The sound of hooves on asphalt piercing the foggy night air was the only indication that anyone was about. The lone delphin that quickly made her way down the street kept a nervous watch around her, hiding her bat - like wings as many of her kind do. She ducked into her apartment building and silently made her way up the stairs.

Once in her apartment, she wandered over to her couch and flopped down onto it. Her amethyst mane hung behind the couch, shimmering in the low lights. She sighed heavily and soon drifted off to sleep.

Her piece was not to last though as she woke up upon sensing another within "grab-'n'-throw" distance. She managed to grab an arm before the other pulled her to her hooves. A gentle hand touched her face, finally calming her down. "Wha... Legacy?" she said, still half asleep.

"You need to relax, Snowhawk," the other, a tall, golden - eyed, silvery - brown maned male replied.

"You worry too much..."

"I'm your guardian, that's my job." She smirked and sat back down. He soon sat down next to her. "What'd you find out?"

She sighed and frowned. "Nothing much we didn't already know. Janus has Nyte... has for a while. Jerome's confused over something, though... He might not be much help."

"And Hunter?"

"It's too personal. They way he's thinking of going about this, he'll end up getting himself killed."

"What about Sophie?"

"I don't know what the hell her involvement in this is. As far as I know, she could be working for Janus."

"She could be J's problem... After all they were..."

"Yeah. Then she pulled that stunt. I don't think we can trust her. I don't want her to screw this up. I was almost killed because of her once... so was Nyte." Snow paused and dropped her head.

"We'll free her, Snow. And get rid of Janus as well." Legacy put his arms around her. "I'll go and let you sleep, then come back in a few hours so we can work." He touched her scarred face, then whispered, "We'll make it through this."

As he stood to go, Snow grabbed his arm. "Please... stay here... I'll sleep better..."

Unable to resist her "please-I'm-completly-incapable-of-defending-myself" look, he simply sighed, took his jacket off, tossing it across the back of the couch, and sat back down. Snow smiled and cuddled up to him, soon falling asleep. Moments later, Legacy had fallen asleep as well.

*********

As a general, unwritten rule, Guardians and the ones they protect do not get romantically involved. The reason is the simple fact that should the Guardian be killed while protecting, or worse yet fail to protect, the blame the survivor placed on themselves is reduced.

However, Snowhawk, being Snowhawk, she had no regard for such unwritten rules. She felt the benefits greatly outweighed the risks.

On the other hoof, Jerome decided six years ago that a relationship with Nytehawk would never be.

He stared at the gray - furred female across the room. He had loved her, trusted her, and she had betrayed him. Not to mention nearly getting Nyte and her cousin killed.

Sophie could feel Jerome glaring at her. She knew he'd be angry still. The mistakes of her past, especially this one, would haunt her until the day she died. She had been young, stupid, and too confused to realize what she was doing. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"What?" a slightly confused Jerome replied.

"I'm sorry..." she repeated. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I didn't know that..."

"No. You knew, all right," he snapped, cutting her off. "You just don't want to admit it. Let me ask you this; do you think 'sorry' is gonna make everything all right?"

"No..."

"No, it's not."

"That's why I'm here. Damnit, I want to at least TRY and help. Plus," she began, "I have nothing, now. Except my friends... at least those who were..."

"Are you asking to be forgiven?" Jerome asked, looking at her, then looking away. "Asking us to just forget everything?"

"No. I'm asking you to let me help. And don't mention this to Hunter... I'll tell him on my own time..."

"You got a plan?"

"Kinda. But you'll have to trust me enough to work in my own way."

"Just don't get us killed," he said as he stood then walked out the door.

*********

Nytehawk sat, unmoving, at the long table in Janus's dining hall. The multitude of guests was becoming overwhelming. 'As if it hadn't been before..." she thought. Her head ached. She wanted away from them all, away from the noise, the lights. Mostly away from Janus who was currently standing behind her, one hand on her shoulder, the other absently toying with a lock of her equine mane.

"You're going to starve unless you eat, Nyte," Janus whispered to her.

"I don't feel good..." she replied.

Janus sighed and stood her up. He excused the two of them and led her into the hallway. "What the hell do you think you're accomplishing?" he demanded as he backed her into the wall.

She wouldn't look at or answer him.

Janus dropped his head and sighed. "I see..." he paused for a moment, then grabbed her upper arm and took her to her room. He sat her on the bed, then left to return to his guests and make sure she had food sent up to her. Nytehawk soon fell asleep in the darkness of the room as quiet music played to keep out the noise of party below.

*********

Janus sighed as he walked back down to the party. He felt like he was losing his hold on her, but he didn't know why. He also felt his emotions toward her growing. If he had the ability to love another, one could say that was what he felt for Nytehawk. His methods of showing his affection left a little to be desired, though.

He didn't know how to express his emotions properly. Both his parents had died before he was five years old and the slaver he had worked for was also his distant uncle. His uncle had spoiled him, given him everything he wanted and so Janus associated material gifts with love. There was no other affection shown to him by his uncle. At 14, Nytehawk had basically been one of Janus's gifts. Around the same time, Janus began to show great skill in the art and tactics of warfare. His uncle made him the general of his army at 15 and gave him another delphin. This slave was a couple months older than Nytehawk and had pale purple fur, a deep amethyst horn spiraled in silver and a deep purple mane and tail. She also had the marks of a spiked halter on her face.

"She may be scarred, but her true strength lies in her intelligence," his uncle had told him. "She has a work ethic of complete a job as quickly, efficiently, and accurately as possible. She's also a perfect match for your tactical skills." Janus remembered her icy glare most.

Unfortunately, his uncle hadn't warned him about her temper. When Janus attempted to apply medication to her scars the night he received her, she had attacked him. Had Nytehawk not been nearby to pull her away, he might have been killed. The younger whispered to the older one something he didn't understand, but the older delphin calmed down and allowed him to apply the medication to her face.

He did find that her quick temper was useful in gathering information. She had won wars for him. Her status as tactician and reconnaissance gave her more freedom of movement than the other slaves, but her punishment for attempting to escape was much harsher.

*********

Janus never returned to the party, instead returning to Nytehawk's room. He sat down on her bed and gently combed out her long, silver - blue mane with his fingers. As he sat in the darkness, he began to remember more about the lavender - furred delphin. She was Nytehawk's cousin... He hadn't thought of her for years and found it strange that she should appear in his thoughts so suddenly. He also found it strange that her name, which he hadn't thought of for years, was suddenly remembered; his violet tactician, Snowhawk.