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Dusk was slipping over the sky, making the approaching settlement even more distinct against the horizon. Algernon thought that Seb’s was opulent with all of its electricity and extravagance, but that fortress didn't hold a candle to the spectacle painting the night sky above them. Pulses of color pierced the dark and waved hypnotically above the treeline. Adding to the show, fireworks sizzled into the air and burst into flower-like blooms. Suffusing it all were thrumming waves of sound that could be felt deep in the hybrids’ chests.

Most of the crew stood atop the roof of The Dragon, staring in awe at the display. Teddy reached up with his paws as if he could catch the exploding balls of light. The others, open-mouthed wonder at the shimmering colors reflected in their eyes. None had even imagined a sky like the one dancing above them.

The trees parted ahead, revealing the front gate to the complex. A spartan wall separated the extravagance from the outside world, the entrance a simple gate with lights targeted on the vehicles coming in. The Dragon pulled into the line of steamers awaiting entry.

At the sight of the expected protections, Algernon closed his mouth and tried to compose himself as captain. In the foppish outfit and eyepatch that Harper had chosen for him, it almost made it harder for him to put on the presence of what the role demanded of him. Algernon turned to his crew and looked them down with his one uncovered eye. “Alright everyone, now that w-we’re approaching Uranus -”

Harper couldn't stifle the giggling escaping her mouth. “I still can't believe that's what the town is called!”

He furrowed his brow in confusion. “I-I don’t see what’s wrong with - Anyways, I think everyone should head below deck. I'll h-handle the security check.”

Taking one last look at the canvas of lights above, the rest of the crew descended through the hatch. The thud of its closing left Algernon to face the approaching gate alone as the procession of vehicles inches forward. This was the make or break moment, where either they were immediately apprehended due to having a bounty, or they were simply let in. Algernon felt tremors down to the tip of his tail, no matter how hard he tried to stifle them.

All at once the lights enveloped him. His shaking ceased, replaced with paralyzing fear. He was sure he would pass out. Fighting against that urge, he raised his hands to try and block out the blinding whiteness, but still it removed his vision.

“Are you the captain of this vessel?” A voice called down to him.

It was impossible to place where the voice had come from. His mouth felt like sandpaper. “Y-yes, I am,” he croaked out.

There was a deafening pause. “Unusual choice,” he heard the voice eventually comment. “State your name and business.”

“It's Algernon, sir. W-we’re here to trade for supplies,” he answered.

Another moment of quiet. “Very well. Pilot your vehicle to the lot.”

Somehow the possum had enough wits about him to nod. The Dragon pulled forward, outside of the intense light. He could feel the sword hanging over their crew avert its gaze, but for how long he didn’t know.

Algernon blinked a few times so he could see again. When his eyes stopped burning, he saw that the interior was even more transpiring than he imagined. A whole row of precursor buildings ringed a wide-open lot, each one lit up with garish neon and images of fantastical ships. Each one seemed to offer distinct types of services, based on the highlighted signs he saw above each one, from stores selling supplies, to eateries, to the typical libations he’d come to expect from these forts.

Spread throughout the lots were even more attractions. The platforms firing off the rockets into the air and shining multicolored spotlights across the grounds were spread around. Dense groups of animals surrounded various booths with strange entertainments Algernon couldn’t conceive of. He saw one such booth opposite the buildings where the pounding music was spouting from large stacks of amplifiers and speakers. The beat permeating his body demanded he enter into its hypnotic dance, which he noticed large swathes of creatures already doing as the dizzying array of lights bathed them in their glow.

The sea of hybrids that was in motion made him almost break into a panic. Except for the road and a lane leading to a space where other steamers were parked, it was difficult even finding ground not occupied by them. The chorus of animal calls was overwhelming.

The temptation to turn around was only tempered by the atmosphere. It was rowdy, but the expressions on the faces he could see was one of enchantment, like when his crew had first seen the fireworks break the sky. Uranus was a carnival, and not one of vices like Seb’s was.

Thus, he let Senta steer The Dragon towards the other steamers. As they approached, the operation was surprisingly organized. There were hybrids in matching uniforms who guided the vehicle forwards into a row, and then more who beckoned it into an open spot. Algernon clambered down into the main hall as the steamer came to a stop.

Everyone else was already waiting in the main hall. An air of excitement came from most of them; Harper and Teddy appeared especially giddy to depart. Peach still looked uncomfortable in her own fur after it was dyed pink, but still stood dutifully at the main door. Senta was the only one who seemed tense, her whiskers and tail fidgeting as she faced the exit.

When Algernon arrived, Peach opened the door for them. Waiting just outside were a duo of porcupines in matching outfits. He immediately stiffened, afraid these had come to detain them for their debts. The badger instinctively reached behind her for a knife, but the two raised their hands placatingly.

“Peace, we are here to welcome you to our settlement,” one of them said.

“What does your entourage want?” Senta pointedly asked.

The porcupines looked at each other. “Besides a greeting, we wanted to assure you that your steamer will be looked after while you visit,” the one continued. “It would reflect poorly on us if our guests’ belongings were ransacked while they were out and about.”

She wrinkled her nose at them. “So, what? You’re some sort of mercenaries? If you wanted a warm welcome, you should have set out your green pennants.”

Algernon cringed at the rat’s hostility towards the workers, but the porcupines didn’t seem all that bothered. “We are sojourners of the Path!” the second said, tapping the amulet strung around his neck. The symbol engraved on it was only a few lines, depicting an abstract road disappearing into the horizon. “Our duty is to assist those as they navigate through life, to help make their tangled highways straight. It is an honor to protect fellow hybrids and their means from those who stray from the path!”

“Right...” Senta looked neither convinced nor sure what they were talking about.

“W-we appreciate the gesture. If it’s all the same, we’d still like to have some from our own c-crew keeping watch as well,” Algernon said, trying to diffuse the situation.

“You are allowed to run your vessel however you want,” one of them said, kind amusement on their face. “We’ll leave you folks to it. If there’s any trouble just find someone with a pendant.” With that, the two porcupines lumbered off into the lot.

Senta waited for the guards to be out of earshot before turning to her cohorts. “Sascha, Siegbert, you watch over The Dragon,” she ordered.

The calico rat looked disappointed at missing out on the festivities, while Siegbert’s dead-eyed gaze didn’t shift.

“I should also keep watch,” Peach suggested hopefully.

Senta side-eyed Harper and Teddy, who were practically vibrating with manic energy.

Getting the message, she grumbled under her breath; the chaotic siblings needed a firm hand keeping them out of trouble.

Feeling he ought to assert his captaincy, Algernon cleared his throat. “Alright, you heard the ones running the town, n-no trouble!” he told them. “Otherwise, uh... H-have fun!”

Harper and Teddy were out of the vehicle before he even finished talking. Peach was quick to follow and be on their tails. Algernon and Senta stepped out last, the possum pushing with all his might to swing the heavy door of The Dragon closed. Turning back, Senta was looking at him expectantly.

“I’m going to look for a bounty board,” she said quietly. “It will take a while to scour a place this massive, so you should help me look.”

He scrutinized the signage over the buildings. One of the nearest held a basic, undecorated one reading “Post Office,” which he pointed to. “If th-there’s any news, it would probably be in there, with the, uh, mail.”

The rat eyed him with an inscrutable expression, but Algernon could feel that despite trying to be helpful, she was still annoyed at him. “Fine. In that case, I’ll look at the bounties, and you can help look over the terrible two.” She turned her muzzle up at the mention of them. “The last time we were in settlement with rules, the place had to create a dozen new ones after they had gone through.“

He didn’t need more explanation than that. With eyes wide, he jogged to catch up with the others. Thankfully for him, the badger’s form towered over most of the crowd, so Algernon was able to make them out before they got too deep into the masses. Bracing himself, he hit the fringes of the throng of bodies and wriggled through until he caught up to them. As soon as he was behind Peach he was able to take a breath, since her presence left space around them in her wake.

Huddled next to his crew, he had the opportunity to examine the animals partying around them. It quickly became apparent that Peach didn’t need to worry about standing out for her fur color; In the pulses of light illuminating the hybrids, Algernon saw many others with dyed fur. They waded through a group of martens that were calling out animatedly, red and blue warpaint marking their eyes and chests. Rats and mice were everywhere in the crowd, many with detailed patterns painted on to their heads to distinguish them. Others were covered head-to-toe like Peach was. A couple of skunks wandered by with lime-green fur, who Harper immediately took an interest in. When he saw the same expression on her muzzle that she had given him on that awkward night he wanted to forget, he realized she was probably more interested in the fact that they were male than for the wild colors they wore.

Before Harper could make a move, Teddy gasped and pointed fervently at something ahead of them. Hybrids formed a large ring around a bizarre contraption, cheering and hollering. It was rooted to the ground by a single column, around which it moved in strange, jerking patterns. A hare sat atop it on a saddle, twisting their body to stay seated, which was when Algernon realized that the main purpose of the machine was to unmount them. The seat suddenly tilted wildly and the hare was thrown off onto the straw padding below.

“I need to be on that!” the raccoon exclaimed, barely audible over the clamor of voices. Before any of them could react, Teddy bounded through the crowd towards the attraction.

Suddenly alert, Peach quickly glanced at Harper, who was instead eyeing the facade of one of the buildings. Deciding Teddy was capable of causing more chaos, she stomped after him.

Algernon opened his mouth to call after her, but then felt Harper tug on his arm. “Look! Look!” she yelled, indicating one of the buildings rising over the festivities.

He turned his gaze so his one uncovered eye faced the structures. It was his first time getting a good look at them, and he was surprised by how well maintained they were. While there were clear signs of slapdash repairs with sheets of plywood and steel, the frames still looked structurally sound, which couldn’t be said for many of the buildings the precursors left behind. Most had been left to rot.

Like at Seb’s, the lights were somehow burning inside the windows of the strip. They also were cast onto the signs over each doorway. The one Harper was ogling had a long blade mounted over its entrance. The word “Armory” was painted underneath it.

Without waiting for an answer, she started making her way towards it. “W-wait!” Algernon called after the skunk. He jogged to keep up with her, his eye focused on not losing sight of her. Harper’s striped tail was all that kept him from losing track of her as they weaved between the hybrids. Thankfully, the crowd thinned as they approached the edifices, but that provided an unforeseen distraction for him.

Algernon couldn’t help but pause and turn back to what he glimpsed out of the corner of his eye. In what used to be the alleyway between two of the precursor buildings, a hybrid-sized structure had been set up. He pulled down his eyepatch to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him as he looked at the cruciform symbol over the entrance. It was just like the one hanging in the cathedral he was used to from The Providence.

Without realizing it he’d begun walking towards it. Like the buildings sandwiching it the narrow sanctuary was lit inside, but with the warm flickering of candlelight spilling out the open doors instead of electric bulbs. Passing over the threshold, two columns of pews ran up the length of the building. A cut of burgundy rug led up to a humble pulpit at the far end. In disbelief he craned his neck upward at the vaulted ceiling and the care put into its craftsmanship.

“How can I help you, traveler?”

The possum jumped as a tiny animal appeared at his side. It was a hybrid who barely stood up to Algernon’s waist, a shrew, whose outfit looked exactly like the priestly vestments the Clergy wore.

“I-I’m sorry, I d-didn’t mean to trespass!” he sputtered.

The creature’s small, scrunched face smiled up at him. “There’s no need to apologize when all are welcome inside!” the shrew offered.

Algernon regarded him with dismay. Despite his whole life on The Providence going to mass, he’d never once spoken to the priest. They showed up for the sermon, and then they left. They were separated for a holy purpose from the rest of the congregation, just as the Clergy as a whole was separate from the outside world.

Regardless, the candid words of the priest and their good-natured tone curbed the anxiety Algernon felt. It wasn’t everyday that an agent of the creators interacted directly with him. “Well, I-I was wondering... W-why is there a cathedral here?”

The shrew considered him. There wasn’t judgment in his gaze, only curiosity. “You come from one of the Clergy’s vessels, I take it? I don’t mean to pry, but it is rare to see an opossum outside of their trawlers.”

“Y-yeah! Are... are you part of the Clergy too?” Algernon asked.

The priest shook his head. “I am a traveller of the Path! I understand your confusion though, as we look the same on first glance. You could say the two faiths are brothers, in a way.” They stretched their arm out to the nearest pew. “But please, have a seat and take a load off! If you don’t mind me saying, I get the impression there’s a lot on your mind.”

It was true that several thoughts were racing through Algernon’s head. He lowered himself onto the pew and offered a quiet thanks to the priest. He was very much bewildered, especially with the current unexpected situation, but the calming atmosphere of the cathedral and the warm disposition of the shrew continued to put him more at ease.

With the world of law back on his mind, his foremost thought was that of his crew’s mission. “Do you, uh, have contact with the Clergy? I-I’ve been trying to get back to them in order to... to make amends.”

The smile on the shrew’s face turned apologetic. “While the Clergy and the Path may be brothers, we have a hard time getting along.” Seeing the panic rising on the possum’s face, they clarified, “We have been amicable to the Clergy, rather it is they who aren’t happy with our presence. With your familiarity with Clergy edict, you can probably deduce why.”

He hadn’t intended his question of why this sacred place existed all the way out here to expose his predispositions, but Algernon realized that his thoughts on the scavs had come across in it. “Um, the Clergy working out here w-would be strange since... Well, because the hybrids out here are...”

“Too far gone?” The priest quirked an eyebrow.

Algernon slowly nodded, swallowing. A Noah generation, those from The Providence had said.

The shrew nodded along with him. “You’ve been out here in this lawless land for some amount of time, so tell me: Are the denizens of this land as evil as you’ve been told?”
It took several moments for him to formulate an answer. His initial experience of being kidnapped and forced to betray his kinsmen certainly fit his expectations of scavengers. Seb and his establishment, the multitude of attacks by rival crews — it all agreed with the image of banditry and scoundrels Algernon had been taught lived out here.

Despite that, he hesitated to call even the crew who disrupted his life savages. There was reasoning behind their actions, even if it wasn’t good reasoning. Even someone like Harper he couldn’t find hate for. Although, he wasn’t sure if that was due to an inkling of character shining through in his crewmates, or his own morals slipping in the face of life as a bandit.

“... I suppose some of th-them aren’t c-completely corrupt,” he conceded.

The shrew hummed in agreement. “It’s true that it’s a lawless land out here, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I believe there are those amongst the scavengers that desire law in their lives, but who will be the ones to bring it to them? That is why I follow the Path. As a sojourner, it is our imperative to help those who are seeking the Path, whether they realize it yet or not.”

Algernon fidgeted on the bench. He wasn’t sure he followed all that the priest was saying, but it still seemed clear that there was some overlap between this belief and that of the Clergy. “D-did the creators also send you out on holy mission?”

The smaller hybrid was slow to respond, weighing his words. “It is a holy mission we are called to, and its roots do flow back to the precursor era, but our charter is one that predates Atom & Eve. We hold to a single creator, who is.”

Algernon stared at the shrew blankly, uncomprehending. Sensing that the possum was starting to get overwhelmed, he patted him on the arm. “I won’t keep you from your responsibilities any longer, nor the festivities. Before you leave, I encourage you to get anything you need off your chest.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“If you have any confessions to make, I have listened to and guided many who have been troubled by their sins. Or, if there are petitions that need to be made to the creator, it is helpful to voice them in a sanctuary such as this.”

More to appease the priest than anything, Algernon clasped his paws together and bowed his head. When his eyes closed he searched for something to pray for so he wasn’t just pretending to.

He found that the shrew was right; without immediate distractions, he was able to reflect on many things that had been in his mind but hadn’t had the time to deal with. He gave thanks for averting an even greater disaster in the valley of the limb-beasts. Arriving in Uranus relatively unscathed and without raising suspicions was also a miracle in itself.

What gnawed at him was that any number of things could easily have gone wrong and ended them. Therefore, not knowing how far of a journey remained before them, Algernon prayed for protection over them. If they hoped to make it to the end of The Devil’s Road, it would take something stronger than luck to make their steps sure. It truly was fortune that Harper had survived the —

Remembering that he was tasked with keeping her out of trouble, he sprang to his feet. “I-I have to go!” He shimmied out of the pew and rushed out the door while the priest’s farewell trailed after him.

Outside, the clamor and stimulation overtook him again. Algernon swung his head around until he spotted the sign with the blade above it. He quickly squirmed through the crowd towards the shop, but before he could make it Harper appeared in front of him.

“There you are!” she called out, excitement glimmering in her eyes. “You missed out on all the cool pointy things they had at the shop!”

He fearfully glanced between her and the building she had come from. “Is th-there a reason we can’t go back in?”

Harper pouted at him. “Damn, I was just taking a look! It’s not like I set the place on fire! I’m just done browsing. See, look at this knife they had!” She produced a finely sharpened shiv that gleamed in the light of the windows.

“You bought that?”

She looked at him funny. “They just kinda had it out in the open, so I borrowed it.”

Algernon put a hand to his forehead. “Harper, that’s n-not how it works...”

“Now, now. This means that I don’t need my old one anymore, so you can have it!”

The skunk pushed the flat end of another knife to his chest, and he awkwardly caught it. The blade in his hand was in fact one that Harper had wielded before. He was pretty certain it was the same one she had threatened his life with when they first met. It was crude, dented, and spotted with rust.

“I-I don’t want this,” he said weakly.

Before the skunk could argue, a pink badger emerged from the throngs flooding the grounds. Peach held Teddy by the scruff of his neck, whose body was covered in loose hay.

“Teddy! Did you defeat the metal beast?” Harper asked.

The raccoon’s eyes glittered as he gave two thumbs up. “Yeah! It stopped moving after I bit it on the neck!”

“The operators pulled him from the machine after he broke it,” Peach corrected.

Harper looked over at her. “And did you ride it?”

“No.” There was a tinge of disappointment in her expression.

“N-now that we’re all here, we should regroup with Senta,” Algernon proposed.

Before he could even begin to turn towards the post office, the fireworks suddenly came to halt. The crowd likewise started to slow and their loud voices settled into pockets of murmuring. Anticipation filled the air.

The possum was startled by a voice echoing out from loudspeakers set up around the settlement. “May I have your attention, fellow travelers! We hope you have enjoyed tonight’s entertainment, and are excited to inform you all that the main event is now ready! The legendary wilderness drama, orchestrated by our talented playwrights and performers, is sure to dazzle your evening!“

Spotlights blazed to life a couple of buildings down, lighting up the front of one. A large vertical sign labeled “Theater” protruded from its front, with ribbons of red and white and blue streaming from it to the sides of the colossal doors. Those swung open as the spotlights landed on them.

The crowd of hybrids seemed to unfreeze all at once, the rowdy noise returning to its previous volume. While there were those who simply resumed in their own revelry, many started funneling towards the newly-opened entrance.

“I wanna go! I wanna go!” Teddy bobbed in Peach’s grip.

Peach huffed. “You’ve had enough fun for one night.”

“But I want to see what the fuss is about!” Harper whined. “Imagine all of the other cool trinkets they have laying around in there!”

The badger looked her over wearily, before turning to face Algernon. “You didn’t let her take anything, right?”

He quickly shoved the shiv into his coat pocket. “I-I also think we should check out th-the show! I d-don’t see Senta around, so we can f-find her, uh, afterwards!”

His attempt to redirect the conversation didn’t go unnoticed, but Peach just rolled her eyes and started shuffling towards the theater. Harper whooped in delight, trotting after them, Algernon taking the rear.

By the time the group reached the doors to the building the crowd heading in was starting to thin to a trickle. When they crossed inside and Algernon saw the interior, he was once again taken aback. It was a sprawling room that rivalled the lot outside, completely filled with benches. The seats were packed with hybrids silhouetted by electric lights pointed towards the front of the auditorium, where a raised stage stretched across. Crimson curtains flowed down to the platform and hid what was to come.

With all of the seats near the entrance already taken, Peach lumbered towards the front with Teddy in tow. Finding an opening in the first row, she deposited the raccoon on the bench. Harper ducked under the badger’s arm and hopped up next to Teddy, so Peach sat beside her, with Algernon hunkering down at the end.
No sooner had they settled than lights pointed at the stage began to dim, until only a couple shone on a spot directly in the center. The crowd quieted, and Algernon could feel the bench shake as Teddy and Harper jittered with excitement.

A mink festooned in a fancy outfit not unlike Algernon’s own stepped into the light and spread his arms out to the audience. “Sons of Atom, daughters of Eve, welcome to our humble stage!” he said. It was the same voice which had called through the speakers outside. “Tonight I am proud to present our theater’s rendition of true events! Hailing from the battlegrounds of the Western Roughs, this tale provides a glimpse into the lives of hybrids living under Watchtower’s banner. A story of valor, bravery, and defying adversity that will have you on the edge of your seat! Without further ado, enjoy the show!”

As the mink bowed out, the lights cut completely. Murmurs arose from the crowd, but shortly thereafter the curtain began to rise, and a warm trickle of light emerged from beneath it. Beyond the curtain a scene emerged; The yellow light was cast on the far wall as a faux sun, a sky of blue and orange painted on the woodwork with wispy clouds touching the far reaches of the stage. On the far left, a precursor instrument sat with a similarly-sized seat in front of it, two rabbits waiting patiently atop it. Algernon recalled reading about such a device — a piano — from old musical books aboard The Providence, but had never seen one in person. At its base a group of woodland critters stood at attention.

He didn’t need to wait long to find out what the strange setup was for. When the curtain reached its zenith the rabbits began tapping at the piano keys, a jaunty tune filling the theater. Flat panels made to look like mesas, cacti and tumbleweeds shuffled on to the stage, the feet and ears of more rabbits occasionally poking up from behind them as they worked to move them. Once they were arranged to form a desert landscape, the group of hybrids below the piano began to sing:

“Have you heard the legends told,
Of those warriors from the wastes?
Lean in, lend an ear to this tale,
To the legend of which we showcase!”

As they transitioned between verses yet more props were slid onstage. This time, tents rose up in the back with a tower emblazoned on their canopies. In the foreground, instead of actors portraying characters, wooden cutouts were painted to look like different creatures. There were hybrids dressed in armor-plates fashioned from scraps of sheet metal, wielding blades and firearms. Algernon saw badgers, boars and coyotes, all painted with snarls as if ready to attack each other. On each of their shoulders a white “W” was tattooed.

“The hybrids of Watchtower, allied once,
Now battlelocked for power and vict’ry,
Clan against clan, no end in sight,
Whose warfare knows no mercy!

Constant stalemate through it all,
Were it not for one battle maiden,
Out of the house of the badger,
To claim dominance of the basin!”

The tents and hybrid cutouts were pulled away, replaced with more panels comprising an even more complicated scene. On one side of the stage an army of badgers surged forward towards the other end, where an army of boars were in disarray. In the center stood the most detailed cutout yet: A badger warrior holding a standard with Watchtower’s emblem in one hand, the other leveling a saber at the retreating boars. The badger gazed stoically into the middle distance, and the fake sunlight ensconced her in heavenly rays.

“Stalwart like her fellow brethren,
Though much more was she,
Through blade, bullet, flame, and more,
Weathered this great valkyrie!

Thus through battle was she forged,
Valkyrie of the Western Roughs,
And became a thorn to her enemies,
The boars, most of all, rebuffed!

Hardened skin and iron will,
Virtues attuned for skirmish won.
Territory clawed to their own,
‘Til the swine hoard had none!”

The sound of scraping wood beside him pulled Algernon back from the narrative unfolding on stage. He looked over at Peach. Her claws were digging into the bench, leaving deep gouges through its surface. Her face, normally emotionless, displayed a mixture of deep discomfort and embarrassment. With constricted pupils and gritted teeth, Peach’s focus was fully captured by the production taking place.

His eyes shifted between his crewmate and the character portrayed on stage. Glancing past the badger, he looked at his other two crewmembers to see if they noticed. Harper was slumped forward, eyes half open and clearly bored out of her mind. Meanwhile, Teddy was staring blankly forward and smiling, which was normal. It seemed neither were any-the-wiser to Peach’s identity.

When he turned back to the play, it had progressed forward and the set had switched. The hero was now back-to-back with her fellow badgers, surrounded on all sides by boar soldiers. Even outnumbered to a devastating degree, the valkyrie defiantly bared her teeth and held a large firearm in her grip. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

“On Paria’s field they fought,
For both parties a last stand.
Badger insurgents cleaving forth,
Through the boar’s home land!”

“Against all odds they prevailed,
To conquer the entire opposing clan.
Yet our valkyrie now vanished,
Mystery forever gracing those sands!”

And now approaches this legend’s end,
From those lands of thunder and flame,
A gracious thanks to our audience,
To hear our performance proclaimed!”


The piano finished in a crescendo, and as quiet graced the stage once more, the curtains began to draw. After a moment polite claps began to rise from those seated. It was then that Peach returned to her senses and pulled her claws out of the wood. As she surveyed those around her to check if anyone had seen her episode, Algernon quickly turned his head away.

General murmurings returned to the crowd and the hybrids began to rise from the benches and wander towards the exit. Harper stretched her arms out with an obnoxious groan as if waking from a deep slumber.

“Man, that was sooooo lame!” she whined. “They didn’t even have actual actors! Where was the blood and guts?”

“There could have been more boom,” Teddy agreed.

Peach grunted, which could have meant anything. She was the first to move from her seat, eager to turn her back to the show. Her crewmates followed after her.

Algernon walked up next to Peach, tapping his fingers together. Peeking up at her, she still looked deeply unsettled. He knew now wasn’t a good time to broach the subject, yet he still felt that as leader he ought to comfort her in some way, especially in her distress. As he began to reach a paw out to her arm, an unhappy voice interrupted him.

“Finally, I’ve been looking everywhere for you lot!” Senta stood just outside the doorway to the theater, her tail fidgeting in anger and a deep scowl on her muzzle.

“Don’t tweak your whiskers, you didn’t miss anything fun,” Harper said.

The rat ground her teeth. “I don’t care what you were up to, we need to leave. Now.”

Sensing the urgency in her words, Algernon brought his full attention back to the predicament of his crew. “W-what’s wrong?”

There were a couple pieces of paper Senta had clutched under her arm. Surreptitiously scanning the crowds for prying eyes, she carefully drew the corner one out so only their group could see it.

Algernon couldn’t see much of it, but what he did see made his ears droop. At the very top was a crude depiction of a rat skull. Next to it in big, bold letters was the word “Wanted.”