Well, after reading an essay today and not getting any feedback, I felt a little down; I am REALLY trying to get my writing in better shape than it is. 😖😑🤞 If you guys have any tips or pointers for ANYTHING, I'd love to hear it!! (Besides, I have plenty of time for writing; we are in another lockdown 😑😤) Blessings, A. R. -----------------------------------------------------------      Laurel quickly finished her chores for the day and left the villa, not wanting to be questioned by Brown about anything. Or for her curiosity to get the better of her. As she exited the 6th district, she paused, looking around for a figure to emerge from the shadows. She saw no one. She wondered if she would have to get to the seventh district by herself. She secretly hoped not.     Laurel couldn’t explain it, but she felt a calm assurance when Dylan was around. It helped her feel confident and safe.      She shook her head, not wanting to overthink things. She started out towards home, sticking to the middle of the road.      She was alone with her rambling thoughts about Patrick, her mom, Dylan, and the Cause that she didn’t notice the cloaked figure walk up behind her, his strides long and confident. Laurel heard something and turned, gasping and nearly stumbled backwards. The figure raised his hands, stepping closer.      “Laurel, it’s just me.” She tried to see his face from under the cloak but he started to walk, motioning her to follow.      “Dylan, you could explain things and warn me beforehand in the future.” She whispered sarcastically, turning to the cloaked figure beside her. Dylan chuckled softly from within the folds of fabric that shrouded him in the cool night air.      “And ruin the fun of it?” He asked. Laurel smiled but sobered.      “What if someone in a cloak followed me and I thought it was you, and it wasn’t? Like Vitton, maybe…” she mused, suddenly feeling cold and sick at the thought. Dylan didn’t respond. Instead, he motioned her to lay against the district wall. He then moved beside her and pulled his hood back enough so that she could see his face.      He looked tense and anxious.      “I never thought about that.” He answered blankly, finally making eye contact with her. Laurel was worried to see him so perturbed.      “Sorry, I shouldn’t have suggested it.” She apologized. Dylan smiled slightly.      “No, it’s a good thought. I’ll think of something better in the future. But for now,” he added, pulling out a folded… something from within his cloak. Laurel looked at the object, confusion written plain all over her face.      “A cloak. It will add to the darkness and help us cross the distance without any detection. I found out from Brown that you were working late due to the incidents, so I figured these would come in handy.” Dylan told her, trying to sound calm and collected. Laurel smiled, but her heart pounded at the mention of her employer. Surely Dylan didn’t know she had heard part of his conversation?      Dylan glanced over his shoulder as he unfolded the cloak, turning back to wrap it around Laurel’s shoulders. She stood stock still as he fastened the cloak, hardly daring to breath. Dylan was about to pull the hood over her head but stopped, looking a little sheepish.      “Sorry,” he apologized, turning to look anywhere but her. Laurel felt her insides squirm as she tried to say something in response.      “It… it’s okay.” She finally answered as she folded her ears down and under the hood, now fully concealed in shadow. Dylan turned back to her and nodded, looking up and around.      “Okay, the guards on watch will be getting comfortable about now and will start to settle against the wall. Run all the way into the district and head for that corner house like last night.” He instructed. Laurel nodded and looked over at the fifth district. She could smell the ghastly stench as it rose over the wall and drifted, mingling with the cool night air.      Dylan crouched slightly, turning to look up again. Laurel waited, her heart and her legs ready.      “Go!” Dylan hissed, starting off. Laurel raced after him, the worry and exhilaration flooding her being. The chilly air brushed against her fur and made her shiver, but the cloak around her shoulders quickly extinguished the cold. It didn’t take as long to reach the district as Laurel remembered. She soon was tearing down the alley towards the corner house, almost smiling. She felt like a naughty school girl getting away with something good- and bad - at the same time.      She slowed as she approached the door and opened it, slipping inside. She removed her hood and tried to catch her breath, turning to look about the room. It looked exactly the same. Once she could breath, Laurel opened the door and peered outside. Dylan was jogging up, his hood no longer concealing his identity.      Laurel stepped back as he entered, his breathing loud. He offered her a smile, his eyes bright and almost merry.      “Nothing… makes you feel… more alive than a… good run!” He exclaimed, sitting down on a bench very clumsily. Laurel smiled, feeling a familiarity as they waited to gather at the Seventh district. She felt comfort and excitement when she thought of herself being a part of the Resistance. She hoped it would be a common thing, to sneak out and plan a course of action that would lead to rabbit kinds freedom. She wanted this feeling to be a part of her.      Dylan had finally caught his breath and smoothed his ears slightly before withdrawing a hidden satchel.      “Its nothing glamorous, but its better than potatoes,” he admitted as he pulled out some veggies and fruit. Laurel smiled, her stomach rumbling impatiently.      “I mean, it’s more than most of us eat anyways,” she pointed out, glad but somewhat guilty that she was enjoying this kind of food while the many citizens of Akolan were always resigned to potatoes.      Dylan smiled slightly, looking a little uncomfortable. Laurel felt a weight in her stomach, remembering what she overheard. Should I ask him about it? Would he even tell me?      They ate the meal in silence, both a little awkward about… well, many things. A lot had happened in one day.      “Dylan?” Laurel asked. He looked up and smiled, his eyes meeting hers. Gentle. She inhaled a bit.      “Have you heard anymore about Patrick being moved?” She asked, not wanting to broach the other subject just yet.      He frowned, his eyes dimming.      “No. I tried to get information without appearing nosy, but that’s a little hard when you happen to be a lieutenant.” He explained, looking a little bothered. What happened today that made him so nervous? She wondered.      “I’ll speak to my friend tonight and see if he has heard anything.” Laurel nodded, crossing her arms in front of her on the table and looked down, fiddling with a pebble. Dylan finished swallowing a mouthful and gave her a perplexed look.      “Something wrong?” He asked. Laurel glanced up at him and tried to sound as casual as possible.      “Not… wrong, just a little unnerving. Master Brown has been, well… very agitated today.” She explained, hoping it was a good lead-up question to what her curiosity was aiming at.      Dylan looked up, his gaze sharp.      “Has he done anything brash?” He asked. Laurel shook her head.      “Just lots of yelling and strange meetings. I nearly ran into one at the end of the day,” she explained, appearing as nonchalant as she could muster. Dylan looked at her in surprise.      “Really? What did you hear?” He asked. Laurel’s heart dropped. She laughed nervously.      “You know, I could be in some serious trouble if anyone thought I eavesdrop on my master,” she pointed out. Dylan smirked, but his eyes showed something else; and it wasn’t a teasing sort of look. Something… serious.      “I know. Laurel, I… I wouldn’t ask you to take a risk if it meant you could be hurt. But, with the many leaders coming to Browns house, plenty of information in regard to the uprising outside could be discussed.” Dylan explained, a cheeky glint in his eyes. Laurel raised her eyebrows.      “You mean I should eavesdrop?” She asked him, her tone blunt and almost comical. He shrugged a little.      “Its an option. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do it, nor do I want you to risk getting caught, hurt, or in trouble. Browns’ a very unpredictable rabbit.” Laurel felt a fire awaken in her heart. She was careful; she was also incredibly and, unfortunately, very stubborn.      “Challenge accepted,” she said quietly, a sly grin replacing her pensive frown. Dylan studied her for a minute before he said with a sigh, “fine.”      He withdrew a water skin and handed it to her first before he took a drink.            “I actually had stopped in at Browns this evening,” he admitted. Laurel almost choked. He continued, paying no mind to her reaction.      “I had a question for him about a position in Morbin’s court for the impending war and battles against the Cause. It’s a sketchy idea, that’s for certain, and he thinks I’m just asking him because he mentored me. But,” he added with a mischievous look, “I have other purposes for this request.” Laurel inwardly sighed with relief.      So it was just Dylan on an errand with work. Nothing more. She wasn’t sure why she felt relieved about such a small matter, but she was grateful for Dylan’s transparency. Well, near transparency. He didn’t elaborate on what kind of position he offered, but that didn’t matter. It had nothing to do with her, and she hoped that would settle her thoughts. She was also surprised to find out that Brown was Dylan’s mentor. Strange how Brown never noticed the difference in Dylan from other rabbits.      Dylan looked up suddenly and frowned, before standing up.      “We better go. If you have any questions that you want some clarification, you better have them ready for the Tunneler. The meeting will probably just be discussions about intelligence, reports, plans, that sort of thing. It won’t be long.” Laurel nodded and stood up, adjusting the dark cloak around her shoulders.      “Dylan, one quick question.” She interjected. Dylan nodded his head, motioning her to continue.      “Is there really lepers here?” She asked in a tense whisper. Dylan exhaled slowly and crossed his arms, his expression like that of a parent explaining a very simple aspect of life to a very young confused kit, trying to think of some easy explanation.      Finally, he scratched his chin and looked up at her, smiling slightly.      “Come, and you will learn one of our secrets.”