Ferox Femina

Three - The Chase

As Myla was running for her life, Cato was receiving the message of the attack as well as the information that a strange clawed woman was being chased through the forest. When he heard that bit of information, his previous decision to stay in the castle changed. He was going to join the chase.

"I want you to send a messenger to catch up to them. No harm is to come to her. Understand?" He strapped his sword onto his waist, grabbing a cloak as he headed out into the chilly night air. His men followed, Ellery nodding quickly and heading off to send a fast rider. Cato headed outside, hopping onto his horse which was waiting for him with a few others. Not caring to wait for backup, he took off.

Myla continued through the forest, deciding quickly that she'd be better off in panther form. Knowing she didn't have time to take her clothes off, she shifted as she ran and felt them tear as her body expanded and changed. Her cloak came unhooked and billowed out behind her, but she didn't dare look back. Her priorities were set and she sure as hell wasn't going to get caught and killed for her cloak.

Ducking under some fallen trees and leaping over others, she took the most difficult path she could find, hoping to lose the horses in the thick brush. She dodged boulders narrowly and leapt large bushes, trying her best to lose them.

When she could see the familiar large, overhanging cedar up ahead, she knew she'd outrun them, at least for the moment. Slinking beneath the low-hanging branches, she darted down the hole between the roots into the base of what looked to be a regular fox hole. In the ground, though, was a well-camouflaged trapdoor that led to her underground home. Before she could shift to open it, though, she heard rustling and turned, looking up through the tunnel.

There was the man she'd met, Cato, with the multicolored eyes. He stood there, looking down at her, studying her. He undoubtedly knew who she was; her own multicolored eyes would give her away any day. But she didn't understand why he was so bold to come so close to her home.

Resolving herself that they should not know about the trapdoor, she decided she'd have to chase him off. Hiding in her home wasn't an option; they'd just follow her or worse, trap her.

She looked up at the Lord, baring her teeth and striking out with claws outstretched in a threatening manner. He looked slightly shocked for a moment before regaining his composure.

"I'm not here to hurt you," He said softly, extending a hand out a few inches. She growled in response. Is he serious? She thought.

Inching her way up the tunnel, she continued growling in an attempt to scare him back. He didn't back up though, not until she struck out with one paw again. He took a few tiny steps back, though he had to crouch down to fit beneath the low branches. Lifting the one behind him, he retreated but stood still just beyond the needles.

His voice changed as he addressed his soldiers. "No harm is to come to her. Understand? I don't care if she's got me by the throat. No arrows fly and I sure as hell don't want to see any swords come out." His voice was no longer the soft, pleading one she'd heard just moments before. He was serious, and she knew this was the only voice his men knew him by.

He turned back to her, his eyes softening. "Please," He whispered, the word barely audible even to her advanced feline ears. She looked at him incredulously. Just because you said you wouldn't hurt me doesn't mean I can't hurt you.

Leaping a few feet forward, her head poked beyond the needles and she could feel all of the soldiers' eyes on her. She knew she was quite the sight. A 200 pound black cat wasn't something these men saw every day.

Cato took a few cautionary steps back, holding his hands out in surrender. She wasn't going to fall for his little sign of peace; she was no regular forest animal. She growled again, swiping her paw across the air, purposefully missing his leg by inches. He flinched back, but held his ground. She snarled menacingly, and her growl intensified. She was trying so hard to not have to hurt him, but he was really testing her. He moved slightly, startling her, and the instincts flashed in her head, overriding her human morals and sending her flying through the air.

Her claws extended, her legs stretched, and she could feel the wind whipping at her fur as she leapt with so much force it hurt her back legs. A quiet twang reached her ears just then, followed by a blood curdling screech and a soft thud as her body hit the forest floor a few feet away. The arrow had lodged deep into her shoulder, the momentum pushing her off her course. She realized the screeching came from her, and when she caught sight of the arrow buried so deep in her flesh, she knew it was bad. 

 Looking up, she saw Cato yelling in someone's face and then he caught her eye, coming towards her quickly. Before she could try to defend herself, the scene in front of her faded into black and she was left with nothing but pain.

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im sorry its so short but I felt like I got everything i wanted to into it so i decided just to post it

please give me love 

-saxx