The Hovering Ingress: The Hidden World

Chapter 42

Raging Shadow

Two Sune Cycles Later

Loud snarling and roaring sent Favi scrambling out of the nest, hearing the sound of clanging ringing in her ears. Quickly the lynx looked around to the cage, finding Xengu fighting the flabirs surrounding her as they tried to tie her down with the chains. The winter lynx's eyes widened with sudden fear and she ran up to the cage, waving her arms frantically.

"Stop! Leave her alone!"

The birds didn't give a care as they continued to fight the panther. Eventually they managed to pin her down and started tying her up, putting a muzzle over her snout. Favi watched with wide eyes before dashing after them past the cage as they started to drag the fighting panther out of the prison cave. Unfortunately, the lynx was sent flying back by the veil over the entrance. Grunting and tumbling on the ground, she was desperate to get back up and try again when someone quickly wrapped their arms around her and held her still.

Favi snarled and went to bite whoever held her down, then found that it was Marsh and held still quickly. The male lynx stared ahead as the female panted and calmed down, lowering herself.

"Sorry..." she grumbled.

"It's... fine. It's her cycle, after all. There's just... nothing we would have been able to do to stop it, anyway..."

The forest lynx let go of the winter lynx and they stared at each other before glancing to Jasar, who was jogging up to them sluggishly.

"Hah... what's going on now? I heard a bunch of noise but could barely get up until now..." the cat sighed.

"Xengu's about to have a battle. We have yet to be picked up to see what happens," Favi explained.

Jasar's eyes widened greatly and he flattened his ears against his head in fear.

"T-that's tosune?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, unfortunately so..."

The cat stared at the ground with wide eyes, quivering a little. He then took a deep breath and shook off the memories of his own battle.

"I'm sure she'll do fine. She always survives, somehow..."

"S-still, since she's so powerful, they might not even send in a bifer dog, they might send in something like a flabir, and we all know is that she could be burned to a crisp!" Favi yowled.

Marsh quietly put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently with a stunned gaze of horror. Remembering his recent incident, the winter lynx lowered her ears and sighed, patting one of his hands.

"S-sorry Marsh..."

"C-could we not talk about the fight like that? I... I want to think that whatever gets thrown at Xengu, that she'll survive, but when you say those things..." Jasar trailed off quietly.

"Sorry Jasar... I'm just so scared... you know they've been making a big deal out of her, and not just within the battles, outside of them too..."

There was a while of silence before Jasar quietly hugged Favi, his tail bristled and lowered to the ground. The winter lynx flicked her ears and sighed, leaning into him before he backed away.

"She'll do good. Let's hope for that."

The lynxes solemnly blinked to the tom as he sat down, still quivering. Everyone watched the prison entrance for a short while before a Sinister finally came to take them to the arena. The trip was fast, the ophoris seeming to be excited and earnest to see the fight, no matter that they were hypnotized into doing whoever's bidding. Once the felines were tossed into their sitting area, the Sinister left to join the other ophoree and flabirs, who all looked overly excited. They were jumping around and flailing their wings, banging into now not a veil, but a wall that extended into the sky.