Blazing fire ate away the canopies of the Tameka Forest as smoke rose toward the starless sky. Knightess Mei looked away from the smoke and winced against the bright fire that she ordered Troy and her soldiers to burn. A few more feet of the forest had to be burned, and she would complete her task Queen Fajra ordered.

A yelp forced Mei around. Behind her was an alacat sprawled on the ground breathing heavily. It looked up at her with weak copper eyes, pleading for her to help her. Some of her spotted fur was torn from the fire, exposing its pink skin.

Mei bent down to her knees and moved her hand toward the alacat's body. The feline suddenly growled and snapped at her wrist.

"Ouch!" Mei cried. "Get off of me!" The alacat refused to let go of her wrist, sinking its sharp canines into her skin. Blood flowed violently from the bite.

"It's all your fault!" a voice exclaimed behind her. Mei spun around.

It was the black-haired ponytail woman she rescued. Her leather tunic was torn from the burning fire. Tears fell from her dark brown eyes as she gazed coldly at her.

Mei looked helplessly at her. "I can explain—"

Mei jolted awake, sweating. Her vision was blurred, and her mouth felt so dry. The bald physician hung over her sight, pushing a glass of pungent-smelling tonic toward her lips.

"Drink this," he gently told her.

Mei dizzily opened her mouth and felt the warm liquid pour inside. The bitter unfamiliar taste bit her tongue. The knightess choked out from the disgusting brew.

"Wha—what is this?" she managed to croak.

The physician frowned. "Heklock root tea. Your soldier gave this to me, informing me that a young woman you rescued found it for you. She claimed that it heals venomous bites, so we will see. The sage wine did not seem to help you very much."

Mei somehow was able to swallow all of the tea. It was the worst tasting brew she had ever tasted in her life. It slightly awoke her from her fuzzy head, but she still felt horrible.

She knew she was dying. Mei closed her eyes, recalling the nightmare she had. She would die with guilt as the venomous effects escalated.

~~~

Lesendi's dungeon stored the town's criminals ranging from thieves to murderers. It was cold and damp where water leaked from stone ceilings dripping into small dirty puddles. Torches were lit on every wall of the narrow hallway where shadows teased back and forth on the walls. Two guards dragged Sable by her arms to her cell.

The ranger unnervingly glanced at the cells across her side. She had never been in a dungeon before. A thin old man with a long white beard peered back at her in the darkness. He stared at her with wonder, gaping with his rotten teeth. He bided her to come over with a finger, smiling innocently.

A guard took noticed and snickered. "Town's well-known rapist," he remarked with a grin, making Sable flinch. "Better watch out for him, girl."

Sable scowled. If anyone dared touch her, she would kill them with her dagger. It was hidden well inside her boot. 

"Scums like him shouldn't even be alive," Sable retorted. "They waste space in the dungeon."

Both of the guards cackled at her response. "You're not the queen are you?" sneered the other guard.

"If I were…" the ranger muttered.

The two guards halted in front of a half-empty cell. In chains was a young dark-skinned woman, looking up weakly at Sable. Her amber eyes caught Sable's attention, full of sorrow and coldness. Pity hit her heart heavily.

"You'll accompany her in her cell," the guard told her. "A shame she's chained, but that's the law's penalty for trying to escape."

The guard released Sable's arm and pushed her into the cell. The black iron gate locked shut, and the echoes of the guards' footsteps disappeared.

Sable turned around to face the chained woman. She was around her age, and the shape of her amber eyes was similar to hers: small, slit, and cat-like. Her black hair was braided tightly into a cornrow which revealed her scalp. A gray ragged long tunic that fell to her knees fitted her small body and revealed her toned arm muscles. She appeared to be no ordinary prisoner.

"Never seen a prisoner before?" the young woman asked mockingly.

Sable stared hard at her. "I have… but I've never been in a cell."

"What did you do?" she asked.

The ranger sighed heavily and seated on a wooden bench. "I'm accused for my alacat poisoning a knight."

The dark-skinned woman's amber eyes lit up with surprise. "You are a ranger?"

Sable gave a slight nod.

"Your companion is evolving," she replied wistfully. Her amber eyes locked Sable's. "Just like mine had."

The ranger stood up to her feet immediately. "Evolving? What do you mean?"

She grinned at Sable. "I guess you do not know. If you help me get out, I'll tell you."

Sable contemplated on the deal. "How did you get stuck here?" She could not trust a stranger easily, especially a criminal. But there was something that the ranger knew that she did not.

The woman grew solemn, shifting her eyes at the empty walls. "A year ago, I freed caged bear cubs in this town from a ringmaster. He hired fur trappers to trap bear cubs, so he could tame them to become 'circus performers' for his animal acts. I could not stand to let it happen, so I freed them one night. A guard caught me, and I was sent to the dungeon. My penalty is to be locked in this cell for ten years. I escaped many times though, but it was hard to hide anywhere when I did not know the area well." Her amber eyes looked up at Sable pleadingly. "Please help me escape. I need to return to my companion—I know that she is still alive waiting for me in the forest."

I need to return to Bluey too.  Sable was sorry for the woman's fate. She was merely trying to rescue bear cubs and ended up being locked in a cell. Sable would had done the same herself to save the bears.

The ranger moved her eyes toward the dagger slipped inside her boot. "It's a deal then."