Chapter 4

Tianhuo talked with Velvet for the rest of the afternoon, and they both cheered and drank glasses of milk. Tianhuo tried to get Pom in on the fun, but she insisted that she wasn't thirsty and wanted to be left alone. Eventually, Tianhuo gave up and went back to talking to Velvet, who was talking about her childhood.

"Ve'll growing up as a member of Reine City's ruling elite means that I got premiere status vherever I vas," Velvet said. "It's nice to have everyone look up to you, right Tianhuo?"

"Huh?" Tianhuo said.

"Ve'll, it's obvious zat you are a high rank in your tribe," Velvet said. "I've never seen you take your armor off; it must be something special."

"Why yes, it is the Imperial Guard armor, and I wear it whenever I am on duty," Tianhuo said. "And since I'm a Key Seeker, I will always be on duty."

"Vow, interesting," Velvet said. "You know, vhen I vas young, I tried on some ancient reindeer armor zat dated back to vhen ve vould raid other cities for sport."

"Huh, that's very interesting," Tianhuo said.

"Yeah, vell, I guess zere vas a reason zat ze armor vas on display because vhen I vent to put it on, it broke into small pieces."

"Wow, I beat your family vans't happy," Tianhuo said, and Velvet giggled a little at her trying her unique speech.

"Vell, I vans't punished, and in fact, zey blamed another reindeer who was zere at ze time," Velvet said. Pom then interrupted them out of nowhere.

"Well, that isn't fair!" Pom said. "You used elite status to get what you wanted."

"Vell zat's how you can zink about it," Velvet said. "But please pipe down; the elites are talking."

"ARGHHH!" Pom screamed and stormed out of the inn, with reindeer heads looking at her on the way out. Tianhuo also watched as she stormed out, and her heart felt somewhat bad for her.

"Hey, Velvet," Tianhuo said. "That may have been a bit too far."

"But it vas ze truth!" Velvet said. "Ve vere having an elite conversation, and she isn't an elite."

"Well yeah, but we still don't know much about her life," Tianhuo said. "I'm going to check and ensure she's okay."

"Vhatever," Velvet said. "I'll be out after I finish zis milk," and she took another chug from her glass. Tianhuo shrugged, got out of her seat, and went outside to find Pom. As Tianhuo stepped out, she looked around and found Pom wandering the streets with her head down. Tianhuo went to walk up to her, but her dogs appeared and started barking at her.

"Hey!" Tianhuo said. "Let me through so that I can talk to her."

"I don't want to talk," Pom said, still facing away from Tianhuo. "You obviously don't care anything about my feelings or ideas."

"That isn't true!" Tianhuo said. "I do care! Heck, you saved me from those predators! Without you, who knows what bad things would have come out of that portal."

"Yeah, you made that deal with Velvet without caring about anything I had to say!" Pom said, approaching Tianhuo in a fit of rage.

"Well, she will tell me information that may help track down the Propet's Key! Don't you want all predators to be banished again?"

"Yeah, but do you know what she will do when she finds that calf?" Pom asked. "She'll probably kill it!"

"How is that my problem?" Tianhuo asked. "I don't want to get wrapped into other creatures' problems. I want to focus on finding this key and keeping Foenum safe."

"THAT'S THE PROBLEM!" Pom screamed into Tianhuo's face, making her back up a little. "All you care about is yourself and not whoever you hurt along the way!" Pom then breathed in before speaking again. "But then again, predator, I didn't expect much from you."

"Pom, wait!" Tianhuo said, but it was too late. Pom had already run off with her sheepdogs, and Tianhuo was there alone. Tianhuo put her head down and stomped the ground.

Argh, I definitely should have been listening to her more, Tinahuo thought. Well, I got to make it up to her somehow.

Tianhuo then heard a footstep approaching behind her, but before she could figure out what it was, she felt something hit her head and fell unconscious.

Tianhuo woke up in a dark room with some sunlight coming in from a small window behind her covered with bars. Confused, she tried to move but felt herself get stuck, and as she lit herself up to see, she saw that her hooves and body were chained to the ground. She realized that her armor had been taken off, and as she tried to figure out where she was, she heard footsteps approaching. She saw two reindeer appear wearing armor and then make way for a third reindeer to get through. Tianhuo noticed the two braids hanging from his floof and the rings and jewelry he had on. He approached the cage that she was locked up in and looked at her.

"My, my, such an interesting creature that we have caught," he said.

"Who are you?" Tianhuo said. "And why am I chained up?"

"Calm down," the reindeer said. "My name is Stronghoof Hoofstrong, but you can call me Hoofstrong, and we have you captured for incriminating information."

"What incriminating information do you have on me?" Tianhuo asked. "Because I can assure you that I've done nothing wrong!"

"That's what they all say, predator."

Tianhuo's mouth went wide. "How did you know that?"

"Oh, I guess it was just by luck that I was walking by when I heard that sheep scream that you're a predator," Hoofstrong said. "But to be honest, I didn't know if it was true until you confirmed it. So thanks for that."

Tianhuo gasped. "Pom really meant about my half-predator blood! Us Longma's aren't full predators!"

"But you have predator blood and DNA in you," Hoofstrong said. "Interesting."

"So?" Tianhuo said. "Sheepdogs are full predators, but they are allowed to roam free!"

"Yeah, but everyone knows about them, and there haven't been any reports of them attacking anything," Hoofstrong said.

Tianhuo thought back to what Pom's sheepdogs did to that bear down in the basement of that house. Yeah, sure, no attacks.

"So why do you have me locked up then?" Tianhuo asked. "Have there been any reports of us attacking any other tribe? Because I bet you there haven't!"

"Why yes, that is true," Hoofstrong said. "There have been no reports, but then again, has there been much information on your tribe?"

Tianhuo shut her mouth at that instinct, which made Hoofstrong smile.

"Now you see," Hoofstrong said. "We have no information about this sudden realization with your tribe. Unless, of course, you would like to share it."

"Why?" Tianhuo asked. "You're just going to give it to every other tribe."

"Well, no," Hoofstrong said. "As long as there is no threat from the Longma's, then there is no reason to tell everyone about your little secret and cause a worldwide panic."

"But didn't you tell all the reindeer already?" Tianhuo asked.

"No," Hoofstrong said. "Only the elite reindeer know about this, and we aren't going to spill it unless we have to."

"So you're blackmailing me," Tianhuo said.

"Maybe," Hoofstrong said. "But I'd like to think of it as you protecting your whole tribe as long as you give me the information I want."

"Yeah, I am never going to do that!" Tianhuo said. "I am loyal to the Longma's! I would never betray them!"

Hoofstrong backed up from her cage. "I expected as much coming from you, but don't worry, I'll get what I want from you."

"I'm not scared of you!" Tianhuo said. "We Longma's are stronger than any other tribe, and death threats won't break us!"

"Oh, I'll give you something worse than death," Hoofstrong said. "I'll let you think for a day, then I'll be back." Hoofstrong then turned around and walked out of the room with his guards, leaving Tianhuo alone.

Do they think they'll break me? Well, I am a Longma! We are a proud race! Half-horse, half-dragon, we have nothing to fear! Nothing will break me!

Tianhuo saw the sunlight come through the window as the sun rose the next day, and she tried to lay her head down to sleep again but got cold water tossed on her again.

"Argh, I swear you are going to get it!" Tianhuo screamed at the reindeer who had kept throwing cold water on her all night, making it impossible for her to sleep.

"Oh, don't blame him; he was only doing what he was told," Hoofstrong said, walking up to her cell.

"Well, if you think this will break me, then you're wrong!" Tianhuo said. "I've had more than one sleepless night before!"

"Yes, it is only an annoyance, but that was to get to the real way to get you to talk," Hoofstrong said.

"Oh yeah?" Tianhuo said. "And how's that?"

Hoofstrong smiled and sat down in front of her cage. "Say, you know a lot about your tribe, right?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Tianhuo said, confused as to where he was taking this. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Well, if you know your tribe as you say, then you know the one thing that will make you talk."

Tianhuo froze and then growled deeply. "That is illegal and is banned across Foenum!"

"Yes, banned," Hoofstrong said. "To use on any non-predators."

"I'm not a predator!" Tianhuo said. "I've lived my life helping out and defending my tribe. If we were predators, then we would have attacked by now!"

"Or your tribe was holding out until they got new information on the world," Hoofstrong said. "But then again, that's why they sent you as a Key Seeker, to gather information on us."

Tianhuo gasped. "That's not true!" she said. "I was sent to find the Prophet's Key and to banish the predators from Foenum!"

"Likely story," Hoofstrong said while standing up. "Now, wait here while I get the illegal method." Hoofstrong then left Tianhuo, and she felt tired from no sleep, but she kept herself awake. She then saw a reindeer approaching, and she thought it was Hoofstrong, but as they got closer, Tianhuo saw it was Velvet.

"Oh… hi… Velvet," Tianhuo said, delayed because of how tired she was.

"So you kept zis secret from me!" Velvet said.

"No… Pom knew," Tianhuo said.

"Oh, so you told ze sheep, but not me," Velvet said. "Vhat vas your plan?"

"Nothing…" Tianhuo said. "She… figured it out… and I… didn't want… her to spill it."

"Vhy?" Velvet asked. "So zat ze vorld didn't know vhat you predators vere doing?"

"No," Tianhuo said. "We aren't bad. You would protect your tribe if it kept them safe and out of harm's way."

"Vhy yes I vould, but vhy didn't your tribe tell anyone?" Velvet asked.

"How could we?" Tianhuo said. "You saw how everyone reacts to predators. What would they think when they realize they have been living side-by-side with us the entire time. Massive chaos would happen, and our tribe didn't want that."

"So you kept quiet for all of us?" Velvet asked.

"Yes," Tianhuo said. "But it looks like it doesn't matter now."

Velvet was about to say something when Hoofstrong came down the stairs again. "Velvet, I told you not to come down here!"

"But, I vanted to see her!" Velvet said. "I vanted to know vhy she vas locked up and lied to us."

"Well, I've already told you why!" Hoofstrong said. "Now, daughter, go upstairs to your bed!"

"But!"

"Now!" Hoofstrong said and stomped his hooves on the floor. Velvet huffed and left the room, leaving Tianhuo there with Hoofstrong.

"Now, since that is taken care of, we can get onto business," Hoofstrong said. "Unless you will tell me all I want to know."

"Never," Tianhuo said.

"Ok then," Hoofstrong said, putting an artifact around his neck. "I think this will get you to talk."

"You better not," Tianhuo said.

"You leave me no choice," Hoofstrong said, and Tianhuo felt a cold blast of wind over her. It shivered her to her bones, and when she tried to ignite her flames, she felt water pour onto her and freeze immediately onto her body.

"ARGHHH!" Tianhuo screamed in pain as the ice started to incase more of her body.

"That's right," Hoofstrong said. "You thought you were tough, but you forgot about the one weakness of Longma's. I've done my research and know that you, Longma, run off the fire in your body. It keeps you alive and warm all the time." He broke Tianhuo out of the ice before it fully increased and threw her to the ground. "But if that fire was to burn out, your body would stop functioning, and you would die."

"Yo… You… mon… monster!" Tianhuo said, shivering.

"So if I was to keep you frozen for a while, then you would die," Hoofstrong said. "But then again, I wouldn't get the information I want. So the only thing worse is to keep you on the brink of death with no way to heat yourself up. Then eventually, you will break from the excruciating pain you feel."

"I will… never break… from this!" Tianhuo said.

Hoofstrong smiled. "Suit yourself."

Tianhuo felt another wave of pain hit her as Hoofstrong kept freezing her and breaking her out of the ice before she was fully encased. She felt the coldest she had ever been in her life and her strength slipping away. Finally, she felt the rays from the sun leave her cell as the sun set for the day.

"You didn't break on the first day," Hoofstrong said. "I have to give you credit, you are stronger than I thought, but tomorrow you will break, I'm sure of it!" He then whistled for the guard by her cell to follow him; he didn't need to be there during the cold night. Before Hoffstrong left, he made a thick sheet of ice on everything in her cell.

"Have a nice night," Hoofstrong said and closed the door to the prison, and Tianhuo felt the temperature drop to below freezing, and she fell to the ground in pain. She tried to light up her body, but her flame was too weak and wouldn't ignite.

I've… got… got… got… this, Tianhuo thought, but was shivering. She then didn't feel any of her hooves and fell down to the cold ice below. She looked at one of her hooves and realized it was developing frostbite.

It… it… it will… be… be… fine, Tianhuo thought, but she doubted herself every second. She just decided to curl up the best she could and fall asleep.

Out of nowhere, she heard footsteps approaching her cell, and she weakly lifted her head up to see who it was. She saw it was Velvet and was about to ask what she was doing, but then she saw her break the lock to her cage.

"What… What?" Tianhuo asked.

"Shhh, save your energy," Velvet said and started to break her free from her chains.

"Why… Why are…you doing this?" Tianhuo asked.

"I zought about vhat you said and zen realized zat you are correct zat all you vant to do is help out," Velvet said. "And I don't argee vith vhat my dad is doing to you."

"But… if he… finds out," Tianhuo said.

"I don't care," Velvet said as she broke the last chain and helped Tianhuo stand up. "He is in the wrong! Now let's go!"

"Where?" Tianhuo asked as Velvet helped her walk forward and out of the cell.

"Out of zis city," Velvet said.

"But what… about the artifact?" Tianhuo asked.

"Don't worry," Velvet said. "Someone already knows everything about it." Tianhuo then saw Pom appear at the top of the stairs, smiling.

Tianhuo smiled back weakly. "Hey…, you came back"

"Yep," Pom said. "Velvet told me all about what you said. Now let's get you out of here."

So with Pom and Velvet helping carry Tianhuo, the team of three snuck to the gates and out of Reine City.