Valley of Weeds

Chapter Four [Edited]

Chapter Four:

"Tell me, Amur! What's my new bedtime?"

"For the millionth time, please be quiet."

"But I wanna know! Is it still at sunset? Is it the same time as yours? After yours? Whoa, imagine that! I would get to stay up later than you and do grown-up stuff!"

Amur gritted his fangs together. Does this cub ever shut up?

"Why are we taking so long?" Flower groaned.

"Because we walked to your mother's den, then we walked to Kysta's. That's two trips. Now we're walking back, and it's just one trip, so it'll take longer."

"That's confusing."

"Not if you think about it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Amur sighed. "Nothing. It means nothing."

"Everything means something, Amur," she stood up on his back with her paws on his head. "Oh! We're back!"

"That we are," Amur replied. He pushed through the trees, and his jaw dropped. A tigress was standing in the mouth of his cave.

She had a very slender figure, with gem-like facial stripes and white markings on her face. Her eyes burned a soft amber glow.

"Amur?" she looked him up and down, then ventured closer. "Amur, is it really you?"

When Amur gave her a dark look, but said ntohing, she carried on. "I can't believe that Searn did this to you so long ago."

She reached up to touch his ear with her paw, but Amur ducked his head away. "What are you doing here?" he demanded coldly.

The tigress flattened her ears. "Nice to see you again too," she scoffed sarcastically. "Atha and I were passing through, and smelled your scent on this territory. We'd know your scent anywhere. We needed a place to rest, and thought that you wouldn't mind."

"Well you thought wrong!" Amur roared at her furiously. "Where is Atha?"

"She's in the cave, but Amur she's-"

Amur pushed past her to angrily stalk inside the cave. "You think you can just-" he stopped when he saw the second tigress.

She was lying on the floor, he sides heaving with every breath of air. Her eyes were barely open, but Amur still knew the bossy glint they had. Her stomach was swollen with unborn whelps. He turned to the first tigress.

"Nobody told me my sister was pregnant."

"You were never given permission to enter my territory," Amur muttered, glaring at the first tigress, who's eyes were tracking Flower's every move. It was almost as if she had smoething against the cub, despite that being their first interaction.

"Amur, she's your flesh and blood littermate," she took a minute before switching her hardened gaze to Amur. "You two shared the same den, the same mother, the same milk! Doesn't that mean anything to you? Show her an ounce of mercy. She's been through a lot."

"Sharing milk means nothing anymore," Amur replied dryly, his eyes darkening. "Pregnent or not, she is an intruder, as are you. I want you both out of my territory by sunset. What are you even doing travelling with her, Cassia?"

"Cassia?" Flower squeaked. "That's such a pretty name! You look really pretty too!"

The tigress blinked, as if she was surprised, then her eyes softened and she smiled. "Thank you, little one," she leaned down and licked Flower on the crown. She then looked back at Amur. "I'm here helping Atha. She's been my best friend ever since we were cubs."