Chapter 14:
The traveling cats stepped speedily forward into the darkening tunnel around them. Feliciano, Ludwig, and Kiku padded on with slight trepidation at the dim light that guided them on through this strange space between the Nofur walls on either side of them; but Elizabeta beckoned them onward with a flick of her tail. The tabby she-cat was strangely at ease within the enclosed passage.
Feliciano gazed wide eyed at the walls that stretched into the darkness above their heads. Cold pipes ran glistening black along the wooden surfaces, and the echoing sound of drip… drip… reverberated against the sides of his sensitive ears. Curiosity had pricked his pads when the group first set out towards the large hole Elizabeta had gestured to as their pipe walkway came to an end, embedded in the wall of a Nofur den. However, now unease settled in the small tom's gut, a creeping sensation like water slowly seeping into his pelt, and his limbs began to shake as thoughts of horrid monsters ran away with his sensibilities.
Anxious to know when they would be out of this cramped area, he quickened his pace to catch up with their confident guide. Leaning forward, he whispered to the she-cat.
"E-Elizabeta?"
"Hm? Yes, Feliciano?"
"Um… If you don't mind me asking, wh-where are we?"
Elizabeta looked towards him with kind eyes, sympathizing with his kit-like nature.
"Oh, we're only walking through the walls in the Nofur dens."
"W-wait." He studdered, dumbfounded by this fact. "We're inside their walls?!"
"Yes."
His eyes darted from side to side, feeling shivers run down his spine at the idea of walking in walls. Walls he had been surrounded by most of his life. Had other things… walked behind his walls while he was unawares? He shuddered.
Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it!
Elizabeta glanced nervously behind, worried about Feliciano's reaction.
"It's alright." She assured the trembling brown tom. "I know exactly where I'm going. I use these passageways all the time."
Feliciano gulped, but forced himself to shake some of the fear from his person.
"Are you sure the Nofurs won't notice we're in here?"
Elizabeta chuckled good heartedly.
"They've never caught me before!"
But Feliciano still looked unsure. Elizabeta took notice of his anxiety.
"Come here." The tabby she-cat slowed to allow him to fall in step with her. "You and your friends have come a long way. Why don't you tell me about you're travels?"
"Okay!" The tom brightened immensely and began to chatter away like a bird, worries forgotten.
Just a few paw steps behind, Ludwig and Kiku walked in a tense silence. Ludwig kept a few paces in front of the black cat so as to avoid walking beside him and adding to the awkwardness. Guilt and a twinge of shame at the harsh words spat earlier still boiled in his gut.
He knew within himself that the harsh words spat in rage earlier were wrong, he was raised with manors! He acted irrationally and cruelly, and that is not how one treats friends… or… close acquaintances as of now. Ludwig did not feel Kiku was close enough to be called a friend, so much about him still remained unknown. He had only just gotten here, and had been thrown into this chaos with them unaware of even his own yard at the time. Another reason he shouldn't have yelled. Kiku most likely feels more alienated than usual. The short tailed tom's whiskers drooped slightly and his paws scuffed the wood floor. Another wave of regret twisted Ludwig's insides.
And yet… something prevented him from turning around then and there and apologizing. Pride was it? Perhaps. Maybe it was also that opening himself in such a manor was just not what he did. That was more Feliciano's thing, if he had been in Ludwig's place, the brown cat would have made up with Kiku a long time ago. But the kind words caught and died in Ludwig's throat. Though to most, such a spat would seem small and a ridiculous thing to fret over, but to the blond tabby, this was one of the hardest obstacles he ever had to face; getting himself to apologize for being in the wrong.
Little to his awareness, Kiku was having similar struggles of his own. Raised in a family that prided itself on being descended from nobility, he was used to standing straight with a stern expression; never giving away any sort of emotion, for it was not polite to weigh others down with you own problems. But shame still permeated in his body at how he had lashed out at Ludwig. Such behavior was low, even for him. The black tom could still remember how the anger and frustration fueled by heat and exhaustion bubbled up to the surface and lead to such a terrible outburst! Sure, it was, like, a few words muttered under breath, and it's not like he actually insulted him directly, but this was still a big deal for him! Kiku shuddered. It felt like his essence was tarnished. What a disgrace. There was only one way to put an end to this and clear his consciousness.
Kiku took a deep breath and sped his stride. Ludwig slowed a bit to allow him to catch up.
Here we go.
Here we go.
"So…" Ludwig started out.
"So." Kiku followed, voice short and wavering with awkwardness.
"That stuff back there…" Ludwig remarked slowly.
"Yeah… bad, right?"
"Right."
"Right."
Silence descended for a moment.
"Well, good."
"Yeah, good."
"I'll walk ahead."
"Right."
Ludwig increased his pace and pulled farther out as Kiku dropped behind, both breathing a sigh of relief; all the oppressive weight on their shoulders lifted in that single moment. Both cats trotted along satisfied at what, to anyone else, would seem more like an awkward conversation than an actual apology. But, with both their inexperience in such matters, they congratulated themselves on what was thought to be a job well done.
"Ah!" Ludwig and Kiku's ears twitched at Elizabeta's outcry.
"We're here!"
Just ahead of the group, the claustrophobic wooden walls ended in a wall of light leading to the outside. The trio squinted their eyes in the harsh light as they emerged from the dimness, though their guide seemed unaffected by the change.
"Here we are." The tabby she-cat swept her tail out towards the scenery in front of them.
Before the cats stretched the widest Black Path they had ever seen. It was wide as a river, big enough for twice as many Metal Beasts to rumble past than on the usual Black Paths, and its length stretched past farther than their eyes could perceive. Wide segments of white pavement lined the opposing edges of the Path. Feliciano knew them as sidewalks, areas that Nofur's busily rushed back and forth on when they tired of riding in Metal Beasts and felt like walking for a change. These sidewalks where so huge, an entire clan of Nofur's could probably pass each other with plenty of room between them. All around, huge, towering dens glinted harshly in the midday light, larger than they had ever seen. They spread out from this point, losing altitude as the Denning Place petered out into the distance. They were in the very heart of Nofur territory, and all of it was daunting.
Feliciano's ears flattened and he crouched slightly, unnerved by his apparent smallness admits the grand buildings the Nofurs had constructed. Kiku gazed wide eyed at the slight, and Ludwig, though putting on a tough face, looked visibly shaken as well. But more in the manor that would make him more likely to attack the looming hugeness around them than shrink before it. Elizabeta was as at ease as if it where her own den, ignoring the massive surroundings as she stood before the traveling males.
"This is the Big Path. It cuts right through the center of the Denning place, meeting another of its size in the middle and dividing the area into four large sections. Both sides of this path are owned mainly by the strays and rouges. All you have to do is follow it to where the two Big Paths intersect, then cross the road, and you're back in open territory, where you can walk without issue."
Coming to the edge of the outcropping they were perched on, Feliciano gazed down at the street below, marveling in its size before noticing something weird.
"Where are all the Metal Beast?" he questioned.
The others scurried to his side and craned their necks over the side so they could catch a glimpse too.
"He's right." Kiku exclaimed. "It almost looks deserted."
No large, hulking figures raced up and down the Big Path as on the others, and no rumbles in the distance signaled that more where on their way. With as much room as this one had, it would be assumed that miles of Metal Beasts would be lining up to prowl the speedway. But the area was mostly silent, aside from the shuffling of many haggard looking Nofurs, all trudging up the sidewalks in the same direction. Ludwig tilted his head.
"What's wrong with them? They look like they're sleep walking."
Elizabeta stepped up beside them.
"Oh, yes. Poor dears. They must be stragglers from a few nights ago."
The others looked confusedly towards her.
"Several sunrises past, I had felt a rumble shift through the ground beneath me. Many other cats I talked to had felt the same. At first, we ignored it as nothing of importance, until the survivors started flooding in. As the sun rose higher into the sky, more Nofurs began to swarm the center of the Denning Place; more than I had ever seen in one day. They were all in a dreadful state. Some with their covering pelts half falling off, some with barely any on at all. Many where clearly hurt and in pain, running down the paths with families and belongings close at hand. A few had cats with them, and from their accounts, I learned that the tremor had been a deadly earth shake that had destroyed most of the outer parts of the Denning Place, and now they were all fleeing inward, where it was safe and sturdy, with places for shelter and food. For the next few days it was pure chaos; eventually the fleeing Nofurs streamed down to only this small trickle here."
Ludwig shook his fur in dread, and Kiku forced his fur to lie flat. They had never conceived that the damage was that wide spread, or that it had affected so much. Feliciano would have been unsettled as well, if his mind had not been on other things.
Injured Nofurs, fleeing for care… could they have been…
"Elizabeta!" he cried suddenly, causing the others to jump.
"What is it?"
"Do you know where the injured Nofur's where going?"
"Not really, but I guess these stragglers are headed to the same place. They're going in the same direction the rest fled."
The brown tom danced around in excitement, giggling in glee. Ludwig stepped close to him.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Better than alright! Ludwig, I bet that's where my Nofurs went to! If they were hurt, they all must be going towards the Healing Den. The same place the white Beasts go. If we follow them, they'll lead us right to the place!"
"Feliciano, that's… not a bad idea actually."
"I agree." Commented Kiku, who had padded up to listen. "I think it's our best shot."
"Is… everything alright?" Elizabeta mewed in worry.
"Yes, actually. I think we know exactly what to do now."
"Well." She started. "I guess this is where we part ways then."
It was a bit of a sudden comment, but they should have been expecting it. She was only supposed to get them this far. Ludwig dipped his head respectfully.
"That you very much for your help, Elizabeta." Kiku followed suit.
Elizabeta mewed with humor.
"It was my pleasure." She turned to leave through the same path they had taken.
Feliciano stepped forward.
"Wait!"
Elizabeta turned to him.
"What is it?"
"Come with us!" He pleaded. "We could use your help."
She smiled at him.
"Thank you, but I must decline."
Felicano's tail and head drooped in disappointment. He had just started to make friends with Elizabeta, and she was leaving. He felt a tail run across his shoulders.
"I'm sorry, but I have other responsibilities I need to take care of. I can't go off running with every group of cats I come across. But I do wish you luck on your endeavors."
With that, she disappeared into the dark opening, the trio watching as she padded off.
"Well…" Ludwig interrupted Felicano's melancholy.
"I think it's time we get moving."
They turned to the dens running beside their current ledge down the path. Window sills lined their walls in a straight line that was easy to follow and wide enough for them to walk on without risk of falling. Ludwig took lead, Kiku bringing up the rear, as they headed towards where, hopefully, Felicano's Nofurs would be waiting.