Chapter 13:
"Fox dung!" Ludwig cussed as he stared frustratedly at the tall metal dens that currently blocked them in a corner.
"We lost it!"
"And we've gotten lost in the process." Kiku murmured nervously next to him.
Feliciano whined despairingly as he searched the wall of dens for an opening.
They had set off early that day from the park, following the sounds of an emergency Metal Beast from within the denning place. The trio had caught flashes of a white pelted Beast zooming throughout the dens, but trying to follow it led to nothing more than a dead end. Now all three where at the end of their ropes, patience wearing thin as the search for Feliciano's Nofurs grew desperate. Kiku and Ludwig where beginning to believe they would never find them. But Feliciano refused to give up. They had to be out there, they just had to!
"What do we do now, Ludwig?" Kiku questioned, turning towards the blond tabby who was scanning the alleyway. Over the past few days, Kiku had grown to trust and rely on Ludwig to make the best decisions, looking towards him as a sort of leader. Feliciano was gazing expectantly at his friend.
The tabby racked his brain for an answer. He was at a complete loss for leads in their current situation. They had no Meatal Beasts to follow, no clue where in the denning place they were, and no idea where the Nofurs would have been taken in the first place! Kiku said the beasts went to the Nofur healers, but none of them had any idea where that was. He sighed and turned back to the others.
"Well… I guess we retrace our steps and start walking. Kiku, do you think you could recognize the Nofur healing den?"
"Well, they did have a distinct look. Mostly white with that same red cross on it as the Metal Beasts do… But I don't know where it is."
"That's alright. We'll search the whole denning place if we have to. We need to find Feliciano's Nofurs."
Feliciano's eyes filled with emotion, thankful that Ludwig was still willing to find them.
"Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky today."
Ludwig regretted his words by sunhigh. They had been looking around all day, and the desperate search had gotten them nowhere. Every den and Black Path so far looked the same, going on and on endlessly in all directions. Kiku examined each structure, only to find it was not the healing den, and moving on to the next one. The heat was still building as the day wore on, and they found themselves deep in the bowels of the denning place.
The tall buildings bit into the sky like rabid teeth and cast deep shadows across the ground. A chill swept through the shaded areas, ruffling the fur along their spines. Feliciano whined slightly in fear and nervousness, pressing closer to Ludwig's side.
Ludwig's gaze flashes in slight annoyance at his cowardly actions, his patience wearing thin at their inability to get out and constantly getting lost, but softens slightly at the expression on his friend's face. He was obviously unnerved and needed Ludwig's comfort, of which he was happy to give.
The trio turned a corner only to be met with a dark dead end. Kiku growled in frustration, fur bristling as a rare flash of anger bubbled up through his formerly calm demeanor. Ludwig's head whipped back and forth, struggling to devise a possible plan.
"Well…" he spoke unsurely. "I suppose we go back this way."
"Yeah, like that will help…" Kiku murmured, unconvinced.
Ludwig's fur bristled slightly.
"Did you say something, Kiku?"
Regret for muttering the words aloud spiked in Kiku's chest, and he forced himself to swallow his anger.
"No. I said nothing."
But Ludwig's sensitive ears had caught the mumbled words, and frustration broke his tact.
"No, if you've got something on your chest, say it!" He was trying his best! Who was anyone to criticize his actions? He was only trying to help his friends. Who did Kiku think he was?
"Well I was just thinking that we already tried that way. It's obvious you don't know what you're doing. Maybe you should try listening to some other cat for once!" though anger pushed his words, they were still spoken in the soft tone that Kiku had taken seasons to perfect.
He was just as overwhelmed as Ludwig, struggling with being on this long journey through all this pain and hardship. The harsh words spoken were not meant, but he was so fed up with being lost and unsure of where to go next. Why couldn't Ludwig just admit he had no clue where they were going?!
Feliciano crouched nervously between the two, ears flat and eyes flickering from cat to cat in nervousness. Ludwig stepped closer to Kiku, hackles raised in agitation.
"What, do you think you know the way? You, the cat who's never been on the streets, know the way out?"
"No, of course not!" Kiku shouted in controlled rage. "But maybe we should ask for some help!"
"Ha! Shows what you know!" Ludwig growled at his ignorance. "You can't ask any cat in this place for help. Most would sooner rip your pelt off the second they spotted you! The rest are either too crazy or stupid to help."
"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try!" Kiku was losing control now. This wasn't like him, but he just couldn't help it anymore. Built up anxiety and pressure was causing both toms to snap like twigs in a strong breeze.
"Stop!" Feliciano jumped up and stood firm between the two. "Stop it! This isn't what friends do!"
Ludwig and Kiku stood in shock, anger gone in a flash as soon as Feliciano broke the tension in their stare. Eyes flickered from one to another nervously, both cats feeling immense shame in their actions, but with their pride still too big to swallow.
Light hearted laughter drifted through the air above them, and all three lifted their heads to see a cat perched precariously on an open pipe protruding from one wall of the alley before disappearing into a hole in the other. A light brown tabby she cat with cream coloring on her stomach swayed slightly as the skinny pipe shifted under her weight, a humorous glint in her eyes.
"Well that was quite a show of emotion wasn't it?"
Ludwig and Kiku dropped into a defensive position, claws out and poised in case the she cat tried to get the drop on them.
"Who are you?" Ludwig demanded in a gruff voice.
Feliciano still stood upright between them, looking up at the cat with more curiosity than fear.
"Well, someone's a bit jumpy." She voiced, her tone sounding offended. "Though I suppose that's a valuable skill when lost in the alleys, especially for a few house cats. I'm Elizabeta, pleased to make your acquaintance." She bowed slightly as she finished, pipe bending and swaying deeper as her body sifted.
Ludwig stood, claws sheathed but still wary of attack.
"How did you know we were house cats?"
"Well, only new born kits and house cats don't know there way around these parts. And you don't look like kittens to me. Say, am I not worthy enough to receive an introduction in return?"
Ludwig stepped forward, about to tell the nosy she cat that it was none of her business, but a brown furred head popped up in front and interrupted.
"Hi! I'm Feliciano!" he waved his tail excitedly in greeting. "This is my best friend Ludwig, and my other friend Kiku."
"Pleased to meet you." The black tom dipped his head respectfully, regaining the composure he had lost in misguided anger.
Ludwig growled at his best friend. Revealing such information could be dangerous.
Elizabeta giggled slightly. "Well, the Rabbittail sure is polite!"
Kiku stiffened a bit, but remained calm.
"It's Bobtail, not Rabbittail, miss."
"Oh, I'm sorry." She seemed genuinely concerned. "It's been a long time since I last met one, my memory must have slipped."
"That's alright." Kiku replied.
Ludwig growled again. Now was no time for making small talk with a stray. The blond tabby pushed his way forward, craning his head to look up towards the she cat.
"Okay, that's enough introductions. Now, care to tell us what you want?"
"Alright, Mr. Grumpy Pelt." She chided. "I want to help you."
Ludwig's ears flattened in confusion.
"Help us?"
"Yes, help you."
"And what makes you think we need help?"
"Well that argument back there sure didn't sound like you knew where you were going."
Ludwig's fur bristled in frustration. Elizabeta was already running circles around him in this conversation, and she didn't even sound like she was trying to bug him! Her voice was polite and kind, with each word from her mouth full of genuine concern and emotion. Ludwig refused to be outsmarted.
"Well, what makes you think you can help us?"
"I grew up here. I know these alleys like I know my own scent. I could easily get you back to open territory."
"Territory?"
"Yeah, you may not know this, but you're kind of trespassing right now."
All three stiffened in surprise.
"Trespassing?" Ludwig questioned.
"Yeah, all the back alleys are split into territories owned by different groups. And after the earthshake turned everything on its head, the borders have all been a mess, and all the cats in the area are in a desperate rush to claim new land while protecting their own. The rouges have been twice as hostile as of late, and the last thing I would want to see is a few house cats getting their throats slashed open because of a miss understanding." Elizabeta's expression shifted to fear, unnecessary slaughter sent shivers down her spine.
Feliciano yelped and hid between Ludwig's legs. "I don't wanna get cut open!" He shivered and shook at the idea.
Kiku was now warily eyeing the corners of the alley, expecting to see lithe and powerful forms creep from the darkness ready to strike.
Ludwig took a moment to run over his decisions. If the alleys were really under such heavy chaos and border struggles, it would be bad to get caught up in the middle. There was no way they could fight off a group of hungry, enraged rouges out for blood. Their only option was to trust this she cat to get them out, though Ludwig was still not willing to give her the full benefit of the doubt.
"Alright. We'll take you up on your offer."
Elizabeta perked up in surprise.
"But one wrong move, and we're out." Feliciano flinched again at Ludwig's threat, but Elizabeta looked undeterred.
"Okay!" she mewed cheerfully. "It's settled then. Hop on this pipe and follow me."