(Art by GweenApple)

The Pursuit

"What?!" Umbra growled, grabbing Time by the scruff of his neck and bringing him to his face. "Are you serious?!"

Time scrunched his nose. "Pretty sure, dude. I know the scent and energy signature of Clockwork. That guy's been around him. Like, really close to him."

"We better hurry, Umbry," Matthew said, picking up Victor and putting him on his back. "If this guy really is a suspect, we can't afford to lose him."

Umbra frowned, placing Time back around his neck. "We can't all follow him, though. That would raise too much suspicion. I'm rather sure this Asher person wouldn't take it too kindly if he saw us following him."

"Then who's gonna go?" Aunora asked, crossing her arms.

"I'll do it," Umbra said proudly, cracking his knuckles. "I am the leader of this team, after all. I'll shape-shift into my animal form so I can hide easier and stay in the shadows."

Time lightly hit Umbra on the shoulder with his tail. "I'll have to come too!" The Überdragon's eyes shined. "We'll have to go on this mission together! It'll be so  awesome!"

Of course, Umbra thought bitterly to himself. He gave Matthew a frustrated look, and the man understood his silent message.

Matthew smiled gently, laying a hand on Umbra's shoulder. "I guess you two better get going. We don't want him to get too far away from us."

Umbra took a deep breath, letting his body shift into the small, weasel-like creature that was his animal form.

Umbra's field of vision rapidly changed as his height regressed to a mere five inches, and Time tumbled to the ground beside him. Umbra shook his massive ears, giving one last wink to his team before he sped off in Asher's direction.

Running was difficult with his short, stubby legs, but Umbra managed. He flapped the tiny, fur-covered wings on his back to gain speed. Time sprinted behind him, trying to keep up with Umbra's speed. He wasn't used to moving so fast in a small body like Umbra was, but the man refused to pause and wait for Time. He was determined.

Umbra followed his nose, tracking the stranger's smell. He darted down the busy streets of Alcorith, shooting between people's feet like a pesky cat. His lithe and flexible form allowed him to maneuver through the crowd without getting stepped on, but Time didn't seem to have faired as well, judging by the high-pitched squeal he heard Time produce.

"For the love of crap," Umbra hissed, coming to a sudden stop by a dumpster. "Transform into something smaller and get on my back! You're so slow!"

Between pants for air, Time's form glowed, and a small, blue and yellow butterfly landed on his head.

"Get it?" Umbra heard Time giggle. "It's like on that time travel story where the butterfly screwed up everything-"

"No time to explain your jokes!" Umbra barked, body stiffening when he saw a familiar figure stopped at a magazine stand. "There he is!"

Flattening his belly to the pavement, Umbra crawled softly towards the stand, pressing himself against the side of it. Time seemed to sense his cue for secrecy, as he fluttered to the top of a nearby sign.

Holding his breath, Umbra spared a peak around the magazine stand.

Asher stood, carefree and unaware of the two animals that were fervently stalking him. He had picked up a magazine and had started to flip through it. Umbra could faintly see images of succubi in swimsuits on the pages he was reading. Disgusted, he shifted his gaze back to Asher.

At that second, Asher suddenly sniffed the air, and his eyes widened. He turned his head towards the ground, right at the spot Umbra was watching him from.

Gasping in shock, Umbra quickly retreated back behind the side of the stand, praying Asher hadn't spotted him.

He waited several seconds, gritting his teeth and clenching his eyes shut. The fur along his spine was standing up, and his tiny, needle-like claws involuntarily came out.

The seconds ticked by at a snail's pace, and the only thing that seemed to be going quickly were the rapid palpitations of his heart. He didn't dare move.

Finally, he heard Asher make an "eh" noise and the sound of his boots thumping against the pavement. He was leaving the stand and continuing his walk down the street!

Umbra let out his pent breath in a long sigh, the sudden exit of air relaxing his body.

Umbra glanced up to the spot Time was roosting. He had hadn't moved from his location the entire time, but Umbra could see his paper-thin wings trembling ever so slightly. 

He nodded at Time and flicked his ear in the direction Asher had taken off in, hoping the Überdragon understood the signal for "move out."

Umbra slinked away from the magazine stand, hugging the walls of the buildings that lined the street.

Asher had picked up his pace, rushing to where ever his destination was. His shoulders were hunched like he was tense.

The pads of Umbra's paws made little to no sound as he followed behind Asher. He made sure not to tail too closely, leaving several yards between them at all times.

Umbra avoided the middle of the sidewalk where Asher walked, he instead stuck to the edges, where the buildings and alleyways stood. He would occasionally look up to check that Time was hovering above him.

Umbra started to get more and more concerned as Asher trekked into the deeper, less populated parts of Alcorith.

Did he see me? Is he leading us into a trap? A surge of cold spread throughout Umbra's body as he contemplated that possibility.

The walls of the alleyway he stumbled down loomed above his small form, making him feel claustrophobic and trapped.

Everything around him was unfamiliar. Umbra was lost.

Asher paused at the end of the alley, back facing Umbra and Time. He stuck his hands in his pockets, pulling out a dirty sheet of paper. He muttered something inaudible under his breath, returning the paper back to the pocket of his sweatshirt.

He held out his palm, small, downy feathers appearing in his hand.

Umbra and Time had stopped to watch his actions on the top of a half-opened dumpster. Intrigued by the magic generation of feathers, Umbra crept forward an inch, curious what he was going to do next.

Asher suddenly flung the feathers behind him, the down taking on a mind of its own and floating lazily towards them.

Umbra blinked in confusion as the feathers dropped in a surprisingly orderly pattern in front of him.

He peered closer at them, squinting. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, until the feather started to glow.

Crap! This is trap magic! Umbea thought frantically, backing away. He had seconds before they exploded into flames!

Umbra quickly threw himself into the open end of the dumpster, burying his body in the bottom of the container, cushioned by trashbags.

Just as he had predicted, magic surged through the feathers, and a plume of fire burst from the feathers, sending waves of heat that traveled through Umbra's filthy shield. Umbra gritted his teeth as he remembered Time, whom he had forgotten in the rush to escape.

Umbra held his breath as smoke started to waft through the dumpster, the foul stench making his nose twitch.

Smoke! Umbra thought, blood roaring in his ears. This thing is on fire!

Lungs aching from holding his breath, Umbra climbed up through the dumpster, keeping his paws on the wall that was furthest from the explosion. He managed to push open the closed lid with his head, falling out of the dumpster and slamming into the pavement.

Smoke poured out from the gaps of the dumpster, making Umbra weary to stand too close to it. He took several steps away from it, gasping for breath.

A small butterfly landed next to Umbra, his antenna twitching.

"Time!" Umbra whispered, "you're alive!"

"I'm a god!" Time exclaimed, his voice hushed. "Quickly, look over here!" He pointed his wing around the edge of the dumpster, where Umbra could see Asher.

"That should take care of anything that was following me," he muttered under his breath, jerking a knife out of his pocket. "Now to report back to Hawkins before the old man craps himself." He cut a strange, sporadic set of runes into the air, the magic symbols ripping open a crackling portal. Asher pulled his hood over his head and jumped in, the portal disappearing the second he vanished into it.

Sprinting to the place Asher had once stood, Umbra sniffed the ground. "He got away." he muttered sadly, lashing his tail. With a shaky sigh, Umbra transformed back into his humanoid form. He touched his cheeks, feeling the feverish warmth on them that the close encounter with the fire had left. I can't believe he tried to kill me...

Time fluttered to his side, shape-shifting as well. He didn't look as haggard or disappointed as Umbra did, as he was smugly grinning.

"Hey, hey," Time said, slapping Umbra on the shoulder. "I know where he went. I can trace his portal magic, dude!"

Umbra's eyes widened in disbelief. "...of course you can." He stood up, dusting off his dress pants. "I guess we better go tell the others."

Author's Note- the story Time was referring to was A Sound of Thunder, a short story about a guy going back in time to hunt dinosaurs. He steps on a butterfly which screws over the entire timeline.

Also...my voter count as like literally been cut in half... what am i doing wrong???? I'm sorry every chapter can't be insanely interesting q.q thank you to the people that haven't left