Group Info Group Founded 15 Years ago 55,989 Members
1,044,809 Pageviews41,702 Watchers

Announcement

This group will be migrated to the new design soon. Please contact the group admins to start the migration and save content the group may lose access to.

~Unknown Artists Club~

Hello everyone,
We got new rules
so please consider before submitting!

Submit the deviation that best represent your work.



:bulletyellow: Members can submit one deviations per week.

:bulletorange: Please submit to the correct folders.

:bulletred: Our group doesn't accept sketches, lineart, WIP, poor quality execution especially of drawings, sketches or anything that looks unfinished, we do not accept erotic content in general, nor memes, demotivational posters, self-advertisement, anything made with AI, commissions, auctions or adoptables and anything that incites hate against any religion, race, gender or sexuality.

:bulletblue: Submissions will be checked for their content and quality again and therefore will not be accepted automatically. Please note that works will be removed from our group if deemed necessary and members are going to be banned from the group if their submissions continuously violate our rules!


:bulletgreen: Please be a team player and follow our rules! 🧡


For more info on what artworks our group accepts please have a look in our journal:
www.deviantart.com/anscho204/j…


    Gallery Folders

    Featured
    Aurora borealis by veracauwenberghs
    Rogue Marian Hawke cosplay by DrosselTira
    Slimmy Guy - cover by Bzart55
    Dive into my eyes by xavbouss
    Digital Art
    Spawn by siulziradnemra
    William Dafoe by Nisphar
    Blues by Tururs
    Concept art: Firstborn by OneOut
    Traditional Art

    Mature Content

    Hold it Right There, Joe! by Rasmane
    it hurts to smile 2 by mrmission
    Amanda Graham -  The Blade of Light by Whitesekhmet
    Wall ruins (Sketch) by HelviRiitta
    Comics Strips
    Chasing Fate Chapter14 Page16 by Vearce
    Then I'm Self Taught - Part 1 by jackyleo738
    I've Had Enough Of You - Part 19 by jackyleo738
    _Happy_World_   - chapter 05  page 4 by UchihaSama224
    All Photography
    Jumping Spider Friend! by mutantratz
    I hear the mourning choir by NinaTheWolfe
    Englishman in a sun bath... by aloner777
    Butterfly macro / Makro eines Schmetterlings by JF-Artistry
    Pixel Art, Animation and Film
    Entity12 Gneration1 by LumenurEntityGarden
    Entity10 Generation1 by LumenurEntityGarden

    Mature Content

    Pinkamena pixel art (2020 redraw) (ver 1) by IrisBlue16
    Photomanipulations
    Scott Summers, Cyclops - X-MEN - The Leader II by DashingTonyDrake
    The Pendant by Amliel
    Guardian of Frost by Rhodynoliaeth
    Remnants of Ragnarok by Amliel
    3-Dimensional Art
    Carolines Way - pic 032 by Sandstrahlen
    The Chamber of Time Part3 by Slofkosky
    The Gig by ElxDuderino
    Follow my lead.. by ElxDuderino
    Artisan Crafts
    Prometheus | Assault Mech [01/05] by UnfoldingBoyar
    The wooden ant (traditional art) by kfcdogcat183
    GunRam | Heavy Mech [04/05] by UnfoldingBoyar
    [FOR SALE] Christmas Themed Pikachu Headwear by aPandaCosplay
    Designs, Interfaces, Stock, Tutorials
    Frame Design 1 by MissMRS
    Toy pony designs by surreal-adventures16
    Anime Eyes Tutorial [Red Edition] by Meryosie
    Tutorial: Pokemon/Digimon Collab| Step by Step! by LadyYomi
    Cosplays
    Wandering in the winter forest by aPandaCosplay
    Fractal Art
    Color Wheel - Base Green by makurodesigns
    All Literature
    Silver and Gold: Chapter 14Chapter 14: A New WorldI was alone once again in a world no longer my own. Everything that I knew, everything that I always remembered to be...was gone.The world I know has changed and everyone else around it. Things were no longer the way they were before anymore.The world I knew was ruled by fear and everyone was ruled by that fear. The hope that I thought to be...was gone…It was a nightmare that I wish I could wake up from, but every time I opened my eyes the nightmare was real, and it was only the beginning of my troubles.---Date: UnknownTime: UnknownAnna was once again floating in that sea of darkness. She couldn’t remember how many times she’s been to this place. However, something felt odd...she could actually feel her body floating. Groaning slightly, her eyes began to slowly open, her vision was blurry at first, but when it came too, her eyes widened as she gasped at what she was seeing before her…Around her, she was in open space...literally!It felt strange to her, not just this world, she didn’t feel cold at all nor was she suffocating to death in this place. Not only can she breathe in this place, she didn’t feel a change in the temperature, she didn’t even feel hot at all. To add-in the strangeness of the space-filled world, it wasn’t black, like how you see it in science fiction movies, but she did see stars and the whole world was filled with a multitude of colors, almost like that of an aurora mixed-in with the rainbow.She was trying to remember how she got here...then she remembered. She remembered that elderly mouse giving her that watch, which strangely looked similar to that of the silver watch, then the last thing she remembered before white engulfed her vision was shouting to Basil and she blacked out. She couldn’t figure out why the elderly mouse sent her here, but the bigger question was: How long was she here? A few hours maybe? A day...a week...month...years? Oh God, she dreaded the thought of being stuck in here for years. If she did, would she die of dehydration or starvation? Floating here in an endless world of nothing but space and colors? As she started to think, something began to appear in her vision, and it was happening all around her. Looking around, she began to see...algorithms? Then, everything became random. Her eyes darted here and there as she saw everything. The strange part about it was that she was learning. It felt like someone took a thinking cap and placed it on her head, making her go back through all the years she’s learned in school and college as she learned so much that was in advance, and that was way beyond her years. But then all of a sudden...it stopped. She closed her eyes and nodded while placing her hands on her head, it felt like her brain was shoved into a car and drove hundreds of miles an hour. While she was groaning and massaging the sides of her head, she heard something. It sounded like the wind. Was somebody here?“Hello!” she shouted as her voice echoed throughout space.The wind sounded like it was picking up speed, as if it actually heard her voice. Then...she began to hear electricity. Looking behind her, as that sound was where it was coming from, she saw sparks of electricity, like something was trying to open up. As the wind was gathering more speed, the electricity around it began to twist the colors like a spiral, then it opened up as it revealed a swirling portal of light. Electricity shot out at her, but she didn’t feel any pain, and like someone throwing a lasso at her body, she was pulled in so fast she didn’t have a chance to breathe.She was screaming as her body was twisting and turning while electricity surrounded her body. Anna’s body began to glow as it was starting to change shape, then with another flash, she was tossed to the ground as she landed hard while rolling and her vision turned black once again.---Anna was once again in a world of darkness, but instead of floating...she was standing. She had no idea where she was now, then...familiar voices spoke to her.“Anna…” The voice echoed of a middle-aged man.Anna turns her head left.“Anna…” The voice echoed of a young boy.Anna turns her head right.“Anna…” The voice echoed of a young girl.Anna turns behind.“Anna…” The voice echoed of another young girl.Anna turns behind again.The voices began repeating the name “Anna” over and over again from each different voice, until they became distorted as Anna looked here and there saying, “Hello! Hello, who’s there!”She started to back up...until she bumped into somebody as the voices ceased. When she turned around...she gasped at the person she saw before her…It was a young man, a boy no bigger than her age, had dark hair, a blue jacket, tan shirt, blue jeans with a belt, and white tennis shoes. His brown eyes were looking at her as he said to Anna, “Why...Why did you let this happen to us?” His brown eyes changed white, almost looking like that of a blind man...except he was dead. What became even horrifying...bullet wounds appeared on his chest and stomach as blood stained his shirt.“I...I didn’t…” Anna nodded her head as she backed away from him. But then...she bumps into somebody else…When she turns around, she sees a middle-aged man who had short tan-brown hair and wore that old light-brown coat with pockets, buttoned-up red shirt, dark-blue jeans, and dark-brown boots. His light-brown eyes were looking at her as he said to Anna, “Why…” His eyes turned white as his appearance changed to a pale look while his throat was already torn and blood had already dried. “Why did you get us killed, Anna Johnson?”“I didn’t mean for this-”“Oh really,” A female voice interrupted her as Anna turned around and faced a dark-brown haired girl, another person who was around Anna’s age, as she wore a grey short-sleeved shirt with black trimming, blue jeans, and grey and white tennis shoes. Her blue eyes changed white as two bullet wounds, one on her chest and the other right at her heart was bleeding. “You were the one who brought us into this mess, and because of you, were dead because you failed to save us!”“YOU KILLED US!” Another female voice said as this one shouted. Anna turned to face yet another girl, who once again was around Anna’s age, as she had dirty blonde hair and wore nothing more than a hospital gown. Her light-blue eyes changed white as her appearance turned grey. “YOU DID THIS TO US YOU MURDERER!”“No…” Anna nods while clutching her head as she pants. “No…” She continues to pant while breathing through each word. “No...I...I swear...I didn’t…”Everywhere around her, faces began appearing...and they were laughing. Many of them were insulting her by saying “Murderer!” “Killer!” “You did it, you failed!” “Failure!” and so many more that she couldn’t hear over the mixed voices of both men and women alike. Anna started to run while covering her ears, trying to drown out the noise, but it was still there, as if it was reaching out deep within the depths of her soul. “STOP IT!” She shouted. “STOP IT PLEASE!” The voices of insult and accusation continued as it started to distort...until once again, she bumped into somebody.Looking up, she was relieved to find Basil as his back was turned. “Oh, Basil!” Anna hugged him as she cried on his back, wanting so desperately to be with a friend or anybody else other than them. “Please,” she begged. “Please, help me. I don’t know what to do.” As she buried her face at his back, she wasn’t sure how much strength she had left before she collapsed from the emotional pain, but as everything remained quiet...Basil said this…“Help you?” He chuckles at her...then his voice becomes distorted. “Help you, you say?” Anna felt something wet as she already gasped and pulled away from him. Looking at her hands...she sees blood. But that couldn’t be possible, Basil was alive! She knows that he is, so why was his blood on her hands! “Their blood is on your hands!” When that distorted voice said “there blood”, she felt relief in her heart that it wasn’t Basil’s. However, she already knew whose blood was on her hands. Looking up at the figure who looked like Basil...it sharply turned around as it revealed the barrel of a pistol. As the form started to melt while becoming more of the gun she knew all too well, it shouted, “YOU CANNOT ESCAPE YOUR FATE!”The hammer cocked...Anna screamed...BAM! Light engulfed her vision.Anna sat up while screaming slightly, her heart beating in her chest from pure fear as she woke up from the nightmare. She curled herself as she buried her face in her legs, crying from experiencing the dream from the memories that she wanted to forget, now they were somehow coming back to haunt her. She stood like this for a minute, until finally coming to her senses as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. However, when her senses caught up to her, she felt...cold. Realizing the temperature somehow dropped, but only to realize even further that she was no longer in that space-filled world and was now...well, wherever she is.She stood up while rubbing her arms to keep herself warm as she started to look up, only to see a grey sky. Looking ahead, she sees light ahead as she goes to it. When she got there, she covered her eyes with her arm until her vision adjusted. However, as her eyes adjusted...they widened as she gasped at what she was seeing before her…Somehow, she was in some kind of city that looked similar to that of the Victorian Age when she was first thrown through time by Ratigan. Except this time she wasn’t small, she was in her own size as the world looked a little normal...But it didn’t, not to her.As she stepped out while looking behind, knowing that she came out of an alleyway, she looked around while walking as she noticed many things. Where were all the street signs? Where were the traffic lights? The city didn’t have a lot of crowds, but there were people walking about, except...they weren’t human. Everywhere she looked, they were animals, ranging that of mice, cats, dogs, rabbits, foxes, and everything she couldn’t list. Where were all the humans? Better yet, why were they not noticing her as she walked past a mole and into the road? I mean, she is human, so why were they not expecting to be scared like what happened before when she met the Victorian mice in Basil’s world?Her thoughts were put to a halt as she heard a honk, quickly looking ahead as she yelped and ran across to the sidewalk, watching the car go by as she heard someone yell, “Stay off the road next time, woman!”Her eyes widened as her mouth was agape while watching that car. In fact, that car looked like it came from the 1940s, but those went out-of-date and were now museum items. So why was that here?Ding-ding-dong-dingShe looks ahead to that sound and finds a clocktower in the distance. It looked like Big Ben from London, but apart from that there was a castle. She sighed as she looked to the right, only for her to yelp again as she saw a female mouse right next to her. Sighing in relief, she said to the female mouse, “Oh, excuse me, you really scared-”She stopped speaking as she noticed something...her mouth was moving the same way as hers. She wore the same clothes as she did, and as she moved towards the mouse girl, so did she. Bringing out her hand to start waving, she gasped as she saw her hand wasn’t normal anymore. Instead of being five fingers, she now had four and it looked like a mouse’s hand. She brings out her other hand, only to see the same thing. Looking at the mouse girl, she could see light-brown fur on her face, a black nose, and tan under her muzzle. Bringing her mouse-like hands towards her face, she watched as she was doing the same thing as she felt the muzzle. She then brought them towards the sides of her head to feel her ears, except...they were not in the right place. Bringing them upwards, she watched as she felt the ears as they were flat and leathery. She gasped as she realized two things. One, she was seeing a reflection from an abandoned shop, and two, this wasn’t just a mouse girl she was staring at…It was herself! Anna Johnson was no longer human...but a mouse!As she continued to look at herself, the only thing that hadn’t changed was her auburn hair and green eyes with a hint of grey. Pulling up her shirt, she didn’t see her bellybutton as she rubbed her stomach and only felt just smooth fur. Patting down her rear, she felt something that felt like leather. Giving it a small tug, she grunted slightly while feeling a little pain as if it...as if it was attached to her. Holding onto whatever it was, she brings it around, only to see a mouse’s tail...her tail. She gasped as she let her tail drop, bringing up her hands, she said, “Oh my God! This isn’t happening…” She started to run while nodding. “This can’t be happening!” As much as Anna wanted to deny this, the fact was she was a mouse, and her world was different. However, speaking of different, her thoughts returned to her as she wondered about some things like:Where were all the tall buildings?Where was all the traffic?As she kept running while her sense of sight hadn’t left her, she noticed a carriage was being pulled by a horse, except this one wasn’t humanoid. So she could rule out that not all animals can become human-like. But now she added to her thoughts like:Why was there a carriage? Better yet, why were there cars that came out of the history books?Why were people that she was passing dressed in fancy clothes that came out of the Victorian Age?Then came the biggest question of all… Where was California, and what happened to her world?When that thought came, she stopped herself as she remembered something… “I’ll be able to merge worlds and rewrite history in my own image.”“Ratigan,” she muttered. Somehow, he was the one responsible for this. So...that would mean he did merge her world with his to create...this! This place didn’t make any sense, what the hell has he done to the rest of the world?! She needed answers, but the first thing she wondered was what day is it? Better yet, what was the year? Maybe it was still 1897 and when it merged with her world, it could be possible that technology may have advanced.Luck seemed to be on her side when her ears heard the sound of ringing from a bell. Looking ahead, she sees a field mouse paperboy who had tan fur with a chip on his ear, and was wearing a grey cap, red turtle-neck, and brown boots was waving a bell as she quickly jogs over there and picks up a newspaper from the stack. “Oi, Miss,” the field mouse paperboy said in a Scottish accent. “Aren’t ya gonna pay for that?”“I’m not buying it, I just need to look at the date.”She wasn’t paying any attention to the front of it, but instead was looking at the date. Immediately...she gasped at what the date of it said…November 25, 2018What! 2018! It was only 2017 when she left! How could a single year just pass?!Out of shock, she drops the paper. The field mouse paperboy noticed that shocked look and asked her, “Ma’am, is there something wrong?”Anna looks at the field mouse paperboy, bends down while grabbing his arms and saying, “Please tell me that this isn’t 2018?”“Umm…” He had an odd look on his face as he tilted his head slightly and answered, “I’m afraid it is. I mean, you just looked at the date. Did you not?”Anna was beyond shocked as she stood up. This couldn’t be possible, but the answers were right before her. None of it still didn’t make any sense at all, she was trying to think on this. However, she didn’t notice herself pacing while placing a finger under her muzzle. Stopping herself, she was surprised at herself as this was so unlike her. Why was she acting like this? She was acting similar to how Basil would do it when he needed to be in his thoughts.When the thought of Basil crossed her mind, she sighs while looking down on the ground. She wondered what became of him during the merge. Better yet, whatever happened to Dawson and...No, she mustn’t think about those two, she had already cut ties with them, then after that when she finds out if Basil and Dawson were okay, she was going to turn around and leave them. She had nothing left for them, and it was better to be alone.But then...something happened within her thoughts. Something within herself was telling her like this, saying, If you truly did cut ties with them. Then why are you thinking about them?Because...Anna thought, They are just nothing more than pictures in my head, they’ll go away in time, and they mean nothing to me anymore.Really, is that so?Before her very eyes...Anna was seeing her own memories. The good times she had with Hiram and Olivia, Dawson showing kindness while he hugged her after Olivia was kidnapped, Basil smiling at her while placing his hand on top of her human hand, her being on top of him after he rescued her from nearly falling off the window sill, and her being at the bottom with him at the top after he managed to save both her and Dawson from a gruesome death, but he also accidentally kissed her when he lost his balance from when the anvil crushed the axe, feeling his own lips pressed against her own.A thought like that made Anna’s heart beat fast as she had no idea about these...unusual feelings towards him. She knew everything about him from watching the movie, but she never knew anything else about him. Like his life and other things. Anyway, every memory that happened in Basil’s world was appearing before her very eyes. The good and bad, friendships she made, and the struggle she went through were all there before her very eyes.If they truly mean nothing to you. Then why are you thinking about them?She had no clear answer.Exactly, the way I see it, you still care about them as much as they care about-Just like that, her memories went black. The hell? Anna thought. She wondered what happened to her memories from her stay in Basil’s world. It felt like someone just threw the switch and shut everything off. Come to think of it. What was that voice that was in her head? It sounded so...feminine. But then…Must you forget the pain you will cause to others…Anna gasped as she heard that same distorted voice from her dream. Then...her memories came back, but not the same as she remembered only the bad ones instead of the mixed.Should I remind you that you will never have friends again. As long as you remain alone no one-The distorted voice was cut-off as well as the bad memories, and was replaced with single memories, showing Anna her mice friends as well as other people while she heard the feminine voice say, You don’t have to be alone, Anna. There are other people who will be there for you as long as they still care and-The feminine voice was cut-off and was replaced by the distorted voice as it showed her single memories, but instead of the good ones shown by the feminine voice, it showed her the bad ones. No one will care about you! You will only bring them pain as well as towards yourself! Then after that you’ll-The distorted voice was cut-off with the feminine voice yelling, Anna, listen to me! Sooner or later you’ll have to let someone in. Her memories were showing her mice friends. You need to tell them how you feel. That way they'll understand, and you won’t have to be so ashamed anymore.But I...Anna thought about her past mistakes.We all make mistakes Anna, it’s a fact of life, but you can’t let your mistakes get-The feminine voice was cut-off again with the distorted voice shouting, ANNA, LISTEN TO ME! You will only bring them suffering and loss! Her memories were showing her a cemetery and families gathering there. You know I speak the truth! You will only hurt them… Her memories were showing her painful stares and seeing Hiram’s angry look when he learned the truth about Anna’s secret. As well as yourself. You know you can never-The distorted voice was cut-off again with the feminine voice yelling, Anna, none of this was your fault! You can’t predict everything that’s going to happen! Her memories were showing her the choices she made so far in life...and they were bad, but at the same time, the feminine voice had a point. No one can predict the outcome! You know that I’m right! You can’t keep blaming-Every choice you make, The distorted voice cut-off the feminine voice, only ends up going in reverse! Everything that’s happened is because of you! Her memories were now showing her Fidget getting beat up by her as Anna’s eyes widened when the forgotten memories of what happened at the toy store resurfaced. Then she remembered the earthquake and lightning striking. Every choice you make… She was now seeing the dead bodies of the people she saw in her dreams, then the painful looks of both humans and mice mixed together. Will only bring you more pain to yourself and others around you. Because of your choices… She now sees Ratigan, in the form of a human who disguised himself as Mr. Moriarty, giving him both the copy of the gold watch from his time and the silver watch. You gave Ratigan the power necessary to create more suffering, loss, and pain. There’s no telling what more he’s done because you were the one-Anna, you were being used! The feminine voice cut-off the distorted voice. You had no idea that it was him to begin with. You remember what he said. Her memories were now showing her what Ratigan had told her and showing her his scheme. He said that he needed you to steal his own watch, and you didn’t know about that or the rest of his grand plan. So the one to blame for this is him, not you!You were the one who created this! The distorted voice said as it was showing her the bad memories. You should share the blame, because remember what Hiram said to you…Her memories stopped as she saw Hiram say these cruel words that echoed in her head…“...you're no different than Ratigan…” You see… Her bad memories resumed. You're just as monstrous as he is. Hiding behind the face of a good woman. And now, your fate was sealed the moment when-YOUR NOTHING LIKE HIM! The feminine voice shouted as she now saw her good memories. You're not a monster! You're a brave, smart, talented, and courageous woman, even Basil would agree! Her memories were showing her Basil, then it showed her holding the mop when she had already blocked the window using the broom as she was ready to defend Hiram and Olivia once Fidget broke through the window. Would a monster protect those you care about? She was now seeing herself fighting against Ratigan’s thugs, even Ratigan himself at the clocktower of Big Ben.Anna, don’t listen! The distorted voice said as it showed her the bad memories. You must shut yourself away and remain alone! She was now seeing the memories of laughter and insult. If you don’t, you’ll only invite more-Anna, don’t listen! The feminine voice cut-off the distorted voice as it showed her both the good and mixed memories, shutting off the laughter and insults. You can’t keep running and hiding away your problems! You need to open that door and let someone-Anna, don’t listen and listen to me! The distorted voice cut-off the feminine voice as it was showing her the bad memories. You know I speak the truth!Anna, don’t listen and listen to me! The feminine voice yelled as it once again showed her the good and mixed memories. Not everything is true! You know that I’m right!ANNA, LISTEN TO ME! The distorted voice shouted.ANNA, LISTEN TO ME! The feminine voice shouted.ANNA! The distorted voice shouted again.ANNA! The feminine voice shouted again.As the two voices continued to shout out “ANNA!”, her memories were going back and forth, like someone hitting the fast-forward and rewind buttons at the same time. She wanted to shout out “STOP!” to those voices and put an end to this. But...she felt a hand on her back as she heard the field mouse paperboy say, “Oi, Miss, are you alright?”Anna blinked her eyes as the memories ceased. She was staring at the ground while her legs were feeling the cold hard ground, and she felt her own hands clutching the sides of her head as she was breathing hard. Which, of course, she didn’t understand why she was doing that, but felt as if her own body was running a marathon while her heart was beating in her chest. When she sat up, she slowly stood up while the field mouse paperboy said, “What was all that about?”She looked at the field mouse paperboy with confusion. “What was what about?”“You were clutching your head, like this,” he simplified by clutching the sides of his head. “And you were grunting like you were somehow in pain.”Did...Did that actually happen? Anna thought as she clearly had no idea what happened. Better yet...what the hell did she just see? Why was her memories somehow showing before her and why were they going back and forth? Not to mention those voices. What were they? Out of confusion, she sighs as she covers her eyes with a single hand, trying hard not to think about those other memories that she wanted to desperately forget.Seeing her confusion, the field mouse paperboy tilted his head slightly and asked, “Are you ill or something?”Taking her hand away from her eyes and placing it on her forehead, she answered, “No.” She sighs again while moving her hand to the side of her face as she mutters, “God, I hope not.” She didn’t know what was happening to her. However, a sense of dread was in the back of her mind as this was in her thoughts…Was she...was she losing her mind?Putting it behind her and setting aside her thoughts, she was about to walk away from the field mouse paperboy. Before she did, she heard him say, “By the way Miss, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”She looked at him with a confused look as this was a little strange coming from him. “Can’t say that I have.”The field mouse paperboy crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes while humming in thought. Then...his eyes widened. “Wait a minute!” He quickly dashed over to the newspaper that Anna dropped and picked it up.Going over to him and wondering what’s gotten into him, she asked, “What is it?”As the field mouse paperboy looked at the front page of the newspaper, he gasped as he looked at Anna, then at the front page, and back again as he exclaimed, “It’s you! You're the woman on the front page!” “What?” She quickly snatches the newspaper from him and looks at the front, since she didn’t pay attention to the front of it the first time. Her eyes widened with shock as a small gasp escaped her mouth at what she was seeing on the front page…It was a drawn picture of her! In her mouse form no less. But right below it was an article that said this:Proclamation From King Ratigan, Lord of Time and SpaceKing Ratigan has proclaimed that this woman has been chosen to become his bride-to-be. Anyone who sees this woman must contact the Royal Guard from your local town districts or inform the whereabouts of this woman. To whom, who either brings this woman to the Royal Guards to be delivered or helps in capturing this woman. Will be rewarded handsomely of their choice. Anna just couldn't believe this. Ratigan, a king of this world, and now proclaiming himself as “The Lord of Time and Space”, already makes a proclamation as her intended bride on the front page of a newspaper. If anyone saw this then…“I can’t believe me luck,” The field mouse paperboy said as Anna was brought out of her thoughts. He gives a big smile as he cups his hands and yells, “Guards!” Anna shushes with a single finger, trying to keep him quiet, but that didn’t stop him as he points a finger at her and continues to yell, “Guards, I found her! It’s the girl who King Ratigan wants!” Anna looked at the crowd, some were looking at her while most didn’t seem to care as they continued walking to wherever it was they had to go. Muttering a curse as she didn’t know who these Royal Guards looked like and not wanting to stick around and find out, she roughly tossed the newspaper away, without paying any attention to the field mouse paperboy as his face was covered by it.Pulling the newspaper out of his face, he went after Anna while yelling, “Stop, come back!”At the crowd, the people who were looking at her shrugged it off and left as some didn’t even care while most who already read the newspaper about that same woman that they saw didn’t care as well. However, from out of the crowd...a figure clad in a familiar grey cloak that covered the entire body, watched as Anna left with that little mouse boy chasing her. From out of the hood that concealed the face in shadow...the figure smiles and chuckles slightly.Back with Anna, she continues to run while hearing that field mouse paperboy shout from behind her saying, “Guards, anyone, stop her!”Taking a peek behind her, she sees him as she thought, Damn, that kid’s relentless!She took a sharp turn, causing her to slide her boots a bit, then took another turn to an alleyway as she placed her back against the wall. She was about to take another peek to see if she lost him, but her keen mouse ears prevented her from doing that, much to her surprise that these ears were a bit keener than a human’s ears. In fact, Basil did say that a mouse’s ears were keen.As she hears the sound of feet moving closer and closer to her, she quickly grabs, picks him up, then covers his muzzle with her hand after he already yelped in fright. Looking back, she didn’t see anyone else who followed him as she sighs in relief. “OUCH!” She felt teeth clamp at her wrist as she tossed him to the ground, making the field mouse paperboy grunt as he landed at his front and his cap came loose. Shaking her wrist to ease off the pain, Anna and the field mouse paperboy looked at one another as she said to him, “You bit me!”The field mouse paperboy got up quickly and was about to make a run for it, but was stopped by Anna as she quickly stomped on his tail, making him yelp again as he tripped and fell on his front again. Anna grabs his tail and picks him up, much to her surprise that despite there being a little weight on him, he wasn’t heavy. The field mouse paperboy sits up while grabbing a hold of his own tail as he is being dangled by her. He glares at her and says, “Oi, let go of me tail!”Anna looks around to hopefully leave him somewhere where he won’t cause trouble for her. “HELP!” she heard the field mouse paperboy shout. “GUARDS! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY!” She sees a trash can nearby as she brings him over to it. Just as the field mouse paperboy was about to shout again, hoping at least someone would hear him, he notices the trash can right below him as he lets go of his own tail, looking at the woman in front of him upside down while waving his hands and crying out, “Nonono, please no! Nooo!”His cries fell on deaf ears as Anna let him go, making the little mouse boy yelp as he fell to the trash can with a metallic thump as he started wiggling and kicking his feet in the air. Anna was about to turn around and leave him, but felt a little guilty doing this to him as she bends down and knocks on the trash can slightly and says to him, “I’m so sorry about this. But please, don’t take this personally, okay?”As Anna left him, the field mouse paperboy was grunting and still kicking his feet as he was trying to get out. Once he got out of there, he was going to smell very bad.---It has been an hour for Anna, which luckily for her the sky remained grey as the day was still young, and has slowly begun to learn about this city. So far, the alleyways here and there felt like a great place to hide for someone like her. Unfortunately, she learned that some of the people used these alleyways as shortcuts to get to whatever it is they have to go to, but if one of them were to see her, she was afraid that someone like that kid she encountered would sell her out to the Royal Guards. In short, as long as her face remained open to the public, no place was safe for her.However, luck was once again on her side as she found some kind of brown cloth lying near some crates. One good look at it meant that someone else must’ve used it as a blanket, then left it there. Taking it, Anna could tell it was a little dirty, but on the other hand it was useful for her. Tying it around her neck, which she could thank her luck for the third time that it was long enough to cover her body, she used it as a makeshift cloak as she pulled the cloth over her head like a hood. It wasn’t much, but at least it’ll protect her from being seen.Coming out of the alleyways and back into the street, Anna continues to look around the city while hoping to try and find her way out of it. But as another hour ticked by, no such luck for her as she was just wandering around this city blindly and having no clue where she was at now. What became worse for her, hunger finally caught up to her as her stomach was growling.Wanting to take a rest, Anna sat down on a lamppost and placed her back there while keeping her makeshift cloak wrapped around her as the cold was slowly getting to her. She was a little surprised that despite the fur that she now possessed kept her warm a little, but the makeshift cloak that she also had did a splendid job keeping the cold out as long as she kept herself in that position. As she sat there, most of the people who passed by her thought that she was just some dirty beggar woman while others didn’t seem to care who she was as they had their own problems to worry about. Anna sighs and rubs her belly as she hears the sound of her stomach growling again. She didn’t know which was the worst case scenario. Getting lost in a city that she has no clue where she was or where the hell she was going, getting spotted by someone if anyone saw her face and called the Royal Guards, or worst of all, seeing Ratigan again. Thinking about Ratigan, she did remember reading the newspaper that had the proclamation and it said “King Ratigan”, she even remembered the field mouse paperboy even saying his name. Looking back at the castle that she saw two hours ago, she seemed to put a lot of distance. But she wondered if Ratigan even lived in that place?What the hell was she even thinking? Of course Ratigan would probably live there, it was painfully obvious. Nevertheless, as long as she kept herself further away from the castle and anyone else, she was safe. Right now, she needs to think on what to do next. Unfortunately with her hunger getting the best of her, she couldn’t think at the moment.However, fate seemed to be on her side for the moment as a male dog was pushing a trolley of crates that had some food in them. And with a single bump from the road, a biscuit fell off as it bounced and rolled towards Anna. Seeing that biscuit, Anna wondered if it was considered stealing, but after quickly rethinking this through, it wasn’t really stealing unless it was dropped and nobody claimed it. Looking in both directions to see if anyone was watching while whistling a catchy tune, she quickly snatches the biscuit off the ground while returning to the warm comfort of her makeshift cloak and clearing her throat.As she cleans the biscuit by rubbing it on her shirt, due to it being slightly dirty around the edges, she brings it to her muzzle as she blows on it to remove any dirt that was still there. At first, a part of herself told her not to eat this dirty thing, but her stomach told her otherwise. So with that, she brought it towards her muzzle as she was about to take a bite…That was until she heard a female voice speaking in a Scottish accent that said to her, “I wouldn’t eat that if I were you, lass.”She turned her head slightly without looking to see who that was, but she could tell that this woman was nearby, she could feel it. Showing the biscuit to this woman, she tells her, “I’m actually lucky to have this. I don’t have any money so...five second rule.”She was about to take a bite, but her keen ears heard feet moving and saw a hand slap away the biscuit that Anna had as it bounced off towards the road, making her cry out “Hey!” as she watched her food slip away from her. She heard something being put down and someone sitting next to her as she gasped slightly while pulling her hood to hide her face more, then she heard the sound of a rip...and a half loaf of bread being shown to her. “Here, take it,” the woman said. “I want you to have it.”Anna reached for it, but she was hesitant at first until the woman insisted by saying, “Go ahead, I’m offering it to you.” Hearing her stomach growling for the third time told Anna to just take it. After all, she did say she was offering it to her. Taking the half loaf of bread, she quickly took a bite as it made a wonderful crunch sound. While she was chewing, swallowing, then taking another bite, she heard the woman ask her, “You must be really hungry, aren’t you?” After swallowing another bite, she only shook her head without answering her face to face. “Here,” she started to slowly move Anna’s hood away without taking it off completely, “let me see you so I can find out if you're alright or not.”Anna protested by saying, “No, no, nooo!” “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you.” the female said as Anna saw that it was another field mouse. She had a white head scarf wrapped around her head, light-blue dress, a white apron tied around her with a tan patch sewn on it, and brown boots. “See,” the female field mouse smiled at her. “No harm done.”Anna was a little surprised that she didn’t shout out to the Royal Guards now that this woman had seen her face. But as she stared at her, the female field mouse narrowed her eyes and hummed in thought. “Hmm, you look alright.” She then placed a hand on Anna’s forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever.” She removed her hand and continued, “The only thing that’s wrong is you being hungry.” She smiled and giggled slightly. “Oh, look at me, acting like a worrywart over someone I don’t know. Still, I would suggest you not staying here until tonight. Because if the guards catch you after curfew, you're going to be in a lot of trouble. That is of course unless you have a permit to be roaming around after curfew, which I doubt you even have one.”Anna never knew about that until now. Still, it felt a little stupid for her to have a permit if she wants to roam around at night after curfew. What kind of stupid laws has Ratigan made in this world?“So tell me, do you have anywhere else to go, lass?”Anna nods truthfully no to her.“I thought not. Why don’t you come with me? It'll get pretty cold this late at night, and I doubt that dirty old thing you have will keep you warm.” She leans in and whispers, “Don’t worry, I know who you are since I read the article. I won’t rat you out to the guards.” She winks at Anna, much to her shock that this woman already knew who she was and was attempting to gain her trust. Leaning back, she adds while continuing in her normal voice, “I also have a spare bedroom you can use to sleep in until you land on your feet, and I’m already planning on making supper tonight for me and me son, Phillip. So it would be a waste if we had anything extra for no one to share with.” She stood back up while picking up her basket of groceries that she left next to her, then waves for her to follow while saying, “Come, my home isn’t too far from where we are.” As Anna stood up, she was a little sceptical in wanting to follow this woman. But the way she was acting, there was no intent on tricking her, just being a good woman as she was to let her come to her home wherever it was. On the other hand, what choice would she have? It was better than staying here and risk getting caught by either someone else who might rat her out or the Royal Guards. So with that, knowing that this woman can be trusted, she starts to follow her...However…You cannot trust her, Anna, you know you must remain alone!Anna slightly gasped as she looked everywhere after hearing that distorted voice. The female field mouse looked at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”Taking a deep breath, she answered, “Nothing.”Anna had to lie to this woman to avoid concern. Still, that same distorted voice that she heard an hour earlier when she was experiencing her memories flashing before her eyes. Not to mention hearing a female voice that she heard in her head. Nevertheless, she couldn’t figure out what was going on as she rubbed her forehead with her four fingers and thought, What the hell is happening to me?She wasn’t sure if she wanted to answer that question as that same sense of dread remained in the back of her mind.While they were walking, the female field mouse pinched the bridge of her nose and said, “Oh, forgive me, I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself. My name is Francine Brunhilde.”“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, my name is-”“I know who you are,” Francine whispered. “Your name is Anna Johnson.”Anna gasped as Francine already knew her name while looking at her. “How did you-”Francine shushed her while bringing a single finger towards her muzzle. “I’ll explain later once we arrive at my home.”---Anna was a little surprised when they arrived at Francine’s home...Well, more like an apartment from her perspective. However, the inside of it looked a little old, almost like that of a grandparents home, but nevertheless it looked a little modern, much to surprise her even further. Anyway, after taking off her makeshift cloak and helping get the groceries out of the basket, Anna wanted to help Francine make the supper, which she gladly allowed. But while they began making it, which Anna learned from Francine that it was vegetable cheese soup, she wanted to know some things as she asked Francine her first question, “How did you know my name earlier?”“I met someone while looking at the article, and he told me that the drawing from the front page was Anna Johnson. He even told me to look out for that individual whenever I find her.”“He”? Who’s this “he”? Anna thought. Wanting to know who this “he” was from Francine, she asked another question, “Who did he look like?”“He was a small bat. An odd sort of fellow, but at first glance, he doesn’t look or seem bad at all.”A bat? Why does this sound so familiar?“Has he told anyone else besides you?”“Well yes. In fact, I overheard when I passed by some folks saying that a bat has told them about your name and everything else that you already know.”Anna nods at this. However, that left her with another question. “If you already knew my name and who I was. Why didn’t you turn me over to the Royal Guards?”That stopped Francine from shredding any more cheese into the pot. With a sigh, she told Anna, “Well for one: because no one should be kept a prisoner, especially from someone like King Ratigan. And two: I doubt he even knows anything about you. So why would he want to have someone as his bride for someone he doesn’t even know or love?”Anna couldn’t agree more with her. Still, she couldn’t understand why Ratigan even wanted her. She was just a simple human, she was nothing to him. So why would he want her as his bride? With a sigh, she muttered, “You don’t know the half of it.”“What did you say?”“Nothing.”As Anna continued to chop the carrots, she was going to ask Francine where she was, or better yet, where here was. But was interrupted as the front door opened and Francine once again stopped shredding the cheese into the pot. “Oh, that must be Phillip who came back from work.” When she left Anna to finish chopping up the carrots and putting them inside the pot, she heard Francine say, “Goodness gracious! What happened to you! You're filthy and...What is that smell? Have you been frolicking in the garbage?”Anna stopped what she was doing when Francine mentioned “garbage” as something familiar reminded her of something. Then...she heard an all-too familiar voice as it groaned and said, “Please don’t ask, momma.” Next she heard feet coming her way as it continued, “I’ve had a really bad-” Anna looked behind her, familiar eyes widened as a gasp came and she recognized who it was…It was the field mouse paperboy and his name was Phillip, Francine’s son!“You!”“You!”Francine looked at her son, then back at Anna. “So you already know each other?”“Momma,” Phillip said while slowly backing away as Francine looked at him. “It’s her!”He quickly dashed away from them with Francine yelling “Phillip!” as she went after him and Anna muttered “Shit!” as she put the knife down and went after him as well.Phillip quickly opens the door and shouts, “Hey some-Mmff!” His mother quickly clamps his mouth shut while looking in both directions and Anna shuts the door for her. Francine brings him to the living room and says to him with narrow eyes, “Phillip, what are you trying to do?” She crosses her arms while continuing to give him that look. “Are you trying to get us into trouble from where we already are?”Anna was confused by that last part. What did she mean by that?“But momma, that’s the woman from the front page of the article, and the same one who dumped me in the garbage!”Francine looked at Anna with a surprised look, but Anna retorted to Phillip by saying, “Well, you started it! You were chasing me and shouting to who-knows-how-many-people-who-noticed-me, and on top of that, you kinda deserved that for biting my wrist.”Francine looked back at her son while glaring and saying with a hard tone, “Phillip!”“This was out of self-defense, momma,” Phillip explained. “She grabbed onto me mouth! Besides, she too also deserved it for grabbing onto me tail like-”Phillip didn’t finish as Francine grabbed his ear, making him grunt in pain as he was being dragged by his mother to another room. Right before she went in, she turned her attention back to Anna and said to her, “Go ahead and finish cutting-up the vegetables, I’ll be right back, I just need to straighten him out.” With that, she closed the door and left Anna alone to have a private chat with Phillip. Anna was about to resume her task, but her keen mouse ears couldn’t help but overhear Francine say to Phillip, “What did I tell you about biting people unless they're either the Royal Guard or somebody that looks and acts bad.”Wanting to know what they were saying to one another, Anna goes to the door and brings her ear out as she heard Phillip say to Francine, “But momma, I already told you, she grabbed onto-”“That’s still no excuse! On top of that you started chasing her around the city and started shouting out to so many people which might have attracted the Royal Guards! So give me one good reason why I’m not putting you over my knee and lighting your tail up, young man!”“Because that’s the same woman on the front page of the article. I mean, haven’t you at least read the article about her?”“I have.”“Then you must know that at the bottom of the proclamation it said ‘Will be rewarded handsomely of their choice’. So just think about it for a minute. If we hand her over to the Royal Guards, we’ll be able to lift our city arrest.”Anna’s eyes widened when she learned about that. However, that left her wondering what sort of trouble they got into that got them the city arrest.“On top of that will be able to wipe our debt clean and then will-”“Phillip stop!” She heard Francine sigh as she softly said, “Just stop.”Anna notices a keyhole as she bends down and peeks through it, watching as she sees Francine bend down towards Phillip and saying to him, “Listen, you're young, but you need to understand that even if we were to trade her life for ours it wouldn’t make a difference. They’ll never let us go and they’ll never wipe away our debt.”“Maybe not but...but at least…” He sniffs while his eyes start to water. “...at least they could let daddy out.”“Phillip, listen to me. No matter how many rewards you’ll get, it’ll never be enough to set your father free. Once someone is sent to the workhouses, nothing will ever bring them back.”“But I…” Anna saw him shut his eyes tight while a single tear escaped his eye and his fists clutching tight while shaking, as if he was trying his very hardest to stay strong for his mother’s sake. “...I just want my daddy back.” Francine embraces her son while rubbing her hands on his back to comfort him and saying, “I know Phillip...so do I.”Phillip embraces his mother as he could no longer hold back the tears. Anna sighs as she hears him sob while taking her eye away from the keyhole. Seeing this made her wonder what Ratigan has also done to others to make them suffer like this. Better yet...what the hell has he done to this world? However, the distorted voice said to her, You see, Anna, this is the consequences of your actions for you are the one responsible-Anna, don’t listen! The feminine voice cut-off the distorted voice. None of this is your fault! It’s Ratigan who’s done this! Not you!Anna didn’t hear those voices as she was lost in her own world of thoughts. In fact, she couldn’t deny what Phillip was trying to do, despite it being wrong. If she was in his shoes, she would’ve done it in a heartbeat. The reason why he wanted his father back, and to wipe away this debt they were in, along with being free from this city prison, was because he was desperate. If anyone becomes desperate, they’ll do anything, even if it means doing something wrong for the right reason.As her ears became droopy from listening to Phillip’s sobbing, she was about to resume where she left off, but her ears rose up when she heard Francine say to Phillip, “Our only hope now lies with the resistance at The Freedom Lands...and The Masked Phantom. They are the only ones who will save your father.”Anna had an odd look as she thought, Freedom Lands...Masked Phantom?“That’s why tonight after supper we’re leaving and we’re taking her with us. But first, we need to get you out of those dirty clothes and…” She heard Phillip giggling in there. “...you need a bath to wash that stinky nose of yours.”As Anna had already resumed where she left off, Phillip and Francine came out of the room, but right before Phillip left for the bathroom to clean-up, Francine instructed him to apologize to Miss Anna Johnson, which he now did with Anna telling him it was okay. However, before he left to go to the bathroom, he stopped himself and said, “Oh, I almost forgot since I know that you're Johnson.” He starts digging in his pocket while Anna and Francine watch. “A stranger managed to get me out of that trash can and told me to give this to someone named Johnson.” He showed them the pocket watch as Anna and Francine had odd looks while he continued, “At first I didn’t want to take it from him, but he insisted. So he didn’t seem bad at all once he gave it to me.”Anna bends down and slowly takes the pocket watch from him as she stands back up. Looking at it, there was something...unusually familiar about this pocket watch. It was platinum with three buttons at the top, and there was a gear symbol etched on the lid of it.Noticing Anna’s familiar look in her eyes, Francine said to her, “Anna. Anna, is there something wrong?” “No,” Anna nodded. “Not really.”She was still wondering about this watch that she was still holding. Could it be that it was...No...No, it couldn’t be...Could it? Maybe she’ll figure it out later over dinner. Along with her other questions that needed to be answered from Francine.---Another hour had passed for Anna and The Brunhilde’s. But as that hour was passing, the two continued to work on the soup while Phillip was cleaning himself up in the bathroom. When he was done, he joined in with finishing up on the soup while Francine left them to go to another room somewhere. After finishing the soup, Anna wanted to have a little taste, which she immediately brightened because the soup was absolutely delicious and she couldn’t wait to have a bowl of this stuff. When Francine came back, she asked Anna if she could use the bathroom as well, which she immediately complied for two obvious reasons. The first reason was because she needed to remain completely oblivious as she already knew that Francine and Phillip were planning on taking her away from the city and to this…“Freedom Lands” or whatever it was called. And two, she was a little dirty and probably needed a shower. Not to mention she needed to get out of these clothes or else someone would immediately notice her.As she left for the bathroom, Francine told her that once supper is done they’ll wait for her until she’s done using the bathroom. When Anna got to the bathroom, she was immediately surprised to find out that it looked a little...modern, almost like that in her time. Nevertheless, at least she knew how to use this bathroom. However, she was once again surprised as she saw the clothes that Francine picked out for her. Instead of being girl’s clothes, it was men’s, consisting of brown trousers, black belt with a gold buckle, tan buttoned-up shirt, muddy-brown coat with a white fur-lined hood, and a grey cap. She didn’t understand why Francine would choose these clothes for her, but maybe she’ll find out about that later.While she started up the shower, she started to take off her clothes, only to realize that she completely failed to notice that her bandages and wounds were completely gone, as if they were just erased from existence. However, the only things that didn’t leave her were the scars. The puncture wounds that she got from Ratigan at Basil’s world...and the bullet wound. With another sigh, she didn’t want to think about the other scar or the memories of how it happened as she just wanted to keep moving forward.After about a minute or two, when it felt like God-lord-knows-how-long-it’s-been since she hadn’t taken a shower for a while, she came out of the slightly warm bathroom with a smile on her muzzle and was now wearing the clothes that Francine picked out for her, with the exception of the coat and cap as she decided to put those on last before they leave.At the dinner table, the three individuals were now eating the soup while sharing the half loaf of bread, after already giving the other half to Anna on the street. Anna had two bowls of the soup as she was so hungry it wasn’t even funny, but after getting a third bowl of the soup, which they had managed to finish only half of the pot, Anna decided it was time for some answers as she said to Francine, “Francine, I was going to ask you earlier. But can you tell me where I am exactly?”“You mean you don’t know?”Anna nods her head truthfully no to her.“Well, you're in the capital city of Kingsland, right here in the land of Britannia.” “‘Britannia’? You mean this isn’t the U.S.?”Francine had an odd look and Phillip stopped himself from taking another spoonful of soup while looking at Anna. “U.S., what’s that?”“Is that the name of The Freedom Lands?” Phillip asked.“Well...I...uh…” Anna wasn’t sure how to explain it to them. Better yet, what other sort of changes has Ratigan done to this world? So with a sigh, she tells them, “You know what nevermind, just forget what I just said. However…” She points her spoon at the both of them. “...maybe you two could tell me a bit about King Ratigan and the history. The slightest detail could be important to me.” Once again, Anna was surprised, even though her face didn’t show it as she thought, Wait, what the hell did I just say? She still couldn’t figure out why she was acting the way Basil did. I mean, sure she is smart, but she’s not that smart.Nevertheless, she quieted her thoughts as Francine said to her, “You mean you really don’t know anything? Anything at all?”Once again, Anna wasn’t sure how to explain it. I mean, how the hell could she tell Francine that she, Anna Johnson, was once human, and after coming out of some space-like world and popping into this world while transforming into a mouse, she knew that Francine wouldn’t believe her and would probably assume that she’s crazy. However, on the other hand, there was one advantage she could use. So with a make-believable story, she told Francine, “Well, not everything. I have a few important memories that I remember, but the last thing I remember was hitting my head and finding myself wandering around the streets of Kingsland. So, it would be nice for someone to fill-in the blanks for me.”Francine nods in understanding. It was to assume that she must’ve suffered a small case of amnesia. Which heaven forbid, Anna didn’t lose all her memories, as evidenced when she was introducing herself while they were on the street with Francine leading her to her home. “Well, according to history, King Ratigan was the one who created most of the cities using the power which he calls ‘Time and Space’, which is also the reason today that society has advanced.” Anna had an intrigued look as Francine continued to explain, “History also explains that before he created Kingsland, his most crowning and glorious city, he has lived for literally centuries thanks to the power that he has. And to top it off, he claims that he is immortal and cannot die.”Anna couldn’t believe any of that shit coming from Francine. It was completely bull-crap! It was pretty obvious that Ratigan did change history in his own image to make it look like he was some immortal god or something, but all of it was a lie, just to fool the entire world. However, there was one part that was absolutely true. Ratigan does possess the power of time and space, that’s as long as he possesses that watch.“Well, I think it’s a bunch of hogwash.” Phillip said.“Now Phillip,” Francine said to Phillip for interrupting.“No, it’s okay Francine,” Anna assured her. “Why don’t you tell me what you think about King Ratigan?”“Well, he’s a tyrant, that’s what! I mean, sure he could keep his word to certain degrees, but I think that the history about him being all-powerful is a complete lie. If he truly was claiming to be ‘The Lord of Time and Space’, then he would’ve ended the revolution before it began along with The Masked Phantom.”There it was again with this “Masked Phantom” thing. “What’s this about a revolution?”“The revolution began five years ago,” Francine explained to Anna. “When a small group of rebels took back a city, and one of them called themselves ‘The Masked Phantom’. The Masked Phantom proclaimed that this revolution will be the end of King Ratigan’s tyranny. Since then, many others have joined the resistance and took back many lands, hence these lands are called ‘The Freedom Lands’.”“But who’s this Masked Phantom?”“Not everyone around here knows. Some say that this phantom could be a man or maybe a woman. Others say that this phantom could be a real phantom that’s cloaked in shadow while many others claim that they saw this phantom and it possessed advanced technology that nobody has ever seen. But nevertheless, this phantom is the face of the revolution.”Once again, Anna was intrigued by Francine’s second story. She didn’t know who or what this Masked Phantom was, but she could definitely tell that it could be trusted. However, she wanted to know more as she asked Francine the obvious question while remaining oblivious to what she already knew, “Alright, then that leaves me with another question…” She leans forward slightly. “What’s your next move?”“Well, that’s easy,” Francine shrugged. “Tonight after we’re finished with supper, we're heading for The Freedom Lands and you're coming with us.” “Okay,” Anna nods while leaning back on her chair. “Just how do you intend to do that?”“I have three Exit Visas with three fake names. Will use those to take the train away from here.”Anna understood Francine’s plan and why she wanted her to wear these clothes. It was pretty obvious that one of those fake visas would have a man’s name on it. However, there was some kind of link between these fake visas and Phillip’s father. “Where did you get these Exit Visas?” she asked.Francine sighed while her ears became droopy, as if she was being reminded of something painful. “My husband, George,” she explained to Anna. “You see, the visas are very expensive to buy, unless you're either of high social standard or an aristocrat of Britannia. Those who try to leave beyond the city districts without a visa will be arrested.” She sighed again as she continued, “When my husband learned about the revolution and The Freedom Lands, he became determined on wanting to leave the city and start our new life there.” Her eyes started to slowly water. “Then one day after my husband managed to get these fake visas for us...he never came back.” She sniffed while wiping away a single tear. “A messenger came in our front door bearing a red letter with the royal insignia. It said my husband was arrested for aiding rebels into the city. While the rebels were executed, my husband was given mercy, courtesy of King Ratigan as he was sent to the workhouses. On top of that, we were given city arrest, never to leave the city and were given a huge amount of debt.” She wiped away another tear as she finished explaining, “We were lucky we could keep our home and not be on the streets without a permit. Another merciful courtesy to King Ratigan.”As Phillip came down from the chair to hug his mother while Francine used her arm to hug her son, Anna felt really bad for them. To lose someone you love over wanting to leave the city for your family, then losing them was too heartwrenching for anyone to bear. To add salt to the wound, they were being punished for something they never did, and that right there made her a little angry over this. What right would Ratigan would do this to this innocent family? Unfortunately, she knew she felt partially responsible, because she was the one who gave Ratigan that power to do these horrendous acts to not just one, but to countless others as well.“I’m so sorry about your husband, Francine,” Anna said as she comfortingly rubs Francine’s shoulder with her hand. “If your husband was still here, he would’ve wanted you to go to The Freedom Lands, with or without him. He probably would’ve also wanted you to be strong for both yourself and for your son.”With a smile from those encouraging words, Francine wipes away the tears that came and says to Anna, “Thank you, that really means a lot to me.”With a smile of her own, Anna gets off the chair and hugs Francine with her hugging her back with a single arm. To Anna, this sorta reminded her of her time with The Flaversham’s, but this felt different than that. Nevertheless, she finally made herself some new friends.However...her ears heard the sound of something rattling. This didn’t go unheard from both Francine and Phillip as all three of them looked at the table and saw their bowls start to rattle and shake. Then, they felt everything starting to shake, as if a small earthquake was happening right now. “Momma, what’s happening?” Phillip asked.“I…” Francine stood up. “I-I don’t know.”Anna was the first to make her move as she went towards the window, with Francine and Phillip following her. Unfortunately, none of them noticed that while the rattling continued, the watch fell off the table as it opened up after landing on the floor. Anna pulls the curtains back to find out what the hell was going on, only to cover her eyes with a single hand as a flash of light suddenly appeared. Taking it down, her eyes widened when she saw a blimp with creatures on it, each of them wearing black uniforms with the symbol of an R etched at the center. It’s light was pointing in their direction with a male’s voice shouting through a megaphone saying, “This is The Royal Guard! Come out with your hands up!” She gasps as she quickly shuts the curtain, but leaves a smidge of it open for her to peek. Looking below, she notices each truck appearing, each of them containing Royal Guards as they come out from them.She heard Francine gasp as she looked at her and saw her covering her muzzle while saying, “I don’t understand. How did they know?”Going to her, Anna grabbed her arms and said to her, “Isn’t there a back entrance in this apartment?”“No,” Francine nodded. “The only way in or out is through the front door.”“Shit!”Anna began pacing as she was trying to think while Phillip said, “What do we do?”Francine picked him up and answered, “Don’t worry, Phillip, will think of something.”Anna stops pacing as an idea formed. “What time does the train leave?”“I-I don’t know,” Francine answered while she shrugged. “I haven’t looked at the time when the train leaves. So maybe it hasn’t left yet.”Going back to the window, she takes another peek outside. However, her keen ears heard the sound of feet stomping their way. Closing it again, she looked at them and said, “Alright, will just have to make a run for it.”“What!” Francine exclaimed. She couldn’t believe what she heard from Anna. Them making a run for it, with literally so many Royal Guards with their tails behind their backs! “But that’s madness! Will never make it!”“We have to try, Francine,” she went over to the table to get the watch, knowing that might be useful in case she needed to know what time the train leaves while quickly putting on her coat that she left hanging on the chair, tying her hair into a bun, and putting on her cap that was also hung on the chair. If the train did leave, then maybe she could either ask or find out when the train returns and leaves again, and with that she’ll be able to plan ahead. Still, there was also the chance if the train didn’t leave, but she’ll have to risk it. However, she notices the watch wasn’t there as it probably fell to the floor while she wasn’t looking. Looking down, she sees the watch on the floor with the lid already open as she bends down while picking it up and saying, “Besides what choice do we-” She stops what she was saying after already closing the lid and was about to put it in her pocket, and finds a small piece of paper on the floor.“Anna, what is it?” Francine asked as she went to her while Anna stood up and turned to face her.What Anna was holding in her hand was a note as it said this:Consider this a pre-wedding gift, my dear. Use it however you please.-RAnna knew what that R stands for...it was Ratigan.“Anna, there’s something written in the back.”Turning the note around, what Francine said was true as there was more as this also said:P.S. Don’t try anything clever. You cannot escape from me.Crumbling the note and roughly tossing it aside, she said through clenched teeth, “Just watch me.”Knocking came from the door as all three of them looked while Phillip wrapped his arms around Francine’s neck and buried his face in it. “Open up in the name of King Ratigan!” A Royal Guard said behind the door. “You have nowhere to run!”Looking at the platinum watch with the gear symbol, Anna’s suspicions about this watch had already confirmed the moment she read Ratigan’s note. This was the watch that had the power over time and space. The same power that she used against Ratigan at Basil’s world. She didn’t understand why Ratigan would give her this watch with the same power that she knew all-too well, but could care less, this was Ratigan’s mistake for giving her the advantage she needed.Knocking came from the door again, this time a bit harder with three hard knocks while a Royal Guard said, “Open up or we will break down this door! This is your last warning!”Clutching the watch tightly while determination was filled in her eyes, she was painfully reminded of what happened to The Flaversham’s in Basil’s world. She didn’t want to let this happen again. No, not this time, she won’t allow it! Looking at Francine, she tells her, “Do you trust me?”Francine looked at Anna, not sure how to answer her, but knew there was no other alternative so she nodded yes to her. “Take my arm,” Anna offered her arm which Francine took. “No matter what happens, do not let go of my arm.”Beating came from the door as The Royal Guards were attempting to break it down, making Francine gasp in fright. “Listen,” Anna tells her, “I’m gonna try something, are you ready?”“No, not really,” Francine nodded truthfully while at the same time confused at what Anna meant by that.“Fair enough.” Looking at the watch again, she was contemplating on what button to use. So far, she already knew that the left button could go back in time by a few seconds, and the right button could slow down time completely. However, there remains the question about the middle button. What would happen if she pressed it? As the door came close to breaking, she didn’t have enough time to ponder as she went by her instincts and just try-out the middle button, see what happens. So with that, as her finger was now poised at the middle button, ready to be pressed, she said, “Okay, on three. One...two...three!”Anna pressed the middle button as a flash of light came, making Francine turn her head away and close her eyes. After that, she opens them while wondering what in the world just happened. But for Anna, she had a smile on her muzzle as she found out what the middle button does...It stopped time completely, as evidenced when the door was brought open slightly, but stopped completely before it was opened. As she led a still confused Francine while Phillip already opened his eyes after seeing the light flash and wondered what was happening, she grunted as she kicked the door down, breaking the door off of it’s hinges while a Royal Guard groaned as he was thrown back and time resumed being frozen.Francine and Phillip had shocked looks while their muzzles were agape, even Anna was a little surprised that even though time remained frozen it acted a little similar to how time would slow down, but she didn’t have time to ponder about her new discovery. As she leads them out the door, Francine and Phillip are once again shocked to see everything completely frozen. “W-What’s going on here?” Francine asked while still shocked and confused. “What’s happened?”“There’s no time to explain!” Anna hits a Royal Guard using her free arm that had the watch, then backhands another one and kicks the other out of the way, each of them groaning while the one who was kicked was pushed back a bit. After they get past the guards, Francine stops Anna while handing Phillip to her as he wraps his arms around her neck and saying, “Wait, I forgot the Exit Visas! I’ve gotta go back for’em!”She was about to drag Anna back inside, but she yanks her and tells her, “Forget the Exit Visas! Will just have to sneak aboard the train, come on!”With that, they made a run for it away from the still frozen guards. As they kept running while taking the stairs, Anna wondered how long this’ll last before time resumed at it’s normal pace. She hoped it’ll be for a while until they reached the train. However, as they passed by the entire group of Royal Guards and were about to go past a truck...a figure clad in a grey cloak steps in front of them, making Francine gasp and saying with confusion, “Why is that one still moving?”“Momma,” Phillip said while pointing at the figure. “That’s the same stranger who got me out of the trash can and gave me that watch.”The figure chuckled...then said in a male voice, “Indeed...little Phillip.”“You!” Anna said in a hard tone as she recognized that grey cloak and that voice all-too well.The male cloaked figure slowly brings his white-gloved hand towards his hood and slowly brings it down...revealing none other than Ratigan as he had a golden ringed crown on his head, much different than the one he used to wear when he tried to take over Mousedom in Basil’s world. He gives a smug grin and says, “Hello, my dear Anna. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”“King Ratigan!” Francine said with complete shock.Anna makes a run for it as she continues to carry Phillip and Francine while taking a different direction away from Ratigan as he watches them leave and chuckles again. As she took another turn, Ratigan stepped in front of them again while leaning on the side of the truck with his arm. Francine gasped again as she looked behind from where Ratigan was and said, “How did he…” She had no idea how fast Ratigan appeared before them.Ratigan waved a finger and tsk at Anna, then said to her, “Naughty, naughty, my dear, that’s just rather rude after we’ve haven’t seen each other for quite some time.” He straightened his posture. “After all, I did say in my note…” He smiles at her. “...you cannot escape from me.”He took a single step...then vanished.All three of them looked in all directions while Francine said, “Where’d he go?”Anna was shocked after Ratigan did that, she didn’t even see him pull out his watch and use it. Next thing she knew, Phillip and Francine vanished before her eyes as she no longer held onto them. “Francine! Phillip!” She looks around to find out where they were, only to gasp in shock as she finds them where the Royal Guards have them. “Shit!”She was about to run over there and save them, but something grabbed her by the arm as she yelped while being yanked backwards. Ratigan reappeared before her, holding that same arm that had the watch she held as he said to her, “I think you’ve had enough fun in using time and space for one night.” With a snap of his fingers a flash of light came, returning time to normal.Anna watched as Francine struggled with the Royal Guards holding both of her arms and Phillip trying to get a Royal Guard to let go of him as he was held by him. “No! Francine! Phillip!” She hits Ratigan’s gut hard, making him groan as he releases Anna while clutching his gut. Running towards the Royal Guards without realizing she didn’t have her watch or her cap on as her bun was already loose, she tries to make them release Francine by pushing, shoving, and even pulling them away from her while saying, “Stop it! Let them go!”She felt a club hit her stomach hard, making her groan while clutching it and collapsing on her knees. The Royal Guard who held the club was about to hit her again, but Ratigan stops him by grabbing his wrist and saying with a hard, threatening tone, “No one must lay a hand on her or harm a single hair! Do that again and I’ll kill you myself, understand?!” The Royal Guard quickly nods his head with fear in his eyes as Ratigan picks Anna up and waves another Royal Guard to come forth, then tells them both, “Both of you hold her and don’t let her out of your sight.” “My lord!” A Royal Guard called as he went to Ratigan and showed him three red cards. “We found these inside her apartment.”Ratigan takes the three cards, then takes out his reading glasses from his pocket. Opening up each of the cards, it took him almost a few seconds to look, then he closed them while making his way towards Francine with a smile as he said to her, “Three Exit Visas with names, but no match.” He tosses them to the ground in front of her. “A crime like this would’ve earned you twenty to thirty years behind bars, but your punishment is going to be much more severe than that.”“W-What’re you saying?” Francine said with confusion.Taking off his reading glasses, he calls, “Fredrick!”“Coming sir, coming,” came a voice as it made its way from the crowd of Royal Guards. A male mink, dressed in a fancy blue suite with yellow trimming and blue trousers, appeared before Ratigan while carrying a case. “Computer.”“Yes sir,” Fredrick obeyed as he pressed a button on the side of the case and two stands popped out from the bottom as he placed it on the ground, then opened it up, revealing it to be a computer.Ratigan began typing away as Francine watched with awe as numbers and letters cascaded downwards on the black screen while Anna was surprised that Ratigan knew how to use a computer. Perhaps because Ratigan told her that he was trapped in her world for thirty-one years, so maybe he must’ve learned how while remaining there. He turned to face Francine as a rectangle with a single line appeared on the screen and said to her, “I believe these were your words that you said to your son, Phillip.”With a press of the key, Francine heard the same but all-too familiar words:“Our only hope now lies with the resistance at The Freedom Lands...and The Masked Phantom.”“And this…” Ratigan typed away using a single hand without taking his eyes away from Francine. There was fast-forwarding, then there was more familiar words:“That’s why tonight after supper we’re leaving and we’re taking her with us.”Ratigan tsk at Francine while waving a single finger at her. “Such a shame, trying to kidnap my bride-to-be is a very serious offense.”Francine couldn’t believe how King Raitgan knew about that. But for Anna, not only was she shocked…she was pissed! This was complete bullshit! Francine didn’t kidnap her, she offered her a place to stay! On top of that, she was planning on leaving with Francine and Phillip! However, she still couldn’t figure out how that was recorded. Was Francine’s home rigged? If so, did Ratigan...did Ratigan even know she was there? She still wasn’t quite sure about her answers.“For your crimes at attempted kidnapping of soon-to-be royalty and soon-to-be aiding rebellion against the crown. Your punishment...is death by firing squad.”Francine gasped at her death sentence, Anna was trying to wring away from the Royal Guards to save her, and Phillip protested by shouting, “No! King Ratigan, please have mercy on my momma!”Ratigan looked at Phillip while smiling and saying to him, “Ah, little Phillip.” He goes to him while waving a single finger to Fredrick to follow him as he picks the computer up and obediently follows. As he sat it down, Ratigan began typing away without taking his eyes away from the child. “I believe these were your wishes if you’ve given Anna to me, of course.”There was rewinding as Phillip heard his own words and his mother’s from the computer: “So just think about it for a minute. If we hand her over to the Royal Guards, we’ll be able to lift our city arrest. On top of that will be able to wipe our debt clean and then will-” “Phillip stop! Just stop.” There was more typing and fast-forwarding, then he heard his own words once again from the computer:“I just want my daddy back.”After that came to an end, Ratigan closes the computer and says to Phillip, “Such a shame that such wisdom has been wasted by letting a foolish mother get to you. If you would’ve listened to yourself…” He bends down at his level while smiling at him. “...then maybe I would have granted your wishes.” Phillip’s eyes widened with shock, knowing that everything he hoped for would’ve come true if he’d given up Anna to the Royal Guards. “But since I’m in a generous mood and wanting to thank you personally for doing such a splendid job for giving my dearly beloved the watch, and leading me to where she was. I will grant you your wish in wanting to be reunited with your father.” He straightened up as his smiling face turned to a serious look. “By joining him in the workhouses unless I say otherwise for you, until you learn your place young man. Take him away!” As a Royal Guard begins to place handcuffs on him, Ratigan turns his attention to another guard and orders him, “You there, carry out the sentence.”“Yes sir.”As Ratigan went towards Anna, she was still struggling to escape from the grip of the Royal Guards. “No, stop it!” Anna could only watch with helplessness as Francine was cuffed on her hands and feet, preventing her from escaping her fate. Even if she could try to escape, she couldn’t hope to outrun the assault rifles being cocked and readied, much to Anna’s surprise that those were M14’s, something that she recognized from her world.“Now, now,” Ratigan said to her. “There’s nothing for you to see here.” He picks her up, making her yelp as she was placed on his shoulder. “Come along, my dear, your place is with me at the castle…” Anna couldn’t hear the last thing he said to her as she continued to helplessly watch.“No…” She muttered as she watched Phillip ringling from a guard trying to place the cuffs on his legs. “No…” Several guards finished loading their rifles.“Alright men,” A Royal Guard said. “On my mark! Ready…”“Momma!” Came the last shout from Phillip. “...aim…” The Royal Guards took aim at Francine.“Phillip, I love you!” Came the last words from Francine.“...fire!”They started shooting her, each of their rifles set to single fire as she was riddled with bullets, then collapsed on the ground dead.Anna’s ears were ringing as she was shouting while trying to get out of Ratigan’s grip, she couldn’t hear anything from Phillip’s shouting and sobbing as he saw his own mother executed before his very eyes. She wanted to deny what she saw, but the hard truth was there...Francine was dead and she failed in protecting another family once again.She was taken to a royal carriage where the doors were locked to prevent Anna from escaping while Fredrick sat at the front of the carriage, as Ratigan ordered him to because he wanted to be alone with her. While the carriage and a jail truck containing a single little prisoner as he was being delivered to the workhouses were going in opposite directions...a silhouette of a bat watched from the rooftops as it saw the carriage where Anna was as it was going straight to Ratigan’s castle. “Uh-oh,” it said as eyes widened. “I gotta warn the others!”The bat fluttered and flew off at a near darkened sky to wherever it was going.
    FULL - Digital Art 15
    Snake by artoflotu
    FULL - Digital Art 14
    Summer Viper by artofdean
    FULL - Digital Art 13
    Color Palette Challenge #3 by ehk-CAIITO
    FULL - Digital Art 12
    p o i s o n by dervora
    FULL- Digital Art 11
    Apocalypse now! by SALTMANN
    FULL - Digital Art 10
    Kairi by caoroux
    FULL - Digital Art 9
    Fly by Daunt-Leer
    FULL - Traditional Art 2
    DH-4D by asabelmori
    FULL- Traditional Art 1
    Seduced by the serpent by kid-v1p3r
    FULL - Photomanipulations 1
    Princess Sakura Portrait by fantasmadesign
    Archive
    Lockdown Challenge Destination unknown closed
    Above The Clouds by BeyondYourVision
    Lockdown Challenge A moment of madness is closed
    An Ominous Sight by BeyondYourVision
    Lockdown Challenge Your dream is now closed
    Stay by mikvoh

    Affiliates

    Our affiliates are as follows:
    :iconcute-art-club::iconrising-artists::iconyes2all::iconcreation-inspiration::icongetwatchers::iconlineartsarts::iconthesongoficeandfire::iconsonic-artwork-group::iconitfnafv::iconartmansion::icondeviantsgallery::iconall-art-wanted::iconhand-painted::iconocland::iconteam-art-forever::iconriyochuchiarts::iconomiartists::iconwe-want-your-art::icondeviantartworldwide::iconeliteartists::iconofficial-animelegacy::iconomegaclonearts::iconacceptallart::iconrealm-of-fantasy::iconbleach-empire:

    Admins

    The Fox




    Deviants

    Guess Who Came To The Party?

    You're not here because you're not logged in
    • :icondvlnt:
      Dvlnt
      Visited here 46 minutes and 3 seconds ago
      Isn't a member
    • :iconzizanchan:
      ZizanChan - Members
      Visited here 3 hours and 42 minutes ago
      Did something awesome today
    • :iconmizuki12341:
      mizuki12341 - Members
      Visited here 11 hours and 45 minutes ago
      Did something awesome today
    • :icondavedavids:
      DaveDavids
      Visited here 12 hours and 29 minutes ago
      Isn't a member
    • :iconcubewarlock:
      CubeWarlock - Members
      Visited here 16 hours and 28 minutes ago
      Did something awesome today

    Comments


    Add a Comment:
     
    :iconimokurnot:
    imokurnot Featured By Owner Aug 26, 2009
    Thanks for the :+fav:s
    I appreciate it.
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconicevolvagia101:
    IceVolvagia101 Featured By Owner Aug 26, 2009  Student General Artist
    thanks for teh fave :heart:
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconimokurnot:
    imokurnot Featured By Owner Aug 24, 2009
    Thanks for collecting Mobubbles [link]
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconimokurnot:
    imokurnot Featured By Owner Aug 23, 2009
    thanks for the fav on ancient time 2
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconrvintot:
    RvINtot Featured By Owner Aug 22, 2009  Professional Digital Artist
    Thank you very much for the making my kimono you, kimono me. your favorite. ^^
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconimokurnot:
    imokurnot Featured By Owner Aug 19, 2009
    Thanks for the fav on ancient time
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconimokurnot:
    imokurnot Featured By Owner Aug 17, 2009
    Thanks for the :+fav: on ripple in time [link]
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconimokurnot:
    imokurnot Featured By Owner Aug 16, 2009
    Thanks for the :+fav: on 50
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconbrml89:
    BRML89 Featured By Owner Aug 16, 2009  Student Traditional Artist
    thanks for the fav!
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    :iconicevolvagia101:
    IceVolvagia101 Featured By Owner Aug 13, 2009  Student General Artist
    thanks for the fave <3
    Reply
    (1 Reply)
    Add a Comment: