Hunter was worried. Nytehawk had left at dawn and it was now dusk and she was still no where to be found. "Where are you, my bird? What's keeping you?" he thought as he stood on their balcony. He hoped for the best, but feared for the worst.

The door to the balcony creaked open and he turned around quickly, hoping to see her pale form in the door. The figure in the doorway was female and a delphin, but she wasn't Nytehawk. This female was taller than Nyte and her fur was gray, same as his. Her long platinum blond mane and tail hung in loose waves behind her. Icy - blue eyes burned with an untamed ferocity. She was fiery spirited, almost wild. Hunter blinked his violet eyes and stepped back. This female made him nervous.

"Don't be scared, big boy. I'm not going to hurt you," she said reassuringly. Her voice was surprisingly gentle and carried the slightest of Southern accents.

"Who are you?" he asked nervously.

She gave him a slight smile. "My name's Sophie. I figured with the change in the wind, Nytehawk might end up in trouble."

"How do you know Nytehawk?"

"We... went through the same hell with the slavers. I think I might know where she is, or at least who has her."

"Where?"

"Our master..." She hesitated, trying to think of a way to phrase her words. "Nyte was never really his, but she was more like the property of the general than our true owner."

"General?"

"Our former owner basically ruled a country, and had a fairly large army."

"And what does this general want with Nytehawk?"

"I can only imagine." Sophie said with disgust turning her head slightly away.

Hunter's eyes widened and filled with anger, "What can we do?"

"We have to find Janus, no easy task there. He has more hiding places than I can remember. I suggest letting him contact you."

"How long could that take?"

"However long it takes for him to find out about you." Hunter frowned slightly. "Don't worry. He probably already knows about you... depending on how loud Nytehawk is..."

*********

Nytehawk awoke slowly in strange surroundings, her head pounding incessantly. A few moments later, she began to piece together her location. She first felt the weight of a leather halter on her head and heard the light chain attached to it rattle as she moved. The bed she was on was Queen sized with a wrought iron head and foot board and surrounded by mosquito netting, preventing her from seeing past the edge of the bed.

Janus sat on a window sill, watching, waiting for Nytehawk to awaken. he heard the chain attached to her halter rattle and tightened his grip on the other end. He would make sure she didn't get away from him this time. He stood from his perch on the sill and walked to the bed. Pulling back the netting, he saw her laying on the middle of the bed, her back to him, mane draped across her shoulders and spread out behind her. Her knees were pulled almost to her chest, one arm was under her head and the opposite hand lay across her face. She didn't turn to acknowledge his presence. No need as she already knew who it was. Her tail flicked once, covering most of her legs. Janus grinned and gave a small throaty chuckle. He reached toward her, gently taking hold of her mane sliding it off her shoulders and neck. He ran his forefinger along her cheekbone, resulting in her moving her head away and looking at the headboard. The black leather halter she now wore contrasted starkly with her pale complexion. It's polished silver locks and small silver studs sparkled in the dim light. He gathered up her mane, feeling the soft texture. "It's more like a human's hair than a horses..." he thought as he ran his fingers through it, combing it out a bit.

She drew her head back towards her chest. She didn't mind him combing her mane out. In a way, she liked it. But his touch... it made her shiver. Not like when Hunter touched her. Hunters touch was warm and caring. Janus's touch though was ice cold. To him, she was only an object. She gave a barely audible cry of pain as he raked his sharp fingernails across the small of her back. Where her shirt and jeans did not meet, she now trickled the slightest bit of blood, her pale fur staining red.

Janus gave another throaty chuckle and went back to playing with her mane, beginning to braid it now. "Mine..." he whispered.

Nytehawk closed her aqua eyes and looked away from him as much as she could. She was going to escape from him. Go back to Hunter and his caring touch. She would get back to him... or die fighting.