Chapter Eleven

A Friendly Hand

They were close. There was no denying that one, solid fact. The river was widening, ghostly hints of civilization danced in the foliage around them, and the trees were thinning. Raven had no idea how much farther they had to go, but they kept running on regardless.

It was as the sun began to fade that they stumbled upon something unexpected. A village, shielded behind a wall of dense shrubbery, was sprawled along the riverside. Right in their path. While Raven knew there were little villages around, as she could hear the sounds of civilization singing among the under-story, they were still typically a ways off from the main river, usually set up along nearby streams according to Garfield. So it came as quite a surprise when Raven pushed her way through a shrub only to come face-to-face with a string of houses.

The two crouched behind the wall of shrubs, listening carefully to the clamor around them.

"Did you know this was here?" Raven asked, her voice a hoarse whisper. Garfield's tail flicked agitatedly, his ears pointed forward as he peered through the foliage.

"Yeah, sort of. The village was a little farther back last time I was here. I guess they moved."

Raven shot him a blank stare. "What?"

"Yeah, they were closer to the mouth of the river about month ago." He shrugged, nonchalant as he watched the village. Raven let out a huff, turning back to the shrub. Once again, she was struck by the oddity that was this...place she was lost in. Last she knew, villages didn't jump locations on a whim. Then again, she didn't really know anything, with her memory a bottomless pit of darkness.

"I have an idea."

She broke away from her little reverie to glance back at Garfield, who smirked with a small air of confidence.

"Oh?" she asked. "And what would that be?"

He nodded to the village. "I know someone, a friend. She can probably get us a boat, or some other transportation out of here."

Raven blinked. "Do you know everyone?"

"What do you mean?"

She snorted. "You seem to know quite a few people."

Garfield chuckled. "I like making friends," he said with a shrug. The amused expression faded away moments later, and Garfield gave her a serious look. "Stay here, and don't move unless there's trouble. I'll be back." He melted into a cat and prowled off under the bushes and out of sight.


It was dark when Garfield returned.

His fuzzy green head poked out of the shrub next to her, his whiskers twitching as he let out a quiet meow. Raven reached out and stroked behind his ears before he slipped back into the foliage.

"Garfield?"

She heard a rustle, followed by another meow. An overwhelming desire to follow came over her, and she obliged by crawling through the shrub after him. He remained in cat form, leading her through the quiet streets of the town. It was a strange little village, with little squat houses that seemed to be made of the surrounding flora. Soft, glowing lamps were strung along the streets, though no flames flickered within. Raven got the odd sense that the place was enchanted, but she wasn't sure how or why.

Garfield led her to a house on the edge of the village, situated in a corner closer to the forest. It was a quaint little cottage, with creeping vegetation crawling up the walls and rooftop, with what appeared to be a tree growing out of it, as though its trunk was the chimney. Garfield padded up to the front door and began to scratch at it, meowing. A moment or two passed before the door creaked open a crack, and a pair of gleaming pink eyes peered out.

Raven heard Garfield purr loudly, garnering the attention of the cottage's mysterious resident. The glowing eyes disappeared, and the door swung open further, allowing Garfield inside. The werecat paused at the threshold, turning his gaze to her. Raven felt his desire for him to follow, and so she slipped through the doorway after him.

Low candlelight lit up the darkened cottage. It had very simple decor; a wooden table with chairs took up a food portion of the space, settled atop of a soft woolen rug. There were vines crawling up and down the walls, matching the exterior. On the other side of the room, a gnarled tree trunk and its mess of roots surrounded an earthen hearth. It was a very odd sight to see, and Raven wondered how it never caught on fire.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet the girl everyone's chattering about."

Raven whirled around, finally getting a real glimpse of Garfield's friend. She was...different. Cat-like, calculating eyes dominated a pale and feline-like face. Her skin was alabaster, like Raven's, but it had a pinker tinge in the candlelight. In fact, everything about the girl's features was pink; sharp, pink eyes and wild matching hair. The strange colors and cat-like features made Raven wonder if she too was a werecat, but she didn't voice her questions. Instead, Raven dipped her head and smiled politely.

"Likewise," she said. Garfield chose then to appear next to her in his human form, presumably disappearing to clothe himself.

"Thanks, Jen, really."

The girl, Jen, waved her hand dismissively. "No need to get mushy, Gar. Just explain to me why exactly you're helping out a fugitive."

Raven raised a brow, shooting Garfield a glance. He graced her with a sheepish grin, at which Raven rolled her eyes. Jen spoke the truth of course, Raven was apparently a fugitive, but she wasn't exactly fond of being referred to as such.

"Well...she helped get that collar off..." He trailed off, visibly shuddering. Raven felt a wave of compassion for the werecat, memories of when they first met flickering across her mind. She could feel Jen's inquisitive stare on her, and Raven met her gaze boldly. The girl nodded slowly, and Raven could feel the cloud of hostile emotions ebbing.

"Fine. I'll let you stay. But don't make a racket, alright?"

Garfield grinned. "Thanks, Jen! Really, this means a lot."

Jen rolled her eyes. "Whatever cat-boy. Now excuse me, I need to make the mayor's potion." She brushed past them and to her tree-hearth. In a flash, the girl had a pot brewing with strange smelling substances.

Raven turned her attention to Garfield, who'd settled in a nearby chair. "So, I'm guessing she's a witch?"

He shrugged. "More or less, I guess. She makes potions and herbal stuff, if that's what you mean."

"I have ears you know," Jen called. Raven rolled her eyes, but fell silent. She allowed her mind to wander, content to remain in the werecat's company.


Sometime in the night, Raven had drifted off to sleep. She awoke curled up in a rather uncomfortable ball on one of the makeshift kitchen's chairs with rays of sunlight tickling her eyelids. Low voices could be heard from across the room, and Raven peeled an eye open to peek across the room.

"We need to get out of here," Garfield murmured from his perch on one of the spare chairs. He seemed to be watching Jen as she toyed with her strange potion by the hearth, his expression twisted with irritation.

"And how's that my problem, cat-boy?"

"You agreed to help us!"

Jen scoffed. "I agreed to let you stay. There's a difference."

"Please, Jen, we need a way out of the village!"

"How, exactly, is that my problem?" the sorceress deadpanned, not once looking up from her brewing concoction. Garfield's tail lashed about angrily, and Raven could feel the brewing irritation rolling off of him.

"Jen, c'mon. I thought you hated the Red Queen!"

"So?"

The werecat growled softly. "So, why follow her stupid rules? Don't you wanna rebel against her or whatever?"

Jen sighed. "Look, Garfield, I've been down that road, okay? Things didn't end well. The way I see it, it's either me or them, and I like living!" She paused, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know why the queen wants her, nor do I want to find out! I let you stay here, but that's it. When the sun goes down again, I want her gone. Got it?"

Garfield's ears drooped in defeat. The sadness swirling around him was enough to drive Raven nuts. She bit her lip, forcing herself to remain still. She didn't want to alert the two of her wakefulness just yet.

"So what, I mean nothing to you?" His words were bitter, full of layered meanings Raven didn't understand. She felt a spike of emotion from Jen, and the sorceress's glare softened.

"I never said that."

"It was implied," Garfield spat. The two fell silent for a moment, staring long and hard at each other, before Jen sighed.

"Fine. Maybe I know a guy who can help. But I swear, Gar, that's it; I'm not doing anything else!"

Despite Jen's abrasive tone, the werecat beamed wildly and encased her in a swift and delighted hug, before prancing off towards Raven. She caught Jen shoot him an affectionate smile before she squeezed her eye shut. Just seconds later, Garfield's warm hand was draped onto her shoulder, and a claw-tipped finger was jabbing at her arm.

"Raven!" Garfield sang. "Wakey, wakey. Rae-Rae, earth to Rae-Rae!"

Raven groaned, peeling her eyes open to shoot Garfield a glare. He didn't seem to notice, as he was too busy beaming at her.

"Good morning! Want some breakfast?" he asked, already darting to the crowded cupboards. Raven rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. The intense emotions from his and Jen's discussion seemed to have all evaporated, if the playful waving of his tail was any indication.

"Sure," she murmured. Raven turned to see Jen gazing at her with a reserved but knowing look. The sorceress smirked at her before turning back to her potions, playing the oblivious card like a pro. Raven watched her a moment, feeling highly uneasy.

This was going to be...interesting to say the least.


Author's Note:

Hey! It's not too crazy of a chapter, but here it is! Don't worry, the next one will be plenty intense. ;) I hope you guys enjoyed it!

Thanks for the support!

-vixensheart