Parker made his way into one of the chambers. The doors were unlocked, giving him access to this part of the castle. He hadn't been here before. The long red rugs were torn to shreds, leaving patches of where the rugs had been placed. Once again, the walls were broken, with rubble and loose stones everywhere.
At last, Parker made it into a round stone-walled room where the torches were lit and the flames were an orangish-yellowish color, sometimes flickering to a reddish color. Even the fireplace was lit, burning brightly to show the room also had rubble and loose stones in some places.
The queen-sized bed was torn to shreds, as was its crimson curtains and dark oak posts and framing. A balcony stood off to the side. Its stone railing was broken in places, giving an opening for someone to leap out of the castle and fall to their deaths or become crippled for the rest of their lives.
Parker turned his attention to two of the rock and wooden plank piles. He gulped upon seeing the familiar female snow leopard, laying in a heap under one of the rock and wooden plank piles. He moved the rubble out of the way, surprised and shocked to see Melisandre, the female snow leopard he just saved, laying unconscious. He set her head gently against his legs, doing his best to comfort her.
Melisandre woke up, surprised and wide-eyed. "What happened? What happened to me?" She was terrified. That much was clear! She sagged, her breathing heavy as her limbs heavy.
Parker shushed her. He had to do something to keep them both calm.
"Relax. It's just me. It's Parker Dooley," Parker said, realizing just from her touch that Melisandre's final hours had come. The light red dragonoid teared up. He hated seeing her like this. He didn't want her to die! He just wanted her to pay for her crimes! Why was this so hard to bear? "You'll be all right."
"Did you complete your task… in the Hundred-Acre Wood? Did you already finish it?" She groaned, knowing the answer. "You did. That's why you're back… to see my castle in ruins and my kingdom… torn to shreds."
"It's all right," Parker calmed her down. "I made it back safely."
"You're lucky. Aslan would kill me, if he saw the damage done here," Melisandre huffed, trying to get comfortable, but failing to do so. She looked up at Parker, telling him, her heart pounding inside her chest, "Parker, I'm sorry for troubling you. I'm sorry I killed your Shadow Empire. It was my final plan, the last thing I wanted to do was fulfill what Aslan sent me here to do." She breathed in and out, knowing she was about to die. "I'm sorry you took part in making that empire, but I knew it was about to fall."
"Don't worry," Parker said with a sorrowful sigh. "There was fear that the Shadow Empire would fall. Qua'ra predicted it, long before you set out to fulfill your task." He gulped. "I'll tell Qua'ra about you, how you tried to save your kingdom."
Melisandre chuckled weakly. "Tried? I fought for this kingdom. Then, all of a sudden, these Shadow People come in and destroy everything I hold dear. Watch out for them. They could still be lurking inside this castle. Get Jine's family out of here, help them find refuge in this realm! I want those Shadow People gone from this place before it's too late!" She looked at Parker, speaking while drawing her last breath, "Promise me… you'll defeat them." She sighed, closing her eyes.
"I promise, but Melisandre…" Parker was too late. Melisandre collapsed in his arms. She was gone, another leopard passed away, no thanks to the Shadow People. Parker had no more words to say, as he set Melisandre's dead body on the stone floor. He turned and looked, watching as a male snow leopard crept out from another rock and wooden plank pile.
It was Davin and he was cackling, cackling as if he too was dying. Davin stared at Parker in amusement, loving this game, this new turn of events. Parker could already tell the male snow leopard was going senile.
"She told you, didn't she? She told you about those Shadow People?" Davin laughed insanely. "They came, they did… those Shadow People! You ought to check on Jine's family! I hear they won't survive long against those wretched creatures!"
The male snow leopard attempted to crawl towards Parker. As he did, Davin collapsed on the stone floor, right beside a red rug. Davin pawed at the rug in a playful manner, not minding who was here with him. Just that his head was pounding and the thought of dying reached his ears.
Parker made his way towards the male snow leopard. As he did, the ceiling collapsed. The light red dragonoid managed to find cover, coughing and sputtering as he pushed wooden planks and rocks off to the side. Dusty and dirty, Parker approached the spot where Davin was. Davin was inches away from his mate. There was no sound from the male snow leopard, no breathing.
Davin was dead and Parker did nothing to prevent this.
Tears formed in Parker's eyes. He wiped some of the tears away from his eyelids, not knowing what else to do. Who could he turn to now?
He made his way back down the chamber, thinking of something Melisandre and Davin said. Jine's family. They were alive? Then there was hope for them! Parker grinned, wondering if he could at least see at least one living being, creature, and animal in his life. Not all the deaths he faced, still having to face.
A thought crept across Parker's mind. He would see Eliza, his human wife, again in the Portal Realm when all of this was over. But how much more suffering would he have to endure? He didn't know. He just needed to find Alindor, the golden house cat, Druid, and Shapeshifter, before something else happened here, in the Land of Talking Animals, again.