Katrina

Chapter 9- The Box of Memories

"Well." The panther continued. "Now let's go to sleep for a while. We have a long night, tomorrow."

"Long night?" Katrina said, surprised. Suddenly she remembered. It was already night and it would be like that for many more hours. She put her hands to her head.

Aerdnah and Muqee laughed.

"Exactly, Katrina." Said Aerdnah. "So let's go to sleep. You come with me." She said, looking at her.

They left the cave they were in and walked a few steps around the outside of it. There, was Aerdnah's cave and just in front of it was Muuqe's cave.

"Do you two live here?"

"Yes." They answered in unison, looking at Katrina.

"Hey, I'm not saying that for any particular reason. I just asked." And she turned towards the caves, laughing softly.

Muuqe looked at Aerdnah.

"She's not laughing at us. She laughs because we are united, despite our differences. I feel it in her heart. I don't feel evil coming from her." The panther replied to the look of the horse.

"Well, you have the gift of reading hearts, because I thought she was laughing at our houses!"

The two walked after Katrina towards the caves.

"Katrina, here." Said Aerdnah, nodding to her cave. "Good night, Muuqe."

"Good night, girls." He replied.

The two lay on the ground and Katrina approached the panther to warm up. Aerdnah felt uncomfortable for a second but then calmed down and fell asleep. They were sleeping for a long time when Katrina woke up. When she opened her eyes she saw that Aerdnah was still next to her and she snuggled a bit more.

"Aerdnah, are you awake?" She asked.

No response.

"Aerdnah." She asked again a little louder.

She still didn't answer. Well then. Katrina thought. How boring. She couldn't last two minutes stitting still since she was a very curious girl.

She got up and went to the entrance of the cave and looked around to the sides. She could see that the moon was much brighter than in her own dimension, but still wasn't bright enough to see clearly. She looked at it and watched with curiosity, realizing that the moon seemed to give off a kind of aureole or interspersed rays that made it give off more light than usual. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts and enjoying the beauty of that place that she had completely forgotten that her dress was no longer the same one she had worn when she got there.

She looked herself up and down and a smile escaped her lips when she saw that her new clothing fit like a glove. It had on it a kind of short pants up to half a thigh made with leaves of plant interspersed in a way that gave the impression that it was lycra. The top was the same, wearing a long-sleeved shirt made of the same material with which she showed her young, flat belly a little. It felt good with it on.

She slipped out of the cave and headed towards Muuqe's. She entered in the same way and could observe the shape of the horse lying on the ground with his legs up and flexed and snoring. This is the rarest horse in history. She thought, and kept going. She passed delicately by his side trying not to wake him up and felt there was something further inside the cave. She went a little closer and saw a rock that Muuqe used as a table, and on top of it was a box. This one was carved by hand with wood. It had a hollow shape and was supported by two wooden supports that also kept it from touching the table. She felt it and noticed that it had a small hole for a lock.

"Who's there?" Asked the horse, scared.

"Shhh! Muuqe! It's me!" Whispered Katrina as loudly as possible.

"What a fright! What are you doing here at this hour!" He said, whispering in the same way.

"I couldn't sleep and I came here." She answered.

"What's wrong? Did you miss me?" He chuckled.

"Yes, very funny." She said. "Hey Muuqe, what's in there? Is it a box? I can't tell exactly what it is."

"In the end, Aerdnah will be correct in saying you're a gossip." He laughed.

"Aerdnah doesn't say that." She replied, amazed by what he'd just said.

"You're right. It's what I say."

"Muuqe, it's not that I'm a gossip. It seems to me it's the most normal thing to want to know everything about a different dimension, which I didn't even know existed. As well as dragged into the water by a huge horse that suddenly appeared. Just want to know what I'm going to tell everyone when I return to my world."

"That box contains my memories." He said in a serious tone.

"Your memories?"

"Yes, every so often I keep my memories in the box so that in the future, the new generations have the story of how our world changed. The arrival of Xer marked a before and after in this land, since it was the first time a human came here."

"But then they stay there saved and you lose your memory?"

"No, they remain in my memory too, but I want it to be a record of what started the first possible war of our world. I keep them simply to be recorded in the story."

"Muuqe... But that way they'll think that all humans are the same... We're not all like that."

"I know Katrina, and I'll make sure the truth will stay that way." He smiled. "Well now, go to sleep before Aerdnah wakes up and sees that you're not there. She's going to scream into the sky and I don't feel like listening to her being angry."

"Okay." She replied, and went to the exit of the cave. When she was in the middle of the road she stopped and saw in the distance an emerald light, the same color as Aerdnah's eyes. She entered the cave quickly and called the panther.

"Aerdnah!" She whispered again. "Aerdnah, wake up!" She said again, moving Aerdnah's body.

"What? What's wrong, Katrina?" She answered, scared.

"Aerdnah, there is a green light in the distance."

"A green light?" She said, rising on all fours, and left the cave.

"There!" Katrina said, sprinting after her. "There!" She pointed with her finger.

"There is Xer's castle, but what is that light? Call Muuqe fast!"

Katrina came running where he slept peacefully. "Muuqe wake up!"

The horse gave a start. "What's wrong?!" He said waking up, scared.

"Come, run!" She said and ran out of the cave. He followed her and saw Aerdnah, and trotted toward her after Katrina.

"Muuqe." Said the panther. "Look at that light."

The horse looked surprised. "That... That's Xer's house, right? What's that light?"

"I don't know, Muuqe, and I don't know if it's safe to go check what it is. It seems a little dangerous to me."

"Aerdnah." Katrina said. "I think we should go and see what it is. If that light has never been there and now it is, I'm sure it's a good reason to go check what it is. Don't you think?"

"Yes, but..."

"There are no buts, Aerdnah." Katrina said, cutting her off. "I've come here to save your world, or at least try to. So let's get started."

"Katrina is right." The horse commented. "I think that the girl has to start the practice already. We've already told her enough. Let's begin."

The panther nodded.