Despite the dragon before her being in cat form, the RogueClan apprentice still trembled with fear. The very thing she'd been dreading the idea of was happening. Cavvile was here to take her back. She wanted to say with absolute firmness and confidence that she would go nowhere with him. Her mouth opened, but all that came out was a kit-like mew.
"You haven't the faintest idea how much trouble you've caused, hatchling!" Anger replaced the surprise in his ruby-red stare and his claws slid out onto the rotting wood.
"I-"
"You're coming with me, to the place where the portal will reopen in twelve days. And when we return you will not speak of this world. You will not utter a word of this filthy place, that troll's bile you call your sister, or any of the nonsense she's filled your head with! Understand?"
Pearlpaw tried to at least defend her sibling and her Clan's way of life. Her mouth moved, yet no sound came. Her heart felt as though it might explode at any moment. There were a few seconds that she wished it would. Perhaps in death, she would finally have peace. Even with such a wonderful possibility though, she couldn't truly wish for it.
"Ectri." By now Cavvile's eyes had narrowed to rage-filled slits. She unsheathed her claws, as though sinking them into the floor would somehow return her voice. "Do you understand?"
She nodded at the terrifying presence. He flicked his striped tail and headed for the pillow she'd slept on. She realized after he had settled down to rest that she wasn't breathing. She inhaled, relieved to feel some of the pain in her chest subside. She relaxed her paws and found that one of her claws was stuck.
Roach-brain, she called herself while pulling it free.
Sleep refused to come to her for the rest of the night. Any time she came close to drifting off, an image would flash in her mind of the paradise she'd fled. A land of seemingly eternal peace would be her prison before long. She was doomed to spend thousands of years in silence and uncertainty. Generations of RogueClan cats would come and go.
She would be forgotten. But she would never forget them. As the glow of sunlight gradually brightened the city, she groomed her fur and cleaned her injuries thouroughly. Her stomach growled. She tried to remember where that pool of water was but wasn't sure she could find her way back to it.
Cavvile stirred. He quickly stood, yawned, and shook some dirt from his pelt, not bothering to acknowledge her at first. After several minutes of awkward silence, his voice caused her to jump.
"Where are the others?"
"Th-they are…. RougeClan lives in…. I was-"
"Never mind. Where do we find something to eat? I haven't had a thing since I arrived here the other day."
Her thoughts returned to the previous night. She'd heard the sound of a flying insect just after she heard Cavvile. Had he been trying to catch a bug to eat? Since asking this question was a terrible idea, and she didn't have the courage to anyway, she didn't say a word about it.
"We would have to find an area with grass and trees. I saw some birds on top of some buildings but it's…. I don't know how to get up there."
"Then let's go."
OoOoOoOoOo
"Rat dung!"
She watched with increasing frustration as the bird flew off. After heading in the general direction the portal was supposed to be, the two had finally come across a small wooded area. Pearlpaw realized very soon after that that hunting was impossible with the gold dragon around. She was so close to their meal, and of course he just had to yell, "haven't you caught anything yet?" just as she was about to pounce.
This was the third time he'd sabatoged her hunt. This time however, she was going to say something about it. She started walking toward where his voice came from. At first her steps were confident. As she neared him, anxiety took over.
"I'll catch something soon," she promised. "But…."
"But what?"
"It's just…. We have to be quiet or the prey will hear us."
"So be quiet then!"
Pearlpaw realized that her tail was twitching, brushing against the grass, alerting any possible meals just as much as Cavvile's voice. She stilled it, noticing for the first time the shape of the other's pads. They'd been cut from walking on the stone of Human territory. They weren't infected, but the sight made her thankful for the rough boulders of the training glade.
The next time she returned to Cavvile, she came carrying a pigeon. They shared in silence, the sun heating their pelts to an uncomfortable level. It was just past noon by the time they were finished. Pearlpaw followed the gold dragon's lead. She didn't know just how he seemed to know where he was going, and her anxiety kept her from asking.
For every word she left unspoken however, that feeling she couldn't quite identify grew stronger.
A few days later, they rested at a fountain. Not a drop of rain had fallen and the air was suffocatingly hot. Cavvile's slight limp had turned into a painful struggle for each and every step. Pearlpaw's thirst was satisfied. As she rested on the rim of their water source, humans passing them by without a second glance, she got an idea.
She purred at the feeling of water soaking through her fur. The droplets that she'd felt moments before were nothing compared to this. Steadily paddling around the perfect circle, she held her breath and submerged her head. The liquid burned her eyes at first, but went away with enough blinking.
The chaotic noise that had buzzed in her ears no longer seemed to exist. The splashing of the water sounded much different. Sunlight almost looked like fish swimming around. Cavvile's forepaw appeared in front of her and she surfaced. Gripping the stone rim carefully with her claws, she brought her hind legs to the bottom of the fountain and stood.
Her few seconds of serenity over, she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong. "Enough of this," he told her. "You're drawing attention."
True, a few Humans were standing nearby, talking with one another. Likely about the weird behavior of a small white cat. They didn't seem hostile, though. She could somewhat understand one of the younger ones. He was approving of her idea. Pearlpaw knew that cats didn't normally enjoy getting wet, but couldn't bring herself to care right now.
"It's not that bad. They're just watching us. Come on," she continued, pushing backwards. "The water's great!"
"No. Get out."
"Why?"
"Pearlpaw? Is that you?"
She'd recognize that voice anywhere. A spotted tabby jumped up beside Cavvile. She was missing part of one ear, and the tip of her tail. A number of scars crisscrossed her pelt. A dog or something with similar claws had damaged one of her yellow eyes. Her jagged whiskers twitched as she observed Pearlpaw.
"Are all Clan cats part fish, or is it just you?"
