Mue shook in fear in front of Boreen. "What did you do Mue?" Boreen felt his face going flush with anger. He snapped his paw out at her, grabbing her by the throat.
"I, I'm," Boreen squeezed tighter as Mue began to cough.
"Speak up, I can't understand you." He saw the blood dripping from the puncture holes his claws created. She continued to try to speak until she started to blackout. Boreen only lets her go and fall to the ground. "I said explain yourself Mue."
"I lead the resistance." Boreen's only response was a swift kick to her face. Spitting up blood she continued, "I thought you killed my father. I," She paused for a moment "I couldn't bring myself to ask you. But now, now I'm too close." Boreen had his foot ready to kick her again when he stopped.
"Why Mue, what changed your mind." He waited for a response, but before Mue responded he felt a sharp pain in his side. He strained his neck to look at his back. An arrow hung out of his back. Grabbing the arrow in a panic he yanked it only to feel barbs rip his flesh as it came out. Turning to look at Mue he opened his mouth to speak, and collapsed.
Mue sprung up as quickly as she could, blood dripping from her face and mouth. She grabbed the arrow, recognizing it instantly. It was a poison barb arrow from the top archer in the resistance. The poison was enough to kill with just a scratch and yet it was still barbed to force the wound to become bigger allowing the poison to spread faster. Boreen only had forty minutes to live without the cure. She had some back at her house, but that was a thirty-five-minute sprint from where they were now. As she started to get back to her feet she heard a crack from behind her.
"You did well Mue." She recognized the voice as the lead archer, the man with the barbed arrows. "Leave the body for me. You should go back to the village, we wouldn't want you suspected." She felt the man's hand touch her shoulder. In a flash, she spun, the arrow still in her grasp, and slammed it into the base of his neck. The man's eyes got large. "Why he can have you killed for what you have done if he lives."
"I will face that when the time comes." Mue let go as the body dropped to the ground. Turning to Boreen, she picked him up onto one of her shoulders and began to run as fast as she possibly could.
Interlude
"No!"
"What is it little kitten?"
"Papa Torrik, great great great papa Boreen can't die here. How are you alive papa Torikk?"
"Just listen to the story, little kitten."
"Ok papa Torikk, but Mue is dumb" The old grey cat chuckled and began his story again.
