Silent Paws

Eyes

The crowd had begun to boo and shout once it became clear, that Cita and Kefir weren't continuing their fight any longer. The metal grids slid up and out came several humans, holding whips and those short sticks in their hands. Cita flattened her ears against her head and hissed. Kefir turned around when the humans surrounded them.

"Here, kitty kitty," said a woman with bright red hair. She smiled nastily, exposing her sharp teeth that looked like the canines of a feline predator. She let the whip crack past Kefir's head.

The lion roared and swatted at it with a paw. Meanwhile, Cita backed away when Rytko and Bergus neared her, both humans lifting their sticks.The cheetah pulled her lips back and hissed angrily.

"You're too stupid to fight, aren't you?" grunted Bergus and a red light shot out of his stick. Cita jumped to the side to avoid being hit. "You can't even fight a frickin' lion!"

Like white lightning, the cheetah dashed forward and crashed into the human. He fell back from the impact and struggled to push off Cita, who was standing above him with her claws digging into his clothes. She snarled into Bergus' face, who blanched at the sight of her long, sharp teeth that were only inches from his nose. 

Suddenly, a weird feeling filled Cita from head to tail. A warm fuzzy sensation traveled through her body, buzzing and vibrating as if she'd swallowed a beehive. Cita's eyes bored into the frightened ones of the human and in their reflection, she saw her own eyes. Only they weren't golden anymore.

They were white.

Cita's head jerked back in surprise while Bergus bellowed something in a high-pitched voice. The short moment of shock was enough for the cheetah to get hit in the side by a bolt of blue light. She hit the ground hard, her injured shoulder burning terribly. Then she passed out.

****

Severus' head jerked up as he stood in the center of Diagon Alley.

Lux.

He'd felt Lux' magic like a strong light, just for a short moment. But it had been enough to point him into the right direction. Ignoring the enraged looks as he pushed past people, the wizard sprinted down the cobblestoned alley.

****

"I'm not crazy!"

"That's enough, Bergus."

"But I'm telling you, boss, its eyes were glowing-"

"Silence. I do not have the time for your mad antics," a cold voice answered.

Cita groaned and tried to open her eyes. She felt as if a grown version of Rosaly had thrown her against a wall. A blurry vision filled her view. She saw bars rising above her, and behind them cold grey eyes that looked into her own. Cita's eyes narrowed and she instantly leapt on all fours, growling threateningly.

"Boss-"

"Back to work!" said Skender sharply, never taking his eyes off the cheetah. As the other human shuffled away, he leaned forward and knocked with his long walking stick against the bars.

"Bergus insists your eyes were glowing," Skender said quietly. Cita pulled her upper lip back and exposed her fangs.
"Now the question remains whether he tells the truth or if it was just- an illusion."

The human leaned even closer and the smell of smoke wafted into Cita's cage. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and hissed.

Skender's eyes bored into her own, looking for something. He did not find it.
"Bergus was never the brightest one here," said the man and straightened up again. He threw Cita a haughty look. "A wild beast you may be, but nothing more. And you shall be broken just like the rest."

You will shatter your teeth on this task. I will never be broken, Cita thought fiercely.

Skender strode down the row of cages and left the tent. As soon as he had, Rosaly crept out of her corner and lifted her small trunk through the bars.

"That looks bad," she said and gently touched Cita's wounded shoulder.

The cheetah pressed her jaws together to prevent a snarl from escaping when her shoulder burst into flames. She moved away from the elephant baby. "It's nothing," she said curtly.

"What did Bergus mean when he said your eyes glowed?" neighed Aurora curiously. Her ears pointed forward and her large eyes were fixed on Cita. "He came in here earlier, yelling his head off."

"Maybe you have magic!" squealed Rosaly excitedly. She waved her trunk around, trying to mimic the humans when they used their sticks.

"Don't be daft," said the middle head of the three heads of the three-headed dog. Cita knew they were named Poseidon, Hades and Zeus, but she kept losing track of which head was who. "There aren't that many magical animals in the circus. And Cita doesn't look magical to me. No offense."

The cheetah paced restlessly behind the bars of her cage, feeling as if she were filled from head to toe with an extreme amount of energy. She wanted to run, to feel as if she were flying when she dashed down a hill. She snarled angrily and swiped at the metal bars.

"Like Skender said," grumbled Leonor and slowly heaved himself onto his feet. His red scales shone even duller than before, as if he was feeling particularly tired today.
"Bergus was never the brightest."

Erly looked at Cita in thought. She'd never seen animals with glowing eyes, except when-
The unicorn flattened her ears against her head in surprise. No. That couldn't be.
She quickly disregarded that thought, but when she glanced at the cheetah again, at the predator with the unusual white coat, she found her suspicion lingering.

That night, Cita's sleep was disturbed by odd dreams. She kept dreaming that she was a Silverwing, running in a dark forest with a black pegasus by her side. Sometimes, the scenery would change and Cita would find herself, as a Silverwing, in a place filled with colors. There were odd runes on the ground, surrounding a large, hovering sphere that crackled with energy.

When she woke up, Cita had the distinct feeling that she had seen those places somewhere before. And that pegasus...he seemed so familiar.

But the strangest thing was, that her shoulder had healed completely overnight.