Far outside the walls of Zaru’s fortress, Zack lay amongst the trees. He stared up at the sky, barely visible through the foliage. His body ached all over, though by some miracle nothing seemed to be broken. Despite being perfectly capable of moving, he remained still with head spinning. How far had Zaru launched him…? 

He sighed and clenched the grass beneath him in his fists. No, Zaru hadn’t launched him far at all. Only through a few rooms. The slowly dissipating smoke surrounding him exposed the truth: he had brought himself here. Not intentionally, however; he must have instinctively teleported away after being attacked. Even though he had no control over it, he couldn’t help but feel like a coward for fleeing when his plan went south. All he could think about was Charlie, being left alone with Zaru. She must’ve been so scared… And yet, he continued to lay there.

The sudden sound of approaching footsteps jolted him into action. He lifted his head, frantically searching for who it could be. Knowing he had no means to defend himself, he prepared to run. But it wasn’t a guard as he had feared. Instead, he was greeted with the sound of a familiar chirp. Zack let out a breath of relief and rested his head back down on the ground as Cupcake walked to his side. She sniffed him curiously, gently running her beak through his hair.

“Hey, Cakes…” He ran his fingers through her feathers. “I’m glad you’re alright, at least.” Cupcake purred quietly as she pushed herself into his hand. Zack chuckled lightly before his face fell into a frown. “Man, I really messed up, didn’t I? Allen and Lynn are still in the dungeon, Charlie’s all alone, and I didn't even see the princess…”

Zack sighed, letting his hand fall. Cupcake tilted her head and glanced down at him with a small peep. Zack found himself staring back up at the sky, trying to collect his thoughts. He knew he needed a plan, but nothing was coming to him. “What am I even supposed to do now?” He pondered aloud. “Everything I’ve done has blown up in my face. What if I go back and just make it all worse?”

He blinked away the stinging in his eyes. Feelings of anger were boiling up inside him, directed at himself. “Maybe…” He pressed his palms against his face, squeezing his eyes shut. “Maybe I’m better off just going home.” Though when he thought of this home, the streets of Detroit did not come to his mind. Instead, he imagined a place he left long ago, swearing to never return to…

The sharp sound of a single chirp brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes, glancing over at Cupcake. She stared back at him with an expectant expression. Her tail flicked as she chirped again. Zack sniffled and rubbed at his face.

“You’re right,” he said to her as he finally sat up. His body still ached, but he ignored it and forced himself to get on his feet. “I have to go back.” He took a shaky breath, clenching his fists. “I’m not running away this time.”

Cupcake trilled, running a quick lap around Zack with her tail lashing behind her. She hopped a few paces away before stopping, looking back at him with an eager look in her eye. Zack smiled as he hurried over and hopped onto her back in one swift movement. After getting a good grip on her feathers, he yelled out. This prompted her to burst into a sprint, full speed towards Zaru’s fortress.