The second chapter- announced with lots of fanfare. If you like it, the chapter not the fanfare, review. Please. Advice is also welcome.
Disclaimer: I really don't own much of anything.
They made their way back to where Atunra had "found" the swan. Her lucky guess was right; a nest with four eggs was there, with no female swan in site. But Atunra wasn't thinking about swans. She was wondering about her new companion, while climbing eagerly inside the rim of the nest and sitting on the edge. Atunra knew alot about Green Isle, but she didn't know about him.
"So, who are you?", Atunra subtly asked, cracking an egg with her teeth. The wildcat followed her example and sat opposite her with his swan egg. "Riggu Felis. My father's Bergon Felis." He said that like it would explain everything. But Atunra had never heard of Bergon. After wiping her muzzle with the back of her muddy paw, she said " Is he one of those warlords?"
Riggu looked up from his meal, a drop splattering delicately off his mouth onto the bottom of the nest. " One? He's the best. I thought everybeast would've heard of our tribe, at least. Felis?"
"Of course I've heard of tribe Felis. I just didn't know warlord Bergon Felis." she lied quickly. Atunra really only knew a little about wildcats, but wasn't about to tell Riggu that. She continued eating, trying to hide her ignorance.
" What are you? You're not a wildcat and you'd be a strange lookin' otter." , Riggu decreed arrogantly.
Atunra barely restrained a grimace. It looked like Riggu didn't care whether or not he looked ignorant. Bad course of action, in her opinion, but she still replied, " I'm a pine marten. My name is Atunra."
" Is your father warlord of your tribe?", Riggu asked, noticing the slightly exasperated tone in her voice and not caring. He didn't have anything to fear from her physically and they both knew it. He'd proved that by killing the swan.
" No, he was killed. By otters.", she added. She kept finishing off her egg, little emotion showing on her face or in her voice.
" I don't like otters. They like to attack at night and play hide-and-seek with the catguards. Father gets very annoyed when they don't kill or capture all of the cowards.", Riggu replied, supporting his new friend. The thought suprised him. Wildcats' only friends were their weapons, a familiar quote sounded through him, often repeated by his instructors. He shook the words out of his mind briskly- those cats didn't have to know about her.
" That's what those otters are now, slaves. Except for the dead.", a satisfied Atunra smiled at him, showing all her teeth.
They ate the rest of the eggs, Atunra conviently forgetting about her mother'scommand to return to the camp for lunch. Riggu was in no hurry. He liked this odd creature and glad he'd beaten the swan in front of her. Riggu told him where his camp was. Atunra told him her's. They decided to meet at the nest area again tomorrow.
When Riggu got back to his tent in the early evening, he was worried over by his servant, Dornly, an old otter. If the warlord's son went missing, Dornly would be questioned, and not peacefully. He had a family to support and they wouldn't survive without him. He tried informing the young cat humbly that Bergon wouldn't be pleased to find Riggu missing ashe backed out of the tent for the night. If it wasn't for his family, Dornly would have fed the brat to the Slothunog himself.
Riggu barely noticed Dornly, he was so used to him.The wildcat waved him away without telling him where he'd been during the day. Dornly wouldn't tell that Riggu had left camp for midday. The slave might be "replaced" because he hadn't said earlier. It never ocurred to him how important this might be later.
When Atunra returned to her camp, her mother boxed her ears soundly. The older pine marten did not want to find her daughter dead. Atunra was the youngest in the tribe, every othermember was her elder by at least ten seasons. So she would one day be the only pine marten on Green Isle and the longer she lasted, the better. Dying that young was not in the tribe's plan for her. Not that Atunra knew all this. She just wanted to spite her mother after her beating. And the best way was not to tell her where she'd been. So Riggu stayed Atunra's secret.
And there you have chap 2. Now review and things will only get better. I promise. I'm going to stop writing this little A/N now, because inspirational music might start playing in the background if I continue. Review. The sun will come out...tomorrow. If you review I'll stop singing. Deal?