The Beginning

Chapter 18

Jhaufyther looked at Riley, whose eyes were shining with excitement. It would be her first ever meeting, and Jhaufyther needed to make sure she was safe during the entire meeting. There's going to be a lot of Catwings, and she could get trampled, he worried. At the same time, he knew that Riley would figure out how to avoid all the Catwings that would surround her.

He waited for Riley to finish talking with the newcomers. They nodded, and Jhaufyther could see that they were relieved. Riley turned toward him. "They're not coming. Well, technically, I kind of forced them not to go," she said. "It's not good for them when they have only been here for a couple of days."

He nodded. He could understand that. "That's fine. Just as long as you're coming... you ARE coming, right?"

"Is that even a question? Of course," Riley said. He lowered his tail, letting Riley climb up it. Once she sat on his shoulder, he turned towards Klickhaze. "You ready?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding.

As they walked toward the Hollow, he thought about the tournament. The first one in ten years. He had been last decade's champion, and perhaps he would be the champion once again.

They stopped at the rim of the Hollow: a big pit that was covered with grass. There was an enormous tree that served as the standing spots for the Catwings. He spotted Clauchice with Sam perched on her shoulder. He went up to her and pressed against her. She smiled. "Hi, stranger."

"Hello, yourself," he teased, sitting beside her. "Where's Slaughlitte?"

"With Lepardhirk."

"And Lhrioun?"

"With Cinderrtulp," she said, wincing.

Jhaufyther drew in a sharp breath. Cindertulpp, the Catwing who's nervous around me, he thought. He had absolutely no idea why she acted so skittish around him. Every time he would come up to her, she would yelp and avoid his eyes while he was talking. Besides that, we're still friends. And she only acts skittish whenever I'm angry- oh, he realized.

"How can I be so stupid?" he muttered.

Clauchice looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"She's only skittish around me whenever I'm mad," he said. "Why?"

She stared at him. "You don't realize how intimidating you are when you're really angry," she said.

"Who's Cinderrtulp?" Riley asked. Jhaufyther completely forgot about her.

"Lhrioun's mate. She acts skittish around me whenever I get mad. Apparently, I don't realize how scary I am when I'm mad."

"How can you not?" Riley said, and Jhaufyther thought she was agreeing with Clauchice. Oh, she is. What does she have to say? he wondered.

"You glow with a blue aura, and there's like static crackling around you," Riley said, shaking her head.

"I can't see it 'cause it surrounds me. Unless if I look over my shoulder-" It had never occurred to him that he should look at himself whenever he's mad.

"Geez. Really?"

"Yes, you are. You need to make sure that you notice yourself," Riley said, patting him reassuringly.

"I will try. Thank you."

The new humans were nervously walking toward Riley. They started talking with her, their bodies tensing up. Riley sighed. "They want to know about the Khrillin," she said.

Jhaufyther hesitated. The Khrillin's history was a long and bloody one, not to mention the fact that Riley, Carlos, and Sam-along with Raven- are the only humans that know the truth.