PREDATORS
by Chimera Bloom
Part 16
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Her shoulders ached and her body was buckling under the pain of so many raw bruises. She should have realized that the doors of the Lodge would be reinforced. After all, it was the primary accommodation for a tribe full of jungle cats.
Given their natural strength and predilection to predatory behavior, of course they would have to take necessary security measures. But none of that gave Yamina any peace of mind. She wasn't having any luck breaking through Narlene's door and she could tell that someone was suffering because of it.
The moans had started again. But this time there was something about the tone that was simply breaking Narlene's heart. The person was frightened and in pain. And more then anything she wanted to help them.
"It's okay. Don't worry… I'm going to get you out of there. Just hang on." Yamina shouted from the other side of the door.
There was something about the soft moans that made her believe it couldn't be Narlene trapped behind this door. Even though the female jungle cat would have been the obvious choice, Yamina just knew that it couldn't be her. There was something so sincere, almost heart-felt about the stranger's cries. And Yamina knew with unquestioning certainty that Narlene simply wasn't capable of ever sounding so very real.
Knowing that she would never be able to physically get through the door on her own, Yamina set off at a mad pace for the lobby. She had heard someone say that the entire staff was taking the night off. It was the awards banquet, no one in the entire Fasara tribe was supposed to be here.
But Yamina had to believe that someone had stayed behind. There simply had to be someone remaining at the service counter. And she had to believe that they would have a key to Narlene's room.
Her story was going to sound strange. And as she ran down the steps to the lobby she began wondering if a white lie might not be a better idea. Because who in the world was going to believe that someone was screaming in pain behind a locked door. Things like that just didn't happen here. After all, they were supposed to be an honorable tribe.
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They had been walking for the better part of an hour. Lineva had been convinced that she had followed the snake's direction to a perfect tee. But when they had passed through the clearing, the Lodge hadn't been anywhere in sight.
And the warrior was beginning to think that they had been set up. That snake had seemed off from the very beginning. And now that it looked like they were indeed quite lost all over again, she was convinced that there was more to Tya then either of them had ever seen.
"How are you holding up?" The warrior gently asked the girl at her side.
Thankfully, Halauris had stopped crying some time ago. They walked on in silence with the occasional sniffle breaking the air between them. But the sobbing had stopped. And for that one small thing, Lineva was grateful.
At first, the woman didn't answer and the warrior began to wonder if Halauris was holding some sort of grudge over her earlier outburst. But as she looked at the woman she realized that that wasn't it all. From the quivering upper lip to the silent shaking shoulders, Lineva could tell that the woman was doing everything she could to keep her silence.
Halauris was trying to be brave and to keep moving forward. She was trying to make things easier for the warrior. And again, Lineva felt her own shame brewing like a tempest over everything she had already failed to protect.
Yet, there was something else too. The woman was clutching her arms to the sides of her body. And it looked not only awkward but strangely painful as well.
"Halauris, what's going on?" The warrior asked finally stopping her stride. She stood in front of the woman who couldn't seem to tolerate the gaze of her eyes. Tenderly, Lineva put her hands on the woman's arms hoping to find out if she had somehow been injured.
"I'm…I'm scared." The woman whispered feeling that the forest suddenly had eyes. Everywhere she looked seemed to lurk a pressing danger.
And as the woman stood there, all she could think about was Elila and what the girl must have gone through during the last moments of her life. For some reason, she found herself wondering if the heron had awakened during those fateful moments. Pain could certainly be a powerful stimulant to the mind. She hoped that the venom had been strong enough to keep Elila silent. Because she knew all too well that sharks liked to tear their victims limb from limb.
"I know. But we can do this. I'm going to get us home." Lineva said taking the woman in her arms.
On any other day, this gesture would have been considered highly intrusive. Even though she was warrior, Lineva knew that socially Halauris' station was much removed from her own. She should never be touching this woman, not this intimately.
But she couldn't stop herself. They both needed the comfort. And for the briefest of seconds, she felt the shattered girl melt into the strength of her arms.
"No…" Halauris whispered hurriedly backing away from the warrior's arms.
Lineva looked around a bit ashamed at her presumption. She should never have touched Halauris, regardless of the circumstance. And now, the proud warrior felt humiliated. But as she turned to offer the woman an apology for her physical presumption she could tell that it wasn't the proximity of her body that had upset the girl.
"What is it?" Lineva asked struggling to make sense of the abject horror crossing the girl's features.
"Look!" Halauris squealed out pointing to the clearing far away to the left.
"It can't be." Lineva cried out falling into the soft ground at her feet.
"It is. We're all the way in the outskirts. It'll take hours to get back to the banquet hall. And by then, the transport will have stopped running. We'll never get back to the Lodge." Halauris cried out wanting nothing more then to find a safe hole to curl up in.
They both laid there mentally mapping out the distance to their nearest Fasara holding. Lineva knew that they were in terrible trouble. But she would be damned before she told Halauris how worried she really was.
The snake had obviously planned this. She had led them on a wide arcing circle all around the various outskirts of the Gallion Village. And unless her sense of direction was totally in error, that meant that Tya had led them right past the very Lodge itself.
She couldn't begin to imagine what the snake had to gain from actions like this. She wanted to believe that the small snake was only frightened of them. Perhaps, Tya had wanted to lead them a safe distance away from the nest of her tribe.
But for some reason, Lineva sensed that her reason had been far darker. Tya had asked far too many questions about Elila. And as the warrior finally remembered the steel blue skin of the heron's body and the venom that had rendered her untimely death, Lineva finally made the connection that had been there all along.
Tya was certainly not who she appeared to be. She obviously worked for the cobras. And now, Lineva realized that the very safety of her tribe was in jeopardy. Because with Elila out of the way, that made Kellis the next likely target…
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She walked into the nest feeling just a bit taller and bit more sure. This had been a difficult year for her. And running into Elila had made things no easier.
In front of the entire tribe the heron had managed to humiliate her. They had all seen her hunt the girl. They had even seen her force the prey outside. But when she had returned injured and frustrated, they all knew the truth. She had failed to kill the tiny heron.
She had been humiliated. And Licara didn't like to be mocked. It reminded her of the past, which by all accounts was a time much better left forgotten.
But now she had proven her prowess as a hunter. Even if it wasn't her venom that had taken away Elila's final breath, the rest of the tribe didn't need to know that. She would still be credited with the untimely death of the prized heron.
And as she walked into the nightclub, she couldn't wait to see their faces. She had done what they said just couldn't be accomplished. Her alpha had assured her that she would never be able to get to Elila. The heron lived with the jungle cats and the Fasara were more then capable of protecting their own.
But she had proved that anything could be accomplished, that is if one possessed mind-bending abilities. She has snuck into their very private gathering. She had sat down with them for a meal. She had even been near Elila herself. And no one had been the wiser. No, she had gone by completely unnoticed. And for that large feat she was terribly proud.
She walked into the darkened nightclub unsure as to what she would find. It was pretty late in the evening. She didn't know who would be around at this time of night. But she saw the imperial guard standing by the door and decided to go with the moment.
"Is the Alpha in?" She asked hoping to be able to reclaim her reputation in the span of one night. But the guard only looked at her skeptically, as if to deny entrance.
"Hold on, I'll check to see if the Alpha will see you." The guard answered trying to shove Licara away from the door.
The cobra remained outside the door anxiously awaiting permission to enter. The alpha could be anything but fair at times. But under such a circumstance her hunting prowess couldn't be denied any longer. She had outwitted the mighty jungle cats and killed their Alpha's daughter. And once her tribe heard of the news, Licara knew that her position as a part of the tribal council would finaly be secured.
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She listened as the ceremony continued. It was a rather reserved fair compared to what her own tribe had done only hours ago. There wasn't a lot of commotion or cheers from the crowd. Most of the noise came every time one of the sharks leapt into the water from her place on the stage.
Elila tried to calm herself. Recent circumstances were upsetting enough. She desperately wanted to know what had happened to her. She wanted to know how she had come to be with the Midali. But the only person who could tell her that was Carielle. And at the moment, she was rather occupied.
But it wasn't just the thought of Licara roaming the Gallion Village in search of her weakened form that was causing her fear. As much as she tried to be brave, it was her environment. For the most part, the sharks were cutting her a rather wide berth and for that the small heron was infinitely grateful.
Yet, everyone once in a while she would catch one of them staring at her. She knew they were probably just curious but it was unsettling nonetheless. And after they had had their ocular fill of her bluish form, they would surge their powerful bodies back under the water like a streamline ghost.
Elila couldn't help but feel intimidated by the raw power circling her in every direction. The Midali were nothing if not the complete personification of crushing force. And when they moved through the water their limbs swam like liquid steel.
The small heron was considerably thankful that Zeranna had stayed close to her side. But it was more then just the comforting presence of her friend that Elila craved. It was the violent fear of the water that was causing her need for company.
Every time one of the sharks jumped into the waiting pool, the waters raised washing over her small solid inlay. Several times she had panicked trying desperately to clutch at the slippery tile underhand. She was certain that at any moment she would fall into the waters below. And the thought of drowning was sending her into a spiral of terror.
But as she watched the ceremony continue she couldn't help but think that Zeranna should take her place on the stage. She didn't want to be the cause of the warrior missing out on a hallowed opportunity. And yet despite her best intentions, Elila couldn't seem to get the words out of her mouth. If Zeranna left, the heron was certain that she would drown.
"Are you okay?" Zeranna asked trying her best to casually emerge from the water.
She knew that it upset Elila every time the water came splashing down over her form. But there was little that she could do to help that. Even though her form was tall, she still had to jump from the water just to reach the heron above.
"Yeah…shouldn't you up there?" Elila asked half-heartedly.
The shark seemed to stare at her for long lengthy moments filled with silence. At least that's how it seemed to Elila. She didn't want Zeranna to leave her. But she felt terribly selfish asking her to stay.
"Oh, I suppose. But Pedryn asked to me to stay with you. And besides, I'm not really much of a fighter. I'm just a warrior because of my height. It's not really who I am." Zeranna answered wondering if the heron might be able to understand her situation.
The heron seemed to digest the information as if to consider the response from all angles. At first, she thought that Zeranna might just be telling her what she desperately wanted to hear. A shark that didn't want to be a warrior sounded nothing short of absurd.
But then she smiled thinking of how gentle the shark really was. In fact, the more she thought of it the harder time Elila had imagining Zeranna surrendering to the bloodlust. And besides all of that, she was quite pleased to know that Zeranna didn't mind being forced to stay by her side.
"Something on your mind?" Zeranna asked noticing the pensive stare that crossed the heron's features.
"I just want to know how I ended up here." Elila answered wondering if her tribe even knew where she was.
"Well, I'm sure that Carielle can answer that. We'll just have to ask her as soon as the ceremony is over." Zeranna answered giving the heron one last smile before she seamlessly returned to the water below.
Searching the far away stage Elila couldn't help but wonder what thoughts were going through Pedryn's mind. When she had arrived at the Fluid the meeting had been nothing more then a strange twist of cruel irony.
But here she was, right back with the Midali tribe. A group of people that at one time were her sworn enemy. And now, she was recovering yet again from an ill-fated meeting with a cobra.
This time though, things seemed different. They had let her go before, convinced that the jungle cats would be able to ensure her safety. But for some reason Elila wasn't so certain that Pedryn would be willing to make the same mistake over again. In fact as she caught the rather possessive gaze radiating from the Alpha shark, Elila began to realize that Pedryn might not want to ever let her go…
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She watched her all throughout the ceremony. It was shameless, the way she couldn't even take her eyes from the girl's supple form. Even under the tint of pale blue venom, Elila was still a sight to behold.
And Pedryn found herself blinded by the electric beginnings of the bloodlust. She couldn't succumb to the hunt. Such a thing like that wasn't acceptable here, not at a ceremony. Even the sharks had a certain sense of propriety that dictated an appropriate time and place for all things savage.
But for Pedryn, the Midali Hall had to be the very last place in the entire Kingdom that she wanted to be. Because on the far side of the room,huddled on a slippery inlay, a small heron was shivering through her terror. She supposed that she couldn't really blame Elila for her more then natural reaction.
Yet, on some level it unnerved her. Elila had spent the better part of the previous evening in her care and company. She had treated the girl with not only the utmost respect but with also an uncharacteristic amount of courtesy. And after all her careful manners and tenderness, it would seem that the girl was still terribly frightened right down to her very core.
Although, Pedryn realized that there could be other reasons for Elila's rather exaggerated state of distress. Perhaps, the small girl wasn't even thinking of her at all. There was a lethal snake hungrily stalking this very Village in search of the girl as prey. Pedryn supposed that fact alone was enough to cause anyone distress.
And then there was the water. She knew how much the heron hated it. The very sight of the slippery substance was probably enough to send the girl into a paralyzing fear. And here in the Hall, she was surrounded by it on all sides.
As she watched the girl clutch the little inlay, Pedryn began to think that it was nothing more then a fear of falling that was wreaking havoc on the girl's body. She wondered if Elila actually believed that they would let her drown. After all, despite the brutality of their initial meeting Pedryn hadn't let the girl surrender to the water's depths.
But it was that encounter that was upsetting the normally icy Alpha shark. She loathed the cruel twist of irony that forced her to stand on this stage giving out awards of honor and valor. She had no business being a part of it. She had no honor or courage. She had lost everything that had once meant so much. She had lost it all, because of that one night in the water.
And as she watched her cousin stiffen next to her form, Pedryn couldn't help but wonder what thoughts were passing through Carielle's mind. At times, her cousin liked to pretend that it didn't happen. She would shut herself away in the beautiful land of denial where nothing bad had ever taken place.
Then Elila came. And the heron opened up a wound that she knew Carielle liked to pretend never even existed. Pedryn was beginning to wonder if she would even have the strength to finish the ceremony.
There was nothing she would rather do then leave the very stage. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more then to leave her tribe. She had suffered too much to carry on. And when she thought of the vast Kingdom that lay beyond the salty waters of the Wetlands, Pedryn found herself salivating at the thought to leave.
She wanted an escape from her self-inflicted torture. She wanted an escape from the pain. But more then that, she wanted to escape all her harrowing responsibilities as the tribal Alpha's daughter.
And for some reason, the thought made a sly irony cross her stoic features. She wondered if Elila might understand her circumstance. The heron's alpha certainly wasn't known for being fair or just. And Pedryn knew that the suffering girl had been left to the sole whims of Thash on more then one pivotal occasion.
Mindlessly, she took the next award that Carielle dutifully placed in her hand. And when their limbs touch, she felt her cousin's hand tremble. It was Elila. Having the heron here was like a bright red flag to the testament of their sins.
They were supposed to be celebrating their honor. But under the heron's watchful eye, Pedryn couldn't help but think that they were all enacting some sort of elaborate charade. And tonight with a golden medal cooling in the palm of her hand, the charade felt particularly shallow and meaningless.
The only reason why she didn't excuse herself from the festivities was the tribe itself. She had a duty to perform the ceremony. Pedryn knew that there were many warriors in her tribe who were honor bound and worthy people. They deserved to be recognized.
But Pedryn knew that she didn't belong standing by their sides. Sometimes she felt that she didn't even deserve to hunt the same waters as the others. After her cruelties, there could be no peace. Her future was one of suffering. After all, there was no way she could ever atone for all that she had done. She could never repay those that she had hurt. And there was no way that Elila could ever forgive her.
And as she watched the heron scanning the waters below with her reticent gaze, she suddenly wished that she could read her mind. She wondered what thoughts had the heron so obviously vexed. She wondered if the heron saw her pitiful role in what should be a sacred event as something comical, or perhaps even revolting. She wondered if the girl was even thinking about her at all.
In some small way, she was aware of the ceremony drawing to a close. Pedryn could feel the shift in the water's current as everyone moved closer to the stage. And she could hear the excited murmurs of the warriors gathered all around.
The events of the Gallion were officially drawing to a close. The Midali had fought well and earned their rightful place as apex predators in the Animal Kingdom. But even though there were excited cheers and tear of joy, Pedryn only felt empty.
This was an event that should bring her much pleasure and pride, but instead she only felt the memory of her sins washing through body. Her breath tightened in her chest and she found herself craving the comfort that only water could give. She wanted to swim away from her tribe, from her crimes, and more specifically from Elila.
But she couldn't do that. She had a banquet to head. She had a phony smile to wear. And she had a thick gauze of fake pride to wrap herself in.
There was no time for a moonlit swim in the Gallion Ocean. Pedryn knew that she still had a painfully long night ahead of her. And it was a night that would be filled with the heron's company.
She watched Elila search the surrounding hall for what she could only assume was an exit. Someone would have to retrieve the girl. The only way out was through the water. And Pedryn knew quite well that Elila couldn't swim.
As she easily dived into the waiting waters below, she slowly swam towards the perched heron. Emerging from the water with a minimal splash and a stealthy grace, she stared into Elila's eyes. She didn't know what she expected the heron to say or do. But there was something in the silence between them. And to Pedryn's cold heart, it almost felt like warmth…
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"So, how long is this going to take to heal?" Narlene asked as she tentatively sat down behind the rather dismal medical station.
The leather chair was torn in several different places with long exaggerated stripes. She could only assume that someone had decided to test out their brand new metal claws on the upholstery. To her right, was a small wooden stool.
And directly in front of her was a long white tray. It was filled with assorted instruments of every medical variety. Most of them were sharp and terribly threatening to the sight. And hanging from above was a long moveable light fixture.
Trying to calm herself she took a long deep breath. She couldn't change her mind, not now. She really didn't have many other options. And besides, the long-term benefits to this procedure could be innumerable.
"Well, everyone is a little different. But it really depends on her your DNA. Are you pure bred?" The lion asked moving her large lumbering body to sit onto the tiny stool.
"Of course!" Narlene scoffed upset to have her heritage questioned. Her earliest ancestors were of pure jungle cat blood. And she absolutely detested the fact that anyone would even question that.
"Then you should heal in an hour or so. Of course, it will take several days for you to have full use of your claws. It will be at least 72 hours until you can extend them to their full length." The lion answered staring into the bright blue eyes of the young jungle kitten.
"You sure you want to do this? This is your very last chance to back out." The lion said reaching for a wide metal basin that clanked with the long golden claws that Narlene had purchased to be her own.
"Positive. Let's go. I don't have all night." Narlene answered trying not to show her fear when the lion filled a long glass needle with a bubbling fluid.
"What's that?" She asked recoiling into the black leather depths of the chair behind.
"Don't worry, this stuff will make you feel good. You're going to need it for the procedure." The lion said squirting some of the fluid in the air to make sure that her equipment was all ready to go.
"No, that's cut rollen isn't it?" Narlene asked recognizing the boiling substance in the tiny glass vile.
In a distilled form, rollen juice was known for its intoxicating qualities. But when it was cut with jolari root, the mixture could be fatal. Sometimes all it took was one intravenous dose for a virgin user to explode their very beating heart. Narlene would risk a lot to make Kellis her own. But she refused to risk her very life.
"Of course it is. Now, hold still." The lion said trying to reach for the girl's wavering hand.
"No, use anesthesia!" Narlene snarled staring at the looming needle like some sort of steely weapon.
"Kitten what does this look like to you? We don't have anesthesia. We use what we can get on the streets." The lion said to the chuckling amusement of her nearly drunk friend.
"Now this stuff here is pure. This isn't that crap that you can buy over in the bogs. This will make you feel good." The lion answered looking over at her friend for some sort of support. But her friend was too dazed to even respond. She had spent the better part of the evening sampling distilled rollen juice and now her mind was anything but aware.
"But it's lethal." Narlene snarled wondering if this was to be the last straw. Surely, she couldn't go through with this procedure, not under these circumstances.
"Only when it's cut with cobra venom. Some freaks like the high of suffocation as the venom strangles the very air from their body. But this stuff, no way." The lion said waving the long needle around in the air like some sort of vulgar implement.
"This kitten is pure rollen berry and jolari root. This will have you soaring for days on end." The lion said trying to reassure the girl.
She didn't know why she was so concerned with Narlene's perception of the substance. She supposed that part of it was that she didn't want the girl to fear her. No matter her appearance, or the atmosphere of her environment, she took pride in her work. And she would never comprise anyone life with unsafe narcotics. And for some reason, the lion found herself needing the cat to understand that one simple thing.
"Alright, let's make this quick." Narlene said, allowing the lion to take her long lean wrist.
The lion couldn't help but smile at the circumstance. This young kitten had been nothing but demanding since she had walked through the door. And truthfully, the hybrid was looking forward to shooting the girl full of narcotics. After all, it might actually make the young cat far pleasant to be around.
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The nameless warrior let the luke warm water cascade across the naked flesh of her body. It had been far too long since she had indulged in the luxury of a shower. And as the water trickled all across her body, she tried not to notice the blood that it carried towards the drain.
She knew that she had been hurt in her last battle. The sword had sliced right into the thick muscle of her shoulder. She of course had tried to treat the wound as dutifully as possible. But there wasn't much that she could do, not without antiseptic or bandages.
As she finally stepped out of the small-dirtied shower and into the even filthier bathroom, she couldn't begin to understand the strange twist of events that this night had taken. She had planned on finding another blood sport to join. She hadn't eaten in a least three days. And she knew that the sport was the only way to get some quick money. Besides, she sorely needed the nutrients of a good meal. She had lost a lot of blood and was missing her usual strength and energy.
But instead of a night filled with the usual blood and gore, she was spending it with a young socialite. Narlene was full of surprises and part of her couldn't wait to see what the girl had in mind. It had been a long time since she had bedded anyone like the beautiful jungle kitten. She only hoped that Narlene wasn't a waste of her time, or talents.
Before taking to blood sports, she had earned her living as most miscreants do, on her back. And without meaning to sound prideful, she was very good at her job. Narlene was in for quite a night.
And yet at the moment, she knew that her normally voracious sexual appetite was taking a backseat to her more basic hunger. She needed food. She was starving for the taste of nearly anything. And as the hour dragged on, she realized that she was far too tired to hunt.
But as she thought of the rather impetuous kitten awaiting her arrival, she wondered if Narlene might be able to help her out in that department as well. The cat obviously had money. She had rented the room and then subseuqently disapeared to have what stood to be rather intriguing body work performed. Deciding that it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask, she wondered down the stairs hoping to find a means to satiate both of her rather ravenous hungers.
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She had searched the Lodge from top to bottom but had been unable to locate a single other person. At one point, she thought that she had heard a noise coming from behind Melaryn and Neisha's door. But after several moments of pounding, no one bothered to answer her pleas for help.
Yamina bitterly realized that she in fact was all alone. And that left her with only one other option. She had to get on the next transport. She had to go all the way back out to the banquet hall and retrieve the help that she was so desperately needed.
She didn't look forward to traveling out after dark all alone. Truthfully, she didn't even like to go out under the bright light of day. But she didn't see what other choice she really had. She couldn't let that person suffer, even if she didn't know who they really were.
Quietly, she sat down in the vacant lobby glancing at the large clock overhead. The next transport would arrive in twenty minutes. And she would have to be on it.
But for some reason, Yamina couldn't seem to make her legs move. It wasn't just the fear of solitary night travel. It was the very idea of going to the banquet. She had shirked off her tribal duties and missed a very important function.
She knew that if she were to show up now, everyone in sight would have questions. Of course, most people wouldn't bother to say anything to her face. They would whisper, murmur, and laugh behind her back as per their usual routine.
At least Elila would be there. Yamina had no intention of procuring help for her mystery person all on her own. She would quietly whisper her story into the heron's ear. And then the more confident Elila would take it from there.
Perhaps, she would enlist the aid of Kellis, Melaryn or any other warrior. But Yamina didn't care who helped her. She just knew that someone upstairs locked behind the thick door of Narlene's room was in critical need of assistance. And she for once, was going to do something brave.
Making up her mind, Yamina walked towards the large glass doors of the lobby. But she didn't make it more then a few steps when she saw that her tribe had finally begun to return. It did only make sense after all, the hour was growing rather late.
There, meandering up the path were two of Narlene's closest friends, Rilari and Shaenebel. Yamina winced as she watched them approach. They were certainly not who she would have chosen in the way of help or assistance. But they would have to do. Perhaps if all three of them worked together they could find someway to break through Narlene's door. She hoped that they would help. Because Yamina had the oddest feeling that her suffering stranger was running out of time.
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"In case I never get a chance to tell you this I want to do it now. I just want to say thank you." Halauris said to the frigid warrior by her side.
Lineva tried not to be too caught off guard by the sentiment. Those were certainly not the words that she had expected to hear. But they were welcomed, even if a bit misguided.
"You don't have anything to thank me for." Lineva quietly answered not once breaking step.
They had a long walk ahead of them. The banquet hall was still hours away by foot. And they simply couldn't afford to stop and rest. It was far too dangerous and the hour was growing to terminally late. Lineva wanted to make it back to the tribe by sun up. Kellis deserved that much at least.
"Yes, I do. When Elila first started getting sick at the banquet, no one would help me. I screamed and screamed and everyone just ignored me. You were the only person who came over." Halauris answered recalling the cool and indifferent way her friends had reacted to her plea for help.
Lineva knew that it wasn't really Halauris that anyone was ignoring. It was Elila. And the girl had such a good heart she just couldn't see that.
"No, you were the brave one. You tried your best to get her help." Lineva answered recalling all too clearly their ill-fated trip over to the vacant Gallion Medical Center. That was where they had met the shark. And that was where they had lost Elila.
"It didn't do a lot of good did it?" Halauris whispered promising herself that she wouldn't cry. She had to be strong. They had a very long journey ahead of them and it wasn't fair to Lineva if she slowed them down with the weighted burden of her tears.
Neither of them said anything as they walked on towards the safety of their tribe. Lineva was too frightened to open her mouth. She knew that Halauris was barely holding it together. And she didn't want to risk saying one more thing that could upset the girl.
"How did Elila get exposed to the venom? Isn't the reaction almost instantaneous?" Halauris said asking the one question that had been on her mind for quite some time.
Lineva was silent as she thought over the information. She had been so focused on returning to the jungle cats she really hadn't given Elila's actual attack much thought. But Halauris was absolutely right. The effect of venom on a heron was nearly instant. That would mean that Elila had been attacked at the banquet.
And as Lineva remembered the events of the evening, she just didn't see how that could even be possible. There were only jungle cats in the hall. And as far as she could remember, Elila had never once stepped outside. The heron had never even been alone. Other Fasara had almost always surrounded her.
"Did you ever see Elila even go outside?" Lineva asked the woman.
Truthfully, the warrior couldn't believe that any snake would have the nerve to set one slithering foot into Fasara territory. They would never be able to survive an encounter with a real predator. But Lineva knew there could be no other explanation. Somehow, one bold cobra had managed to walk right past every single warrior in the tribe.
"No, but I confess I wasn't really paying that much attention to her." Halauris answered wishing for once that she had stayed close the Alpha's daughter.
If Yamina had only been there then none of this ever would have happened. The natural assumption was that the snake had simply overpowered Elila. And Yamina was a pure blood. She didn't have the same frail bird bones that Elila suffered with. No, she could have defended Elila from the snake. If only Yamina had gone to the banquet, Elila would still be alive.
"None of this makes any sense. If Elila had been attacked she would have come inside screaming. There would have been blood. There would have been a gaping wound. But I didn't see any of that." Lineva commented realizing that she had carried the heron in her own two arms.
Looking down at her body the warrior realized that there wasn't a single drop of blood. Lineva didn't know how Elila had managed to get exposed to the venom, but it certainly wasn't through a bite.
"You're right. Now that I think about it, I didn't even smell blood. I was just so preoccupied with her turning blue I didn't even think about it." Halauris commented realizing that the entire situation seemed to grow stranger by the moment.
Both the warrior and the woman traveled on in silence. Both of them let their minds fill with questions that it seemed didn't have any plausible answers. But Lineva knew that they had to keep moving.
There seemed to be something far more calculating at work then a simple hunting cobra. And unless all of her instincts were wrong, they had to get to Kellis. The warrior had the strangest feeling that something dreadful was about to happen.
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CONTINUED...