Neko Monogatari

Chapter 6- Fear

Cloe wrote a short note for her father, explaining why she was leaving, but she decided not to mention Oliver and Drippy. After all, the least thing she needed was her father hunting them down like mice for something which wasn't their fault.. When she was done, she placed the note on her bed, and headed for the hallway; however, she needed a way to sneak out of the palace without any of the guards, and especially her father, noticing. She couldn't ask Maora for help neither, she didn't want to involve the old woman in this.

The cat princess was on her own.

Luckily for her, there was a secret passage that led from her bedroom to the main square, which led to a hidden trapdoor under some bushes; it had been built in case of an attack, but since her father's rule had never had any actual wars, the tunnel was mostly unused. Taking a deep breath, the princess checked the wall next to her bed, and looked for a small dent on the side, from where she opened the wall like a door, leading to a dark, secret passage. Cloe let out another sigh and sped down the tunnel, her pure white fur disappearing in the blackness of the passage.

Oliver and Drippy were waiting outside the palace, in the spot between the trees Cloe had told them. They were on the lookout for any guards, but a part of them was hesitant on sneaking Cloe out of Ding Dong Dell. King Tom had been very generous, and they didn't want to betray his trust, even though Cloe insisted that it was completely her idea, and they were just accompanying her. Besides, she had promised that if they got caught, she would say they didn't know of her identity.

"She's nice, isn't she?" Oliver sighed, looking over the bushes towards the sky.

"Of course she is, Ollie-boy!" Drippy replied, hopping over the bushes to look for any guards, "I mean, both of her parents passed down their traits upon her! It's a pity yeh didn't get to meet Queen Cleopawtri, though."

"I don't get it. What happened to her?"

"I got no idea, Ollie-boy. I was trapped in youer world when she passed away."

"I can't imagine how Cloe feels like…"

A sound behind them caught their attention, and they turned around to see a trapdoor, hidden by the grass and the leaves, opening, and a certain cat princess climbed out of the passage before closing it shut.

"Seriously!" Cloe coughed, shaking spider webs from her clothing, "Daddy should have someone clean in there!"

"Cat-girl, what took you so long?" Drippy inquired, hopping to her side, "If we're caught, we'll be spending the rest of ouer days in a prison cell!"

"Don't worry about that, " Cloe replied softly, "Right now all we need to worry about is to pass through the gates without getting noticed."

The trio walked out of the bushes, and walked through town, Cloe attempting to dissimulate. Luckily, the villagers they passed by didn't seem to recognize her, but the guards had much more sharp eyes. When they were steps away from the gate, just in front of Cat's Cradle, Cloe's chest tightened.

"Okay, Cat-girl, here we go…" Drippy whispered.

Cloe could swear she had started to sweat when they stepped through the gates, and she felt the guards' gaze upon her, but they didn't say anything for the time being. Once they crossed the bridge, she would be safe from being discovered. The path leading outside Ding Dong Dell was familiar to her, for she had once tried to sneak out of town. However, she was caught before even reaching the bridge.

When the stone bridge crossing the creek came into view, the cat princess knew she had done it. She had finally done it. She had snuck out of town without the guards, or her father, noticing.

Cloe was amazed by the view; she had seen the prairies from the balcony, but she never thought they would look so large from the ground. The hills extended towards the horizon, and she could see patches of trees every there and there, and a few monsters were roaming around the place.

"No wonder why daddy never wanted me to leave town," Cloe whispered as she spotted a fluffy-looking monsters scurrying towards a nearby bush, "But other than that, is just like I thought it would be."

"Well, you two, King Tom said we should head towards the Golden Grove," Drippy spoke up, "We should arrive at a desert, and in the middle of that desert one of the Great Sages should be living in the city of Al Mamoon."

"Al Mamoon?" Cloe inquired, "That's where the Cowlipha is, right?"

"Yeah, but how do you know so much if this is youer first time out?"

"Actually," Cloe blushed, "I once went with daddy to Al Mamoon, when I was five years old, I think. But I barely remember it, and daddy didn't let me explore the city."

"We should get going," Oliver pointed out, "The guards could spot you, Cloe."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

As the trio started walking towards the direction the cat king had pointed them to, Cloe glanced back at the place where she had grown, wondering if she would be able to see it from the entrance to the golden grove.

She wondered if her father had already seen her note.

Maora entered Cloe's room, and was surprised to see that it was empty. She was sure Cloe had been in there for a while now, but how had she gone out? There was no other way out, unless… The secret tunnels.

Maora noticed there was a slip of paper on the princess's bed, just on top of her pink pillow. She had a presentment of where Cloe had gone, but she didn't want to even think of it; her father wouldn't take it kindly, and sincerely, she couldn't either. That child was like a daughter to her, and she wouldn't bear if anything happened to her. Cloe needed to go through this, that was true, but that didn't mean it hurt. Maora took the slip from the pillow and started to unfold it…

"Cloe, are you here?"

Maora froze in place when King Tom entered the room, apparently looking for his daughter. From the sound of it, he had been looking for her for a while now.

"Maora, have you seen Cloe?" the stout cat inquired, "One's been looking for her, but one hadn't been able to find her."

"Your Meowjesty…" Maora sighed, resigning, "I'm afraid she left."

"Left," King Tom repeated in confusion, "One has already looked for her in town, but she's not there either."

"No, you're not understanding me," the old woman held out the slip of paper to the cat monarch, "She left this for you."

Feeling a chill run down his spine, King Tom took the slip of paper from Maora, and recognized his daughter's hand.

Daddy,

By the time you're reading this, I'll probably be faraway. I'm sorry I left without telling you, but I know you would have never let me go. I know you worry for me, but I just have to go and see the world with my own eyes, not just in books. When Hickory Dock knocked you unconscious, I was afraid that I would lose you, and so that's why I decided to go my own way. Please do not worry for me, I may not be used to the outside world, but I can handle things by myself, I'm a big girl now. I promise I'll return when I'm done with my journey, but until then, I want you to know that…

I love you.

See you later.

Cloe

When he was done reading, his heart just stopped.

"Ow, my feet!" Cloe groaned, sitting down and rubbing the soles of her feet.

They had come to the entrance to Golden Grove in such a short time, and luckily they had not run into any monsters. She was surprised that the landscape could change so dramatically. The grass changed from the brightest green to an olive color, tinted with a little yellow and orange, and the leaves of the trees were of golden, orange and yellow colors. The sunlight filtered through the trees, making the scenery look almost like a painting hanging in the wall.

"Here we are!" Drippy announced, hoping in excitement, "Golden Grove! A quick stroll through here, and we'll be out the other side and into the desert in no time! Tidy!"

"Jeepers creepers, just look at those giant mushrooms! IT's so different from the Deep Dark Wood…"

"It's…" Cloe, finally standing up, looked around in amazement, her tail twitching in wonder, "Beautiful. I had seen images in the books, but never in person."

"Wait until we cross over, Cat-Girl! You won't be seeing trees like these for a while!"

Drippy sighed, " Ahh, it's been a while since I dropped by. There's nostalgic! Full of fairies, this old place is. Shall I give the boys a shout?"

"Yes please, Mr. Drippy," Oliver nodded enthusiastically.

"More fairies! Cute!" Cloe squealed in delight, "Call them! Call them!"

Drippy turned around and yelled at the top of his lungs, "OOOOOOI! How do, booooys?! Anyone about?! It's me, Drippy!"

However, there was no reply. Only the sound of birds chirping, squirrels squeaking and monsters sneaking around.

"What?! No welcoming committee for the Lord High Lord of the Fairies?" Drippy spoke, "Something proper weird is going on, mun…"

"No fairies in town, and none in the forest neither." Cloe whispered, "What happened to all of them?"

Oliver said, "Maybe we should go deeper into the forest. We might be able to find out more there…"

"Well, since we're going that way anyway… Let's just push on through to Al Mamoon and see what we can see, shall we?" Drippy replied, turning around with one jump.

The trio advanced through the forest, through the golden-leafed trees, the giant mushrooms and crawling monsters. All the while, Cloe couldn't help but snuck into tiny hiding places she could find, not minding if her clothes got dirty. She had waited all her life for this moment, and she wanted to enjoy every second of it. She had no doubts her father would send someone to look for her and take her back home, so she had to enjoy whatever time she had left. However, she noticed there were a few trees that were withering away. They had no leaves, their barks were all opaque and they had no fruits or flowers in their branches. She wondered if those trees had reached their complete lifespan and were in the natural process of erosion.

When they came across the fungi seemingly blocking the way, she had the time of her life jumping on those mushrooms. But soon she started to realize that they were getting lost, the forest was like a natural labyrinth, and the paths could lead back to sections of the forest they had already visited if they were not careful.

Halfway through the forest, Oliver decided to try and pass time by speaking with the cat princess, "So, it's your… second time out?"

Cloe nodded, "Like I said before, when I was five daddy took me to Al Mamoon, but I don't even remember it, and he didn't let me play outside the Cowlipha's palace, anyway."

"He sounds overprotective…" Oliver giggled at the thought of King Tom panicking over his daughter's whereabouts.

"Don't remind me…" Cloe sighed sadly, "I don't know how he'll take the news that I've snuck out. I know he has probably found out right now."

"In that case, we better hurry, Cat-girl!" Drippy joined the conversation, "If whoever he sends to fetch sees we're with you, we'll be in hot water!"

"Like I said, I'll tell daddy that it was all my idea."

"Still…" Oliver looked down in thought, "Why did you want to leave your home in the first place? You and the King only have each other, right?"

The cat princess stopped when he made that question; she looked down at the ground in shame, her ears flattened against her head and her tail twitching in thought (Oliver assumed that catnids twitched their tail when they were thinking, relaxed or stressed about something). "I'm not sure myself," she spoke softly, "But one thing is for certain. I want to see the world," she looked into Oliver's dark gray eyes, "I want to go to Hamelin, Al Mamoon, meet fairies, maybe a dragon or two, but overall… I would like to go to Yule."

"Well, Cat-girl, if you're lucky maybe one of the Great Sages is there." Drippy spoke, "Don't you worry, we'll surely go to + those places while searching for the Sages."

Before they could move on, Cloe noticed something in the distance… It seemed to be like a hole in the ground, surrounded by trees and rocks. All plants surrounding the hole were completely dry, with not a single trace of green or golden, but a death brown.

"Guys!" she skipped ahead of her friends, heading towards the fountain, "That fountain it's all dried up!

Drippy let out a sigh of disappointment once they caught up to her, "Dearie, dearie me… This en't too pretty, is it? But now we know what the problem is, at least."

"We do…?" Oliver looked down at the fairy in confusion

"It's the Spring of Life," Cloe explained, ""It's what gave Golden Grove all of it's abundant flora, it was thanks to this pond that the forest was dubbed the Forest of Plenty."

"Hey, I was going to say that!" Drippy complained, but decided to leave it for later, "Anyway, the reason the fairies have scarpered and some of the trees are all withered is because the spring by here has run dry."

"Who would do such a thing?" Oliver inquired.

Cloe felt a shiver run down her spine as her ears twitched too a faint sound growing louder every second; footsteps, and judging by the force they hit the ground, she could assume the owner was big and heavy.

"Guys…" she stuttered, "I have the feeling the one responsible for this is about to appear."

Oliver looked at her, "Are you sure?"

"Trust her, mun, it's how these things always happen…"

The trio grew alarmed when birds started to fly out from some of the trees in the hill ahead of them, as if they were being frightened away by the mysterious culprit. Cloe caught sigh of red skin, giant antlers, a round shield…

When the owner of the footsteps came into view, she could swear she was about to faint; it was a bulky creature, with an elongated head on whose sides hung two humongous antlers of brown colors. It wore nothing but a collar of green and white metal, purple short pants with fluff edges, and sandy brown bracers on its forearms. In its right hand, it held a sword; in its left, a shield.

It was Gladiataur, the guardian of the Golden Grove.

"Crikey!" Drippy cried out, his voice trembling with hear, "He doesn't seem happy to see us!"

"I-I don't get it!" Cloe stammered, completely terrified of the beast before them, "He's supposed to be the guardian of Golden Grove! Why would he cause the spring to dry up!"

"For the same reason ouer royal friend got brokenhearted in the first place, Cat-girl! I've got the feelin' Shadar is behind this!"

When Gladiataur let out a piercing roar that made Cloe cover her ears in pain, it stomped its feet on the dirt and started walking towards her, as if deciding to take out the weakest member of the party first.

"Cloe!" Oliver called out his familiar, preparing for the incoming fight, "Call your familiar out!"

But the cat princess didn't listen.

She was completely frozen in fear.

She had never thought she would encounter beasts this large. Hickory Dock was one thing, but a guardian was out of the question; she wanted to scream, but her throat was dry. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't respond. She wanted to call Furry out, but she was blocked, like the first times she had failed to call him.

"Cat-girl!" Drippy cried out at the cat princess as he hopped away from the small battlefield, "Don't just stand there! If ya don't move, that bull face will be going after ya!"

Again, she didn't respond.

She could hear Oliver and Drippy calling out for her in worry, she heard the Gladiataur's footsteps and growls, she heard Oliver's Mite doing his best to keep the beast away from her. But soon, everything sounded like the rustling of the leaves on the trees around them, the slight breeze running through them; barely a whisper. In fact, it seemed more like some sort of dream.

Fear whispered in her ears, wrapping itself against her body like a snake, coiling up and forbidding her from running away.

Fear struck at the corners of her mind, and she barely knew where she was. She was too scared, not right in her mind at the moment, but inside herself. All that was left outside, controlling her chills, was terror, worry, unconfident and upset. She… She…

'I'm…'

… Broke down.

'… Scared…'

Suddenly, Cloe was no longer the sixteen-year old she normally was, and she felt herself feel terribly inferior, terribly scared and… just like a little kitten again, waking up from a nightmare and crying her heart out until her father rain into her room, held her close to him and comforted her.

… Daddy… I'm scared… Can I sleep with you, tonight?

Right now, Cloe wished she was back with her father, with Maora. Sometimes… Cloe Tildrum was just a kitten again.

She shook uncontrollably, unable to move.

She was scared… A scared little kitten again. But this time… there was no running to daddy. Because he was far away, and probably didn't know about the predicament they were in.

She failed to see Oliver and his familiar had been knocked aside, and she was completely exposed to the Gladiataur; she failed to see him raising his sword at her, failed to see ir bringing it down upon her at the speed of light.

"CLOE!"