"Well, well, well..." A sharp, raspy voice with a deep accent sounded out behind her. "What might 'ye be doing heeere, fair lay-dee..?"

Eepop was shocked by the mysterious voice in the alley, and was absolutely terrified. "Who- who are you..?! Show yourself..!"

The voice now cackled maniacally, to which now Eepop recognized that it belonged to a female. Her heart rate began to steady, but didn't decrease to its former, calmer state. She considered herself in danger, and to make matters worse; the owner of the voice still hasn't shown herself to her yet.

"Wh-whatever it is, stop! I already know you are here, so what is the point of hiding yourself from me?!"

It stopped laughing, and she felt a sudden, metal clanking thud to her left. Whatever it was, the shadowy figure was able to cross on all fours across a metal pipe sticking out of one of the walls of the buildings, then stopped in front of her in a bipedal position. Then on she hastily assumed from her intuition that what she was dealing with was not either an animal nor a human.. It felt like as if it was both. A tiny, faint smell of copper wafts from the figure who was hanging above her.

"'Eff I told you exactly or I was, 'eet wouldn't end so well for 'yu now, would it..?" The figure now coming back down on all fours across the metal pipe and scratching it with her long, jagged claws. "But that's not important, fair-est lay-dee. What's important.. Is that prr-ih-teee 'em-'err-raald on your neck." The shady form now gestured towards her own neck, the gem now shining thanks to some light that filtered within the alleyway.

"Wha... So you want it?"

"'Yeeeess." The voice slowly hissed back at her, making Eepop's hairs on the back of her neck stand. "'Why yeeess of courseee. I would like to... No." The thing paused, glaring at her. I would love to."

Eepop once again picked up some courage. "Alright." She replied, "If you want it so bad, then I can take it off my neck and you can have it. But," Eepop paused, "on the condition that you leave me alone and let me get out of this alleyway safely." She now added, "Without a scratch."

The maniac now burst into hysterical laughter, froth and spit now bursting out of her curved red mouth, revealing sharp, pointed teeth and a lengthy tongue. The corresponding body fluid coming from the 'thing' rained down on Eepop, to which she barely dodged, getting some spit on speckled the skin of her arm, neck, and cheek. The slight stench of copper was now recognized by Eepop as the smell of blood, and this frightened her.

Once again, the thing's laughter died down. "'Ayyee... But only 'wun thiiing.." She scoffed. "'Wun problem in thy plans.. Once 'yu will get out of this here alleyway, I'm guessing you's gonna teeell someone about where I am."

Eepop felt her heart sink. "N-no! I will never tell anyone where you are..!" She looked up at the ominous speaker. "I-I promise..!"

The bipedal monster now smirked, standing up like a person once again, and jumping down from the pipe on all fours unto the floor right in front of where Eepop is standing. That filthy scent of blood.. Was steadily getting stronger as the being approached her. "'Yu... Liee to me, chhhhiiiild."

Her heart was now beating fast like never before, increasing at each step the towering figure stood apart from her. "Though 'yu have deliberately lied to 'me, to get away from 'me, with my precious gem! There is 'wun thing I can promise to thee.." Rasped the monster, now coming into the light. It is thus revealed that the speaker was a vibrant pink furred wolf dressed in striped red and white tatters, covered with a dark grey cloak over her shoulders. Each piece of clothing was ripped, shredded, and stained with blood, as if the wolf bathed in her own dirty, violent bloodshed. "Yeeess, 'wun thing I can 'du ferr 'yu, deeearest." Leaning her long snout and jaw to Eepop's face, the stench of blood was now unconquerable, making Eepop nearly gag from the stink of blood the wolf retained. The she-beast gruffly whispered, "I can leave 'yu..." It said, bringing back her right forearm to strike Eepop with her extended, lengthy claws. "Not 'wi-thout scratch. No, my own claws are too... Sharp for tiny clean 'cuts, but.."

Eepop opened her mouth, about to shriek, but no words came out since she was tired from running. Her life was over. She was gonna die here, alone, with a vile and unforgiving wolf who would take her body and consume it, save the emerald in the process, which was that selfsame family heirloom she kept to herself all these years. Mother would never know where she was, or how she died.

She was lost to the alleys forever.

... Or so she thought.

Eepop opened her eyes, surprised that she can move from her spot. Instead she looked up to see the familiar colors of a striped dark red and brown of a neat, crisp corduroy vest. She gasped.

It was the man, the very same young man whom she crashed into earlier!

He got in between the girl and the wolf just in time to hold and grasp the beast's extended forearm and paw. Throwing the monster's arm back with a powerful thrust of his own arm, the wolf weakly staggered back in recoil, obviously overpowered by the man's apparent strength.

"N-NOOO!!!" The she-wolf bellowed, "THAT GIRL WAS TO BE , BOY!!"

The blonde scoffed, spat at the beast's feet and looked back at her in a mocking way, taking out a long shining blade from his satchel.

"No, Onomadek." He jeered. "Not if I can help it."

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Eepop watched, trying very hard to find it in herself to at least shriek or cry for help. But alas, no words came out still. It was as if her weariness has stricken her dumb at this very moment. She collapsed on her knees, her legs giving way to her inherent weakness at the situation.

She was helpless on her own. She had to watch the fight.

Not as if she wanted to leave him, anyways. That wouldn't be right...

After all... He saved her.

The hairy beast, now identified by the man as Onomadek, lunged on all fours at the young man. The male swiftly dodged her attack and shifted his long legs to the left side of the narrow alley, causing the wolf to crash into the brick wall.

"G-GWAAHH!!"

Onomadek now cried out, fracturing her skull upon the hard stones. She deftly turned around, seeking to strike her opponent with not her claws, but she now bared her teeth at him now that she perceived him as an equally dangerous threat.

She pounced at him yet again, this time being more successful. Onomadek pinned him down upon the floor with her crooked claws and opened her gaping mouth with her sharp teeth. She proceeded to forcefully bite him down his shoulder, causing him to curse out in excruciating pain. Some bone was cracking, and blood was nearly spurting everywhere as the wolf chomped down on his shoulder, further mutilating it. Eepop was deathly scared for him, her face turning a white pallid color. In her desperation she tried to edge closer to him on her hands and knees as he was pinned down by the monster to see if she could offer him her help; and perhaps loosen the she-wolf's strong grip.

"N-no, girl!" He hissed at her as he pried Onomadek's lower jaw off loose his right shoulder. "G-get back!"

Shooing Eepop away and taking the blade that he was gripping on his other hand, he forced his muscles to get tense on his other uninjured shoulder. Then, with all his last remaining strength, he plunged the knife up and carved it below Onomadek's stomach and lower intestines with an exceeding force, making her cry out an earsplitting shriek.

Hurling some profanities at the boy, Onomadek finally unhinged her jaws from his shoulder, loosened her grip on him, and lurched away from his position, leaving him laying down on the floor in a rather weakened state. The knife was still lodged into her stomach, pulling it out could be proven deadly and might end up taking away her life due to the massive loss of blood. She stumbled away into the deep, dark bowels of the narrow alleyway and was never seen again.. Leaving a thick scent and trail of red fluid as the final memento of their abrupt and violent meeting. Eepop felt like she was about to vomit from the overpowering stench of the copper-smelling blood, but she managed to control herself. Now crawling to the injured young man, she struggled getting up and tottered over to him, just to check if he was still alive.

He was alive. His eyes were closed, yet his broad chest was heaving up and down; steadily breathing as he tried to maintain sufficient amounts of oxygen that he lost through his blood, which was leaking out from his gaping shoulder wound. The gash revealed a very tiny bit of bone and flesh sticking out, exposing the sensitive part of his shoulder out in the open air.

Eepop sobbed, filled with compassion. She kneeled down by his side and lifted his fair blonde head unto her lap. "... N-no.. Y-you can't d-die..!" Eepop wept, "You saved me." She softly whispered into his ear, gently parting his curls from his forehead. "And I don't even know your name.."

As if it was an involuntary response, he coughed, and slowly lifted his now dull blue eyes up at her. He panted out a breath of air, as if he was trying to relate something to her, but no words were able to come out. Then he half-closed his eyelids again, looking as if he were to be better off dead. But despite that, Eepop knew deep down exactly what was going on in this unspoken and hidden communication they now apparently had. He silently indicated to her that he had enough strength to get up and trudge a bit, but couldn't get anywhere due to the exposed gash upon his shoulder.. It might make him lose his arm. And so, Eepop carefully shifted his upper body weight unto the floor, and ripped off a piece of her shoulder sleeves, which was attached to a long cotton ribbon that her attendants have dressed on her this morning. She wrapped the strong cloth around his shoulder, over his torso, and finally tightened it together at the back, which made him wince in pain. Then, Eepop ripped off another lower part of her dress to ease up his shoulder and binded it over the makeshift bandages to help keep the shoulder aligned to the bone unto its rightful place.

Patting him on his firm stomach to let him know that it was time, Eepop now helped him get up, lifting him off from the cold, wet stone floor and finally into standing position. It was obviously no easy feat. He was tall and heavy, and ended up leaning on her entire body for supports. She began to sweat. Never before she was this close to a man before, and he was fully aware of this as well, causing him to nervously tremble at his first initial contact with her bare skin. But upon noticing this, Eepop took to his unscathed side and allowed him to press some of his weight onto her back. At first with some difficulty, it took the pair quite a while to walk in harmony. However, after 5 minutes, they were able to synchronize their steps together and managed to walk with each other a part of the way as if they were altogether one, independent, and separate entity.. Treading across the paths together in unbroken silence, as it was now nighttime. It was a combined effort done by both which helped the traveling pair to Eepop's remarkably large estate.