“Where are you, Nytehawk?” Hunter quietly asked the clouding sky as he stood on the balcony of their home. He had grown increasingly concerned that his mate had vanished some three days ago. He sighed and leaned on the railing, still looking to the sky.

The sound of a creaking door caught his attention and he quickly straightened and spun around. He had hoped to see his love’s pale furred form, but instead saw a female with grey-blue fur, a long, wavy blonde mane and tail, and deep blue eyes. Hunter blinked and stepped back. “Who are you?” he demanded.

The female smiled reassuringly at him. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Who are you?” Hunter repeated, a little less stern this time.

“My name’s Sophie,” she began, then paused to think. “I’m here because I felt that Nytehawk may be in trouble.”

“I haven’t seen her in three days,” Hunter admitted.

“Then he probably has her,” she sighed. “Did she tell you anything before she left?”

Hunter nodded. “Yes. She didn’t want me to come after her.”

“Typical,” Sophie replied, shaking her head.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked, trying not to sound desperate.

“About the only thing we can do is wait. I can try to find out some information, but the way this city is, I don’t know what I’ll be able to discover.”

“Anything would help,” Hunter replied. “Thank you.”

Sophie bowed slightly. “I owe it to her. It’s no trouble.”

*********

“Legacy,” Snowhawk softly said as she nuzzled her sleeping mate. He grumbled quietly and curled up a little in response. “Don’t you ‘mmrph’ me,” she responded in turn, lightly pushing him.

“Sleep... Need...” he sleepily replied.

The lavender Delphin was not amused. “You have slept for twelve hours. Get up.”

“No,” he protested.

A mischievous grin crossed her face and she got up from the bed, then walked to the kitchen. Moments later, she returned with a large, ice water filled pot. She sat the pot down, then stuck her fingers into it and flicked some of the water onto him. “Get up or you get the whole pot of that dumped on you.”

“Don’t want to...” he grumbled.

She sighed in aggravation, stomping a hoof. “The longer you lay there, the lazier you will get.”

“Why can’t I sleep?” he replied.

At least he’s awake enough to form coherent sentences, she thought. “Why?”

“Yes, why?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Because Janus has my cousin.”

Legacy sat straight up in bed. “He what!?”

“He’s captured Nytehawk. I overheard some other Del asking about her while I was out this morning.”

“Did you hear how long he’s had her?” he asked, rubbing his forehead just below his horn.

“I believe I heard five days,” she again sighed. “We need to find Jerome.”

The male nodded. “We do, but how are we going to find him? He’s been missing for two years. We can’t even be certain he’s still alive.”

“If we can’t find Jerome, then I’ll go get Nytehawk. Or I’ll go when I get the first chance. I’m not letting him keep her.”

Legacy sat in silence for a moment his head lowered, then looked up at his mate. “But, what if that’s his plan? What if he’s trying to draw you out by using her as bait? It wouldn’t be out of character for him.”

Snowhawk shook her head. “It wouldn’t be, but it seems a little too risky for him to take.”

“I don’t want him to take you away. You’re too important,” he sighed, pulling her into the bed. He gently nuzzled her, then after giving her a concerned look, brushed her forelock back and felt a few spots on her face with his right hand. “I don’t think you should be doing much of anything today anyway. It feels like you have a fever.

“Not too surprising,” she said, looking to the side.

“Why not? Are you okay, love?” he asked, more concerned than before.

“I’m fine,” she replied unconvincingly.

“You don’t lie that well, Snow,” he stated, turning her head toward him. “And you seem to have had something else on your mind the past few weeks.”

“I am fine, Legacy,” She firmly said, pulling her head away. “Just have a lot on my mind right now.”

*********

Nytehawk sighed as she paced the room she’d been placed in. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Snowhawk found out what had happened and came looking for her. “Which is exactly what he wants. Dammit.” She again introduced her hoof to her door, adding another dent to the numerous ones she had already put in it, then stalked across the room. “I wish I could warn her.”

Janus’ voice came, slightly muffled, from the other side of the door. “Why don’t you rest, Nytehawk?”

“Because I don’t trust you,” she growled, turning toward said door.

“Accept it, Nytehawk,” he continued. “There is nothing you can do.” He unlocked and opened the door, then walked into her room. “I only want the best for her and if she stays where she is now, she’ll be crushed when she realizes that her little world of lies is crumbling. Her Guardian, unlike yours, doesn’t know when to step back and leave her alone.”

“From what I have heard, and know of the Guardians, Legacy is there, and continues to be there, because he loves her. He’s not there for his duty alone,” she stated.

“Loves her? Then why does he leave her alone at night?” he replied, slightly tilting his head to his right.

“What?” she asked, likewise canting her head and folding her ears back.

“In more than two months, he has not stayed with her more than eight nights. There have been several occasions where he never returned during the day, or for several following days.”

“And what does that have to do with anything?” she snorted.

“Do you remember what would happen when she was alone for more than a few hours?” he replied. “We’re talking about a creature that before she left here was never alone for more than half a day.”

Nytehawk shrugged. “She felt bad. She got depressed. Though there were many times when she would go off by herself to be alone. She left one night and never returned.”

“And your first reaction was that she would come here. Why do you think she would have?”

Nytehawk didn’t like Janus trying to be a psychologist. Again she snorted at him. “The hell if I know.”

Janus grinned. “There is a familiarity here she can’t get anywhere else. There is stability. There is never having to wonder where the hell her mate has gone off to. She could go off on her own to be alone, then come back and not have to look for anyone. Do you understand where I’m going?”

“Your thought process is so screwed up, no one can understand it,” she returned, glaring at him. “You are not convincing me in the least.”

“In due time, dear Nytehawk,” he grinned again.

“Not a chance,” she stated, still glaring at him.

Never having dropped his grin, he turned and left the room. She’d been here for little more than a month and seemed to be just as stubborn as the day she came.

*********

Janus fell asleep that night at his desk, and his dreams again reminded him how he lost Snowhawk.

~~~~~~~~~

“Do you remember what it was like before you came into my life?” a younger Janus asked a human-formed Snowhawk as he held her.

“A nightmare,” she replied, lowering her head.

“Indeed,” he said, gently stroking her hair.

“And for you?” she asked curiously.

“Dull, boring... Nothing I would like to have again. You are more wonderful than I could have ever imagined,” he smiled.

She blushed and smiled in return, then he saw the two of them several months later. And once again, I watch myself ruin what I had, he thought. Why did I have to say it like that? he asked as he watched her leave the room. I was such an idiot.

~~~~~~~~~

He awoke and sat up, looking out his window at the night sky. “I’ll redeem myself soon... Very soon.” He nodded, then stood and went to his bed.

*********

The protectors known as Guardians were trained to protect the nobility of the Delphin Society and most were nobles themselves. When the Society fell to the slavers, the Guardians remained to protect the ones they could. They trained new Guardians in secrecy. Soon, not many of the old Guardians were left alive, and almost none of the new line were fully trained. They all held the duty to protect their charges when circumstances allowed it. Some would stay near their charges, others would leave and wait for the call to duty.

Far outside the city, one Guardian heard his call. In the dark shadows of the forest, a flash of gold came to life in the pale light of the moon. He had been waiting for this call.

Emerald green eyes opened as a male Delphin appearing to be made of gold stepped onto a rocky ledge, and looked toward the city. He folded back his golden wings and looked toward the glowing city for a moment. Then he turned, his golden horn glinting in the light, and trotted toward a path out of the forest.

*********

Nytehawk paced anxiously in her room. Janus was determined to get Snowhawk back, and every day was one more day closer to her cousin getting caught, one way or another. “That idiot,” she growled as she stopped at her door, then, once again, kicked it. “Maybe I’ll have the damn thing broken by the time she gets here.” It had been another week since Janus had taken her, making a total of five. “At least Hunter listened to me this time.”

Just out of her view, the golden furred Delphin clung to the side of the estate. “Now I know for certain where you are,” he quietly said, then dropped from the wall. He spread his golden wings and glided over the fence. He had not been able to protect her in the years past, but now he would.

He silently made his way through the streets, grateful for the cloudy night. The one that had contacted him said Nytehawk and her mate owned a large house about a half hour’s walk from the Slaver’s estate. He found the house easily and stopped out front. The front yard of the old, two-story home had several large trees, like the rest of the area. The original planners of this part of the city had removed only the trees they needed to, leaving almost all the trees and underbrush. The property was surrounded by an ivy-covered brick and iron fence.

The golden Delphin made his way through the open iron gate and slowly walked the concrete path to the home. He stopped as he stepped onto the front porch, and turned to look at the yard again. He felt as if he was being watched. He saw no one, and paying no attention to it now, he turned and knocked on the front door.

*********

Sophie’s ears flicked at the sound of someone knocking. She stood and went to look out the window, but the roof of the porch hid the caller. She looked at Hunter to find him still asleep in a chair, then walked out of the room and downstairs to the front door. The sight of gold fur through the frosted glass in the front door gave her a twisting feeling in her gut. She knew the Delphin standing outside. They had been lovers, and had parted on foul terms. She had once tried to kill Nytehawk on orders from her former owner. He had stopped her, then she left when he asked her why. “Should have known I’d see him. He’s her Guardian, after all,” she quietly said to herself as she opened the door.

The golden Delphin was not pleased to see her. “Sophie.”

“Long time no see, Jerome,” she half smiled. He gave her no reply. “Not long enough apparently,” she added, looking down.

“What brought you out of hiding?” he asked, glaring at her.

“Same thing as you, I’d imagine,” she responded.

He snorted and flicked his tail. “Go back to whatever rock you were under. You’ve already caused enough trouble for Nytehawk.”

“Get over it, Jerome!” she yelled. “I was doing what I had been ordered to do. I wouldn’t have done anything if it had been my choice.”

“Oh, really?” he sarcastically replied.

“Yes, Jerome. Really.” She looked up at him. “I’m sorry for what happened. I’m sorry for what I did to Nytehawk and to you.”

“You just left,” he began. “You just up and left and never answered my question.” She made no attempt to reply. “Why didn’t you at least come back and tell me why after your owner was killed? You were free.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll never be free. I’m sick. I was used for testing of some chemical he was making. I’m dying. I don’t have more than a couple years to live at the most and I want to at least try to help.”

Jerome was silent for several minutes, then finally asked, “Do you have a plan?”

“No. I was waiting on you to show up.” She looked to her left, then stepped back, holding the door for him. “Come on inside. You can meet her mate, Hunter, and we can figure out what to do now.”

Sophie turned and walked into one of the front rooms. As Jerome stepped inside to follow her, the rustling of some bushes caught his attention. He again turned to look and this time he thought he saw a flash of amethyst vanish in the shadows. He blinked his green eyes, then walked inside.

*********

On the street in front of the house, a lavender furred Delphin dropped from a tree limb overhanging the fence. She stretched her bat-like wings and grinned “Almost...” she whispered, then trotted down the dark street.