"So, you're the Serpent Sin of Envy? What was your name again? Dee Dee? Dalla? No, Dizta?" 

The giant lady harrumphed, glaring down at me. She was quite menacing when stood above me, arms folded over her chest. 

"What? I'm not good with names!" I protested when she raised a foot to stomp on me. I scrambled out of the way awkwardly.  

"The name's Diane, and I'm the Captain's woman, so you better stay away from him." 

"Geez, I just asked for a name," I replied, pulling a pensive face. "As for the Captain, you can have the pervert." 

Her face turned red, angry beet red. She was definitely ready to stomp on me now. Luckily, my saviour came in the form of undercooked pig. 

"HEY! You gotta lot of guts kicking me around like some little pink bouncy ball! But it will be my turn next time!" Hawk thundered, dark pink around the edges. Elizabeth stood next to him. 

"The three of you weren't hurt, were you?" Elizabeth questioned, worry written across her face. 

"We're good," Meliodas replied. 

"Some of us aren't," I objected, wincing at the memory of the jab. "We aren't all monsters like you." How is it he isn't at all fazed that he's still bleeding from the giant gaping wound on his shoulder? 

Talk about emotionless; he didn't even show pain, for gods sakes. 

"Where did that swine go anyway?" Hawk, the hypocrit, swung his head from either side, searching for Gilthunder.  

"Aren't you a swine?" Meliodas pointed out. 

"He smells delicious," Diane said with a smile. 

"Watch where you're drooling!" I avoided the drop of saliva. However, I had to agree, he did smell nice, in a I'm-about-to-eat-meat-after-starving-all-day type of way. 

Now my mind was filled with different ways to cook a pig. Hawk looked truly terrified now, original bravado gone. Obviously, he could deal with a lightning infused Holy Knight sent to kill Meliodas but not a Giant who whines after the Captain.

Elizaebth gasped suddenly, rushing over to Meliodas. "Sir Meliodas, you were hurt!"  

If looks could kill, Elizabeth would have died by the ferocious stare coming from Diane's purple eyes. Meliodas brushed off the injury with a few nonchalant words but Elizabeth fretted over him still. 

While they spoke, I motioned for Hawk to come over. He trotted over happily. "You're my transportation for now, just until I heal enough to stay upright without a tree." 

"But I'm injured too!" Hawk cried. 

"Then I'll lie on your front half, where you're not injured," I answered, reaching out to grab him. He moved away from me and with my body as sore and tired as it was, my reaction time was horrible and I hit the ground. 

The poor sapling I had been leaning on bounced back to its original straight height. 

Then the squabbling started. Diane vs Elizabeth, with a little extra from Hawk. I groaned loudly, drawing the sound out like I was some dying animal, gathering their attention. 

"Can we just go back home now?" 

Someone picked me up and deposited me back on my feet. "The Fox is right," Diane said. 

"My name is Estra." 

"Come on, I'll show you the way out." With that, Diane led the way, the rest of us following behind her. 

Times seemed to move at its normal speed now and I hobbled along under the beating sun. The fog had seemed to clear quite a bit, yet it still wrapped around my ankles every once and a while. 

"Freedom!" I shouted when we cleared the dead forest. 

I never knew green was so vibrant in colour, the grass and trees a multitude of green shades and textures. The others laughed at my reaction.

A screech sounded behind me and I turned to see my friend, the hybrid chicken, standing at the edge of the forest. None of the others had appeared to hear him and I waved a hand in goodbye. With a bob of his head, the chicken turned around, morphed into a black and red wolf and trotted- 

WAIT A MINUTE! 

Mouth agape, I could only watch soundlessly as what had been a chicken and was now a red wolf disappeared back into the forest without a backwards glance. 

"Estra, you coming?" Meliodas called. 

I turned, pointing from the forest to where I stood and back again, all the while spluttering to form a coherent sentence. 

How the hell had the chicken turned into a wolf?! Did it have something to do with the forest? Or had Gilthunder's knock to my head really, seriously, done some damage to my brain and my ability to see things properly?  

"Hurry up, slow poke!" 

Resigned to the fact that I seemed unable to put the weird yet astonishing predicament into words, I trudged after them. But I stored the information into the back of my mind. Maybe someone knew more about the forest. If I ever got the chance to discuss the Forest of White Dreams with someone, I'd bring up the shape shifting creatures.

We made it back to the bar without anymore trouble and the first thing I did was rush upstairs and flop onto the bed. I was out like a light before Hawk's mother even started to move. 

~ 

It was dark outside when I awoke and crawled out of the blankets I had somehow managed to get entangled in. Bleary eyed, I stumbled to the basin and washed my face, then inspected my wounds. 

Some, like the small scratches and the little bruises, had healed while the larger wounds had just started the healing process. I was very relieved I still had my healing abilities from my time as Fox, albeit a lot weaker than it usually was. 

Hey, a wins a win. I wasn't complaining. My head didn't ache as much and the swelling had gone down, so I guess I was safe from dying for now. 

I headed downstairs, saw the shifting shadows of the others outside and went to meet them. Hawk's mum lumbered along but I was getting use to the motion. As long as I was prepared for the unexpected, I would be fine. 

"So, I've decided then! We should go to Baste Prison and grab Ban," Meliodas announce. 

Diane cheered and I also felt happy about that. I was finally going to meet the person who carried my sin. I also felt angry that I had been replaced in the world, that my brand was being carried by a criminal/ ex- Knight.

"What made you want to pick that place?" Hawk questioned. 

"Because it's closer," he responded. 

"You're such a chump," snorted Hawk. 

"I don't think you should do this!" Of all the people to object... "I think tending to your injuries should be our top priority. In your condition, facing off with another Holy Knight could mean..." she trailed off.  

Meliodas appeared with his head up Elizabeth's skirt. I adverted my eyes with a groan, face palming myself.  

"This could make me feel better," Meliodas mumbled from 'that' position.

"Could - could it really?" Elizabeth said.  

Hawk cried, "Of course it can't!" while Diane grumbled and death glared both the Captain and Elizabeth.  

Meliodas patted Elizabeth on the head and comforted her, saying his wounds weren't that big of a deal and that he'd be fine after a sleep. With that, he disappeared into the tavern. 

"Knowing him, I was felt for sure he was going to ask you to help keep him warm in bed," said Hawk. 

"I better go check on him," Elizabeth said softly, rushing off.  

"If you have to," Hawk sighed. 

"So?" I said in the silence that began. "What else happened while I was asleep?" 

"Only that the Holy Knight who attacked us served Elizabeth's family." 

"What? She knows the guy?!" 

"Apparently. He was the guard of her older sister, Margaret." 

"Then why was he so hell bent on getting her and taking her back for her punishment? He should be helping her, that good for nothing-" 

The rest of my angry torrent was cut off by a blood curdling that sent every hair on the back of my neck standing straight up. 

"Elizabeth!" we all cried at the same time, piling into the tavern. Well, Diane put her face to the doorway to follow our movements. 

"Sir Meliodas!" we heard her scream. I thundered up the steps, only to stop short at the sight of Meliodas lying face down in his room, blood gushing from his wound. 

A/N: More dialogue in this chapter. Let me know what you think of it :)