CHAPTER FOUR
I kept searching, starting with a village that was in the area that the Polecats escaped into. I continued from there as news spread of robberies. If the robbers weren't the Polecats, I fought them anyway, leaving them unconscious in the main streets with their stolen loots among them.
One night, I was fixing a weathervane (I had knocked it over while racing across rooftops). I was just putting it back in its place when I saw something in the corner of my eye. I turned to see five figures running on houses; they were felines.
I dashed after them, leaping from roof to roof. I got to where I was two rooftops away when I was certain that they were Polecats. Not only did they look the same, but they sped up when they noticed me. I raced with them, zigzagging when they did and dodging if they threw something at me.
I caught up to one Polecat and grabbed their back leg, pulling them off of the roof and throwing them into the street below. The four others tried to go faster, but I soon caught two more. The last two made it out of the city before I could get them. They frantically chose a direction, charging into a neighboring jungle, but that was a bad idea.
I immediately jumped to the trees, going from branch to branch. Undergrowth slowed the Polecats down, making it all too easy to catch up. I hopped down, grabbing an ear on the way. The Polecat screeched as it fell, making the other one jump. I grabbed a low vine and ran loops around the standing Polecat, irritating it and tying it up. The other feline lunged at me, but I dodged and kicked the tied up cat over, ending the fight as the untied one tried to lift the other one up off of itself.
"Won't work," I said, and I nerve-attacked it. One Polecat remained, squirming helplessly. "Where is your leader?" I demanded. It gave me a glance and then looked to the ground. I growled, lifting its face to my glowering eyes. I let my claws sink into the Polecat's face, daring it to defy me. It winced and attempted to turn away, but I wouldn't let it.
"Again," I said, "where is Tui Dong?" The Polecat stayed silent, avoiding my eyes as it looked around. Then, for an instant, I could see its face perk up when it looked in a certain direction. It realized its face change too late as I turned to see. Another Polecat was there. A spy! The Polecat started to escape, but I stepped forward, instinctively moving my arms from the right to the left. Just in front of the Polecat spy, a vine lunged out. The spy couldn't stop in time and its face collided with the stiff vine. The spy fell to the ground, covering its face, as I tied it up and dragged it back.
I interrogated my new catch and found that they hadn't been trained very well at keeping secrets. A spy wouldn't need much of that training, I realized, if they were good at sneaking in and out without detection. The spy revealed that the Polecats were staying at a site in the mountains not far from the jungle. It had plenty of caves, as well as many boulders to hide behind.
I dropped the three off at a jail the following morning before journeying up the mountain. I knew Polecats would be watching for intruders, so I took several detours, slowly zigzagging closer to the peak. I came rather close to the top before spotting the base now below me. It was a very good vantage point, and had good hiding spots, but as I kept moving, I came to the weak point in their security: a ledge just above what seemed to be the main cave. I could see every Polecat guarding the hideout and most of the caves that the rest were occupying. I carefully peered underneath me into the main cave. Polecats walked around in the dim light of a distant campfire, unknowing of my trespassing.
I jumped down and carefully walked along the wall of the cave, hoping that they would only notice that I was a feline, like them; it worked. Several Polecats walked by, barely noticing me. I came as close as I dared to the blaze carefully managed by two of the thieves. Tui Dong sat nearby, drawing in the dirt with her nail. I calculated my chances with some scenarios, and decided, stepping forward with my claws drawn out.
"Tui Dong," I growled. The other Polecats looked and flinched, bewildered at my sudden appearance. I quickly put my plan to action, scattering and lighting the firewood. An effective wall of fire prevented backup from arriving. The eight trapped robbers prepared to fight, seven protecting their leader, who had stepped out of range.
"This is a surprise," Tui Dong said coolly, "you are rather persistent."
I hissed at her. "You killed my father," I said, "You killed my mother. Just for some coins and jewels. Now you will be stopped."
"What a speech," Tui Dong said, "but you are wrong."
Suddenly, all seven of her minions lunged at me. I dodged all of them and grabbed a Polecat by the claw, swinging it into two others. A feline jumped at me again. I grabbed its ears and flipped it over me. Then, still clenching its ears, I flipped over onto it and began slashing at its face.
A Polecat grabbed my flailing arms, but then I kicked its stomach as hard as I could and it released me as it flew back a few feet. Another thief carefully took me off the one I had slashed up, but that act gave them a dislocated arm. Two more Polecats ran at me. I slid by, snatching a leg as they passed. The one I hadn't tripped turned around just in time for me to slash its face. As it shrunk down, holding its head, I pinched a nerve cluster in its neck. One down, six to go.
A robber hit me from behind, knocking me down. I rolled away to avoid another attack and happened to go towards two other Polecats. I leapt up, kicking one feline's chin as I back-flipped onto the other's head. I grabbed its ears and thrust my perch into the wall, knocking the cat out. Five more.
I jumped towards three thieves, hissing fiercely. They all jerked away. Good. They fear me. I chased down one, making it trip and hit its head on the rock-littered floor. The dazed robber could not stop me as I knocked it out. Four.
Suddenly, two Polecats grabbed me. I twisted upside-down and kicked at them while also digging my claws into their arms. They let go, but another hand gripped my throat and held me up. It was the feline that now had a dislocated arm. He held me up with his other arm as another thief pulled out a dagger. I quickly grabbed the wrist that helped choke me and twisted in both directions, resulting in a sharp crack and relief in my neck. I landed on the ground and dodged the Polecat's swipes with her blade. I avoided her weapon until the feline that I had slashed up caught the neckline of my shirt. I tried to move but pain then burst through my left arm; the dagger protruded from it. For a second, all I could do was stand there, trying to contain the stinging ache. Then I exploded.
I flipped up, doing a split as I kicked both Polecats in the face. I took the dagger out and escaped an attack as I came to the cat with unusable arms. He tried to get up but I pinched a nerve and he collapsed, unconscious. Three.
I dodged another attack, kicking the thief over in escaping. I hurried to the cat that owned the dagger and returned the blade to their person, stabbing it in their left arm and pinching a nerve cluster. Two.
I tripped a feline attempting to strike from behind and threw a rock at the other remaining Polecat's head, hitting successfully. I sped over and knocked them out like the others. All was too easy now. One of Tui Dong's followers remained, wearily getting up, and Tui Dong herself was cowering near the fire barrier. Or was she?
I realized then that Tui Dong had been carefully moving the burning wood away from one wall so that she could escape and let others in. I raced towards her, pausing only to kick the last thief's head into the wall. The leader of the Polecats noticed me coming and finally finished her task, pushing away the final piece of lumber. Flames still licked at the wall, but Tui Dong was able to leap through untouched. I followed easily, seeing as I was smaller than her, and pursued, tossing anyone in my way.
Tui Dong ran on all fours outside and into the forest area. I stayed close, speedily knocking others out of my path. Soon it was just Tui Dong and I, dashing through the trees. She frequently looked behind her, and abruptly stopped in the middle of a clearing. I halted as well, but surveyed the area, a smile forming on my face.
Tui Dong took notice. "You think I would just run away without a plan?" she smirked.
"No," I said, "I see them."
The Polecat gritted her teeth, obviously thinking that her troops needed more training. "Attack!" She shouted anyway.
Several Polecats jumped out of the trees, landing gracefully and ready for battle. I grinned even more as I calmly said, "Let's do this."
The sun began to unite with the far hills as it sent rays of firelight across the sky. I enjoyed the view for a moment before turning back to the problem. I had tons of unconscious robbers, all tied securely and in their fortress, but what to do with them? I strolled through the mass, stopping at their leader who glared at me; I had kept her awake.
"What to do…" I teased. Tui Dong held her tongue, only keeping her gaze.
I walked along, thinking. Really… What now? What will I do with them? I sat on top of a boulder where I could see all of my captives. I had always thought that I would only be happy after Tui Dong had found her end like my parents, to be found dead and defeated, but now it seemed wrong. I knew why, though. When I was a child, I didn't really think. Death was death, nothing more. Just a word. But I have learned. I should not, and would not, kill anyone. Even people as despicable as the Polecats. So, I decided, standing, where is the nearest jail?
"It will not work," Tui Dong hissed as I finished the grueling task of getting all of the feline thieves to an area near the village's jail.
"Says you," I countered.
"You foolish child," she said, "we will be released. We work for someone more powerful than anyone you could ever know. They will easily get us out, and then I will hunt you down and make you wish that you were never born."
"Good luck with that," I grinned, "but at least people won't be bothered by you for a while."
With that final word, I raced over a hill and to the jail's entrance. Three guards instantly saw me and walked forward. I met them and said, in a childish voice, "Come! Come see!" I raced back up the hill as the confused guards followed. When they caught up at the top of the hill they gasped; the area at the bottom was littered with around 50 wanted thieves.
One guard knelt down to talk to me. "Do you know what happened here?" he asked.
I looked at him and used my normal voice, saying, "They learned not to mess with me." I suddenly knocked them all over and ran away, soon disappearing in the woods. They called after me, but I had no reason to stay. I was going home.
