The Hovering Ingress: The Hidden World

Chapter 10

Stalking Eyes

The Next Sune Cycle

Xengu perked her ears as she listened to the sounds of the town up ahead rise in volume. Last night Marsh hadn't returned to Mender's Den and Jasar nearly had a panic attack, so the panther took it upon herself to find the lynx. The only problem was that she had no idea where he went, since she left to explore Fulgor's Island before he left the cave. Frustrated, she scratched the fur behind her ear and continued walking, trying to block out the sounds of the town that was close by. Who knew that they could be so loud? Quietly, she sped up her pace as she walked by buildings, knowing how large towns could be. Her paws moved quietly on the dirt ground, not intentionally, but she always took note of the shuffling of her paws. Without intention of taking in the scenery, the dark feline decided to look around at her surroundings. Looking to her left, she found herself unintentionally looking directly into a few canines' eyes. They would stare at her in return for a moment before returning to their business. One however, a young pup, decided to follow her.

Her yellow eyes widened and immediately she started running, not wanting to talk anyone and only to continue her mission. She didn't pay attention to whether the pup was still following her, the panther just continued running, heading straight for the forest. Her paws thundered on the ground as she ran, and she noticed how fast she was going, the trees having rushed up to her. Losing stamina, she stumbled and nearly fell over, adjusting herself and stopping to breathe. Xengu panted for a few moments, then stood up and looked at the trees, her ears flattening as she noticed how they towered over her. She would have to figure out how she was going to get used to it. With a small sigh, she took a step forward, only to have a small bark follow her movement and she flinched. A small hiss escaped her, and she turned around, finding the same pup from before, still panting.

"You're one of the felines that came from the lowlands, right?!" He asked, throwing a finger at her.

The panther squinted her eyes at the young pup, who still gave her a determined gaze.

He looked much like a wolf, but the panther immediately noticed the friendly shaped eyes and determined him a husky. With a small shake of her head, she rolled her eyes.

"Do I look like any kind of canine?"

The pup opened his mouth but found himself unable to defend himself, his stance faltering. A small snort escaped the winged feline and she turned toward the trees, marching toward them. It was just before she took a step into the brush that she felt teeth dig into her tail. With a yowl, she whipped around and lashed her tail, ripping it out of the pup's mouth, a few clumps of fur still clamped in his jaws.

"What do you want?" She snarled, her fangs baring.

"You can't go in there! It's Spy's Forest, it's dangerous..."

"One thing for sure, pup," the panther spat, "is that I can defend myself pretty well the last time I checked. And for all I know, my friend could be in there, I haven't seen him since yestersune morning. Now scram so I can find him."

Turning on her heel, she took another step into the brush.

"Wait!"

Xengu quietly spat a curse and turned toward the husky pup, who bounded up to her.

"I want to come with you," he barked determinedly.

"What other choice do I have, you're a leech on my tail," the dark feline growled, rolling her eyes once again.

The young pup's tail wagged excitedly as he watched the panther continue forward, then ran after her. With seeking eyes, the feline looked around deeply, and her fur bristled a little as she started to feel eyes stare her down. Hearing a whoosh of air move, she hissed, and her wings flared, the panther putting an arm in front of the pup. He shivered a little and backed up against her wing, watching as the female scanned the trees above. After a while of silence, she relaxed herself slightly and moved her hand away from the husky. With a rumble, Xengu shook herself and continued forward, flicking her gaze around before finding a brown patch of fur. She stared at it with uncertainty, squinting her eyes and taking a few steps toward it. Not wanting to assume things, she walked around the bush that hid the body and sighed with relief.