Chapter 32: A Chance

There I was, alone with the intimidating she cat who was formidable enough to deter the abuse of Claws. She was definitely a cave guard with those broad shoulders and rippling muscles. Her amber eyes fixed me in place. I could tell trying anything on her would be a mistake. She was trained to fight, possibly even born for it. She seemed to be taking me in with those intense fire-like eyes. Then she spoke.

"I don't know why Stoneteller seems so afraid of you. You're not as strong as us. You're not even fully grown yet. Yet, you somehow strike fear into a cat who speaks of destiny. Why? What could you possibly do?" She mewed aggressively yet ponderously. "Even when he baited you by presenting you with someone helpless like my brother, you stay those unnatural claws. You instead teach my brother how to defend himself. I do not know what to make of you. Stoneteller says you are a threat, but you do not act one. Nor can I sense deception, but I cannot trust you. What is your plan? How do you plan to defy what our ancestors decree?" She demanded.

I took a second to calm myself. Her intensity had me hunkering in fear she'd decide to attack to get rid of the unknown factor. "What I want to do, what I need to do is save my friend. That is all I am after. I do not care for your tribe. They've both wronged and aided us. You gave us shelter when we needed it, but at the same time, you abducted two of us for something we are wholly uninvolved with. Look at me, imprisoned because I dare to exist, that I am something unaccounted for. If they'd asked, we might have help, but instead you force it upon us. Your tribe made an enemy of us, not the other way around. What I want is to leave with Stormfur. We've got our own prophecy to worry about, one carrying many times more lives than your tribe. Yes, Jaggedtooth is a threat, just as much as a wild dog is to us, but your tribe does not face total eradication. What I want is to save my friends and family, and your tribe is stopping us from doing that. Can you blame me for wanting to subvert your prophecy to save our own?" I answered vehemently.

For a moment, I saw a flash of guilt in her eyes. She didn't want to do this, but she also knew her priorities. Her tribe came first over any others. She hesitated a moment before speaking again. "I… am sorry for what is happening. I do mean that. You have the right to be angry with me, with us. We did abduct you and your friend. We do plan to use your friend to kill Jaggedtooth, as the prophecy describes." She mewed. She hesitated a moment longer, seemingly considering something before mewing. "Stoneteller told us of your ability to subvert prophecy. I wish to offer you a chance. Jaggedtooth must die. I do not care by what means, but if you can change destiny by killing Jaggedtooth early, we'll have to let you and your friend go. Come with me."

I followed her through the dark passages of branching tunnels. Despite the confusing mess of twisting and overlapping caverns, I was getting a sense of familiarity with the turns. This was the way I'd been guided down. The crack of a pebble skipping across stone brought us to a stop. The molly made some sort of gesture I didn't understand, but I guessed it meant to keep quiet. She prowled ahead to peek at the upcoming corner. After a moment of silence, she gave a small nod and trotted back to me.

"This is as far as I can take you. Just ahead is a branch of tunnels that lead to the main entrance. Do not go down there. You should be safe here. I am giving you a chance here to try and concoct a way to kill Jaggedtooth. Stoneteller plans to complete the prophecy in two days time. I will tell Claws that you are here. You can trust him." She mewed, making to leave.

"Wait! You never gave me your name." I quickly mewed, stopping her.

It was through the faint light of the sun filtering through the entrance did I get a really good look at her. Her fur was sleek and well groomed. A long scar stretched across her shoulder, clearly from a bout with Jaggedtooth. Despite this, or rather because of this, her form was accentuated. She had a strange strong beauty, reminiscent of Goldenflower. Her fur was surprisingly glossy, giving her an almost glow in the low light. Then she spoke, her tone softer than I'd expected from someone so hostile to me. "My name is Dawn's Early Light, but you may call me Dawn."

With that, she departed, leaving me alone in the tunnel, free to scheme and try and gather information. I'd need to be careful. Stoneteller hadn't been bluffing when he said they'd kill me if I tried to interfere. I'd have to remain out of sight. My main advantage was that they wouldn't expect intruders from this side. If I was cautious and leveraged my pelt just right, I may be able to learn about this Jaggedtooth and formulate a plan to get rid of it.

Before I could sneak into the main cavern, I needed to practice my stealth. The claws I still wore were noisy on the stone, constantly clicking as the tapped the ground. It was an unfamiliar sound, so they'd be alerted to it quickly. I also did not want to abandon them. Father told me that they were the weapons used by Scourge to kill dogs and cats alike. They presented a potential means to kill this Jaggedtooth, but Jaggedtooth was described as a monster cat. It would have far too much range to beat straight up. It also probably had claws as long as my extensions on all four paws. I did not have the skills or size to contend with it, but maybe Claws might have an idea. He was raised in these tunnels, constantly trapped in here maintaining them. If any cat knew how to trap and kill Jaggedtooth, it would be him.