novelraw Chapter 180: Eavesdropping
Chapter 180: Eavesdropping
"Uhnn!"
KuliKuli was hurled into her cell by the pair of black knights with enough force that she crashed against the wall, hitting her head.
"Watch it!" Dimyri shouted, baring her fangs when one of the knights extracted his steel sword and aimed it at her naval. The older Nekomata hissed but stayed back, batting the sword aside before crawling over to care for her sister. She held her up, rubbing KuliKuli's head to soothe the wound, inspecting her paw. No blood, that gave her some relief before staring daggers at the two men.
They didn't care. The knight sheathed his sword and stepped back, observing as his friend sealed the cage shut with a lock and key. They retreated, leaving the pair alone in a daft dimly lit brick-built hallway littered with cells along the path.
KuliKuli gasped and swooped in, attempting to squeeze through the cell bars to no avail. Dimyri sat back as her sister tried slashing at the metal bars, grazing her claws in return. Agitated, KuliKuli pulled her last trick and changed into her cat form. It made it easier for her to slip through narrow passageways, but the bars were tightly squeezed with a crisscross pattern. Dimyri sunk back against the wall, patiently waiting for her sister to lash out before she resigned and grew back into her humanoid form.
"Damn it." KuliKuli panted, sulking and pressing her forehead against the bars. "Please."
"Kuli." Dimyri called out softly, "Just get some rest."
"I can't." She whimpered, spinning around with her back against the bars. She was panting loudly, her fur frozen on end with her heart beating loudly in her chest. "Mom, Syri, Na'Vi-"
"I know."
"And now us?" She cried out, staring at her trembling paws. "I-I'm scared, Dimyri."
"It's okay." Dimyri held out her arms, inviting her middle sister to join her. KuliKuli seemed reluctant at first but crawled over after a moment, cradled in her sisters' hold. Both of them closed their eyes in silence, finding the slightest comfort in this situation by sharing this fate together.
Dimyri's tails wrapped around KuliKuli to keep her warm as she reached over and patted KuliKuli's head. "It's okay." She repeated, keeping a tight hold of her, waiting until they would both submit to a late night's rest.
Reta rolled on her backside, groaning as she stretched her hands above her head. The blanket slipped off her lap as she stood up, strolling through and wrapping a small blanket around to cover her nude self. Stepping out from their hut, she pressed down on the guard rail and leaned forward, taking in the sight of the forest from this height. She hoped to find the early rising sun poking through the forest peaks to greet her this morning. Only to be met by the grayish winter clouds paired with dense fog to obscure around most of the outskirts as a slight gust of cool air flicked along her thighs and backside, sending chills through her sore body.
She winced and slid her hand down her waist until she felt the large leaf covering clinging to her right thigh. Peeling it back, she peaked into the wound and spotted the small puncture wound with a bit of red surrounding the skin, but no sign of any poison invading her system. She scowled, recalling that it was the Woodland Elves who used poison. Now that she remembered, they hadn't bothered using the same poison coated projectiles during their search and rescue.
She spotted movement off her peripheral vision, catching her attention. Leaning in close against the rail, she tracked its movement as one a pair of elves rushing in a hurry. Reta frowned, believing it odd not to hear or see anyone else walking around this early. Glancing back to see Felix snoring softly at the cot, she snuck across the rope bridge with light steps, cautiously slipping past numerous tree huts with elves and cat girls dozing off inside.
Reta made a few turns through a veiled rope bridge hidden under some foliage, coming across an obscure path trailing around the backside. She found herself at an aged hut built from dry grass and twigs, matted with clay and mud to keep the structure from falling apart at the slightest touch. Pressing her back against the wall, she held her breath and listened into the voices whispering from the other side.
"Listen to yourself, think of the tribe and the clutter. Think of all we have done. Can we run such a risk as to leave these strangers with this invaluable tool?" An older raspy male voice questioned.
"They're not strangers, they are allies." A younger man retaliated, "Thanks to their information and efforts, we've rescued fifteen Nekomata including Zimi! I'd say that warrants some level of trust, don't you?"
Reta recognized that voice, belonging to the same elf who consoled them the other night, Spi'Reto. That older man sounded familiar, but she couldn't piece together who that voice belongs to. Inching closer toward the veiled entry, she froze as Alma interjected from inside the hut.
"It's too soon to be propositioning this, these allies show great potential. Reta alone is a good fighter; Felix needs some work but carries spirit."
"And we've seen how close Syri is with the other woman."
"There you have it, proof that they're worth trusting." Spi'Reto beamed, snapping his fingers. Whoever he was talking to groaned and possibly rolled his eyes in response judging by the young elf's raised voice. "Oh sod off! Is it really so surreal to find outsiders whom we can trust?"
"Calm yourself." Alma urged, receiving a sigh from her son.
"Be it as it may, that woman showed us all what that book is capable of. I urge caution, we should learn more about how they received this intel and discover its limits."
"What concerns you so?" Asked Alma.
"What troubles me is that we grow fewer by the day. We had our opportunity when Perdilius returned, and we missed our shot."
"Yes, but we have Syri. He can't continue the ritual without her, or did you forget?" Spi'Reto countered.
"A small victory in scale. Perdilius has no doubt returned back to his ivory tower by sunrise, and the city is too heavily guarded for our small portion to inflict any impact even if we trade one Ranger for a half-dozen of his men."
Alma raised her brow. "You are suggesting that we send Emyri's youngest away?"
He may have nodded because she followed with, "For her safety or ours?"
The old man sighed, running a shriveled hand over his face before sitting opposite of her. "Alma, tell me I am not speaking in a fool's tongue. That human woman wields a tool that contains much about Perdilius' plans. Should the others come to learn about the ritual, what do you think would come of it?"
An array of silence and dread lingered through the air as the elves held their tongue.
The old man leaned back, his chair squeaking as he did so. "If, and I mean If, we have any chance of coming out from this fight victorious, let it be so that our children can live on."
"I gave Emyri my word that her clutter will remain under our protection." Alma argued, pushing her chair back as she stood up. "We may not share blood, but those girls are my kin all the same. I will not engage in talks daunting over their safety."
"Do not take it to heart, I mean no ill-will." The old man replied, taking a breath before standing up to meet her. "I'm a father with no children left in this world to protect. I'm only urging caution that you do what's best for our people. At least give my words some thought before dismissing their significance. "
Alma breathed in, taking a moment to calm herself. "It would be unwise to put our newfound alliance in jeopardy, maybe the dwarf we could exile."
"Mom!"
Alma raised her hand to calm her son. "I jest. Still, it would be better for all of us to coordinate and communicate with them. That owl that rose from the book, she called it Vardare. We could start there, see what Vardare can tell us but do so through the woman's trust."
"And what if they come to learn about Perdilius' intentions?"
"You think they don't?" Spi'Reto asked.
"They don't." Alma confirmed, pausing briefly to think over what they had discussed. "We've lost too much as it is."
"That woman has the book back in her possession. Had we known of its value, it would have suited us best to have conveniently lost it to the forest."
"Then we would be no better." Spi'Reto argued. "Our goddess preaches faith and balance, who are we but hypocrites if we neglect voluntary help from allies like these? Now if it were any other outsider, I would follow in what you're saying. But these are trusted friends, Emyri and Nityri's friends. They got wounded for us just last night rescuing cat girls."
"You misunderstand. I'm not questioning their loyalty or resolve. I'm merely heading caution to the contents that this Vardare offers to them."
"Syri made it clear that she's against running away. What makes you think the clutter would follow? Nearly every member we have here has a relative in captivity, if they're lucky."
"I say patience." Alma suggested in a calm tone. "Give this matter a rest for today, come back to it tomorrow."
"Alma, the eclipse is several weeks away-"
"I am aware."
The old man sighed, possibly nodding in agreement. "As you say, Alma."
"Thank you. Rest now, both of you. I'll be attending to Zimi this morning."
Reta was alarmed as she heard footsteps trailing her way. Moving fast, she slid around the circular structure to hide out of view as all three elves exited the hut. Following Alma's advice, Reta kept herself pinned back until a moment had passed and she felt eased enough to exhale. Her eyes widened as she saw a leaf descending from above, snapping her head up and spotting a familiar cat girl swoop down.
She landed in front of her, standing upright with her arms crossed and her black hair trailing with the wind.
Reta sighed and fell back against the hut, feeling somewhat relieved. "Na'Vi. How long?"
"Since I caught you tiptoeing around like you had something to hide." She responded, glancing around to make sure they were alone.
"You heard them as well?" Reta asked.
Na'Vi nodded, her eyes darting at Reta's bosom. "Uh-huh, your nipple is saying hi."
Reta glanced down and tugged the blanket a bit higher, a subtle red hue showing across her normally stoic face. "Then we both heard."
"Before you ask, I don't know what they're referring to either."
"You must know something."
Na'Vi leaned back against the rail, looking around again to be sure. "We didn't grow up here; I only visited their huts from time to time. Our clutter lived on the ground, back when the forest was safe. There were monsters and predators creeping around, but Alma's tribe kept them away. We grew up with certain rules, never trail too far, stay in pairs, be back before nighttime, stuff like that. The number one rule that was taught to us since we were children were not go venture near the city, and above all else to stay away from the tower."
"I see," Reta hummed, "So KuliKuli was caught?"
"She wasn't caught, she broke the rules."
Reta smirked, shaking her head. "Curiosity is a thing for cats after all."
"Afraid so. I would cover for her sometimes, but it never felt right. One day, she didn't come back. That was how it started. Nights would pass and we couldn't find her, then one day she came back and brought them with her. She wasn't herself."
"Was it the collars he had?"
"No, this was before them."
"Right, that scar on her head."
"That's likely." Na'Vi looked away in discomfort. "You heard him gloating back at the fire, the night he caught us. It's the first I hear of this ritual, same as you. Are you going to tell the others?"
Reta sucked in her lip, giving it some thought. "Hm, yes, we should."
As she turned around to walk away, she flinched and hissed in pain, reaching out to her thigh.
Na'Vi took notice. "Best to follow their words and rest for today. The kids would appreciate it."
"Girls?" Reta looked puzzled.
Na'Vi chuckled. "Right, you haven't heard. Most of the Tribe saw your duel with Alma. Needless to say, they were impressed. You might have yourself a few students to teach."
Reta formed a smile, looking down. "Flattering, I suppose. I don't know if I'm the correct one to instruct."
"Really? You say it so certainly, humor them a bit." Na'Vi teased, approaching her side. "Need some help?"
Reta pushed her aside. "Not on your life. I'll tell Felix."
"Good, I'll let tell Syri, Jay, and the short one." She answered, keeping in pace beside Reta.
Reta frowned. "You can leave me be, I can walk."
"Don't want you to lose your step and fall from this height." She joked.
Reta scoffed, walking down the rope bridge with her.