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During the twilight hour, they transferred from the yacht to a smaller motorboat to reach an island.
Asena, and the others climbed into a rickety truck that drove over a dirt road in the darkness. The couple of armed watchers ignored Duma and Bebi's many questions. What worried Asena was the yacht, a speedboat, and now the truck, hadn't switched on their lights. But then what they were doing was unlawful.
The tires screeched as the vehicle stopped by a makeshift runway. The twins from Nausa squealed when they saw a white aeroplane. Awestruck, Duma stopped complaining. Even Bebi was impressed. Asena gulped; her stomach contracted. Only the shell-shocked Bantu female remained huddled in her shawl.
Asena couldn't even list all the international laws broken by those involved in shifter trafficking. They had to have deep pockets. She'd expected to be locked in unsafe containers, not luxury. Also, the agents didn't fit the image of unsavory flesh traders, traffickers, pirates, or pimps.
Before the plane, which seated thirty, took off, Asena asked for Sera, the relaxant designed for feline shifters, or catnip tea. The air steward obliged and even offered Asena earplugs.
Even as the tranquilizer kicked in Asena gripped the handles of the plush seat. Sure, she'd flown once and hated it. That hadn't changed. Just as she put the earplugs in, an excited Duma joined her. It was his first flight.
The stewardess served them a variety of fancy drinks and dishes. Sushi. Sandwiches. Cold cuts. Cheese platters. Pastries. All plated prettily. Asena refrained from eating anything and stuck to sipping brewed catnip.
The mood shifted to celebratory. The duo of wild dogs whose names she hadn't caught, Duma, and Bebi made the most of the alcohol menu. Asena wished she could share their enthusiasm. Stress and fear squatted in her gut. All she could do was brood until she drifted off. Again she fell into the trap of nightmares preying on her worst fears—whatever happened to Vic would happen to her too. How could she succeed when the authorities had failed to trace Vic?
Now both of them were runaways, they'd gone rogue. Vic hadn't been snatched from her bed. She had left of her free will. Her tracker hadn't failed. Asena had got rid of hers by extracting the chip lodged in her bicep, and on the east coast, she'd dropped it in the ocean.
Asena awoke with a start when the aircraft landed.
The air hosts asked them to wear winter clothing before deboarding. Despite the cap and hood, Asena's eyes watered when the chilled wind slammed into her. With polite efficiency, the drivers herded them into vans that sped off into the foggy night.
She'd traveled from Tombstone to Europa via the length of Africa. No one, not even Dad, Moggie, or she had believed she'd make it this far. She felt no sense of achievement, only exhausted and miserable. Her quest had barely begun.
Through the window, Asena observed the strange countryside. Everything, even the trees and grass knolls, looked alien. The road signs provided no clues until one revealed they were in Bulgaria.
Petrified, she tucked her chin in the fur-lined collar of the jacket. She'd ended up in the one part of the world where she would be hated and hunted. Europa hated her kind, and everything they represented.
The safest option was to leave this group and disappear amongst the human cities. Except that wouldn't help her trace Vic's whereabouts. Worse, she would be an illegal immigrant, with no papers. She no longer belonged to any pack or region and had no rights. Her other choice was to throw herself at the mercy of modern day slavers.
What had she done!?
Tears flowed down her cheeks as she stifled her sobs.
Duma draped his arm over her shoulders to pull her into an awkward hug.
She hadn't even noticed him take a seat beside her. "I'm fine," she mumbled.
"No, you are not. I am not too. We will be scared together," he bent and whispered.
Asena lay against his chest and sniffled.
Bebi, sitting on the other side, scoffed at them.
Asena wanted no more friends. She came from a solitary species. Her sole friend had caused her enough grief. Some individuals, like her, weren't built for adventures. Vic was, and there was no excuse for her not informing them she was okay wherever she was. Most likely, something untowards had occurred for Vic to abandon even her mother.
At the very least, Duma wouldn't hurt her, or force her to follow him around the globe, or agree to sell herself off to their enemies.
They'd part ways soon. He'd find his Adonis alpha, and she'd work on fending off any parties mistakenly interested in her while she worked on finding Vic...
'And once we do, I claw her eyes out. If not for Bri and my blood oath, if I didn't consider that ungrateful alley cat my sister, ' Moggie yowled within Asena's head.
She couldn't bear it and buried her face in the nook of Duma's neck and gave in to the torrent of tears.
Never in a million years would she have even contemplated visiting the hellhole called Europa, yet here she was, in less than ideal conditions, with no plan or idea of how to proceed and escape.
'And they said it couldn't be done, not by someone like us. We travelled the home land, and now invaded the enemy territory.'
Moggie's mood switched, from fear to smug satisfaction. Unlike Asena, she operated based on a singular belief—she always landed on her feet. But she forgot even cats only had nine lives, and Asena had just one, and now it was in mortal danger.
***
Opps! I posted both chapters by mistake. Enjoy the early update :P
Btw what are you favourite quirks about cats? Do share!
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