Maze of Darkness: Hear Me Now

Chapter Nine: Trial

Something cold and foggy encased my brain, and all those sparking memories as well. A breeze of warm air gently enfolds me in its arms before letting me fall. I see nothing but the blackness. Where am I? I pull together the scraps of everything I still have. We are in the maze, no one knows why, other than the oldest cats here. Caleo is their healer. He told me it would try to fix my head, but am I fixed if I can't see?

The ground reaches up to get me, solid rock pressing all the air from my lungs. I urge my eyes to open a crack, but that is all they do. Peering through blurry vision, I can only tell that we are in some room, one that is definitely not empty. A few voices pass between my ears, but the pain in my head, that feels the same as before. I can't tell what they are saying, but the hushed mews must be exchanging important messages.

I close my eyes and lay limp on the ground to save myself the strain of holding myself up. Near me, someone coughs, a deep echo riveting through the smooth cavern. Someone a little father away speaks, and from what I hear, also sounds like it is interrupting.

"Who is this?" the voice squeaks, sounding like a she-cat, and a young one at that.

The deep voice steps in again, the loud sound stinging my ears. "This is Furze, a new entry to the maze. A patrol found him in the Water Cave, and now we have to figure out what to do with him."

A wave of nose washed pass, but I am unable to pull out anything that I can understand. I moan, rolling onto my side, but the crowd doesn't seem to notice. Their chatter eventually dies down with a yowling tom. "Quiet, everyone!" he shouts, even as they don't seem to hear him. The last few meows are hushed by angry hisses from the crowd as he tries to continue.

"He has a debt to us," the tom begins again, but is interrupted.

"Make him tell us about the Clan!" someone yells, sound cracking in the air. It sounds like a tom, maybe a young warrior in age. "What is going on up there?"

"Shush!" The large tom sounds like he is speaking directly to me. A wet nose, and tuft of fur brush against my ear. I peek open my eyes, seeing a great, ragged tom staring down at me. "Oh, you are awake," he whispers, then lifts his head to face the group.

A few murmurs ripple, silenced at a flick of his tail. "Cats of the Maze," he announces. "He will stay with us. Once he is awake and well, Furze will tell us of the Clan, of the family we left behind."

Cheers roar from them, and once again something digs into my back, lifting me up. But this time I am ready. I throw back my head, fangs bared. A golden cat, the one who was trying to grab me, backs up a pawstep. His head falls beside his paws, pretending to look afraid. Instead, I spring into action, letting my claws slide out to show everyone that I can be fierce.

I swish my tail threatening from side to side, puffing my fur up to look bigger. The ache in my head disappears as adrenaline and fear rush it at the same time. My claws flash one more time, the audience going silent. A few hushed meows run through the air that has grown chilly. Shivers attack my insides, racking through my hollow chest. Then, without thinking, I pounce.

My claws meet flesh before the rest of my body, warm blood trickling down. The cat steps back further, glancing behind its path as I press the helpless piece of fur backwards. "What is going on here?" I demand, trying to keep my trembling voice firm. "Tell me now!"

"We-we b-brought you h-here to s-s-save you," the cat stutters. From its voice, it must be a young tom, older than myself for sure. I swivel my ears, hearing another cat approach behind me. His footsteps are light, almost feathery.

"There is more," I say, my voice stern. "Why was I brought here, to this gathering or sorts? Who are you all?"

The golden tom stops pacing backwards, one of his feet pawing the empty air at the edge of the platform. "I- I swear there is an explanation for this! Just let me-"

I don't let his finish. Instead, the pressure in my hind legs releases, propelling me forward. I feel alive, even as his body loses life at my claws. I slice upward, right above his eye. The attack does just enough damage to by me some time. Other cats, the ones watching me, have all rose silently to their feet, a single note held between them. I notice their eyes are closed.

Flailing my paws against the ground for a moment, I manage to turn around, and begin a dash. Speed builds up around me, wind roaring as I displace it. A feeling of excitement and relief passed through me, my heart light. It feels like no one can catch me now, as I press onward, faster than ever before. The pain releases its grip on me, freeing me from a cage that I have been held in for all too long.

The tunnel I burst through begins to branch out, thinning as I push on straight forward. My pawsteps bounce off the walls, making it feel like I am a whole army, hundreds of cats in one. A feeling of relish swells through me, touching the chilled pads of my paws with a thick warmth. But soon it is gone. The echos are not just mine.

I glance back carefully, the out most section of my sight seeing them. A stream of cats charge through the dim light, their pelts blurry into a surging sea of fur. I let out a soft mrrow, waving my tail as in to taught them. They snarl in reply, fangs cutting a white light through the dark. Turning back, I put on a burst of tired ache slowly comes back as much as I wish it wouldn't, but still I press forward.

For a moment I am a feather, lighter than air, stronger than the tides. I drift in a current of air they create. They push me forward even when trying to catch me, and it is marvelous. I would laugh in their faces, but the poor fools understand nothing. The ground seems to disappear under the tiring strokes of my paws, but these cats don't give in just yet.

From the tips of my vision I see cats disappear, darting into other tunnels. My heart drops into my stomach. They know these tunnels better than me. Surely I will be a bit of prey for them, the kit that got away. There is no way I can make it out now.

As I am about to screech to a halt, someone joins me at my side. Not someone with snarls and claws out to kill me. No, it is Valos, standing taller than me, her golden paws gleaming with hope. I look up at her, she looks at me. Our eyes meet for a moment, a soundless thought passing between us. She is helping me escape.

"Go," she whispers, her nose tickling my ear. "I'll catch up in a moment. Until then, run where to ground slopes up. Only forward, Furze. I will meet you there." Her white pelt disappears from my side.

A bit confused, I run faster. She stops, moving further and further behind me with each step I take. But I know she will be back, I can feel it. She shouts something at the cats. The thundering paws stop, leaving me the dwell in the light thumps of my weary pads, the shriek of unsheathed claws on rock. Her voice rises up behind me, and I cling onto it for power.

"Cats of the Maze," her faded voice commands. "What is going on? I told you to have a trial, not let to prisoner escape!"

For a second I almost whip around to shout at her. Prisoner? I thought they were helping me! Why would they do this? I push that one thought back into my brain, but it throws two words back at me. The game. It controls not even the actions we mean to do, but everything within us.

But I press it all away. She is only making a diversion to slow that down. The other cats mutter just enough for me to her them. She starts to speak against, but I am far enough to hear nothing. Just as she said, the ground begins to slope upward. It is subtle at first, with hardly a difference. However, soon that changes.

Pressing on, I haul myself up the incline. Each pawstep brings a shot of pain through my raw lungs. The adreniline that once sped me up now leaves a hollow gap in my body. Energy seeps from me and into the frozen ground below. Finally the ground flattens, breath staggering from me, gasping for air.

Up ahead is something new, a simple thing restored now to its full glory. Who knew something so plain, once taken away and then brought back, could be so wonderful. This beauty escapes my words, drifting up like a butterfly. Up ahead is sunlight.