Later, when the patrol broke for camp again, it was almost dark. After we all ate –this time I actually did accept the food- I was given a blanket and I immediately flopped on the ground and curled up in it, closing my eyes.
Watch hours were set up and each of the patrol cats took turns through the night, guarding me. When it was the dark grey cat’s turn, I woke up with a start because he tripped over something in the dark, swearing to himself. I surprised him by sitting up, smirking. “Smooth move, Kore. Very smooth.”
“You know my name?” he asked in a whisper, trying not to wake anyone else up.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Just like you know mine, you idiot.”
Frowning, he took his position as guard. “Go back to sleep.”
I snorted, laughing as I lay back down. “Why? You wouldn’t enjoy someone to talk to for an hour?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” He snapped.
I yawned. “Okay then.” I closed my eyes, pretending to go back to sleep. After a few minutes in the silence, I heard him sigh.
“Fine....”
I sat up, the cuffs around my wrists clinking quietly. “So, how’d you hear about the Shadow patrol in the first place?”
He looked surprised that I already had a conversation ready. “My dad was part of it before he died.”
“Ah, so you got pulled into it. Is it fun?” I wasn’t surprised his dad had died- being in the patrol was a dangerous job.
The dark grey cat gave me a weird look. “Is that a trick question, or what?”
“Pffft,” I laughed. “No, it’s not. I’m just talking.” Looking up at him, I smiled. “Didn’t you want that?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He sat down beside me. “It’s just weird to be having a conversation with an outlaw.”
I kind of smiled. “It should be weird for me to talk to one of the patrol, shouldn’t it?”
Shrugging, he looked over at me. “Are you scared of much?”
“Nothing but the patrol.”
“Oh…” He looked awkwardly down at his hands.
Smiling, I leaned toward him slightly. “It’s alright.” My hand was itching to slip the key from his pocket but I wasn’t close enough to him. I might have to get out of my comfort zone… I pulled the blanket tighter around myself and scooted closer to him. “Are you scared of anything?” I looked up at him with bright orange eyes, blinking slowly.
Kore stiffened as my shoulder brushed his and he looked down at me. “Uhm…I don’t know.”
As our eyes met for a moment, my fingertips brushed the edge of his pocket. I leaned into him slowly, distracting him as my hand slipped into his pocket and pulled the key out. I rested my chin on his shoulder and looked up at him. “I know what you should be afraid of.”
“What?” he said, almost breathlessly as he looked at me, my face a mere inch away from his.
Suddenly I smiled. “Gustaf.” I stood up, letting the cuffs fall quietly onto the blanket, unlocked, and handed the key to him. “He’s going to kill you.” I was gone in a flash, my white pelt quickly disappearing in the dark of the night.
Kore’s mouth had been slightly ajar as I had given him the key and now he snapped it shut, suddenly snarling. “Gustaf! Whitefire’s escaped again!”
Suddenly, everyone in the camp was awake and Gustaf snarled as he came to stand in front of Kore. “And how, exactly, did she get away?”
“She stole the key from me, sir.”
The captain gave the patrol cat a menacing growl. “Why weren’t you able to catch her doing it?”
Kore paused, swallowing. “She was distracting me, sir.” He gritted his teeth as he heard some of the patrol chuckle at him.
“Well,” Gustaf snarled, grabbing Kore’s shirt collar. “You’d better not let her ‘distract’ you again!” He shoved Kore away, hissing. “If you don’t come back with her tied and in chains, you will find yourself put to death for helping a criminal escape!”
Kore was gone in an instant, grabbing the cuffs and attaching them to his belt before disappearing into the dark, tracking me.
