Spirit's Journey

CHAPTER 70- Midnight: She Doesn't Realize

My paws shook, my pulse racing as I stared at the brown dog and back down to my paws again. He led us through many 'alleys,' as Aspen had called them, and all the while silently.

The dog was tall, with droopy jaws and lean legs. There was a small hunch on his back that you could barely see as he stood tall, and short ungroomed red-brown fur. Shadow looked older because his eyes had wrinkles and there was white hairs appearing around his nose.

After sneaking around many corners and escaping the sounds of an ear-piercing, wailing death-trap, my fur was finally starting to settle down. Spirit's shoulders and ears were lowered, as if she were glad of the escape but ashamed by the close encounters of it.

I wished I could talk to her and tell her that this brown, floppy eared dog with droopy jowels was the one from Spirit's dream! Well, mine too- the second one where I'd had my own perspective. This was all apart from the occasional nightmares with wolves in them.

Spirit seemed to have a mind that this dog seemed familiar, but I didn't really believe she knew it was the one from her dreams. She never knew at first, anyways. How could she remember when the dream had occured long ago, before the mountains?

"Where do you think he's taking us?" Aspen asked, his fluffy orange tabby flank brushing mine. His head was low as we passed around a brick wall that was crumbling, human voices drifting from the stone paths close by.

"I don't know, but he's kept us away from humans so far." Aspen's closeness distracted me from Spirit for a few more minutes, until I realized the human smells were fading and forestry was close by.

As soon as we crossed into the cover of trees onto a hill, Shadow, the brown dog from the dream, stepped forward and dipped his head slightly.

"Hello. Why are you cats here in the city?"

Immediately I was awed. The dog's voice sounded odd compared to cats, a bit more short and gruffer but easy to understand. Shadow's companion who had led us from the human nests sat down next to him now, so they were both waiting.

Spirit cleared her voice and moved a step forward but her head was still down. Behind her, Fallan puffed and occasionaly moaned in pain. Pity and worry washed over me, but all I could do for the moment was twitch my tail and wait.

"We're traveling right now, and we need to get to the hills on the other side." Spirit looked attentive but tired, her fur slightly lifted as if she were worried. I had a feeling she didn't like being so close to an animal that looked so much like a wolf.

"This city is very long. If you wanted to get through without being caught by humans, you would have to go further upland." Shadow was worried, it seemed, but friendly. His ears and fur were relaxed, and as I stared I realized he had once been a muscular and long-legged sleek dog, but now his fur was a bit unkempt and tipped with white around his eyes and muzzle. This feature seemed to define him, though, and make him look wiser. Shadow's tail, I noticed, was always standing up while the other dog's were low.

Spirit clearly didn't know what to say, so silence filled the air.

Say something friendly back, I willed. The golden cheetah's blue eyes soon met brown ones.

"Would you show us there?" Was all the she said. My paws tingled with uncertainty. Why didn't she see this was Shadow, the last missing piece to take to Cheetah Pride?

But the brown dog looked thoughtful, to my faint suprise. Almost as if he'd been expecting this, and soon I was holding my breath while the tall red-brown dog stared at Spirit.

His words are slower now, less clipped and full of kindness.

"Of course. We'll lead you through to the other side tomorrow. It'll only take until morning if we make a sunset start."