( R I S E )

The scent of horror was suddenly overwhelming. It was enough to wake 1203 from her sedative-induced slumber. 1203's eyes snapped open and she sniffed deeply. She got up from her table, and with a harsh pop, she yanked the sedative injecting tubes out of her neck. She didn't like the feeling of having no sedatives, but she did want to know what was going on. She looked through the tiny hole in her door. Well, that's odd, she thought, A sad kitten, crying it's little eyes out. "Hey, hey" she said to the child. "Don't cry. You'll make everyone worried." She heard the footsteps of a scientist. Panic gripped her. She knocked on the inside of the door. "Hey, come here. What's wrong?" she tried to stay calm and not frighten the child. Scientists are bad news, and if one got their hands on this one, it would be all over for them.

Itri stood up and wiped his eyes with his paws. He heard footsteps approaching him, and remembered his father's warnings about other scientists. He tried to signal to the person on the other side of the door that he couldn't speak, but that he would try to tell her why he was upset if she let him in the room.

"Itri!" Aydan called as he ran down hallways searching for his child. While he was searching he noticed that the door leading to the back of the lab was slightly ajar. His blood ran cold. Oh no he thought. He ran through the door. "If any off those bast- people down there lay so much as a finger on my son it will be the last thing they ever do"

1203 unlocked the door, beckoning the child inside, her violet eyes wide with worry. "Come here, and try not to make a sound." She whispered. "Hurry, hurry. The scientists here will not show mercy to a small one such as yourself."

Itri stepped inside before tilting his head at the strange girl. She seemed unhappy. Was she okay? And what was she going on about with scientists not showing mercy?

Aydan ran down hallways calling Itri's name.

Itri stood up a little straighter. Had he heard his father's voice? No, surely Aydan would be too busy attending to the shadow girl and those other two children to notice Itris absence.

1203 put a paw-finger-whatever up to her mouth. She closed the door and waved the children to go away from the door. "Shhh, stay back there. You musnt be heard or seen. The scientists are very-"I shouldn't frighten the child, but they need to know to stay hidden"-scary to children. Yes, they do not like little ones back here." She looked out into the hallway to check for scientists and slid the little patch closed and pressed her back to the door.

86 threw the antler into her hay pile and pounced onto it, playing. Her hooved feet clicked on the floor as she landed and her dog muzzle grabbed the antler. She pawed at it, then set it down and walked around.

Itri moved to the back of the room as instructed. He then searched the room for a way to communicate with the strange purple-ish girl. His eyes settled on a stray piece of paper and a pen. He picked up the pen and began scribbling in an uneven choppy script. "Do you know where we are? He asked. "I need to get back to my father.

"We are in the back of the facility." She whispered, her back still pressed against the door. "I don't know who your father is, but we can wait here for him." A bit of black ooze dropped from the corner of her mouth as she spoke, but she wiped it away quickly. God bless my palepurple torso this kid was abandoned here and his father didn't even tell him "How did you two get separated?"

Itri thought for a moment before writing. "Well, I don't remember exactly what happened, but there was this girl with shadows, and it was really scary, so I ran away,and now I'm lost.

Aydan ran through hallways, yelling for his son. He hoped with all his heart that no scientists had found Itri.

Itri sat up straight, before scribbling on the paper quickly. "I think that he's looking for me. I should go find him"

"Shadows? Lie t-Ah wait, ok." She said, breaking out of her whisper. "You mustn't go out there alone." She said, looking around. "I should accompany you, if that would be alright?"