Chapter Four

Beginning of the Culmination

They were out. And surprisingly, it hadn't been that easy. Well, the breaking part anyway. As soon as the hard plastic had broken, the alarms had sounded. Shrill and designed to wake up anyone within a ten mile radius. Blue did not consider any of this as she aced the landing of her jump and whipped around, running across the aisle to Felidae's cage. The young cat was watching with intense, unblinking eyes that normally made Blue recoil. This time, she just avoided looking into them to keep herself from getting distracted.

"Blue, over here!"

It was Hige. Blue turned her head as he shoved a lever down with hard force of a wolf. The system that held the cages in place began whirling, and all the doors were popped open- like a car's trunk, waiting for someone to pull it up further.

Blue grabbed the bottom of the door leading to Felidae and lifted. Man, was it heavy. Thankfully, the cat was smart enough to slip out when she had time and Blue dropped the door. Hige was already by her side, briefly checking to make sure she was okay, before he grabbed her hand and raced forward. Blue was confused for a moment, before realizing that he was following Felidae.

The feline had taken off upon her release and seemed to know exactly where to go. Blue did not have time to register this as suspicious before Hige swerved sharply and halted in a side hallway. Guards had suddenly stormed the main hallway, guns loaded and ready. Blue tensed, ready to fight if necessary, which it would be.

Frowning, Hige crouched low to the ground, his head peering cautiously around the wall. Blue watched nervously as his eyes narrowed, but he stood up.

Shots sounded from behind them now as more guards stepped for. Hige instantly grabbed Blue and tugged her forward into a run that was too hard and fast for humans.

It was only when she was jumping over their bodies, did Blue realize that the guards had been taken out. Glancing up, she noticed Felidae standing impatiently on one of the bodies farther ahead; a few drops of crimson was on her pelt. But she didn't look injured.

Blue had only a few seconds to decide to give the cat a thorough questioning when the shots came again from where they had been. She twisted her body to the side- losing contact with Hige- and narrowly missed being shot. Somehow, she had known the bullet was going to be there.

Instead of resuming her run, Blue stood her ground. She faced her chasers, her eyes narrowed and cold. Wolf blood ran thick in her at the moment.

Distantly, she could hear Hige shouting for her, but she couldn't focus on him now. Her tail was recumbent with the ground, and her lips were pulled back to reveal fine canines. The guards had stopped a dozen or less yards away; guns up and pointed- waiting for the wolf to act.

Blue felt movement by her side but didn't break her stance. It was Hige, refusing to leave her alone in the one time she chose to be stubborn. He stood back from her slightly, allowing her to be leader.

Without warning, the cerulean wolf threw her head back and howled. It was a high note at first, that fell to a deeper one. It warned the humans to keep away, or they would be killed.

But the guards did not understand the different wolf cries. All they saw was a suicidal wolf who obviously did not care if she were shot. The leader of the guards dropped his hand; the signal to fire. Dutifully, the soldiers fired their weapons without hesitation. However, before their bullets could make contact with the animals, the wolves leaped effortlessly, the blue to the left and the brown to the right, and dodged the tiny missiles.

The female was the first to strike. She ran down the wide hallway to the soldiers, her body arching as she evaded the bullets. A couple feet from her first target, she put on a burst of speed, running past him. She skidded, twisting before she came to a stop and then ran again. She leaped up, her teeth connecting with his throat before the soldier could react.

All of this happened within a few seconds.

The men had underestimated the wolves, and thought of the brown male as the biggest threat. Most of them were focusing on them. His mate swung her head around, watching him after she had released her first victim.

A couple soldiers finally noticed their fallen comrade, and whipped around towards Blue. She faced them, straightening up. Nonetheless, bullets were splayed at her before she could get going. Blue jumped back, but couldn't get entirely lucky. She winced as the pellet made contact with her leg- enough to draw blood, but the thing only nicked her.

Blue landed, stumbling heavily, yelping loudly as weight was put onto the injury. The yelp attracted the attention of the rest of the guard, who immediately put their guns to her. Blue held her ground. Hige was a good distant away, having tried to lure the men away. But he didn't miss the way Blue swung her head to the side once, catching his eye, then returning to normal.

Hige broke into a sprint, his paws silently making contact with the ground.

The soldiers now that they had the wolf cornered. One of them lazily cocked their gun at her, shooting. He missed purposefully and only point was to scare her. The wolf flattened her ears, flinching.

A few bounds later, Hige reached his first target, his hand coming down on the first human and easily slitting his throat. He winked once at Blue then moved on, jumping up as bullets showered down on him.

Their attention swayed, Blue took her turn. She tackled one to the ground, ending his life with little difficult, despite the armor that stood in the way.

There had only been six guard members to begin with, and now three were down. The remaining were backed up against a wall. Blue snarled once, no sign of injury on her. Her head was lowered, lips once more pulled back.

Only the brief screams of desperate men alerted others to their deaths. By the time they reached the respectful hallway, nothing remained but debris from all of the shots and bodies from those who made the shots.

"God, Blue, that was amazing!"

Hige still couldn't get over what she had done, and a genuine smile was on his face. Like the time when he had first encountered Blue being a wolf.

Blue fiddled with her fingers, again not sure of what to say to his compliments. She had no idea why she had stopped like that. She could have saved herself another injury. Glancing down, she sighed. Her clothes were stained crimson, but the wound had stopped bleeding a while back. Not finding anything else to do, Blue shoved her hands into her pockets, giving her a cool look.

"Thanks, Hige," she murmured.

Felidae walked beside the two wolves, completely unnerved. She was perfectly aware of much she had been acting out, and was slightly relieved that there would be no questioning of who she really was.

Felidae had cursed herself for trying to be the hero. Should have let the wolves take care of the first bunch, she thought stiffly. For now, their useful for protection. Now that I know Blue is capable of fighting…

Her tail twitching, the sand cat looked around slightly guiltily. It was partially her fault for Blue's injury. But, Felidae had only wanted to see what the wolf was capable of, and Blue could have run if she truly wanted to.

"Know of any food nearby? I think we're all getting hungry by now." It was Blue who spoke again, her voice soft, calm.

Hige looked slightly sheepish as he answered. "Actually, we're headed to a town right now. I was kind of hungry when we left, so, you know, just kind of lead everyone to the nearest town."

Blue snorted, but Felidae could see the affection clearly on her. The cat was envious of the wolves. She couldn't fathom what Blue saw in Hige, but it was their whole relationship that her stomach churning. She was the last of her kind, and would never have a mate besides a common house cat. Insulting, really.

After all six soldiers had been killed, the three had quickly fled the sight. They had broken through the main doors with apparent ease and found themselves just outside of a large city, no doubt populated by brain washed citizens. Not very eager to see what their reception would be, the three moved away- Hige carrying Felidae, against all protests, in his jaws to travel farther in less time.

Now, they walked through a thinning forest where snow still littered the ground. The stuff seemed to be everywhere.

Felidae glanced behind her again at the wolves. She had known of Hige's intentions when he led them into the forest, and despite his promises of a town, his eyes scanned the area, searching for anything that was edible.

One of the reasons Felidae was still with them. Besides protection, anyway.

The cat abstained from any conversation, thinking deeply. After a year of searching, she had found what she needed. Only one step left. Felidae knew it would be all too easy to convince the wolves to follow her, but if she used too much pressure, they would end up in a drunken state and completely useless.

One of the few side effects to her ability. If she had had hands, Felidae would have been rubbing her temples. Her ability didn't exactly have a name, and to describe it took a lengthy amount of time. In any event, it was just as unique as the wolves inhuman strength and speed or capacity to appear as humans.

In one way, Felidae was irresistible. And that wasn't to her doing. Humans, animals, anyone. They were all attracted to her. One of her lesser prowess. But the one ability that she had been focusing on her whole life to master was, as she liked to refer to it in simple terms, Persuasion.

Anything she wanted done could be, she just had to put pressure on the item in question. Once in a while, she came across just a strong willed mind, that the brain shut her out. Other times, it was still possible, but more pressure was required. More limitations were there as well. The object had to be within a few feet and be mindful of her.

Felidae swung her tail to one side, and then back. She hated those limitations. Made her feel weak. The wolves had it easy compared to her.

But Felidae's journey was almost completed. She had the necessary components and had to deliver them. Now that the time was here, Felidae disliked the idea of betraying their trust. Blue had taken an interest in her by natural accords, not because of anything Felidae had.

The cat came to a halt, feeling the path smarten up with footprints of humans. She turned, patiently waiting for the two to reach her. When they did, she spoke calmly, none of her previous thoughts contaminating her voice. "We're getting closer. The town is a small one- mostly farmers and maidens trying to make a living."

Blue and Hige exchanged a glance, nodding and chipping in minor comments of understanding. They continued on. Blue's eyes were narrowed. She couldn't figure out how the cat was capable of doing everything that she was. She obviously had some history that wouldn't be revealed anytime soon. But was the big secret?

She gave her head a slow shake, lips pressed together.

The trees gave way to a cliff, and looking over, Blue found herself staring fondly at the tiny town. Her eyes softened as memories were drilled into her head. It looked so familiar and calm down there. But it wasn't her home. And even by some extraordinary measures that it was, it still wasn't. Not with Quent, the boy, and the wife.

Blue closed her eyes, and after a while, opened them, her previous thoughts out of her mind. She turned her head, seeing Hige waiting for her a ways down. She smiled, her legs moving automatically as she needed to be by his side again.

Night had fallen by the time the three entered the town.

Hige made an excuse to wander the town alone, and left Blue and Felidae to do… well, something together. Felidae seemed to have the same idea as him and wandered off in the opposite direction, wishing Blue to have fun.

Blue was stumped. Here she was, in the second most perfect town, and she had no idea what to do. A quick look to the right revealed that she would be more than welcome to hang out in a bar. Gritting her teeth, Blue silently cursed Hige for leaving her alone in a town where anyone new was noticed immediately.

Stupid male.

Blue again found her hands in her pockets after flipping the collar up of her jacket. She looked into each store she passed, silently considering her options.

This looks okay… No. Perverts here too. And farther on. Definitely this place. I don't care who is inside.

She pushed a sparkling double door open. It was a museum. For a seemingly small town, this place was pretty high tech.

A women dressed in jeans and an official work shirt greeted her with a phony smile. Her eyes tightened in a way that said she hated her life. Blue couldn't blame her.

"Welcome to the All Around Museum, can I help you find anything?" The women spoke in a too-happy voice.

Blue read her nametag carefully before replying. It said 'Gracie Stone.' "I was wondering if there were any animal type exhibits?"

Gracie Stone with the phony smile and too-happy voice, pointed with her finger. "Yes, of course. Walk that way, take a left, and once you're past the metal area, you'll reach the animals."

Blue mumbled a quick thanks and hastened to follow the directions. She actually wasn't in much of a hurry, and paused in the gun exhibits. Her eyes found the one that had been used on her earlier today. Her eyes scanned the brief information card.

'One of the most successful weapons made by mankind. It is capable of killing anything.

The most noticeable holders are soldiers.

The plan for this marvelous weapon was first drafted thirty years ago. It was commissioned twenty five years ago.'

Blue stared in wonder at the card. It was tainted with opinions, making her a bit more suspicious. Clearly the public must fear it.

Suddenly feeling the need to move on, Blue walked swiftly away from the weapon, barely turning her head to see a man watching her. She looked forward again, her adrenaline pumping already.

She moved with intent now. Leaving the weaponry, the last section of the metal area, behind and was overcome by the animal area. She went through with a purpose, glancing at the information hopefully, then without any regard to what it was about.

Blue was glancing around, not necessarily forward, when she was startled about what was just in front of her, quickly taking a step back.

It was wolf. It's ears were back, snarling at some unknown force. It's stance also read attack, Blue was reaching a hand forward to touch the body when a voice came from behind her.

"Isn't it a beauty? We have Jagura to thank for donating this one." The man laughed much too loudly. Blue swung herself around to face him. It was the one who had been previously watching her.

"Jagura? How would she have wolves? They've been extinct."

Playing stupid was amazingly easy for her.

"Yeah, I thought so too once. But this beast is in prime condition." The man stepped forward next to Blue, clapping his hand down on the wolf's muzzle. "I take it you're new here?" She nodded. "Well then, my name is Jeb. I own this museum. It's because of the funding I get that entry is free." He chuckled again.

Blue smiled weakly, her stomach in knots. If she blew with him, it would mean instant retreat.

Jeb went on, apparently unaware of her unease. "So. Anything in particular you want to see? I got backstage access to everything."

Blue swiftly declined him. "No thanks. I can only stay for five more minutes. Can't keep the boyfriend waiting, you know?"

God, it was pretty pathetic how disappointed Jeb looked at 'boyfriend.' He mumbled something unintelligible and shuffled off in a hurry.

Blue leaned forward, her head bent as she read the information card on wolves. It too, was brief.

'Previously believed to be extinct, wolves are now traveling the land.

Not much is known, but scientists are working with these creatures to discover their secrets.'

Not even a scrape of fact was on the information card. Blue felt proud that apparently the humans were clueless.

She checked a clock that was above a monkey, frozen mid-swing forever. Blue tried to ignore. She had only a few minutes left. She didn't doubt that Jeb was still watching her. The man was big and beefy- he could do serious damage. Blue didn't really want to kill him and disrupt this peaceful town.

Again, she moved with purpose towards the cat section. Surprisingly, it was fairly large and organized. There was even a catalog. Blue scanned through the book and moved away, finding exactly what she needed. Nestled between an African wildcat and Chinese mountain cat, was a picture of a Sand Dune Cat.

Blue gripped the railing that kept her from getting closer. Her finger ran over the smooth surface of the card of information, and she read through it several times.

'Virtually extinct, the Sand Dune Cat was once highly respected.

Traveling or owning of them always brought luck to people.

It is said that such cats had special abilities that made them unstoppable, but that has yet to be proven.

Legends speak of a Sand Cat that will stop further destruction of the planet and open up a new

realm for only the purest of people to live in. This legend has also yet to been proven,

but more can be learned in the Book of the Sun, which has been banned.

More information coming soon.'