Who's to judge?

Bonus - Talon POV

My body stopped listening to me. My legs did not move. I wanted to scream, to chase them away, to protect her, but my body would not allow me. I had to watch them storm our home, with accusations of guilt and crimes we had supposedly committed. I was defenseless, I could have done something, I could have stopped it, I could have run away with her, but she wouldn't. She didn't want to live a life of being hunted. Why? Why? Why?

My heart, my mind, shattered into a thousand pieces when they took her away from me. With her went my air to breathe, my heartbeat, my reason to live. With them went my kitten, my everything. I had to watch as she was tied up, a collar around her tender neck.

I would never see her again, she would never fall asleep between my arms again, I would never hear her voice saying my name again.

I would never be able to live again.

The pain turned to anger. She had abandoned me. She had abandoned me. She didn't want to be with me anymore. I blamed her for all that none of us could have foreseen.

But then I saw her again. She was in front of me again. My lungs were breathing again, my heart was beating again, and my kitten was with me again, and this time no one was going to take her away from me again.

I exhaled loudly as I opened my eyes. I was lying in a bed in a small hotel we had chosen. It wasn't ideal, but we wouldn't be staying long. We were often bouncing from town to town. We weren't fleeing, we were searching. We were looking for a home, something that was just right for us.

I sat up, more tired than when I had gone to bed. Dreams like this never did me any good, they stirred up unwanted feelings in me. Feelings I wanted to leave in the past.

My hand wandered beside me because I wanted to feel the warmth of my treasure.

Nothing.

My hand met nothing. The side that belonged to her was empty. With a slightly ragged breath, I stood up. It didn't mean anything, it sometimes happened that she woke up earlier than I did.

My bare feet moved silently across the floor in search of my kitten. Yawning loudly, I stepped into the kitchen.

Nothing.

My heart pounded, my mind took over as I was about to panic. Thana was never that eager to prepare breakfast. She said she was a terrible cook, that she couldn't even boil eggs. Too many times already, she had to throw away burnt eggs, even when I told her I would eat them anyway. She rarely tried to eat breakfast because of this, also because it allowed her to stay in bed longer. I laughed softly at the thought of having to drag her out of bed, and her falling back asleep in my arms not seconds later.

She was probably in the bathroom to start the day's attempt to brush her beautiful mane, which could only be tamed by me. Her hair was the first thing I saw when I first met her. The sunset would stop just to catch sight of those stunning red locks.

With a small smile, I turned into the bathroom and stopped.

Nothing.

Panic. Terror. Thumping heart, air that no longer wanted to enter my lungs. No, no, no. Where was she? Where? Gone? Had I dreamed it all? Was this dream not a memory, but the present? This could not be true. I would not survive this. I couldn't be without her.

Aimless, I raced out of the room. My eyes burned because they wouldn't let the tears out. I was sure she had fallen asleep in my arms yesterday, I hadn't cleared that, had I?

Breathing heavily, I raced down the stairs into the entry hall. Was I crazy, perhaps? Was I missing her so much that I was already delusional? I wouldn't be able to stand it. I needed my kitten, she was my life. How else could I enjoy the sun when she wasn't there to give me warmth? How could I sleep peacefully if I couldn't feel her gentle fingers between my hair?