Leap of Faith - Chapter 3 (Patreon)

For the first time in years, she didn’t dream about a mission gone wrong.  There were no screams.  There was no panic.  No desperation.  No searching for an escape that would never be found.

She dreamed about the forest.  Wild plants and animals unlike any she’d ever seen.  She dreamed about Blake, laughing and teasing her as she got herself into all kinds of ‘trouble’ that didn’t involve any real danger.

She didn’t wake up with a gasp.  She didn’t sit straight up and grab at her arm, or where her arm used to be.  The covers weren’t twisted around her, damp from fearful sweats.  There weren’t any covers at all, yet she woke up comfortable and warm.

Blake was the source of that warmth - a revelation that filled Yang’s heart with joy.  Sometime during the night, Blake had rolled over and snuggled into Yang’s side.  Her face burrowed against Yang’s shoulder while her arms looped through Yang’s, holding Yang close even while at rest.

Not wanting to disturb the sleeping beauty, Yang took slow, shallow breaths and remained as motionless as possible.  She could honestly say that she had never woken up like this.  Blake’s beauty alone belonged in a class of its own, but she also couldn't remember ever feeling such a strong desire to spend more time with another person, no matter what they chose to do.  Blake could suggest wrestling Prowlers and Yang would be completely on board.

There was more to Yang’s good mood than Blake’s presence though.  Despite sleeping in a literal leaf, she felt…refreshed.  A good night’s sleep helped, but that couldn't be the sole reason for the haze of serenity in the morning air.  It was as if she had somehow found a temporary peace.  As if her nagging worries and restless need for adventure had faded away.

Yang would have stayed like that forever, but nature had other plans.  A bird cawed loudly as it flew overhead, making Blake flinch in her sleep before stirring as consciousness returned.  She squeezed Yang closer first, then rubbed her eyes on Yang’s shoulder, then jerked away so fast that Yang looked over to make sure that she was alright.

She was alright, but she smiled sheepishly when their gazes met.

“Good morning,” Yang said, a smile automatically slipping onto her lips.

“‘Morning,” Blake mumbled while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  She then yawned, and Yang watched in wonder as her tongue curled and her ears flattened against her head.  As soon as the yawn passed, she tilted her head and asked, “What?”

“Nothing.”  Yang shook her head but then chuckled.  “That was just really cute.”

One of Blake’s ears twitched, which was even cuter, but Blake cleared her throat and pulled over her bag.  “Did you sleep alright?” she asked while removing their uneaten food from last night and passing some to Yang.

“I sleep great.  Did you?”

“Yeah, I…”  Their gazes met, but they both looked away just as quickly.  “I did,” Blake concluded before squinting up at the sky.  “Looks late,” she mumbled before taking a somewhat brooding bite of moon melon, which looked remarkably normal in the daytime.  “We should get going soon if we want to make it back in time…”

Reminded that their spontaneous, unexpected adventure ended today, Yang held off a frown and forced down some food.  Swallowing became difficult when she thought about what came next for her, for Blake, and for them, but she didn’t force cheer over the somber atmosphere.  She ate slowly instead, savoring every moment before following Blake to her feet.

“So…”  Yang brushed off her pants and then pulled herself up to peek over the leaf’s edge.  The forest still took her breath away - thick green trees with gaps for rivers to wind through, the nearby mountain casting a long shadow as the sun rose behind it, and flashes of color flitting through the skies.  Feeling Blake beside her, she looked over and smiled.  “What now?”

Blake’s brow furrowed as she stared out over the horizon, and her ears twisted every which way as if searching for some unspoken answer.

“I want to show you something,” she concluded before turning her amber eyes to Yang.  “Before we go.  Will you come with me?”

Yang would follow Blake anywhere, especially if it meant extending their time together, so of course she nodded and said, “Absolutely.”  Her acceptance prompted the first smile of the morning - a soft, quiet one that still alluded to what lay ahead, but Yang motioned for Blake to lead the way.  They carefully climbed down from their perch until they were once again immersed in the canopy.  There, Blake led them from tree to tree, branch to branch, as the rest of the forest woke up around them.

Blake pointed out every new creature that crossed their path, often whispering their names and sharing an interesting story about them, but for the most part they traveled in comfortable silence broken only by their breathing.  Yang didn’t ask where they were going - it could be the other side of the world, for all she cared - but she figured it out when the terrain sloped sharply upward.

“You aren’t tired, are you?” Blake asked, regaining that signature tease as her eyes flitted to Yang’s calves.

How Blake knew that Yang’s calves had started aching, Yang couldn't say.  She would never admit it though - she scoffed and said, “As if.”  Blake beamed at the response, grabbed Yang’s hand, and led them up the mountain that had watched over them for the past day.

The terrain quickly steepened and grew bumpy, making conversation difficult as it sucked their breath away.  It sucked Yang’s breath away, at least.  Blake hoofed it up the mountain without a single drop of perspiration beading on her brow.

“I should go hiking more,” Yang huffed when Blake took pity on her and slowed down for a flatter stretch of land.

“You probably should,” Blake replied, her eyes sparkling as she sent Yang a teasing smile.

“I thought I was in good shape, but obviously my ‘good shape’ is nothing like your good shape.”  Yang gestured to Blake, whose lean figure hid impressive muscles that apparently made climbing a mountain an easy feat.  Blake’s gaze swept over Yang then, moving slowly from her arms down her chest before reaching her toes.

“You’re in great shape,” Blake concluded before nudging Yang’s elbow and adding, “Maybe just not the right shape for this.”

“Saving my ego?”  Yang chuckled when Blake shrugged.  “I’ll take it though.  Thank you.”

“Anytime.”  Blake’s smirk suggested that the ego boost would not happen ‘any’ time, but Yang laughed and let Blake tug her toward another steep ascent.  “We’re close though,” Blake encouraged her, though she still took a deep breath before trudging upward.

“If I’d known - this was what you wanted to show me - I might’ve reconsidered,” she huffed out.

“Would you have said no?”

“Absolutely not.”  Yang shook her head, earning a beautiful smile from Blake as they trekked upward.

They made their way above the forest canopy until they were up high enough that she could see the fields of grass where their journey began.  Trees and plant life had none of her issues with the terrain or elevation, though they thinned out as time went on.  They remained magnificent and massive and unlike anything she had ever seen, but she got the feeling that Blake hadn’t brought her all the way up here to see some new species of plants.

“Almost there,” Blake told her as they approached the summit of the mountain, which was a wall of compacted clay and dirt that probably had more greenery and a fantastic view on top.  When Blake stopped in front of that fifty-foot wall and, with a mischievous little smile, looked at Yang, Yang laughed.

“You’re kidding me.”

“You can do it, right?”

Setting her hands on her hips and taking deep breaths of thin air, Yang stared up at her new challenge.  Plenty of hand and footholds dotted the clay, many of them marked by little clumps of plants.  Those, along with her arm, which she could use to make her own handhold if she needed, should mean an easy climb.  She also had a gorgeous girl to impress, which should make it even easier.

“Alright.  Let’s do this.”

Blake beamed when Yang stepped up to the wall and searched for her first handholds.

“Want to race?”

“You’re killing me,” Yang said but still laughed and added, “Sure.  Why not.”

Making Blake smile so brightly was better than impressing her, but Yang still believed that she could win.  She had an advantage in arm strength, after all.  And what was rock climbing without a little arm strength?

The intensity with which Blake picked out her path to the top should have been Yang’s first clue that this wouldn't go as planned.  The way Blake crouched rather than stood at the bottom of the wall should have been another.

“Ok…go?” hardly left Yang’s lips before Blake leaped up and grabbed onto a small ledge at least ten feet off the ground.

Instantly behind, Yang stopped staring and hoisted herself up by the first handholds she found.  She struggled to jab her boots into small crevices or fit them onto thin ledges, wasting time as she searched for big enough spaces before lifting herself up and searching again.  Blake had fewer problems.  She also had no fear as she scurried up the wall, nothing but her handholds keeping her from falling.

As the distance between them widened, Yang decided that desperate times called for desperate measures.  Upon reaching a sturdier stopping point, she tapped her right wrist and blew a breath through her lips.  She then looked up, made sure Blake wasn’t in her path, and wrapped her metal fingers around the small handhold above her.

Energy released in a soft puff as she launched herself toward the top of the wall.  She barely made it - her arms slammed onto the surface and her fingers dug into the thick clay as gravity dragged her back down.  Blake grabbed her wrists before she slid too far and, through a combination of pulling along with Yang’s feet scrabbling for anything to kick off of, dragged her up onto the top of the mountain.  Blake fell backward onto the ground once she had dragged Yang to safety and laughed.

“You cheated,” she said, still laughing as Yang crawled further from the edge and collapsed onto the ground beside her.

“Hey.  You used everything you had to your advantage; I did, too.”

“If I actually used everything I had, you wouldn't have stood a chance.”

“Oh, really?”  Yang forced herself into a sitting position when Blake returned to her feet.  “You can fly now?” she asked while Blake pulled her up.

“Something like that.”

Yang’s brow rose when Blake winked, but follow-up questions became irrelevant when Blake held onto Yang’s hand rather than let go.

“Close your eyes.”

Yang opened her mouth to protest but chuckled and did as instructed instead.  “Try not to trip,” Blake added while tugging Yang forward.

“That’d be easier if my eyes weren’t closed…” Yang mumbled, but she lifted her feet a little higher just in case.  Blake’s giggle made her wonder if the warning served only to make her look like an idiot stomping along perfectly flat ground, but they didn’t have far to go.  Before she knew it, Blake stopped and moved to her side.

“You can open them now.”

As soon as Yang did, the air left her lungs in a stunned gasp.  “Oh my god…” she breathed out, gawking at the stunning metropolis sprawling in front of them.

Hidden on the far side of the mountain, nestled amongst the forest, was a glittering utopia torn from someone’s wildest dreams.  Skyscrapers soared out of the forest, yet they were also entwined with ancient trees.  Buildings were suspended seemingly midair with bridges and walkways connecting them.  Crystal-clear streams and gorgeous waterfalls crisscrossed the city, providing sparks of blue that coincided with lush greens and sparkling silver.

A massive dome rising above the rest of the buildings served as the city’s focal point.  It was made almost entirely of glass and silver metal, reflecting the sun like a beacon and sparkling like a diamond.  The ethereal ambiance suggested that the city shouldn’t exist, yet…there it was, shining under the sun.

“Menagerie,” Blake said, smiling proudly at the jeweled city.

“It’s…wow.  I - it’s incredible.”  Yang tore her gaze away from the metropolis, feeling just as drawn to the magnificent girl calling this place home.  “Almost as incredible as you,” she added in the same breath.

Blake blinked at the compliment, her ears swiveling in Yang’s direction before quickly moving away.

“I wish I could take you…” she sighed, her eyes trained on the skyscrapers and towering waterfalls.  “But humans are forbidden.  I used to think I understood why, but now…”  Her gaze flitted to Yang, but she left the sentence unfinished.  Yang reached over and squeezed Blake’s hand - the first time she initiated contact but hopefully not the last.

“Just seeing it is enough,” she assured Blake.  “I can almost imagine what it’s like.”

A smile settled on her lips as she imagined being down there amongst the trees and gorgeous buildings.  Living a peaceful life connected to nature.  Maybe spotting Blake every once in a while, sharing a glance or two.  Maybe even doing something mundane like going out to dinner together if restaurants even existed.

“How has no one discovered this before?” she mused, looking at the open sky above.  “It’s massive.  It must show up on satellites, or to airplanes, helicopters  - something.”

“All of Menagerie is surrounded by a protective barrier,” Blake explained.  “We call it The Field.  It masks our location and keeps humans out.  Only people from Menagerie can get in or out.”

“Which is why you don’t know how I got in,” Yang concluded, and Blake nodded.

“You should’ve been turned back - like an urgent need to go in any other direction.  A fear of moving forward.”

“Maybe I was already too afraid to feel anything else.”

“Maybe…”  Blake sounded unconvinced, but she shook the unsolved mystery away.  “Whatever happened, I’m grateful for it,” she added, her smile so genuine that Yang’s heart threatened to melt in the midday sun.

“Me too,” she whispered before clearing her throat and gesturing to the city.  “This is incredible though.  Thank you for showing me.”

“Thank you for indulging me.”  Blake lightly bumped Yang’s hip with hers and smiled when Yang chuckled.  Once her laughter faded, however, a heavier silence settled over them.

This was what Blake wanted to show her.  Now that she had seen it, they returned to the only item left on their plate: separation.  Blake’s sigh voiced how Yang felt about it, but Blake still motioned Yang after her.  Yang cast Menagerie one last glance before following, wondering if she would ever see such a magical place again.

Once was enough, she decided as Blake led them to the cliffside that they had climbed up.  This particular side of the mountain, however, featured an even steeper, even bigger drop.  It also had a magnificent view of the forest and plains in the distance, but Yang took one peek over the edge before backing away from it.

“How’re we going to make it out of here in time for you to get home?” she puzzled while Blake started searching the trees.

“Working on that now…”  Blake tapped one of the trunks before climbing up and cutting down one of its giant waxy leaves.  It looked like a manta ray curling its wings until she shook it.  Its wings flattened out like a regular leaf, only to fold back in again when she prompted them to.

“Hold this.”  Blake handed it to Yang and pointed at the thick vein running down the center.  “No matter what, don’t let go.”

“Uh…ok?”

Yang locked her metal fist around the sturdy plant fiber so that nothing could tear it away from her.  Blake then set both hands on Yang’s shoulders and prodded her several steps to the left and a couple of steps back.

“And don’t move.  Can you do that?”

“Sure…?”

“Trust me.”

Blake flashed a smile before returning to the tree.  Once there, she turned toward Yang, took a deep breath, and broke into a sprint.  Her arms pumped at her sides and her feet pounded the ground as she flew across the space between them, her gaze and path fixed on Yang.

“Blake?” Yang asked, but Blake only picked up speed.  “Blake!” she shouted when it became clear that Blake wasn’t hitting the brakes.

“Blake!!”

Yang screamed the last one when Blake slammed into her at full speed, launching both of them over the side of the mountain.  They plummeted toward the forest hundreds of feet below, wind rushing around them as gravity took hold.

Yang had just accepted that she was going to get skewed by some trees when the leaf in her hand unfurled, caught the wind, and yanked them skyward.  Her stomach practically dropped out of her body as her heart lurched into her throat, and her adrenaline pounded so hard that the only thing she could say was, “Holy shit.  Holy shit,” over and over.

Blake just laughed at the reaction, delighted in every sense of the word.  She was wrapped around Yang like a koala - arms around Yang’s neck and legs around Yang’s waist - with literally nothing else keeping her from falling to her death.

“I’m glad that worked,” she commented as they soared over the forest.

“You didn’t know that would work??”

“I’ve never tried it before, but I figured it would.  You’re a remarkable human.”  Blake chuckled in Yang’s ear before leaning closer and pointing at a group of trees on the far side of the distant plains.  “We need to go there.  That’s right at the edge of The Field.  That’s where I found you.”

Yang looked down - and immediately told herself not to do that again - before looking up at the leaf and sucking in a breath.  Were it not for her reinforced grip, the leaf would have been torn from her grasp as soon as it caught the wind, and they would have fallen to their gruesome deaths.

“How are you so calm right now?” she asked as that scenario played out in her head.

“Why aren’t you calm?” Blake replied.  “Isn’t this like your ‘HALO jump?’”

“Uh, no.  I’m holding a leaf, not strapped into a parachute, and you’re not attached to anything.  What if you hadn’t held on?  What if you can’t hold on?  We could catch some crazy wind column up here, or there could be a storm, a tornado -”

“Don’t worry about that.”  Blake tightened her arms around Yang’s neck and nuzzled her chin on Yang’s shoulder.  “Don’t worry about anything but what’s right here.”

‘Right here’ was just the two of them, the manta ray leaf, and a whole lot of empty space between them and the ground.  But there was a whole lot of empty space between them and everything.  Everything except each other.

Feeling Blake’s warmth seeping through her back, a stark contrast to the cool wind buffeting her as they soared onward, Yang relaxed.  She focused on Blake’s arms around her, and Blake’s legs wrapped around her waist, and Blake’s body pressed against hers, and Blake’s chin nestled on her shoulder.  Her heart hammered in her chest long after the adrenaline faded but, once she acclimated to the feeling of Blake with her, she looked around and laughed.

“You might be the craziest girl I’ve ever met.”

“You like it though,” Blake teased.  Yang chuckled, looked up at the leaf, and shook her head.

“I do.  I really, really do.”

Maybe Yang shouldn’t have said that out loud, but Blake nuzzled closer before settling into peaceful silence broken only by the steady wind rustling across the leaf.  It was, in a word, breathtaking.  Yang had forgotten what it was like to be weightless.  To challenge the law of gravity and win.  To experience something that few ever would.  To embrace that something could be terrifying yet amazing.

With the slightest twist of her arm, she angled them toward the location Blake had pointed out.  When the leaf smoothly responded, she beamed and felt the rest of her nerves release.  She even looked down at her feet, dangling above the forest canopy, and at the colorful birds flying beneath them.  They had traveled a decent distance from where they started, but it wasn’t until her gaze returned to the sprawling plains marking the edge of Menagerie that something clicked in her mind.

“We met at the very edge of Menagerie,” she puzzled out loud.  “Were you…running away?”

Blake sighed and snuggled closer.

“I was…searching for myself.  And if that took me out of Menagerie…I was ready to go.”

“Did you?  Find yourself?”

“I found you.”

When Blake rubbed her cheek against Yang’s, Yang’s heart just about burst out of her chest.  The cold air became a blessing, cooling off the rampant blush that followed.

“I’m glad you did,” she said so softly that Blake probably didn’t hear it over the wind.

They reached the edge of the forest then, the trees disappearing in favor of tall, blue-green grass.  The flip between blue and green was even more mesmerizing from above, like witnessing a work of art in the making.  A herd of striders raced across the plains, looking like a school of perfectly synchronized fish as they leaped and bounded toward some unknown destination.

Yang could make out their own destination now: a familiar group of rocks that grew bigger and bigger by the second second.

“Uh…did you think of a landing strategy?” she asked as the ground rushed up to greet them.

“I was just going to jump off.”

“‘Jump off??’  What about me?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something, my special human.”

Blake kissed Yang’s cheek before her weight disappeared from around Yang’s body.  Yang craned her neck around and watched Blake extend her arms, her black suit reacting like a wingsuit that helped her glide the remaining few feet to the ground before gracefully rolling across the grass and back to her feet.

With nearly no time to make a decision, Yang waited until the last possible second to pull the back of the leaf down so that the front caught more resistance.  It immediately kicked her higher into the air, making her stomach plummet, but slowed her down enough that she didn’t hit the ground at terminal velocity.

She quickly collapsed her legs and tucked into a roll to disperse the force, and she bounced across the grass far less gracefully before coming to a stop.  Flat on her back, she stared up at the sky and thanked every higher being for letting her survive without injury.  Eventually, Blake’s grinning face appeared above her.

“See?  You figured it out.”

Yang started laughing, and Blake’s eyes sparkled while she pulled Yang back to her feet.

“And I didn’t let go.”  Yang held up the crumpled leaf before finally dropping it on the ground and setting both hands on her hips.  “You had a wingsuit this entire time and never told me?”

“There are a lot of things I haven’t told you about.”

“Why is that so attractive…”

Blake chuckled this time while taking Yang’s hand and leading them the few remaining steps to the shady grass where Yang woke up the day prior.  It felt like this was where her whole life changed, but she didn’t say as much.

“What will you do?” Blake asked, her gaze lingering on the rocks before moving to Yang.  “When you find this person you’re looking for?”

Yang opened her mouth but then paused.  “I don’t even know,” she admitted.  “Ask her why she left.  Ask her what happened to my mom.  Yell at her a little.”  Realizing that she never imagined anything beyond venting at Raven, she shook her head.  “I don’t think I’ll ever find her.  Yet I almost got myself killed over it anyway…”

Yang’s feet stuck to the ground there, and she hung her head thinking about her foolish mistakes.  She looked up when Blake set a hand on her cheek.

“You’re alive, and that’s all that matters.”  When an inescapable smile found its way onto Yang’s lips, Blake briefly returned it before turning away and tucking a strand of hair behind one ear.  “This will sound stupid…but I feel like I was supposed to find you.  Like I was meant to help you, and then you helped me.”

“I don’t think I helped -” Yang began, but Blake’s eyes returned to hers.

“You helped me see Menagerie in a different way.  A better way.  And you showed me that…humans might be…kind of amazing, in their own way.”

The words, combined with Blake’s clear, intent eyes, struck Yang’s heart like an arrow.  Suddenly, she was moving closer, inching into Blake’s space.

“When can I see you again?”  When Blake bit her lip and glanced away, Yang reached out and squeezed her hand.  “I’ll get shot again if that’s what it takes.”

“Please don’t get shot again…”

“Then give me another option.  I want to see you again.  I don’t want this to be goodbye.”

Yang’s throat tightened, worried that she put herself out there too soon but knowing that she would never forgive herself if she didn’t try.  Blake took a breath but didn’t say no, didn’t pull away.

“We’re from different worlds, Yang…what’re you going to do?  Sneak back in here every week just to see me?”

“Yes.  If that’s what it takes.”  Blake’s brow rose, so Yang nodded and inched closer.  “Or you could sneak out and see me,” she offered.  “I can show you the human world.  You can make fun of our primitive clothes and try our greasiest foods.”  When Blake scrunched her nose, Yang smiled and squeezed her hand.  “Whatever you want.  I just want to be - I mean, I just want to get to know you better.”

A smile had already snuck onto Blake’s lips, sending Yang’s heart stampeding through her chest.  Then Blake said, “That sounds amazing,” and Yang was positive that she would never stop smiling again.

“Really?” she asked while Blake took her other hand and edged closer.

“Yes, really.  It might be difficult, but…”

“Pretty sure the hard part’s already over,” Yang whispered as Blake’s proximity stole her breath away.  Blake’s gaze, and the smile on her lips, and the way she held Yang’s hands in hers, said everything Yang needed to hear.  She inched closer, then wet her lips when Blake did the same.

“So, uh…” she began when one of Blake’s hands slid up to her wrist.  Blake smiled and subtly shook her head, silencing Yang’s nervous chatter before leaning in.

Blake only got halfway before one of her ears swiveled away.  Then both ears stood tall and turned as far behind her as they could reach, and her eyes widened.

“You need to go.”

“What -?”

“Run, Yang.”

Yang hardly kept her feet underneath her when Blake spun her around and shoved her toward the smaller woods beyond the group of rocks.  Her mind hadn’t caught up but her body responded to Blake’s urgency, racing across the long grass as fast as her legs would carry her.  She heard something now - a faint humming that sounded out of place in the peaceful terrain.  She didn’t waste time checking over her shoulder - she pushed herself faster instead.

Both of them skidded to a stop when the air in front of them suddenly turned solid.  Black, hexagonal panels blocked their path forward, and Yang stared in awe as the same pattern blinked into place extending for hundreds of feet in either direction.

“Scales,” Blake swore under her breath, looking left and right to no avail.  For the first time since they met, her brow was furrowed in genuine concern.  Seconds later, Yang understood why.

The humming grew louder as at least twenty sleek, black, motorized bikes crested the nearest ridge and flew toward them.  The vehicles skimmed over the long grass as easily as gliding, moving swiftly without ever touching the ground.  Each rider wore the same uniform - lightweight armor that was such a dark shade of green that it was nearly black.  Even from a distance, several sets of tall antlers or tails trailing in the wind could be seen.

Yang tore her gaze away from the approaching group and looked at Blake, who swallowed before noticing Yang’s attention.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered as the bikes bore down on them.  “We’ll be fine.”

“Special ops, remember?” Yang whispered back, her gaze flitting to the approaching group before returning to Blake.  “I know a bad situation when I see one.”

“Ok, this might be bad,” Blake admitted.  “Just…let me do the talking.”

The riders branched into a formation encircling Yang and Blake before seamlessly dismounting from the bikes and drawing long, metal staffs that crackled with electricity.  Unlike Blake, who had approached Yang with curiosity, they were stiff and poised to strike as they tightened the circle, forcing Yang and Blake back several steps.  Once the perimeter was firmly set, leaving no path of escape, the leader revealed himself.

A black and red trench coat accompanied his uniform, and he was the only one wearing a red mask covering the top half of his face.  He was also the only one not carrying an electrified staff - his long, thin sword remained sheathed at his hip as he stalked forward.

“Step away from her,” he ordered, and Yang only needed to glance around to know that the warning was for her.

“Adam, relax,” Blake replied.  “I’m fine -”

“She’s a human - you’re not fine.”

Yang frowned at the curt response and glanced at Blake, whose clenched jaw suggested that she appreciated the comment just as little as Yang did.  Yang liked even less the way he stormed over and pointed Yang away from Blake.

“I said get away from her,” he repeated only to freeze when Blake grabbed Yang’s hand and tugged her closer.  He stared at their joined hands for three full seconds before scowling at Blake.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Which is exactly why I didn’t tell anyone where I was,” Blake replied with every bit as much venom.  While they glowered at each other, Yang looked between them, trying to figure out the relationship but coming up empty.  All she knew was that were it not for the other guards, she would have already punched him in the face.

Blake looked equally prepared to do the same, but her gaze flitted Yang’s way before she took a deep, shaky breath.

“She’s leaving, ok?  Just let her out.”

His gaze returned to their joined hands.  Blake quickly let go, but his scowl had already deepened, and his expression hardened.

“The law states that any human trespassing on Menagerian grounds will be immediately detained and taken to the Monarchs for sentencing.”

His lip curled with a pleased smirk while Blake ground her jaw back and forth.

“Fine,” she spit out before again grabbing Yang’s hand.  “Then I’ll take her myself.”

“Move away from her,” he barked, taking a menacing step forward.

“Make me,” Blake shot back.

When he roughly grabbed Blake’s wrist, Yang had seen enough.  She grabbed his arm and squeezed just hard enough to make him yelp and let go, then gave him a little shove away.

“Apparently, they don’t teach manners here,” she snapped.  “How about you show her a little respect, huh?”

If looks could kill, he murdered her right there at the edge of Menagerie.  When she stubbornly remained standing, he scowled and nodded to someone off to her left.  She immediately spun that way and caught the metal staff being jabbed toward her shoulder, the end crackling with bright blue electricity.  The wielder’s eyes widened when she yanked the weapon out of his hands and nailed him in the stomach with the other end of it.

Before his knees even hit the ground, the rest of the guards rushed forward.  Yang spun the staff in her hand, pinpointed the closest attacker, and prepared to level him next.

“Yang, don’t!”

She froze at Blake’s voice, her whole body clamming up as if it no longer belonged to her, and that was all it took for them to reach her.  Electricity cracked in her ear, then seared through her skin, then everything went dark.