Valley of Weeds

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty:

"What?!" Searn roared! The two tigresses behind him winced. 

"You mean to tell me that you didn't find even the slightest trace of them?" He continued angrily. "It's been a month, Ares!" 

Ares' head shrank to his shoulders. "I-I'm sorry, Sir." 

"Sorry isn't good enough! Where did you look?" 

The leopard's blood ran cold. "I, um, I searched near the, erm-" 

"You're lying, Ares!" Searn snarled through bared teeth. 

"No! I-" 

"You know where they are!" Searn backed him into the corner. "Was I not clear when I said that I would rip your heart out if you disobeyed me?" 

Ares froze for a moment, then blinked himself back to reality. "She and I have a history, Searn. I... I loved her." 

"You loved her?!" Searn spat! 

"Yes," Ares straightened himself, appearing larger. "I did. And I still do. Do you know what, you beastly tyrant? I would rather you rip my heart out than reveal where they are! You think you are frightening, you think you strike fear into creatures' hearts, but you are nothing more than an ill-tempered child who has no sense of right or wrong! And I for one fear no child!" 

An enfuriated Searn smacked the side of Ares' head with his paw. Ares fell to the floor of the cave, and suddenly recognized a faint scent. 

"This was Amur's cave," Ares spoke slowly. 

Searn smirked and threw his large head back, laughing. Ares got up shakily. "First you force Amur and his cub to leave, and then take his home? You are a vile mistake! I bet you don't even know the names of those two females!" 

Searn looked at the two tigresses behind him. "Them? They... they're... uh..." 

"You don't know, do you?" 

"Shut up! Of course I do! They're... uh... they're..." 

The tigresses flattened their ears and looked at eachother. "Admit it, Searn. You don't know," The larger, pregnent one hissed. 

"Shut up!" Searn growled at her. 

"Don't talk to her like that!" The smaller one yelled. 

"Don't contradict me!" 

The first one growled. "You can't tell us what to do. We aren't scared of you. Not anymore. Let's go, Ala." 

Ala nodded. "Yes, Nabi." 

"No!" Searn roared! He started towards them, but Ares jumped onto his back. 

"Run! Now!" He told the tigresses. 

"Thank you!" Nabi called, and they were gone. 

"You fool!" Searn screamed. "I'll kill you!" He shook Ares off and quickly pinned him down. "I'm going to rip your throat out, then cut you open and pull your heart out while it's still beating, then give it to that wretched traitor of a tigress!" He was about to do so, but paused. Ares wore the same confident expression that Searn had seen twice before. 

"I will never tell you, you rat!" Ares proclaimed. "Go on, kill me! I'd rather die than betray my Atha again!" 

"Why aren't you scared?" Searn demanded, angry for not seeing the satisfying sight of fear in his victem's eyes. 

"I'm dying knowing that I didn't betray her." 

"Atha's litter must be old enough to wander into trouble," Searn narrowed his eyes slyly. "Surely you're worried for them." 

Ares' eyes widened. "You-you wouldn't! They're yours!" 

Searn grinned sinisterly. "I have more than three tigresses, Ares. Some of which have already birthed my cubs. I have another strip of territory for them to live on together, and there are at least four of them there. I wouldn't be without cubs if something terrible happened to Atha's." 

"You monster!" Ares screeched. "You blackheart!" 

"As if I haven't been called that before. Plus, threatening the cubs' lives would probably be a good way for Atha to come back, and also for Amur to surrender." 

Ares struggled to get free, and Searn bared his teeth. "You think you can escape me?" Searn threw his head back to laugh menacingly. While he was destracted, Ares got his foreleg free and scratched the tiger's chest. 

Searn stopped laughing to look down and see his chest dripping scarlet. Ares batted his bad eyes, and Searn howled in pain. He pushed him off and ran out into the night. 

"I'm going to kill you one day, Ares!" Searn roared after him. "Mark my words, your days are numbered!" 

But Ares payed no attention. He had to get to Atha and Amur! He had to help them protect the cubs!