Spirit Animals 2: Hunted

Chapter 12 :Voices

XOXOthalicogirl: Meilin! Do the disclaimer, please.

Meilin: Can't Abeke do it?

XOXOthalicogirl: Just do it.....

Meilin: (huffs) XOXOthalicogirl does not in any way own anything except Lillyana.

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THE FIRST THING ABEKE NOTICED WHEN SHE WOKE UP WAS that it was not quite morning. The room was still blue-edged and black-shadowed, though birds sang thinly outside. The second thing she noticed was that the door was cracked open, and what looked like Uraza's tail was disappearing through it. Presumably following the rest of Uraza.

As Abeke pushed herself up and blinked, trying to decide if she had seen the leopard leave, she heard a faint pad-pad-pad-pad and saw Kunaya's dark form trot out into the hall too.

"Uraza!" hissed Abeke, shooting a glance at the lump that was Meilin's sleeping form. This was not the place to go wandering. But the leopard didn't return.

"Mwuwuh?" Meilin asked the room sleepily.

"Uraza's in the hall," Abeke replied in a hushed whisper. "I'm going to get her."

"Mwuf. Need help?" Even half-asleep, Meilin sounded a little suspicious of Abeke creeping out of the room so early.

"I am all right!"

"Mwufay." The other girl turned back into her pillow.

Abeke headed down the hall. She could smell the faint scent of bread baking - the bakers up early. Maybe that was what had lured the big cat out of the room. It took her a moment to glimpse the forms of the two cats disappearing around a corner.

"Uraza!" she hissed once more. But she didn't dare to do it again. If there was a law against leaving your bedroom door open, surely there was a law against sneaking around while no one else was up. She had no choice but to slink after the two cats.

Closed doors lined the high-ceilinged hall, and every few yards was an alcove containing something unexpected and magical: a delicate water fountain trailing water over carvings, a cage of sleeping canaries, a pillowed chair with lion's paws, a tree covered with white blossoms.

Uraza paused at the next corner, her lavender eyes keen. She wanted the girl to know that she wasn't trying to be disobedient. This was no helter-skelter chase through a castle. This time, Uraza was leading her.

Crouching low, Abeke silently caught up to Uraza. Together, the two cats and the girl made their way past the black rectangles of closed doors. From the way the leopard stalked -pausing every few steps - it seemed she wasn't quite sure where she was going or what she was looking for.

The hall grew lighter. Gradually Abeke realized she could hear the dull murmur of voices coming from inside one of these many rooms. From the thrashing of Uraza's tail, this was what she had been looking for. They scouted back and forth, trying to get closer, until Abeke found a long, skinny room. Devin Trunswick paced back and forth, mumbling to himself. "Cat gotcha tongue?" said a sassy female voice. "Devin glared at a girl with long copper hair. Conor said his sister had that color hair before. Could it be? The girl laughed and added "I don't know where he is, Devin. And, even if I did, which I don't, I still wouldn't tell you." "Lillyana! ENOUGH!" Devin yelled, but Lillyana didn't look phased. "I don't have time to sit here and watch you, but you get away from every guard I leave you with! How?! I don't know. But your not going anywhere until we find her!"

"I think we just did," a voice with a Niloan accent said behind her as two hands grabbed her wrists and yanked her to her feet.

"Karmo," Devin said, as if he couldn't decide to be happy or not. "Lillyana and I were just having a chat about her behavior."

"Lousy chat," Lilly grumbled. Devin shot her a look. "Anyway," she continued, "Why do you need her? I mean Conor I'd understand, being he summoned a Spirit Animal when you couldn't , a Great Beast no lest-" "Shut up!" Devin whispered to Lilly, but she kept going "-embarrassing you in public and all and the fact he's your mortal enemy, but what do you have against her?" "Yeah, why am i here?" Abeke said aloud as Uraza snaked around jer feet. Devin said "Put Uraza back in passive form first." Once that was done, Karmo whispered to her, "We're here to take you home."

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Hey! So we're up to 14 views when I'm writing this so, I mean I wasn't expecting any at all so I'm happy!

Next chapter will be the fight for the talisment I think.

XOXO,

thalicogirl