[Jedi]

The cold stone floor drained the heat from his body, as it did every morning since his imprisonment. Thirty years had passed, yet Menes had barely aged, save for his form wilting due to constant starvation. He'd endured many forms of punishment, interrogation, and sheer frustrated anger from the werecain of this tribe. Yet he had no desire to escape. If he didn't take the punishment, it would've fallen on those truly responsible. Something he couldn't bring himself to allow.

[Kitsumi]

It was time for a change in shift, as the old guard retired to his home and a new one took his place. Adler was in human form, something that was common for his tribe within the boundaries of their safe little village. It certainly made communication with outsiders - or prisoners - easier.

"I have news for you," he said, stopping in front of the cell that had housed the Imeut - also in human form - for years.

[Jedi]

The grumbling of his body never ceased, but he refused to show such things to outsiders. He suffered in silence, feeling a duty to push on through with no light at the end. Every now and then he got visitors, mostly to interrogate him or bring the scraps of food he barely survived on.

Menes, a little out of it from malnourishment, but was surprised by the guard nevertheless. The words took a few seconds to sink in. When his mind caught up with the guards statement, he looked up, silently giving permission to continue.

[Kitsumi]

"It isn't pleasant information," Adler warned. The male may have been a prisoner, but that didn't mean that the guard would take any pleasure in delivering such heartbreaking news. "It's about your mother. She's fallen ill, and the doctors of Medicai can do nothing more for her. It seems that her time has come." He bowed his head respectfully. "I'm sorry. I thought you would want to know, so that you could prepare yourself."

[Jedi]

As the words entered his ears, his blood started flowing like it hadn't been in so long. He started hyperventilating and finding it hard to concentrate on anything. After a few moments, he finally managed to get ahold of his physical response, though his mind was still running a mile a minute. "I'm sorry," he said in his panicked state. "I'm sorry." He wasn't saying it to the guard, but to his mother, who was so far away at the moment. He needed to see her soon.

[Kitsumi]

It was painful to watch the poor man suffer, and Adler found himself averting his gaze. "I'll... I'll just give you a moment," he stammered awkwardly. Turning around, he walked down to the end of the hall, hoping that the prisoner would be able to compose himself soon. Dealing with emotions was not one of the guard's strengths.

[Jedi]

This was the first time in years that he'd found a reason to escape. After he saw the guard walk away, he started watching down the hall, looking for a way to escape. Not a single signs of wavering in security.

He turned back around and sure enough saw something he hadn't expected to see. A small insect had burrowed it's way through the stone into the cell. "Where did you come from," Menes whispered to the insect.

[Kitsumi]

When he heard the distraught male beginning to speak to himself, Adler decided that it would be best if he waited outside the cellblock. The prisoner's grief was obviously causing him to act oddly right now - why else would he be talking when there was nobody else around? And it wasn't as if the guards weren't allowed to take their eyes off of the cell. Surely a few minutes outside wouldn't hurt...

[Jedi]

Menes kneeled on the ground and lowered his hand to the insect, which briskly came aboard his open palm. "Little scarab," he whispered to the insect. "Could you help me? I need to get out of here." The bug looked straight at him, then turned and leaped from his hand. "Of course you can't," he said to himself. "I really am losing it. Talking to bugs." The scarab squeezed his head into the keyhole and began moving a bit. Unaware of what was happening, Menes was caught off guard by the quiet *click* sound. The bug exited the keyhole, looked at him, then flew back to him.

With wide eyes, Menes allowed the insect to perch on his shoulder, then took off running as fast as he could. He nearly bowled over the first guard, scrambled to his feet, and continued his escape attempt.

[Kitsumi]

Adler probably would have been knocked to the ground when the other body collided with his, if it weren't for the fact that the man was currently underweight. Instead, he simply stumbled enough to step wrong, an action which resulted in immediate searing pain and a sickening 'pop'. Yelping, the guard leaned against the wall behind him, unable to put any weight on the injured ankle.

"Help!" he shouted. "The prisoner is escaping!"

But his cries came too late. Nobody had anticipated a jailbreak. The prisoner had remained peacefully in his cell without complaint for decades. They had grown lazy and confidant in his incarceration, and were now sorely unprepared to deal with an escape attempt.

[Jedi]

An hour had passed and Menes found himself hiding among the trees. His breath was ragged, strained, and painful. He fought the overwhelming urge to peer around the trunk, a paranoia of being found before the search had passes. Slowly falling to the ground, he held out his hand, feeling his new insectile friend crawling up to meet his gaze. "How about a look? I'd be appreciative if you could let me know when it's safe to run." His friend gave no response, other than taking to the sky. In a few seconds, he felt the exhaustion taking over him and closed his eyes for just a second. When he opened them, to his surprise, he beheld the sight of an aerial view the search party combing the forest.

[Kitsumi]

It took far too long for a search party to gather together. By the time they began combing the forest surrounding the village, there were no traces of the prisoner. Nobody knew if he was hiding in the foliage, or if he had simply run in an attempt to put as much distance between himself and those who had imprisoned him.

"I think it's time," one guard said to another. "We need to get the Executioner."

[Jedi]

As soon as he saw their search party dispersed enough, he tried thinking of a way to call his insect back. Surprisingly, it actually started to return to him. When it landed, he found himself a little disturbed at the aspect of actually looking at his unconscious body. He then woke up, the beetle staring at him. A second passed before he realized he had an opportunity to escape. He then slowly got up and scurried away.

Several hours passed before he found himself unable to walk anymore. He was on the verge of collapse, when he came upon a river. He sat down to get a drink. He didn't want to stay for too long.

[Kitsumi]

Volkhard was laying down in the grass, one arm covering his eyes to protect them from the sunshine. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. He wasn't quite asleep, although it was not that far away.

But then a shadow fell over him, blocking out the warmth that he had been soaking up during his nap. One eye cracked open, and he frowned as he faced the intruder. "What the hell do you want?" he growled, his voice a bit raspy.

"A prisoner escaped," the woman said. "The outsider, the one who's been here for years. We need you to hunt him down and bring him back to serve the remainder of his punishment."

Letting out a long sigh, Vokhard sat up. "Give me ten minutes to get ready," he said. "And then twenty-four hours to find the bastard."

[Jedi]

He took a drink, then another. And another. He felt like his thirst wouldn't quench no matter how much he drank, but he knew that he had to stop. He'd heard stories of people who'd been starved or dehydrated for long periods, only to die when they finally filled their stomachs beyond their capacity.

Still parched but fighting the urge to binge drink, he sat away from the river at the base of a tree. He closed his eyes, only intending to rest for a second. When he opened his eyes, everything was darker. It was like someone had dimmed the sun. But that wasn't the case. He'd slept too long when he hadn't meant to rest at all. In a panic, he got up and began to continue.