The overseers were forced to let them both go home alive. The gesture was basically received as a huge "fuck you" to the government.

Jacob couldn't help but feel that he was very much in the wolfess' position. Maybe not to a literal extent, but the similarities were there. He and Jasper were two rebels stuck between a rock and a hard place; three if he counted Nick, although his part in the play seemed yet to be determined. Either submit to the will of society or bend the rules to make it work. He could only hope that the latter would work out the way he wanted. At least until they figured things out.

Jacob let out a yawn that exposed his teeth and roof of his mouth to the world. It was far too late to be thinking about such things. Exactly how late it was, he didn't know, and he didn't want to. He didn't dare check the time, for Jacob found that time seemed to pass quicker if he didn't look at the clock.

"Sleeping works too, I've been told."

Jacob jumped at the sudden sound behind him, hastily taking his feet off the desk. He spun around in his chair and then relaxed when he saw who it was. "Oh, it's you."

Ambling toward him was a wolf like himself, this one with pure white fur over his entire body. He looked to be in his early twenties with a layer of toned muscle adorning his six-foot frame. His eyes were a bright gold that almost seemed to glow when the light hit them just right. A black leather jacket and jeans completed the appearance as he sat on the side of the desk.

"You're not happy to see me?"

"Just wasn't prepared for it, that's all," Jacob replied, taking his earbud out. "I thought you said you would only appear to me when I'm asleep."

The wolf he knew as Drake responded quickly, "You are asleep."

Jacob frowned. "What? No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are," Drake said calmly. He gestured toward one of the monitors. "That clock hasn't changed for quite a bit."

Often when Drake and Jacob had their little talks, it would be in a dream state where time was effectively frozen. A glance at the monitor clock confirmed Drake's statement; the time still read shortly after midnight, as it had just before Jacob started his first movie.

"Damn it," Jacob cursed. He paused the movie and set his phone down. There was no point continuing while Drake was here. "I can't be asleep on the job. You'd better make this quick."

"I wouldn't worry about it. We can have you awake merely minutes after you drifted off." Drake idly swung his legs out back and forth underneath the table. "So, what's new?"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "You already know what's new." From what his experience told him, that wolf knew everything."

"Tell me anyway."

Jacob sighed. "Well, Jasper's Branding was today..."

"Mhmm."

"And he ended up getting a Dark Brand. So now we're in a bit of a dilemma."

Drake sat there in silence, his expression remaining completely impassive. His golden gaze stayed locked with Jacob's blue.

"So..." Jacob hated it when he left him hanging like that. "What should I do about it? Any advice?"

Drake shrugged nonchalantly. "What do you think you should do about it?"

That was another annoying habit the mysterious wolf liked to pull. He often reversed Jacob's questions back onto him, urging him to answer them for himself. Jacob could understand why he did this - kind of - but his was a matter he just wanted resolved.

He relented however. "Well I mean, I could lose my job and Jasper if I let the truth out. But keeping the secret isn't the best option either."

"I see," Drake replied. "Have you thought about just wiping the Brand? From what I can tell, you're an advocate of that sort of thing."

Jacob shook his head. "To do that, I'd have to talk to the hospital again. They'd see Jasper's Brand and freak."

"I'm sure if you gave them enough money, they'd stay quiet."

"I may have a lot of money, but I can't afford everything," Jacob reasoned. "I'm still just one person no matter how you look at it."

"True, but one person has a lot of potential," said Drake.

Jacob scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You can manipulate time and space at will. You could just solve the problem with a snap of your fingers if you wanted to."

"And yet I don't," Drake countered. He looked at Jacob with eyebrows raised. "Haven't you ever wondered why?"

He had. Jacob had always assumed the strange wolf held back from using the full range of his abilities in order to maintain some type of noble appearance. That didn't make sense to him, but that was just one of many things he found odd about the wolf. "Why?"

"Because if I did, you would learn nothing from the experience," Drake stated firmly. His face was dead serious and Jacob could tell this would be yet another important lesson he learned from the wolf tonight. "Those who fail to learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. So my interference wouldn't help you whatsoever."

"But I didn't make a mistake!" Jacob protested. "What happened at the hospital wasn't my fault."

"Perhaps," Drake said calmly while he checked his claws. "But you're still responsible for what happens next. I want you to learn how to deal with your problems, not run away from them. You've done well so far. Now we'll see how far you can push your limits."

Jacob sighed. "I don't want to push my limits, though. I just want things to work out."

"So does everyone else," said Drake. "Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out. But then if it did, what's the point?"

As much as he disliked the white wolf's tendency to be rather vague and indirect, Jacob had come to enjoy their conversations. Drake had begun appearing to him in his dreams when Jacob was just a little pup. At the time, he thought it was cool to have an imaginary friend to talk to every now and then. Then as he got older, Drake aged with him, or at least he seemed to. The white wolf was much older than he looked, and he eventually revealed that he was a being of unimaginable power, able to control time and bend the rules of physics at will. He lived outside the space-time continuum, which meant he could go anywhere he wanted, any-when he wanted, on a whim.

And apparently there were eleven others just like him running around somewhere. It was a scary thought.

"Okay Drake, level with me," said Jacob, leaning back in his chair. "You can see the future, so you know exactly what will happen if I tell someone about Jasper. Tell me."

Drake clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, eyes unfocused as he contemplated out loud. "Well, it's fairly likely that you'll just be arrested on the spot," he replied seriously. "Jasper will be taken in and you'll lose your job. And probably Nick, too, for housing a criminal."

Jacob gave a derisive nod with a mirthless chuckle. "Yep, that's what I thought..."

Drake held up a finger. _"But..._it's just as likely they just wipe his Brand and give him a new one. You'll be let off for reporting the incident so quickly and you're also protected by your occupation as a police officer, so...that's also a possibility."

His ears perked as Jacob turned that scenario over in his head. "I guess that's true..."

"Of course, there's also the possibility that it was Jasper's plan all along to get the Dark Brand and that he's been making money on the side doing Sealbreaker business. He leaves you and Nick and goes off to make a life of his own in an effort to escape the miserable existence your lives have become."

"Now wait a minute -"

"Or you both are found guilty and get thrown in jail. But then you both manage to break out and let the other inmates out in the process. You use the prison break as a distraction to buy you time to run far away and settle down somewhere quiet. Since you need to keep a low profile, you're forced to live on the streets and make money selling drugs. When the authorities eventually find you, you and Jasper both try to run away again. You steal a car, a high speed chase ensues, you crash and die. Then they bring you both back as zombies and use you as propaganda to warn anyone else who dares to try and slip under their radar."

Jacob gaped. "What?!"

Drake snickered behind a paw. "Relax, Jacob. I was joking about that last part."

He let out a breath of relief. "Good. Zombies are a little too far."

"Oh no, I was talking about the propaganda. KazCorp would never reveal to the public that zombies were a possibility," Drake said shaking his head. "It would be bad for their image. Not to mention people would probably start raiding all the stores for an impending apocalypse. But the zombie thing is definitely possible."

Jacob frowned skeptically. "Really? Zombies could be a thing?"

Drake shrugged. "You got the technology and the magic. Why not?"

"..."

"..."

"...wha -"

"Oops! We're out of time," Drake exclaimed, checking a wristwatch that wasn't there. He gracefully hopped off the desk. "Well, I've done my part. Now time to make a decision."

"Hang on, we've always got time!" Jacob said hastily, standing to match the white wolf's height. "Time is frozen while you're here, right? So we could talk forever if we wanted to!"

"Not quite how it works, I'm afraid. Perhaps I should clarify: you're out of time. Because," Drake smiled as those golden eyes flashed. "Someone is about to wake you up."

Jacob jolted awake when he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He was still in his chair at the security desk, but Drake was gone. Instead, an angry looking tiger glared down at him.

Jacob sprang to his feet, his phone hitting the floor and yanking the single earbud out of his ear. "Lieutenant Taggart!"

Taggart's glare was bone chilling. "Having a nice nap, are we?"

"I'm sorry!" Jacob stammered. "I was -"

"No excuses!" Taggart snapped. "If I catch you sleeping on the job again, I'll have you reported immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes Lieutenant!" The wolf rattled off, standing perfectly straight and at attention. "It won't happen again, sir!"

"It'd better not," said Taggart. "Now go do a few rounds of the station and get yourself some coffee. That's an order."

"Yes, sir."

The tiger took his place behind the desk while Jacob scooped up his phone and left, momentarily shaken by the encounter. In the three years he had spent in Sanction, he had never been caught slacking off because he had always followed the rules to the letter. He had only fallen asleep this time because Drake had felt the need to pull him out to speak to him.

As he passed a window facing out to the parking lot, Jacob thought he caught a flash of white fur out of the corner of his eye. He paused and turned to the window only to see his own reflection staring back at him. Jacob shook his head and continued on his way.

God damn it, Drake.

_ _ The station itself was a maze of twisting turning hallways and winding staircases that would confuse any newcomer trying to find their way around. It had taken Jacob a good few weeks just to get a grasp of the entire area, even with the maps available to them. Now though, he easily found his way around. The halls were still deathly silent, the only sounds being his own booted footsteps echoing down the corridors. Occasionally, he would pass another officer either at a security desk or on patrol like he was, and he would offer a wave or a simple "hello" and keep walking. There was no time for idle chitchat while on duty.

Jacob quickly found the break room and walked toward one of the coffeemakers in the back. He put some grounds in and let the machine do its work. Soon he would have the perfect dose of bittersweet caffeine he needed to get through the night.

"Heya, Jake."

Jacob jumped for the third time that night, turning around to see yet another familiar figure. He sighed and returned to the counter. "Hi, Brent."

"Aw c'mon, you're not happy to see me?" The large German Shepherd sauntered in, his boots echoing more heavily on the tile floor. "It's been so long since we talked."

"I could've gone a bit longer," said Jacob as he grabbed a cup.

"Hey, don't be like that," Brent said in that same smug tone. "I'm just trying to make some conversation. Night watch isn't exactly the most exciting job."

Jacob had to give him that. People on night watch were being paid to do essentially nothing because there was rarely anything to actually watch. It wasn't as if they were guarding anything particularly valuable either. The most exciting thing that had happened on night watch so far was when a shifty looking raccoon had broken in and tried to steal some documents. Jacob and a couple other officers had chased him off before he could snatch anything, but that had been the extent of the encounter. It had happened a long time ago, barely a year after he had joined. And they hadn't even been important documents.

"Well, I'm not in the mood to talk." Jacob filled his cup and put a lid on top. "So leave me alone."

"Hmm, someone's a little grumpy." A brown furred paw reached around Jacob to grab the coffee pot. "It is after midnight. Maybe you'll be in a better mood once you've had your morning coffee?"

That reminded Jacob that he still hadn't bothered to check the time after he had fallen asleep. "Wait, what time is it?" He asked, forgetting his agitation for the moment.

"Time for you to get a watch," Brent quipped, causing Jacob to roll his eyes. "It's nearly three in the morning."

He had been asleep for three hours? He inwardly cursed a certain white wolf again. "Too early then. Especially to get pestered by you for no good reason." Jacob took his coffee and headed out of the break room. "So go away."

Not waiting for an answer, Jacob emerged back out into the hall and continued his patrol of the station while sipping his coffee. Before long though, he thought he heard measured footsteps treading behind him. He glanced backward and suppressed a sigh.

"I thought I told you to get lost."

"Not so easy to get rid of me," said Brent, striding up to walk alongside the wolf. He held his own cup in a large paw. "Thought you would have learned that during training."

"Honestly, I just ignored you during training," Jacob shot back. He drummed a couple fingers along the side of his cup. "Figured you weren't worth the trouble."

Brent snickered. "And now you can't get enough."

"Oh, get over yourself."

"If you really hated me that much, you would have reported me for harassment by now." Brent grinned and nudged Jacob's shoulder. "Face it, Jake. You like it when we fight."

Jacob stopped in his tracks to stare at Brent, who stood a couple inches higher than he. His eyes probed through that dark brown gaze, trying to evaluate whatever sanity lay behind those orbs.

The wolf shook his head and started walking again, bringing the cup to his lips. "Get fucked."

Brent scoffed, finally appearing to get annoyed. "Fine. If you won't be a good sport, then let's actually try to have a decent conversation. We've got three hours left on this shift and I'm bored as hell. So indulge me."

"A decent conversation?" Jacob couldn't believe he had just heard those words come out of that mouth. "Like what?"

Brent huffed. "Oh I don't know, like: how was your day?"

Jacob snorted. "Terrible. Next question."

"Damnit, Jake! Cooperate, won't you?" Brent snapped.

"I don't want to talk to you, Brent," Jacob said calmly. He casually sipped from his cup again. "We've established that."

"You know what, fine. I'm done trying." Brent turned and walked back the way they came. "Have a good night," he said harshly.

"See ya," replied Jacob without looking back. A few moments with no footsteps or movement behind him told him that the dog had finally left. There was a hope in the back of Jacob's mind that maybe Brent would now leave him alone for good. No, he'd be back, Jacob decided. No matter how many times Brent declared that he was fed up, he always came back for more. He was persistent, the wolf had to give him that.

The small cup in his paw was drained quickly and deposited in a trash can nearby. His mind was free to wander again now that Brent was gone. The sign on the wall reading "Information Technology" as he crossed into another section of the building reminded him of Nick. With his computer skills, an IT job at Sanction would be perfect for Nick, especially with his loyalty to rules and regulations. Or maybe a job in digital forensics. Jacob could definitely see the fox as one of those super tech savvy people who sits at those massive workstations with an array of computer screens and cross references all the suspect records in those crime shows on TV.

Passing one of the conference rooms, Jacob heard an animated conversation going on inside, and it sounded like there were several people involved. That was strange. There shouldn't be that many people in one place at the station this late at night. Something was up. Not wanting to alarm the suspects just yet, he stood next to the door to listen.

"...with the Gen 2s at this stage isn't worth the trouble. It would cost us way too much for far too little gain," said a deep voice. "Not to mention they're still fairly unstable."

"But how are we supposed to know if they work correctly without field testing them?" A female voice rebutted. "We've done enough closed experiments to know that they at least function well with organic material. It's time to take the next step."

"Absolutely, not!" The first voice snapped, accompanied by the slam of paws on a table. "You saw what happened to the last test subject! If that happens in public, we and the entire business are done for!"

"Settle down, you two," said a tired, yet familiar voice. "We're getting sidetracked. The sooner we quit bickering and come to a consensus, the sooner we can go home. I'd like to get a few hours in before work in the morning."

"You're the one who chose the time and place for this meeting, Cross!" That irritated male voice spoke again. "You have no room to talk!"

Cross? That must have been Eric Cross, based on the slightly sharper inflections in his voice compared to his brother's. What on Earth was Eric Cross doing here at this hour? Neither he nor Erwin ever took night watch. And what were they talking about?

"I mean, if you want to spend the next hour arguing about matters beyond our control, then by all means," said Eric. "But I imagine KazCorp would be quite disappointed if we failed to deliver..."

"Fine, fine," said the other male. "Provided I can get some people in Bounty to cooperate, Project Nackle should be a success as far as execution. I can't guarantee anything, though. All the higher ups keep us on a pretty tight leash. With the right incentive I could get maybe three or four people in on the distribution aspect of it. Nothing more." There was a pause. "Feel free to chip in at any time, folks," he said to the other unseen occupants of the room.

"Do we know when the first field test is going to be?" It was a new voice this time.

"Negative. We'll know after it's discussed at the next meeting," said Eric. "Dr. Grace, when did you say that was?"

"Eveline told me she arranged a meeting on Saturday, at that nightclub down on Smith Avenue." The female voice replied. "The Silver Veil, I think it's called."

"I know the place," said Eric. "Keep in touch with Eveline and make sure she gives us an answer. We need a couple people from KazCorp at the site to spectate."

Jacob had heard of the Silver Veil. Nick mentioned that he had been there a couple times with some friends from college. What could Eric possibly be up to that involved going to a nightclub? Surely he wasn't just going for a drink; this meeting seemed far more sinister.

"In any case, the results from our latest experiment indicate -"

"Hang on. Everyone quiet," interrupted the deep-voiced male. "Is that someone at the door?"

Jacob's heart skipped a beat. No way could they see him from here; he was just behind the door, out of anyone's line of sight. Looking around, he noticed with a start that a nearby light was casting his shadow onto the opposite wall. Someone had seen his shadow!

The wolf tried to leave quickly, but was too late. The door swung open just before a hand grasped his shoulder firmly and roughly pulled him into the room. About eight people sat at the long conference table with Eric Cross at the closest end, who was currently scowling at him with his shoulder still in a death grip.

"Isn't that one of your officers?" Said a lion next to Eric's position. He had been the one with the deep voice. "I thought you said you locked the doors, Cross!"

"I did," Eric said angrily. He shook Jacob's shoulder. "How did you get in?! Answer me!"

"I - I," Jacob stuttered. Suddenly all these people were staring at him and he had no clue what was going on! "I just went through the side entrance, I swear!"

"Bullshit! I locked it," Eric insistent with a chilling scowl. "You broke in, didn't you?"

"No sir!"

"It doesn't matter how he got in," said a doe halfway down the table. She maintained a calm demeanor somehow despite this sudden intrusion. "He was eavesdropping on our meeting. Everything we've talked about here is classified as far as he's concerned. We can't let anything leave this room."

"I know that Doctor, thank you," Eric snapped. He glared at Jacob. "How much did you hear?"

"Not much, sir!" Jacob rattled off, his heart racing inside his chest. "I promise nothing will leave this room, sir!"

"That's not enough," said the doe. "Anyone could access his memories via his Neurochip. I suggest either wiping his memory of tonight or killing him."

"Killing him?" The lion looked at her in disbelief. "You're awfully cold for a doctor!"

"Just being cautious as always, Terrance."

"Shut up, you two!" Eric looked at Jacob, his fury showing through his eyes. "First of all, you're fired for eavesdropping on a classified meeting you knew you weren't part of. Second, they're right. Nothing is to leave this room." The rhino pulled a pistol from its holster and pointed it straight at Jacob's head.

Jacob panicked but stood still, afraid to make any sudden moves. "I - Captain?! Wh -"

"Don't move," Eric said without emotion, eyes narrowing. "I'll make this quick and painless."

"But Captai -"

Before he could finish, the dark went suddenly dark. Yelps and exclamations of shock and bewilderment filled the room as people scrambled to get their bearings. Jacob recovered quickly and used the distraction to his advantage, bolting toward what he believed to be the exit. He must have been correct because he found a wall that seemed to be part of the hallway outside the room. Straining to see even a glimmer of light that would give him some sense of direction, he began feeling his way down the hall while keeping the sounds of Eric and his colleagues behind him.

Then the lights came back on. Jacob's eyes blinked into focus just before an excited shout sounded at the end of the hall.

"There he is! Get him!"

Panicked, Jacob slammed into the door leading to a descending stairway which he quickly sped down. Then a thought occurred to him: where was he going? Clearly, "away" was the most obvious solution, but where exactly was he running to? In the few moments that had transpired since he got caught, Jacob hadn't thought up any semblance of a plan. He needed to leave; leave Sanction, leave it all behind. He was fired regardless.

Jacob reached the first floor and exited into a hallway, the loud footsteps of his pursuers echoing inside the stairwell. He dashed down the hallway, burst through another door, turned a corner, and -

"Oof!" Slammed straight into another person, causing them both to stumble and fall. It was almost like colliding with a solid wall at high speed, the way the crash knocked the wind from the wolf's lungs. He gasped for air as he regained his balance, looking up at the familiar German Shephard blinking in shock.

"Jake," Brent grunted as he got back up. "What the - ?"

"Out of the way!" Jacob shouted and pushed the dog aside. He kept running down the halls, hearing his pursuers shout again angrily as they too passed the confused dog. Jacob made a few more turns and eventually found the main entrance. He ran out the doors and through the gate, emerging out into the night air. Glancing around frantically, he found his car and started towards it, but was forced to stop when another car came zooming around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of him.

The passenger window slid down and the driver shouted out. "Get in!"

Jacob was befuddled. "What?"

"Get in if you want to live!"

Eric's group had nearly caught up with him at this point, their hurried footsteps reaching the front doors. The rhino himself scanned the parking lot and quickly found Jacob standing there. "He's there! Don't let him get away!"

He had no choice. Jacob opened the car door and threw himself into the seat. The driver didn't wait a moment before flooring it, the momentum of the car jostling the wolf in his seat. Jacob glanced out the window to see Eric glaring after him angrily before stomping in frustration. He allowed himself a sigh and turned to face his savior. In the driver's seat was a slender vixen dressed in all black.

Said vixen had taken the ski mask off her head and was currently staring at him incredulously. "Are you out of your mind?!"

Jacob was taken aback. "Um...what?"

"You went and eavesdropped on a Sealbreaker meeting while on duty," the vixen irritably. "What made you think that was a good idea?"

"Well, it's not like I knew it was going on in the first place," Jacob retorted. "How about you? You were there, too. And you're not even in Sanction, are you?"

"That's different. I went in with a plan. You on the other hand had no business being in that area of the station at all." The vixen sighed in exasperation, returning her eyes to the road. "This was supposed to be just a simple mission. Get in, stay for the meeting, get out. But then you had to go and get yourself in trouble."

"Yeah, well. Sorry to rain on your parade, but I'm not happy with the way things turned out either." Jacob shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared out at the city lights passing by. The streets were nearly completely empty in the early hours of the morning. "Who are you anyway? And where are you taking me?"

The vixen gave him a sideways glance. "Call me Gwen. I'm taking you back to our hideout. That reminds me..." Gwen reached into the center console and retrieved a small device resembling a tiny metal pistol wrapped in wires. She pointed it at Jacob and pulled the trigger.

ZZZAAP!

_ _ Jacob's vision blurred for a moment as pain exploded through his head, originating at the back of his skull and radiating outward towards the front. He clutched his head, but the pain was fleeting. A moment later, most of the pain was gone save for some mild throbbing.

"What was that for?!" The wolf snapped angrily.

"I just disabled the GPS module in your Neurochip. Now they won't be able to track you," Gwen explained. "If you're going to be coming with us, we don't want the police on our trail."

"'We?' How many of you are there wherever we're going?"

"Four. Five now, including you," Gwen answered.

"And where exactly is this...'hideout?'"

"You'll see. Soon enough."

Jacob rested back in his seat while Gwen drove down the calm and empty roads. What had this day come to? Just this morning, the only thing on his mind had been getting through his bimonthly physical, and now he was on the run with this vixen he had never met. Throw in the whole fiasco with Jasper and -

Shit.

Jacob suddenly sat up straight in his seat. "Wait. We need to bring my brother. And my friend, too."

Gwen shook her head adamantly. "No. I understand that you care about your family, but now is not the time -"

"Gwen, please! Here...think about it logically." Jacob decided to take a more tactful approach. "If Eric or the authorities get ahold of them, they'll be able to probe their memories. Together they know enough to potentially find me and get themselves in trouble as well. We don't want that."

Gwen paused for a moment before muttering, "Fine." The car jerked and the brakes screeched as she turned the wheel, performing a U-turn on the spot and heading the opposite direction back into the city. "Tell me where to go. And they'd better be ready to leave immediately because we need to move fast. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Don't call me that. My name is Gwen."

"Sorry, Gwen. Turn here."

It didn't take them long to reach Nick's apartment complex, or for Jacob to lead his new companion to the correct door. Jacob knocked loudly on the door and waited. And waited.

"He's probably asleep," Gwen decided. She made to leave. "Let's just go -"

"No," Jacob said firmly. "He'll hear it. Give him a minute."

"We don't have a minute!"

Jacob was about to respond when the door did open, revealing the fox on the other side.

"Jake? You're early again."

"Yeah," said Jacob in a manner much akin to the last time he had knocked on this door. "We need to go, all of us. Where's Jasper?"

"Over here," came a voice from the couch. Jasper sat on one of the cushions looking a little bleary-eyed. The television displayed the pause menu of a video game. Clearly, Nick had ignored Jacob's rule against late night gaming sessions.

"Jake, what's going on?" Nick asked bewildered. He looked at Gwen, who had just closed the door behind her. "And who is this?"

"I'm Gwen," she said shortly.

"Nice to meet you. Jake, answer my question," Nick insisted.

"Long story short, I stumbled upon a Sealbreaker meeting at the station and got caught. Gwen found me and now we're being chased by the police. Hence 'we need to go!' Is that good enough?" Jacob snapped.

"...So you're telling me that after that whole situation with Jasper, you went and got yourself into more trouble?"

"It's not like I wanted any of this to happen, Nick!" Jacob said, his voice rising. "I don't like this any more than you do, but that doesn't matter. The fact is we're as good as dead if we get arrested."

Nick growled and dragged a paw down his face. "You idiot! I told you to go to the police at the start and now you've gotten yourself into this mess! Why didn't you just listen?!"

Jacob gaped. "Seriously?! It's only been hours since you said that to me! Did you really expect me to have a sudden change of heart and turn Jasper in on the spot? Huh?!"

"It shouldn't have even been a question! You should have just done it!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Gwen shouted. "We don't have time for this." She brought out the tiny pistol again. Pointing it at Nick, a short high pitched whine sounded from the device as it charged up. Then there was a loud zapping sound and Nick jerked back in pain. She crossed to the living room and did the same to Jasper. "We need to leave whether you like it or not!"

Nick shook his head with a grimace. "Whatever you just did, you could have warned me," he mumbled.

Gwen ignored him. "If you clowns are down bickering, let's leave."

Nick snarled. "No! Jasper's Brand is one thing, but actively running from the police? This is way past the line!"

"Nick, you don't understand," insisted Jacob. "We're not -"

"No, I do understand!" Nick said in a raised voice. "You're running away because you committed a crime. And from what I can tell, you're just going to keep running. And running, and running! By not owning up to it, you're just piling even more shit onto your criminal record! I'll probably be arrested now just for knowing you! So no, I'm not going with you."

"Nick, please. You have nothing to gain by staying here," Jacob responded. "They'll take you in and interrogate you for information. Then when they're done with you, they'll kill you."

"You're being paranoid," Nick accused. "I'm not going to jail and no one's going to kill me. At worst they'll take me in for like a day before I'm let free. You on the other hand have got much worse waiting for you because you can't _fucking_take advice!"

A few heavy knocks came from the door. "JPD! We knew you're in there, Jacob Grimm! Open up or we're coming in!"

In a flash, Gwen had reached out and grabbed the gun off Jacob's hip. She pointed it straight at Nick. "This is it, Nick. Either come with us or I shoot."

The fox stared at her in shock before scoffing. "You're not going to kill me."

"Oh?" She cocked the gun. "Try me."

Nick paused and then huffed. "Fine, but I don't like this one bit. As soon as I get the chance, I'm getting out of here."

"Something tells me you'll change your mind soon enough," Gwen lowered the gun and looked toward the window. "We can't leave through the front. We'll have to jump through the window."

"What?!"

"Jacob Grimm, you have ten seconds to answer or we come in!"

_ _ "Go!" They rushed over to the window and pulled it open. Gwen used a knife to slash the screen material behind it and pull it away. Peering down, it was about a fifteen-foot drop to the ground with a patch of bushes to possibly cushion their fall.

"Land in the bushes and you should be fine," said Jacob. Knowing the police were going to burst through at any second, he swung his legs over the window sill and jumped first. He landed in the bushes with only a few minor scratches.

He heard the door being kicked in above followed by shouts and scuffling. Jasper came down next, and then Nick. Lastly, Gwen fell into the bushes and came up without a trace of discomfort. She was seemingly the least affected by the stings and stabs from the branches.

"To the car," Gwen muttered and ran toward the front of the building. The rest of them followed closely, just barely under the cover of the complex's shadow cast from the street lights. They saw her round the corner and then immediately jerk back with her back against the wall. "Shit!"

Jacob soon found out why as he rounded the corner as well. He saw Gwen's car parked in the lot, but then there were more Sanction officers hanging around the entrance. He threw out an arm to keep the others from making the same mistake and pulled back without a word.

"How are we supposed to get past?" Jacob murmured. "They'll see us immediately."

It was true. They were nearly surrounded on all sides with Sanction officers both above them and between them and their destination. The police upstairs had to have seen them jump out the window, so they were likely close by.

"I have an idea," Jasper whispered, his first words since the police had arrived. He grabbed Jacob's arm and reached for Nick as well. Before Jacob could utter even a word, the whole world faded to black. The ground disappeared beneath his feet and his stomach lurched as he found himself falling, falling, falling down into nothingness. Actually it more like he was being pulled downward, Jasper's vice grip on his arm becoming even tighter. The moment lasted only a few seconds as he landed on a soft surface and the world blinked back into existence. Jacob glanced around in bewilderment. He was in the back of Gwen's car!

"What the...?"

He realized almost too late that the officers outside had heard them. Nick, who had fallen on the seat opposite him, made a few hand gestures and conjured two strong gusts of wind to throw the guards away from the car. They slammed violently into the two vehicles adjacent to them and fell unconscious.

Jacob looked at Jasper wide-eyed. "How did you do that?"

"I can teleport through shadows," Jasper replied with a grin. "Neat, huh?"

Nick interjected, "Where's Gwen?"

"Oh." Jasper muttered, his grin fading. "I'll have to go back for her. One moment." His face screwed in concentration before he vanished completely, his body seeming to melt into the darkness of the back seat. He reappeared a few moments later with a very confused Gwen, who quickly righted herself in the seat and gave them all a befuddled look.

"What was that?"

"That was a Dark Elemental," Jacob said quickly. "Look, we need to go, so -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Gwen climbed into the driver's seat with Jacob on her right. She started the car just as five armed police officers came through the front door. They were spotted immediately.

"GO!"

Gwen threw the car into reverse and hastily backed out of their parking spot. Jacob could see the police scrambling for their own vehicles as their targets raced away out onto the street.

"This is insane," Nick said shakily. His green eyes were wide and frantic. "This is so fucking insane..."

"Yeah? Well, it's going to get a whole lot worse really soon," said Gwen, her eyes glued to the road. "Everything you had in your past life? Kiss it goodbye. You're with us now."

"But my job! And college -"

"Gone," Gwen snapped harshly. She caught the fox's eye in the mirror. "And you'd better get used to it quick."

BANG! BANG!

The sound of gunshots was heard as two holes were blown into the back window. The bullets hit the windshield and created two large spiderlike cracks in the glass. Everyone in the car ducked instinctively in case any more followed. Jacob twisted in his seat and dared to look back at the road. Two police cruisers were hot on their heels, lights flashing and sirens wailing.

"I need you two to get rid of them somehow!" Gwen shouted to the back, doing her best to concentrate on the road. "We can't get to the hideout with them on our tail!"

"Just stay in the city then," Jacob suggested. "Keep driving until we can shake them off."

"Hurry!"

Jacob glanced backward again at the road. The cruisers were getting closer, slowly but surely. They were probably looking to get a good shot in. The wolf's blue eyes searched his surroundings; inside the car, around the street, at the buildings, anywhere. He needed water in order to use his Brand, but there was none that he could easily reach. They were moving far too fast to grab hold of anything.

As he searched, something was happening just behind their car. Jasper had turned around and sat with an arm stretched toward the back window. Small wispy tendrils of dark energy curled off his fingers and snaked through the glass of the window. After a moment, they exploded into huge impenetrable clouds of darkness that their pursuers would get lost in for a few seconds. It was just enough to keep them from shooting.

Jacob turned to Gwen. "How far are we from this hideout?"

Gwen shrugged as she made another arbitrary turn. "I don't know, twenty minutes at most? It's not far at all; we just can't have these guys following us there."

"I understand that," said Jacob. "But where is it exactly? How have you managed to stay out of sight for so long? And why do you need to hide in the first place?"

Gwen gave him an annoyed look. "One question at a time, Grimm."

"How do you know my -"

"Shit!"

_ _ Jacob had never heard his brother curse before, so he imagined whatever had just happened, it wasn't good. In the back, Jasper stared horrified at the street where a particularly large ball of pure shadow loomed between them and the police cruisers. The ball exploded and huge shadowy tendrils shot out towards the vehicles. One smashed through a windshield, causing the car to swerve violently. The massive sea of energy released collectively moved in toward the cars and lifted them high, high into the air. They had to have been about forty to fifty feet in the air.

"Holy shit!"

The police cruisers remained suspended in midair for a moment; the passengers could be seen scrambling around inside, likely fearing for their lives. The dark energy holding them up seemed to tense and then pull downward with a loud "whoosh," and both cars slammed hard into the asphalt. The very frames of the cars crumpled, glass shattered everywhere, and the lights flickered and died. The energy dissipated and the passengers laid perfectly still.

Jasper stared in shock before tears filled his eyes. "Oh my god, I - I just killed..." He slumped in his seat taking shaky breaths. "I killed them...I k-killed them..." Nick hastily grabbed the wolf and pulled him close, embracing the wolf while he sobbed into his chest. The fox met Jacob's eyes in the front seat, shaking his head silently.

Jacob glanced at the horrific wreck that had just occurred and then at his little brother breaking down in the back seat. He opened his mouth, but wasn't sure what to say. His own sixteen-year-old brother had just killed a squad of police officers. It was an accident, but a death all the same. If anything that only made it worse.

This wasn't right. Poor Jasper didn't deserve this. But there was nothing he nor anyone could do. They had to see this through.

Jacob turned back around, staring straight ahead. "Take us to your hideout. Just get us somewhere safe."

Gwen nodded solemnly and turned onto the correct street. No one said another word for the rest of the ride.

After twenty minutes or so, they finally arrived at a large barn house on the outskirts of town. Acres of farmland lay past the house, one side a grassy plain while the other was a cornfield. They parked between a rusty pickup that had seen better days and a shiny black van that looked like it didn't belong there.

"This is the hideout?" Jacob asked as he got out of the car. He gazed at the large wooden structure. "A barn house?"

"No, not here. The owner just lets us use the parking space," Gwen replied. The locks clicked shut once the four of them had left the car. "This way," she announced, turning and walking towards a dirt path that ran down the middle of the farmland. They could see a shady forest area at the end of the road.

The walk was mostly silent, partly because it was so early and partly due to the haze that hung over their heads. It had been a long night for all of them, despite the entire ordeal only having been about an hour. Nick and Jasper hung back a bit while Jacob strode up to walk next to Gwen.

"Thanks," he said quietly. He listened to their footsteps, the scraping of rubber on rock strangely soothing. "For getting us out of there. Thanks."

"All part of the job," Gwen sighed, sounding rather exhausted. "Don't know what we would've done if you'd died back there, or gotten taken in."

"Why? Are we important or something?" The question had been in the back of his mind all night.

"Kind of," said Gwen. She turned her head and nodded toward Jasper. "Mostly your brother. He's the one who got our attention in the first place."

Jacob glanced back toward his brother. Jasper hadn't noticed they were talking about him and had his muzzle turned down toward the ground. His expression was tinged with melancholy, but the tears were mostly gone. At least Nick's comforting paw on his shoulder seemed to be doing some good. "What about him? Is it his Brand?"

Gwen nodded. "His Brand is unlike any other we've seen before. You saw how unstable his magic was. Gen 2s are volatile, but that was pushing it."

"Maybe he just needs practice?" Jacob suggested. "I mean, it's not even been a day since he got it. Some time and a little bit of guidance should fix that, right?"

Gwen shook her head. "It's not that simple. Brands were designed to be easily manageable in the first place. Figuring out how_to use your Brand, sure, it can be difficult. But _controlling your magic should never be an issue. Did you ever have that kind of trouble with your Brand?"

They had reached the dark forest area now, beyond the fields that separated them from the barn. A light shining from the vixen's phone made the ground in front of them visible enough to navigate.

"No," Jacob admitted. "But I was also trained for magical combat through Sanction. They make sure accidents like that don't happen."

"Fair enough," Gwen said with a shrug. "All I'm saying is either he's really bad with his Brand, or something went wrong with his procedure. I'm betting on the latter. Either way, we'll make sure he's trained well. Once we find a problem, we can usually fix it."

"You keep saying 'we' and 'us,'" Jacob observed. "Who is 'we?'"

"You're about to find out." Gwen bent and dusted off a raised platform on the ground. It was a concrete slab with two metal doors that would open outward much like a trapdoor. The vixen pulled them open with a loud creaking sound and looked at her three companions. "After you."

There was barely any light allowing them to see into the dark hole. Jacob entered cautiously with Nick and Jasper behind him, quickly discovering a set of steps leading down into the chamber. He could only get so far, though, without losing sight of where he was going. When Gwen shut the doors behind them, the small space went completely dark.

"Hey, I can't see!"

"No one can. Wait, what's this?"

"Ouch, Nick, that's my foot!"

"Hold on, you clowns. I need to find the light switch...aha!"

The chamber was suddenly illuminated by lights along the ceiling, revealing it to actually be more of a hallway. They followed Gwen down the stairs and found a long narrow passageway ahead of them with a few doors on either side. The end of the hall split into two paths going left and right.

"What is this place?"

"It's our hideout," said Gwen simply. "It used to be one of those KazCorp research sites, before the Brands were fully accepted into society. They had to hide their work so people didn't think they were planning a terrorist attack or something."

"Makes sense," said Nick as he admired the walls and floor. "It looks really good for how old it is."

Gwen allowed herself a sardonic grin. "Oh believe me, it was not fun tidying this place up. We had to clean a lot of rat poop."

"Sounds promising..."

"How do we know they won't come back?" Jacob inquired.

"They haven't for decades," said Gwen with a shrug. "The place was completely deserted when we found it. We're not counting on KazCorp coming back for anything. They have no reason to."

Gwen stopped at a door at the end of the hall. "Time to meet the rest of the team." She knocked firmly three times on the wooden door. "I'm back, guys! And I've brought some friends!"

"Come in!" Said a gruff voice on the other side.

Gwen opened the door and stepped inside, making room for the others to enter. Jacob stepped through to find a long conference table with three furs sitting around it. One was a large husky with a long scar running diagonally over his right eye. Closer to the back was a rather traditional looking tiger with hazel eyes, his red orange fur with black stripes not at all uncommon for his species. On the other side was a rather short raccoon, his height surprising even for how young he looked. His fur was predominantly grey with black rings over his tail.

The tiger got up and approached him. "Nice to meet you, Jacob. I'm Ashton Monroe. Data analyst, hacker, lover of all things tech," he said, holding out his paw. "You can call me Ash."

Jacob shook his paw nervously. "Hi...um...how do you know my name?"

The tiger raised his eyebrows. "How can we not, after the racket you and your brother have caused tonight? It's our job to know about these things."

The tiger gestured to the husky at the table. "Please allow me to introduce you to our leader, Gavin."

Gavin stood and shook each of their paws, his light blue eyes carrying an almost fatherlike undertone. "Gavin Masters, leader and founder of Legion."

"Legion?"

The husky nodded. "It's what we call ourselves. A small band of misfits fighting against the Sealbreakers."

Jacob tilted his head in confusion. "But I thought the Sealbreakers were just defective Brand specialists?"

Gavin shook his head. "They're way more than that. But more on that later." He gestured around the room. "This is Sly," he said, gesturing toward the raccoon. The raccoon gave a small wave, but did not move or say anything yet.

"So have you been watching us or something?" Nick questioned.

"Well, not you so much," replied Ashton. His eyes flickered over to Jasper, who was standing nervously by Nick's side. "Mostly Jasper. As Gwen told you, his Brand is different than any other we've seen so far. We needed to investigate, so we kept tabs on him."

"You were stalking me?" Jasper said shocked.

"Not stalking. Monitoring," Gavin corrected. "Purely for research purposes, I promise."

"But why is my Brand so important?" Jasper insisted. "I only just got it today. How am I so special?"

"Your Brand is far more volatile than it should be," Sly spoke up for the first time. "Even for a Gen 2. Have you encountered any problems with your Brand? Other than what happened tonight, I mean."

Jasper flinched at the mention of his "accident" that night. "No."

"How about your procedure? Anything odd that happened there?"

"I - Well, it hurt a lot. Like, a whole lot."

"Is that so? Interesting," the grey raccoon mused. "I'm a Dark myself and mine didn't hurt. Interesting indeed..."

"Yours didn't hurt? Really? My..." Jasper's voice trailed off as his muzzle parted in a yawn.

Noticing this, Gavin interjected. "I think we've had enough excitement for one night. Gwen, could you lead our new recruits to their beds?"

"Of course," said Gwen, moving toward the door. "I'll make breakfast at eight."

"Make it ten."

"Woah, is Gav actually letting us sleep in for once?" Ashton joked.

"It's four thirty in the morning. We've all been up very late," said Gavin with a serious face. "Get some rest everyone. I want everyone back to work immediately after breakfast."

Everyone filed out of the room and left. Jacob, Jasper, and Nick were led to another hallway with several doors lining the sides. They were each assigned a room before the rest of them went to their own. Opening his door, Jacob found a single mattress positioned against the wall with some simple furniture to make the room a little more habitable.

His door opened again. Gwen came in carrying a stack of folded linens. "I brought you some sheets and sleepwear. We can go buy you some proper clothes later."

"Thanks," said Jacob, taking the stack. Before Gwen could leave, he called after her. "Hey, Gwen? How long have you been doing this?"

Gwen turned around with a curious look. "A couple years, why?"

"How do you do it? Terrible things happen like tonight, and yet you still keeping going at it. How come?"

The vixen stared for a moment before responding matter-of-factly. "No one wants to be here. But they don't want us out there either. So we do what we can."

With that, she left him standing there alone. Jacob sighed and changed his clothes, then made his bed. He turned off the lights and laid down on the mattress, the soft surface warm and welcoming. The moment his head hit the pillow, Jacob found his eyelids drooping shut already. After all that had happened that night, he was in need of a long sleep.