In the midst of the night a ninja bear sneaked past the shadow guards that stood at the doors of the throneroom. The vast room held only the seat of the Queen and prisons at the walls. He approached the sleeping Queen on all fours, and went behind her, to get a piece of her hair.

*

At the slightest movement of her hair, Shadow Queen whirled around and grabbed the man in black by the wrist, with a hard grip. He wore nothing to indicate who he was and she unveiled his mask. She didn’t recognize him, weird. Stunned, the man dropped his knife.

*

As the Shadow Queen was busy killing the clone, the ninja bear cut a snippet of her hair with his claw and put it in a bag and stuffed it in his belly pack (like a backpack). The ninja bear then escaped.

*

When she feels her one of the lockets of her golden brown hair that is unusually longer than the rest get cut, she hissed. Her black eyes looked around and saw no one. Suddenly the doors to the corridor slammed open in a hurried escape.

*

He ninja bear ran on all fours, running like his life depended on it. For it did. All of his previous training had led to what was most important. His escape. He turned a corner and ducked into a secret passage in the castle wall.

*

Shadow Queen, furious, summoned her guards. The shadows ross up behind her like great pillars of fear. She sent them after the hair thief, faster than any human could travel on feet and limb.

*

He knew that if he didn’t get out of these blasted corridors, out of this dammed castle, he would die. He could hear the the humming of the shadow guards speeding at incomprehensible velocities in the corridor. Adrenaline pumping he ran as fast as his four paws could take him.

*

As the shadows grew in speed the humming became a deafeningly loud, like static electricity from a thunderstorm. As the shadow guard passed through the corridors and tunnels, the air and light was manipulated.

*

The bear’s ears popped and he stumbled to the ground covering his ears with his paws. He reached into his belly pack and took out his earplugs. He shoved them in his ears, got up and continued to run. They didn’t stop the sound from reaching his ears but he could manage. Almost there. So close.

*

The Queen followed her shadows, their sound having no effect on her ears. The shadows led her through the corridor than into a tunnel. She followed the paw prints in the murky darkness. The sound of her treasured shadow guard grew louder. Everyone was closing in on one another.

*

The ninja bear could see the sunlight that shone through holes in the black gate. It was morning already? He reached it and tried to pry it open but it would not budge. He relented after a minute and stood there calmly. He backed away and faced the corridors, awaiting the terrifying Queen.

*

The Queen finally reached the courtyard, stepping out of the tunnel. She pushed her way through her shadows and saw the perpetrator. She drew out a knife from her thigh, her cloak maoved back exposing her pale, blood stained flesh. She slowly approached the bear, her multi-colored eyes narrowed at it.

*

He watches her approach and as she is about to grab him, he transformed into a bird. He quickly flew through a hole in the gate and transformed into his human form. He stared at the Queen, dodged her stab at him, and then he showed her the bag with the lock of hair.

“Goodbye, my Queen.”

He smiled and ran away into the forest.

*

Shadow Queen infuriated, screamed loudly. It bounced down the corridors like a ball. The shadows rattled behind her when she slams her staff into the ground, making the whole structure shake. That was it. She went back to her throne and prepared and waited for the next thief that would try to come to her.

(This story was made by Shadow Queen and Icarus.😌)