[ESC] Escape #1 [ Acheron ]

It was probably Ike’s second day on the job, being hired by Yone as Tsuki no Arcana’s personal journalist. He never expected the Kitsune to be so forward about the whole spiel, rendering him surprised yet relieved. The Renamon was carelessly scribbling down notes before his ears twitched, catching the sound of screams and surprised gasps outside of his office. He frowned, leaning back in his seat to glance out of the window, ‘Why is everyone - including our guests - running and screaming?’

His answer quickly came when Lyra almost threw Ike’s office door out of its hinges. From the looks of it, the wyverian was a mess - sweat dripped from his forehead while he was panting heavily.

Ike blinked in concern, staring at his co-worker, “Is everything alright, Lyra? You look out of it…”

“Acheron,” Lyra regained his breath slowly, pointing toward the office’s exit, “She escaped while I fed them. The door didn’t close. Help?”

“Say no more,” the Renamon’s eyes widened in surprise, shooting up from his seat to follow the wyverian outside. He knew of the black leopard’s origins but he never expected her to make a run for it. The two of them navigated through the panicking masses, hushing the guests inside STAFF-ONLY buildings to keep them safe. Who knows what a terrified Acheron might do? Thankfully, they saw Yone and Kasaro rallying up the guests, guiding them with ease despite the situation.

“Kasaro, Yone!”

Kasaro turned around, tapping his husband’s shoulder to get his attention. “Lyra, Ike, good to see you,” he smiled, his tail wagging behind him, “We can use every help we can get.”

“I’m sorry,” Lyra sighed, his head hanging low as he stood in front of his adoptive fathers, “I got careless for a second and-”

Yone raised a hand to silence the young wyverian, shaking his head with a reassuring smile, “It happened. We know how scatterbrained Acheron can be, she might’ve walked through the exhibit’s exit without even realizing it. Before she knew it, the door closed behind her and she panicked. She didn’t hurt any of the guests so far if that’s your next question.” He placed his hand on Lyra’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, “Instead of scolding you, make up for it by helping us gather the masses. Ike, can you follow Alberich and Argaru? I want to make sure Acheron will be fine.”

Ike gave Yone a firm nod, smiling at Lyra before he left them to their task. He took the walky-talky from his pocket, trying to dial and reach at least Argaru - Alberich never cared for it, so contacting the human was futile anyway. “Argaru, can you hear me? Over,” he said into the speaker, jogging along the Zoogrounds worriedly.

“Loud and clear, Ike, over,” came the response, causing Ike’s eyes to widen. He had never heard Argaru that concerned. That didn’t bode well…

“Where are you? Over.”

“Souvenir Shop.”

The Renamon silently nodded to himself, quickly changing his course to head toward Argaru’s location. Thankfully, fewer and fewer guests seemed to occupy the streets, making it way easier to navigate. It was almost unsettling, to see the Zoo empty despite quite a few visitors being present. He didn’t want to imagine what Acheron’s escape would cost, considering there might be several people wanting to file a complaint or make up the wildest stories to get Tsuki no Arcana into trouble - even if nobody got hurt. Before Ike knew it, he already reached the souvenir shop near the exit, his ears straining to catch the slightest sound of Acheron, Argaru, or Alberich. He had to suppress a horrified gasp at the sight of the shop’s interior. Plushies, shirts, and whatever else were scattered around the room, torn to shreds by Acheron’s claws. Stuffing and torn paper adorned the shelves and floor, lights flickering on and off as the bulbs dangled from the ceiling.

“Psst, Ike, over here!”

Ike turned his attention toward the voice, seeing the wyverian and human hiding behind some shelves. He silently stepped over the debris on the ground, meeting the duo, “Was that all Acheron?” His voice was barely above a whisper, shaking his head in disbelief, “She isn’t hurt now, is she?”

“Oh no, she’s fine,” Alberich sighed, loading the tranquilizer with his final sedative, “However, she’s quick on her feet. I only have one tranq-bullet left.” A sigh escaped his throat, leaning over the shelf to try and spot the black cat.

Argaru tugged on the human’s coat, prompting him to sit back down, “Lyra’s aim is better than mine. Maybe we should-”

“As if your brother would pull the trigger even if it’s just to put her to sleep for a few hours,” Alberich grumbled lowly in his throat, tapping his finger silently along the tranquilizer, “Ike, what’s the situation around the Zoo?”

Ike didn’t comment on the small flash of anger inside Argaru’s eyes when Alberich let out the rude remark, keeping his expression neutral. “Yone, Kasaro, and Lyra made sure nobody got hurt while they led them to the shelters,” he explained, curling his tail around his legs to hide himself completely from Acheron’s gaze, “What’s the plan with one bullet left?”

“Pray.”

Meanwhile, Acheron was hiding beneath a pile of plushies she knocked over in her frenzy. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, causing her to pant heavily. She had no idea where she was and felt lost, confused - like always. Something wasn’t right. A man tried to shoot her multiple times, probably aiming to kill her. After all, humans only wanted to injure and attack her for whatever reason. Still, she had to get out of the building and escape. Where was Lyra? Where was she? How did she get here? Acheron carefully placed a paw in front of the other as she slowly came out of her hiding spot, her ears flicking at the slightest sound around her. ‘Did they give up their pursuit? Good,’ she thought, keeping her stance low while she navigated through the mess inside the souvenir shop, ‘Maybe I’ve overdone it… Lyra will be angry.’ 

However, before she could take another step, she heard the familiar sound of a gun being fired. After that, she felt something pierce her fur and hit her skin. It was similar to a syringe, making her roar and growl, spinning around to hit the air in anger. She snarled at the dart on her body but there wasn’t anything she could do now. Her vision began to blur as she stumbled through the shop, clumsily navigating through the aisles. The African Leopard tripped over her own paws, landing on her belly while panting. ‘Stay awake, stay awake,’ Acheron tried to tell herself but the sedative did its work, forcing her eyes to flutter shut as she fell asleep.

“You actually got her!” Ike and Argaru exclaimed at the same time, carefully walking over to the sleeping beauty.

Alberich let out a relieved sigh, standing up. “Thankfully, yes,” he swung the tranquilizer onto his shoulder, walking over to the other two, “Argaru, can you carry her back to her enclosure? Ike and I will give everyone else a status update.”

“Aye, sir!”