The Felinites

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Abby's POV

After I searched for probably about two hours for Prissy, Zoe, my cave, or even Mittens, I finally gave up. I now sit in a circle of other Felinite girls. They are talking, laughing, and gossiping. We started a bonfire a few minutes ago to ward off the chill of the temperature drop that randomly decided to occur around lunchtime. The girls easily include me in their fun although we do not know each other in the least. I am enjoying how easily all Felinites get along together.

Food has been pushed in my direction several times but I always either refuse the offer or pretend to eat it and discard it, by throwing it into the fire, once nobody is looking. For some reason that I cannot understand, the delicacies do not seem appetizing to me. I have been offered fish pie, sardines, mouse stew, and a strange cake decorated with feathers. The only things I have consumed are water and milk. Hunger is beginning to rise. I wonder when I had last eaten. It has been a solid day and a half since I awoke with no memory so I know it has been at least that long.

I push the thoughts out and focus on what Molly, a yellow and orange striped girl with a bushy tail, is saying, "I like training. It is fun and we get to speak with all the other guards, regardless of rank."

"Does training nonstop not get boring?" asks one girl whose name I cannot remember.

"Yes," Gila, another chaser, like Molly, whines.

"It so is not," Molly insists.

"What are we talking about?" Zoe asks as she sits by me. She gives me a kind smile. Finally, someone I know. I return her smile.

"Chaser training," Gila tells her with a groan.

"And how awesome it is," Molly adds.

"Molly, darling, there is only one thing about training that is awesome," Zoe says.

"What's that?" I ask.

"That would be training with all the boys who are any kind of guard," Gila trills with a dreamy sigh. All the other girls giggle and I join in.

"Which one is your favorite?" someone asks Zoe, "Mine is Jasper."

"Mine too," another girl exclaims before Zoe has time to reply. Then everyone is shouting out who their favorite guard is and how strong and handsome they are.

"What about you, Abby?" Gila asks me.

Uh-oh, this is one of those questions that my fuzzy memory makes hard to answer. I can only think of one male guard that I have even met. I do not know whether I should say his name or try to brush the question off. I opt for the latter. "I do not know, they are all so wonderful."

One girl snorts, "You have to be able to think of at least one who stands out to you more than the others."

"Yeah," another agrees. And everyone else is pressuring for my reply, too.

Ugh, I am totally going to regret this, "Dexter, I suppose?" it comes out more of a question than an answer.

'Oohs' and 'ahs' follow my response as well as muttered agreement. Then the conversation moves on to other news. Something is said about the weather on Satera getting too cold to tolerate and murmurs of rumor that the chill is headed for Filinus surfaces, which is why it is so cold today.

At some point, the voices around me begin to fade from my awareness.

***

Dexter's POV