The faster he ran, the longer it look to reach the end. His ocean blue hair looked like a blur of sky against his grass green skin. His tail swished behind him as he hopped over logs and streams. His cat-like ears tried to locate his enemy over the vast forest he was stranded in. The creatures clothes seemed to float with him, his hood always staying close to his head.

The creature suddenly stopped and looked around. He could sense something was hiding in the shadows of this dark and musty forest. The thick trees and overhanging leaves were the perfect spot to hide away and escape, he would know.

Swish.

The creature whipped around and saw nothing; just an endless void of brown and green.

“I know you’re here! Show your face already!”

The creature ventured deeper in the forest. He knew this place like the back of his hand, and it seemed like his enemy did too.

Ever since he was little, him and his best friend would escape into the woods to get away from life for a while. They would play and dance and climb. They laughed and smiled. Where did the years go?

“You’re right where I want you.”

The creature froze. His enemy was right behind him.

But that voice. He had never heard his enemy speak before. But it sounded familiar. Almost, too familiar.

“Long time no see Alister.” His enemy spit onto the ground as he said this creatures name. As if they had met before. As if.

A tear pricked his eye. Then another. And then another. Alister slowly turned around to look his enemy in the face. “No, NO it can’t be you! I *watched* you die, I *watched* the life leave your eyes and you cried, I *WATCHED* you say you loved me over and over and over again. Why are you doing this Nova.”

Nova gave a sinister smile. They lowered their hood and gave light to the glistening green of their skin. Their violet eyes shimmered and glowed in the dark forest night. Their long blue flowing hair was let down in a tight braid. The braid had various flowers intertwined.

“Because I could. I watched as the others brutally murdered our species for days and days on end with no sing of stopping. I watched as my family crumbled at the hands of these murders. I saw the chance I had to escape and I took it. And you. You just watched. You watched as *my* family died by the bloody hands of these people. You watched as *i* was hurting and did nothing. You watched as *i* cried and cried and cried over and over again. And you did nothing.”

By this point, both Alister and Nova’s eyes were filled with tears. Their violet eyes stared with knifes and Alister’s silver eyes darted everywhere, refusing to look Nova in their eyes.

“I- I’m sorry.”

“Don’t fucking say that you’re sorry when you did nothing,” Nova drew a sword from their belt. They held it up to Alister’s throat. “Don’t make make me do this. Join me and take down these murders, or refuse and I will slice this sword, clean through your skin. So choose Alister. Choose wisely.”

“I don’t want to murder people Nova.” Sweat dripped from Alister’s brow. He started to back away slowly but tripped and fell backwards on a tree root.

Nova looked down at Alister. Their longest lasting friend and longest lasting enemy. Everything has come down to this.

“You leave me no choice,” Nova’s eyes once again filled with tears as they bent down to meet Alister’s face.

“I knew all along that this was how it would end.”