Chapter Text
Your eyes swiftly opened as you felt your mother shaking you awake. "(Y/N) get up!" You were confused and sat up only to have your mother quickly scoop you up, not wanting to waste time with your childish confusion and slow movement. She jogged down the stairs of your small cottage and out into the street, joining a growing crowd. You frantically looked aroun,d seeing buildings on fire, ash, and smoke starting to cloud the air. "Momma, what's going on?" You meekly asked. Your mother simply replied, "Something bad, hun." You nodded. She probably didn't know what was happening, or she just didn't want to tell you. You wanted to know, though. So many of your neighbors or people in your little town were fleeing their homes. Who was starting the fires? Was it bandits? Pirates? They all lived close to a port. Was the fire entirely an accident? You just had to know. You squirmed against my mother's grip. She grimaced, "(Y/N) stop it!" However, you had other plans. You kept squirming, and eventually she lost her grip, and you quickly fell to the ground. You quickly scrambled to your feet and began to dart through the crowd, running towards what everyone was running from. Boy, you were a stupid kid. Your mother, of course, chased after you like any good mother would when their child escapes their grasp. Due to your smaller size, you were much quicker and made it through the crowds more easily. You reached the temple, your town had grown out around it from only to see it completely ablaze. A creature, a black mass of some kind, stood before you on the steps of the ancient burning building. It looked unnatural, otherworldly, and so interesting. The way their body seemed to hold no form, moving like a liquid. They seemed to be he one controlling the chaos and destruction. Using telekinesis, they lifted a piece of rubble and launched it towards you. You were frozen in place, watching the object fly towards you. Suddenly, you felt your mother's hand grab you, and before you knew it, she was shielding you with her body. The object slammed into both of you, causing you to fall to the ground. Your head swam, and your leg hurt as you crawled out from under your mother's body. You pulled on her arm to try and get her up and away from the crushing weight of the object, but she didn't move. You tugged on her arm harder. "Momma! We gotta g, Mom!!" You knelt and tried to pull her by the shoulder. Her soft eyes opened just barely. "Sweetheart... listen... run... as far as... you can go... just run..." She coughed, closing her eyes. "Mom? Mom?! MOM!!?!" You tried to wake her up again, but she wasn't responding. You were an obedient child, but this time you didn't listen. You curled up next to your mother and sobbed. Ash, fire, and destruction rained down around you, but all you cared about was how your mother was gone, and she was never coming back. After a while, you slipped into a dreamless slumber. Crying salty, anguished tears was a tiring action. When you woke up, the sky was cloudy, and snow was falling around you. No... it wasn't snow but instead ash. You sneezed as you pushed yourself to your feet. Ash coated everything, including yourself. You dusted the grey dust out of your quills and fur to the best of your abilities before wandering around. The crushed and charred skeletons of buildings loomed around you like a hellish landscape. Some places you could make out, like the library, which had only burned some, while other buildings you couldn't recognize due to being collapsed or burned too badly. You called out. "Hello?! Is anyone there?" No response but the meek echo of your own voice. You retreated to your mother's side and held her hand. It wasn't warm like it was supposed to be, but instead freezing cold. You shuddered, letting it slip from your hands. Just as you decided it would be a good idea to look for supplies, you heard a shout, "Is anyone here?!" Your ears flicked in the direction of the sound, which you quickly fully turned to face and shouted back. "Here!! I'm here!! My mom is here too!!" After a few minutes, a male dog with deep red fur bounded your way alongside a female jaguar. "Are you hurt, sweetheart?" The jaguar lady asked as she knelt before you. You quickly shook your head, and she scooped you up. "Chip, status of the mother?" She asked, motioning to your motionless mother. Chip, the deep red colored dog, shook his head. "She's dead. Sorry, kiddo." You felt like crying again. You'd had a sinking feeling she'd died, but to have that feeling confirmed made it ten times worse. Tears pricked your eyes, and you quietly began to cry. "Good job, Chip. You made the little hedgie cry!" Chip huffed. "How was I supposed to know she'd take it like that, Amara?" The jaguar woman, Amara, sighed. "She's 7, Chip, and you just told her that her mom is gone. She's gonna cry." She gently ruffled your quills and said, "Hey, sweetheart, we're going to go on an adventure, okay?" You nodded as she carried you away. You solemnly looked back at your mother, half-hoping she'd look up and wave at you. She didn't. After being rescued, you were taken to an orphanage. You'd been given the white opal necklace your mother had been wearing during her unfortunate passing, and you'd never taken it off after you'd been given it. You didn't have any close enough family to care for you, so you were simply left hoping for a new family to love you. You despised the orphanage, and due to that, you were the trouble child of the group. You'd climb to places too high for others to reach, steal things from caretakers' rooms and offices, and cause general destruction. One day, the caretakers tracked you down to tell you there was someone interested in meeting you. You begrudgingly followed after him and into a comfortable 'chat' room. A tall female bear in a pink floral dress sat on the other side of the room from you. "Thank you, Asher." Your caretaker escort nodded before leaving the room. The bear's honey colored gaze fell onto you. "Hello, (Y/N), my dear." You fidgeted with the hem of your shirt. "Hi..." She smiled warmly. "I am Miss Paige. It's come to my boss's attention that you're a rather skilled child in need of a home. Would you say you're skilled, Miss (Y/N)?" You hesitantly nodded. "That's good. You see, my boss was interested in adopting you to recruit you to a special team." You looked up and tilted your head. "What kind of team? I'm not too good at sports or singing or anything really like that." She softly laughed. "Don't fret, dear. You're being recruited to a special team. It's a..." She paused, trying to think of a word. One of the two rather fearsome-looking workers behind her spoke up. The lizard quickly said. "If I may, Miss Paige, the word you're looking for is a spy organization." Miss Paige gave him a soft smile. "Thank you, James. Yes! A spy organization." Your eyes widened, "You want me to be a spy?! That's so cool!!" You cheerfully squealed. Miss Paige chuckled at your amusement. "I'm glad you're happy about this. Kira went off to sign your adoption papers, so you'll officially be coming with us now." After a few minutes, a female hedgehog returned with a stack of papers. "Everything is set, Miss Paige. We may go." Miss Paige and the now 3 workers stood up and made their way towards the door. "Come now, (Y/N). We've got to go." You hesitantly slid off one of the chairs in the room and moved towards Miss Paige. The second her soft bear paw clasp around your little hand, you felt a familiar comfort you hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe things were looking up for you?