Everyone stay calm
That memory was terrifying. It had always been. The two lost their entire family and had to flee from their home. That's how they came to the Lukedum county. Epsilon was yanked out of his thoughts of his old home when Efiar abruptly shut her sketchbook.
"We need to get some more stuff" she said as she made her way to the door. Epsilon was confused. They had already stolen what they needed so why did they have to go steal some more. Did something break? He didn't have time to ask. He hurriedly got up and rushed out the door to follow his sister. His sister was quickly walking away from their home. Everything happened so suddenly that it couldn't help but make Epsilon feel slightly uneasy. Why was she in such a rush? He quickly caught up to Efiar who was glancing around haphazardly. That was not like her at all. She always made sure her surroundings were clear and was always careful.
"Hey, what's wrong? Why did we leave so quickly like that? '' He finally asked his sister with a worried tone. She looked up at him hesitantly before pulling him to the side. Efiar pulled his arm down so that he was faced to face with her.
"Didn't you feel it? Like the sudden sense of danger creeping up on you" she whispered quietly glancing around again. Epsilon only began to be more confused. Since they were part Avian they were able to sense certain things like danger or sudden changes in the environment that others couldn't notice, but Epsilon and Efiar's senses were extremely strong. It might have been because of genetics but they both had a very keen 6th sense. Epsilon thought about it a bit. Efiar's sense was slightly better but if it was dangerous enough for her to be acting like this then he should have felt it too. He didn't sense anything. The only time he felt uneasy was because of Efiar's actions, not necessarily because of his 6th sense. That's when it suddenly hit him. The feeling was terrible. It felt like his guts were turning and that suddenly everything was becoming unfamiliar. The world was starting to spin and turn black. Every part of his body was telling him to run but his legs wouldn't move like in those nightmares. He felt something creeping in. The awful feeling continued and didn't leave.
He jerked his head towards Efiar. He could tell she was feeling it too now. Epsilon grabbed her hand and ran. He had no idea where he was going, he just ran. Down the alley, up the streets, between the buildings, on top of the stands. They just ran. They had run quite a distance before the feeling of being watched finally disappeared. It was pitch dark out. Not even the moon shone. It was just like that night. The cold gloomy night of that moment. The last time they had felt the feeling. They time they had lost everything. They had ignored the feeling because they didn't want to bother their flock but if they had just told them, it would have never happened. The smell of smoke, the sound of the screams. All they could have done that night was watch and hide as their entire flock was torn to shreds right before their eyes. They barely made it out alive that day. Taking the small opening they got to slip away into the night without a sound. They had run, just like now. On and on and on they ran into the endless forest. Never even stopping to look back. Whether it was fear or guilt that kept them from doing so, it was more likely to be both.
They had run until they were on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion only to arrive in a city bustling with life. It had been their first time seeing such a scene. They barely ever left the nest let alone gone as far as they had now. They wandered endlessly looking for a place to stay. After days of sleeping on the streets and mindlessly exploring the roads they stumbled on a small room. After staying near the room for a few more days, they learned that the Owners of a small store connected to the room, planned to block it off since it was damaged and ruined. The two siblings took advantage of this and slowly started disguising the room even more and fixing it up. Soon it looked as if the room wasn't even there. The old couple that owned the store put great effort into covering the existence of the room so that when they sold their store, it would go for higher prices. In the end, the couple moved to the countryside and the new owners knew nothing of the room. It all fell into place perfectly.
Efiar and epsilon relied on theft and trickery to get food to eat. Over time they became accustomed to doing so and their skills became unmatched in the city. Other street urchins knew to stay out of their grounds and hunt only in their own territories. The urchins weren't necessarily scared of the two, but rather respected them and acknowledged them as of higher status in their society. Epsilon rarely interacted with the other urchins and Efiar did even less. The two simply lived out their lives in solitude. It was no wonder why they had no one to run to when they felt the horribly mind crushing feeling.
By the time they stopped, they recognized that they were in the neighborhood for the rich and noble or, as the street urchins and orphans called it, the forbidden zone. This area was where all the nobles and the rich commoners lived and, as such, the place was swarming with guards and knights. Stealing from this place was a death wish and even if you did, most items here would be worthless considering you can't sell them without being caught. How had they even gotten this far without being caught? They immediately hid themselves. Getting involved with nobles was one of the biggest fears among the homeless. It was as simple as this, they could do anything they want, and you, who doesn't even have a home or anyone who would notice you were missing, couldn't even do anything about it. Street urchins meant nothing in this society. Just being in their sight was enough for them to claim you insulted them and deserve death. Epsilon was about to peek out when suddenly Efiar yanked him down and pointed to the side. There was a guard heading their way. They hadn't noticed the twins just yet but were steadily walking closer in a way that suggested that they were on patrol.the guard suddenly stopped in front of the bush
Efiar squeezed Epsilon's hand harder. Epsilon slowly looked over to Efiar. Her breath shook slightly and her eyes were shut tight. Epsilon moved his hand to comfort her, but, sensing his movements, she lightly shook her head. The guard was still here. Who knew if they could notice Epsilon's small movements. Epsilon felt helpless. The feeling was crushing and oh so terribly familiar. The situation was too similar to back then. The endless holding of their breaths as people rushed by hunted down all their family. The idea of possibly getting caught caused the two to tear up and sob silently. Everytime one of those murderers moved even a hair closer to the cabinet where they hid, It felt like the two were being suffocated. It took everything in them to stop themselves from crying at that moment. He worried that so many recent events reminding them of their past would take too much of a toll on Efiar. Even he, who acted calm and composed in the situation, was actually on the verge of tears. But, in this moment, someone needed to be calm and composed. He needed to be that someone in this situation for Efiar.
The guard stopped in front of the bush, Waited for a few seconds and then turned to walk away. Those few seconds that the guard stood there felt like years. Epsilon and Efiar let out a shaky breath as soon as the guard was out of earshot. They managed to get out of immediate danger but they still needed to get to somewhere safer.
What were they going to do, how would they get out of here, and more importantly, would they be able to go back to their nest even? Carefully they slowly made their way back to the alley where they lived. As they turned into the alley, the door to their home swung open. Epsilon froze. It was Duke Losetta. Efira reacted quickly. There was no way they hadn't seen him. The Duke suddenly shouted out
"THAT'S THEM, CATCH THEM!" The Duke was a very distant relative of Count Lukedum. To be exact, he was the Count's cousin's mother's second husband's adoptive grandson. But due to many complications involving the 2, society pairs up the two for everything. If there's a scandal about one, the other is involved. It is especially hard on the Duke since his position is very high. The duke's appearance must only have been caused by one thing. Epsilon's series of conflicts with the Count. If word got out that the Count was being beaten up for assaulting a woman far younger than him, it would reflect very badly on the Duke. The victims know to keep their mouths shut, but what about a wanted criminal with several months of beef with the Count. It was clear that the Duke's intention was to silence them. Just as the words left the Duke's mouth, several knights shot out of the house and climbed onto their horses. Epsilon and Efiar are fast but they couldn't outrun a horse. Soon the knights would start to catch up.
"WE NEED TO FLY," Epsilon shouted. He spread his wings and prepared to take off as fast as he could. Efiar stopped him and suddenly dragged him to the side. The horses whooshed past before braking and spinning around. They quickly surrounded the twins, cornering them up against the wall. Epsilon turned to Efiar bewildered. They could have escaped. Why did she stop him?
"It's back. That feeling from earlier" Efiar whispered under her breath. Epsilon turned to her confused. That feeling from earlier? But why? Suddenly a dark figure dashed down from the roof quickly knocking out all of the knights surrounding both Epsilon and Efiar. The figure's movements were sudden and the two were left in awe about the situation. Just as the figure turned to the twins, Epsilon and Efiar's Nest exploded. Debri flew out on all sides. The fire inside raged and the ceiling and building structure started caving in.
"Apologies for the damages done to your nest but I had no other choice" the dark figure said eloquently "I'll be sure to repay you." Epsilon and Efiar could only dumbly stare at the dark figure who turned out to be a tall man with a mask and cloak on. The man turned to the ruins and stepped around some of the rubble. He went to a man who was lying half crushed by fallen slabs of ceiling. With a quick motion, the masked man pulled the injured man's face up revealing that it was the duke. The duke's face was devastating. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose. His anger appeared fiercely in his eyes.
"YOU" he spat out harshly. It seemed that they recognized each other.
"Oh dear, to fall for such an assassination attempt" the Masked man sang out "you should have just paid the money, Duke. It didn't have to end like this''. The man didn't wait for the duke's response before slitting the Duke's throat with a dagger. Let it be known that on this day, the duke was assassinated and the only witnesses were Epsilon, Efiar, and the masked man. Epsilon and Efiar knew what this meant. Just as how the Duke was trying to silence them, this Masked man would want to too. They both tensed up and prepared themselves for what he might do.