Chapter Nine

Genevieve's POV

My sight came back first as it always did and I was hit with a strong sense of de ja vu when I opened my eyes to see the tent's green ceiling.

I frowned and was immediately flooded with doubts.

Had it all been a dream? Had I not really gone walking in the woods? If so, where had the clearing full of flowers come from? Or the –I shuddered at the thought- the man!?

I screwed my eyes shut tight as if to block out my own thoughts, but they kept coming.

If it had all been a dream, was I even free? Would I wake up to Cook shaking my shoulder and telling me to stoke the fires and start preparing breakfast? Oh good Lord! Master Braden! He-

"Hey. Hey, it's okay. You're safe, I promise," said a soothing voice next to my ear.

It was punctuated by a purring sound and the feeling of something wet and rough sliding across one bare shoulder. Fur lay under my head as well as encircling my upper body, giving off warmth.

My hearing and the sense of feeling had returned at least. Usually it took long- Wait! My bare shoulder?!

I quickly sat up right, scrabbling to remove a mound of blankets. Once moved, they revealed the tattered remains of my dress. I clutched at the shredded pieces of material and tried to hike them back up over my shoulders to no avail.

"There's no point," the same voice said. "That thing you call a dress may have made it through a lot, but it certainly didn't stand very long against the forest."

I felt something warm and soft flick across my back.

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Jasmine's POV

I was panting like a dog when I caught up to her. She had collapsed in a heap on the ground, white as a ghost and soaked in sweat. Whether it was from exertion or fear, I didn't know; either way, she wasn't getting up any time soon.

I couldn't tell how old the girl was, given the state of things. From her size she looked to be about my age, but the dress, ragged as it was, still covered her enough to be considered decent and was in no way tight. What it didn't hide was the bruises. Large, blotchy marks were starting to appear, covering her upper arms where the sleeves had been shredded into nonexistence and the side of her neck where the man had held her. I had no doubt that there would be a matching one on her mid-drift.

A mournful hiccup drew my attention to a little girl that couldn't have been older than two, she was so tiny. Every bone was clearly defined and her veins shone blue from her pale skin.

Unlike the other girl, her dress was too small. The hem settled just above the knees and the top part was stretching at the seams, making it harder for her to breath. Part of the sleeves had been torn to make bigger openings for her arms which had numerous bug bites accompanied by scratch marks left from her nails. Even so, the younger girl looked to be better off at the moment than the older, who was covered in oozing scratches from head to toe.

The little girl hiccupped again and curled tighter around herself, then flinched as if the action hurt. I smelled salt and on closer inspection realized that she was crying in her sleep.

I felt like going back to that man and ripping his heart out and stomping on it. If I found out that he was responsible for this, he better admire the stars, because he wasn't going to live to see the next sunrise.

I didn't know I was grinding my teeth until pain went up through my gums from where my canines had nicked them. I tasted blood on my tongue, coppery like a shiny new penny. I swallowed thickly and pushed the little one with my paws until she was next to the older one. Then, with a look at the gray clouds that where doing a pretty good job at expressing just how depressing the situation was without any sign of let up, I spread out next to them in the hopes of giving them some warmth.

Without really thinking about it, I found myself purring.

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Felix's POV

When I had set out to find them, this scenario hadn't even crossed my mind, and with good reason. I stood on one side of what appeared to be a stalemate. Both sides unable to make a move, neither willing to back down.

I inched a paw forward from my position under a pricker bush only to get a warning hiss. I was annoyed to say the least, soaking wet from nearly an hour in the drizzle and being snapped at by a half-grown tiger cub who refused to take no for an answer.

Gnashing my teeth in frustration, I dug my back legs into the moist dirt and prepared to leap. If I made it to Leah and Genevieve, who were unconscious a good ten feet away, I was positive the little tiger would back off. The tiger was doing her best to keep me from them for what reason I couldn't discern. She refused to talk, answering all my questions and needlings with swipes of her paws and annoyed wuffles.

I was considering just baking off for a bit, but then Leah moved her head to the side slightly and distracted the striped cat. The moment she was no longer looking at me, I was moving.

Leaves rustled and water droplets scattered. In the next moment I was spotted and lunged at. Teeth snapped together, breaking skin. Blood welled up and pain came through loud and clear. She had me by the left haunch and with a paw pressing down on my neck, there was no way to escape.

I didn't think there was every -or would ever- be a time when I would be so grateful to hear the thud of hooves on dirt and the cries of the warrior centaurs as they brandished their weapons.

A\N: You know the part just know where I mentioned annoyed waffles? The grammar check kept trying to change it to waffles. I thought about leaving it to see if anyone said anything, but decided against it. Let me know what you think.