Memories of the Reaper

Chapter Seventeen

The moon shone from the cloudless, star-ridden sky like a spotlight on the world's stage as Derek Grey followed the calico cat through the dewed grass. He remembered how easily Elizabeth Rossiter had trapped him and almost killed him. Was this another trick to kill him? Looking down at the cat, the fledgling doubted it. If Amber had wanted him dead, she could have killed him at Alpha Academy. She had protected him then.

He wanted to trust her now.

The cat turned with one paw still raised and made eye contact with Derek before slipping through the underbrush and into the darkness beyond. He waited and thought about the edicts. By going into the woods, he would be breaking two of the protocols; the consequences would be immense.

The consequences only matter if you're caught, Derek told himself.

"Mrow," the cat stated from the forest. This time it wasn't a question so much as it was a command. Come on, let's get a move on.

"I'm right behind you," the fledgling said with resolve.

Derek walked into the woods, unaware of the forest creatures that watched him pass.

The fledgling brushed aside the leaves of the looming trees and jumped over the twisting vines, using the moonlight to guide his way. Derek strained to see the cat in front of him as she bounded along. He sprinted to keep pace with her, but his movements were loud and clumsy. They continued forth in this fashion for a couple miles: Amber scampering far ahead, waiting long enough for Derek to see her position, and then slinking farther away to repeat the cycle.

The fledgling understood why he wasn't allowed in the woods. If it weren't for the cat, he would have gotten lost. Every time he looked around, the landscape changed. The trees switched positions and the undergrowth shifted. It was messing with his mind in a way that he had never expected.

Amber scampered through a bush without waiting for Derek. Following, he pushed through the large bush and came upon a placid creek. There were several massive trees whose roots had burst through the earth and into the water; parasitic vines dangled at the creek's edge before dipping into the black surface. Small leaves and twigs broken from the overhanging branches were swept along by the current. The sound of it was soft and therapeutic, though it did little to calm his tense frame. Rocks lined the water's edge like a stony beach—it was there that Amber waited for him. This time, instead of running forward, she sat there watching him with intense eyes, saying nothing.

"Is this what you wanted me to see?" Derek asked. "A lake? Why?"

The cat turned her head and surveyed the landscape. Look around.

Derek reached down and picked up a light, flat stone. He took the rock in his right hand and held it with his forefinger and his thumb. Derek skipped it across the water and watched the path of ripples spread out, causing a chain of surface imperfections. Six skips.

"All I see is a lake, Amber. What else—" Derek stopped, seeing a cave opening hidden by foliage. It was familiar though he had never laid eyes on it. He could vaguely recall a myriad of times of crawling through that tunnel into what lay beyond. Across years. Across lifetimes. As if in a dream, the fledgling walked over to the cave mouth and felt the underbrush with a shaking hand. The limbs were rough, but the leaves were fuzzy, just as he remembered. Derek looked at Amber, who watched him with distinguished intelligence.

"Is this what you brought me to see?" Derek asked.

"Meow," she responded. Yes.

"Why?" he asked her.

Instead of responding, the cat leapt past him and into the opening. Derek looked around the forest, feelings eyes watching him. For several moments, he didn't move. He just watched for signs of movement.