Chapter 10, Marietta and the bath
Robin was running at a swift and steady pace. He wasn't going fast, probably seven MPH. Shadowflight followed behind him. Loads of dark grey clouds plagued the sky, promising the rain that only came in summer.
He looked back at Shadowflight. Sweat was trickling down her forehead, and Robin wished the clouds would pour down upon them.
He decided to think about what city they were nearing. About twenty three miles away was Riverside, a town about as big as Burleyville, just a little more modern. Then the nearest town would be Sharpeagle, a huge one, the biggest on this side of the world, and after that Wallpall, a tiny town so old and dejected you could barely call it a town.
They padded swiftly on in silence. Their quiet determination would awe any onlooker.
And after about seven miles some onlookers did appear.
There was four of them, traveling the opposite direction of Shadowflight and Robin. They were just flecks in the distance at first, before they appeared.
One was a beagle, and a female cheetah stood there too, with a tiny pony. The last one was an old graying leopard.
"Hey there!" Wheezed the old leopard, foul breath flying from his lungs. "Two young'ens on a love trip?"
"Grandpa," Said the female cheetah irritably. Her voice was soft yet strong, almost like music.
"My named Marietta," she added. Her eye brows and eyelashes were very dark.
"Hi…uh…Marietta," Robin said. He nodded casually, "This is great. Awesome."
She gave him a look with pierced lips, "You're a male," she meowed, "I can smell it."
"Smell it?" He asked stupidly.
"Excuse him please," Shadowflight said rudely, shoving Robin away, "He really doesn't have social skills."
"I think he's fine that way," Marietta said.
Shadowflight was aware of the passing time, and shuffled her feet. "Well nice to er…meet you, but we have a destination."
"Where?" Marietta asked in her soft voice.
Shadowflight paused and sighed. "Somewhere," she said.
"That doesn't tell me anything," Marietta said sweetly.
Shadowflight slammed her paw into her cheek, and her beautiful head snapped to her side.
"Shadowflight!" Robin sounded astounded. "Come on, we have to get going."
"Where are you going?" Marietta demanded, this time more sharply.
Shadowflight writhed in Robin's grip. "You shut up," she snapped, "You brainless git without even enough brains to fill an eggcup."
She looked flustered, and blinked her big eyes, looking incredibly stupid.
"Please move!" Robin said desperatly.
"No!" she whined, "Not until you tell me where you're going!"
"Well it isn't really any of your business," Robin tried to begin.
Shadowflight kicked Robin hard so she flew from his grasp and leaped over at Marietta. She slammed needle-filled paws into the cheetah's neck. Marietta tripped, flailing on the ground and Shadowflight scored her over and over with sharp things.
"Off you get!" Robin shouted, dragging her off the female and dropping her.
Marietta leaped to her feet. Shadowflight looked into a patch of bushes and saw several eyes looking back at her.
"STREET GUYS!" she screamed, mostly to just scare Marietta. The street cats leaped from the bushes and fell, snarling onto the animals.
Shadowflight kicked one coming at her hard in the ribs, then took flight easily, Robin with her. She looked down to see three Street Guys all over Marietta, hurting every bit of her body.
"Shadowflight," Robin growled later, "You were horribly rude back there."
"So what!" Shadowflight snarled, flying faster to be ahead of him.
The rain started a few minutes later, pelting both animals' pelts with icy droplets. It started slowly, but soon became a heavy pour.
Shadowflight and Robin landed because it was almost impossible to fly in the rain, and trotted into the city a little later. Most all of the animals were tucked in their holes, eating Micemorsel, but Robin and Shadowflgith moved on….
The words spun around Shadowflight's head: moved on. They kept walking, kept moving, even whatever happened…
They paid ten carrots for a tiny room in a large hole for all kinds of traveling animals. (AN: a motel)
Shadowflight looked around the room. There was a tiny hole leading into darkness in one corner, a place to make your dirt of course, and a single bed of thoroughly washed carrot leaves.
Shadowflight slumped onto the bed with a weary sigh. Robin made his dirt then padded over beisde her and immediately started cleaning his fur.
"Shadowflight," he told her, "You stink so bad not even two tongues could rid you of that smell." He got up and padded to a far corner, and dipped his nose into a pool of freshly cleaned water.
"This is called a bathtub," He said, "It's mostly for animals that don't clean themselves with their tongues, but you can still use it.
Shadowflight stood up and trotted over. She leaped into the water and let out a yowl.
"It's so hot!"
"Yes I know. Calm down. It's supposed to be that way."
He flopped onto the bed and listened to Shadowflight splashing around. Finally she got out, and shook her fur so hard Robin was rained on.
"No," he grunted, "You use the towel," he flicked his nose at a greenish towel hanging beside the bathtub,
Shadowflight rubbed against it then padded over to him, and cleaned her fur again.
Robin looked into the bathtub, maybe he could take one too. But it was filled with murky brown water….ew…
He lay down on the bed.
Shadowflight rolled over on her back, staring at the roof and listening to the sounds of other animals shifting in their rooms. Her last sensations before she drifted asleep was the drip of water and the feeling of Robin's fur pressed against hers….
Okay, I would right more but it's almost 1:00 AM and I can barely stay awake. Who liked the chapter? Please review! Wait, let me say that –yawn- again: REVIEW!