Supper time arrived in the Lesendi dungeon. The guards pulled the food cart into the torch-lit hallway, pouring small portions of bland porridge into bowls for the prisoners. Porridge was served every day for breakfast, lunch, and supper; some prisoners did not care eating the same thing daily for they starved. Prisoners were never given enough food, though sometimes on holidays such as the Harvest Festival and Winter Solstice, the queen felt generous and issued an order for pieces of meat and a slice of bread to be served with the porridge. However, some prisoners grew sick of the food.

"I cannot bear eating that same porridge again," the dark-skinned ranger began. "Even prisoners are treated better back at my island."

"Where do you come from?" Sable asked curiously.

"Coconos Island," she replied. "What is your name by the way?"

"Sable…" the ranger answered.

"You have a beautiful name," the young woman replied with a smile. "My name is Kaimana."

A light blush escaped Sable's cheek from the compliment. "Thank you... So do you." The nearing sounds of wheels and chatter pulled Sable's attention toward the cell's gate. "I have a dagger in my boot."

Kaimana nodded with approval. "Very foolish of the guards to not check if you were armed first. One of the guards has the key to my chains, but you will need to take them down. Can you handle them by yourself?"

Sable contemplated about her fighting skills. "I can with my bow, but I'm not sure with my fists." She left her bow back at her tree den in the Ajar Forest, bringing only her hunting dagger. Now the ranger regretted not bringing her bow along with her. "But I have an idea."

The same two guards from earlier approached the young women's cell, halting the steaming wheeled food cart. The warm porridge was so plain that it lacked aroma. One of the guards unlocked the gate with a key and returned it to his pocket. The key dangled low by his pocket which Sable's eyes did not leave the sight. The other guard scooped porridge into a bowl and handed it to him.

"Happy eating, girls," the guard said, handing Sable a crudely carved wooden bowl.

Sable shrieked at the sight of the porridge, drawing the guards' attention. "What is this!?"

Both of the guards peeked with confusion at the bowl of porridge.

"We see nothin' in here," the guard with the key remarked. "What you screaming—"

The bowl of burning hot porridge splattered against his face, making him cry out in pain. Sable fished the key out of his pocket and wheeled the food cart into their direction, knocking the guards off their feet. The contents of the burning soup immobilized them for a brief moment, giving time for Sable to attempt to free Kaimana.

"Hurry!" Kaimana cried as Sable bent down quickly to unlock her chains.

The guards recovered quickly, drawing their shortswords out of their sheaths.

"Stand behind me!" Kaimana ordered at Sable.

Listening to the ranger, Sable went behind her and clutched her dagger. Kaimana tripped the first guard charging toward them and stole his sword. She defended herself against the second guard, clashing her blade.

Sable watched helplessly as the two fought with their blades. Her eye caught the first guard recovering to his feet. The ranger kicked him hard to keep him down, feeling finally useful in the situation. She returned her attention to Kaimana whom was finishing the guard off. Her blade pointed toward his neck.

"Drop your sword, and you and your friend can keep your head," she growled as her amber eyes stared at him coldly.

The blade dropped from the guard without hesitation.

Sable moved out of the cell, keeping the cell key and the other sword. Kaimana released the blade quickly, pointing it threateningly toward the guards as she slowly exited the cell. Sable locked up the cell gate with the key to imprison the guards and tucked the key inside her pocket.

"Let's go now," Kaimana said, grabbing Sable's wrist. "I know the way out."

Sable nodded as she pulled her toward the direction of the narrow torch-lit hallway.

~~~

Disordered shouts and rummaging footsteps stirred Mei awake. Her glacier blue eyes saw more clearly, but a migraine plagued her head. Mumbled voices of her soldiers were heard outside of her room, muffled by the door.

Something bad has happened, Mei thought tiredly to herself. She examined her wrist where the scar from the alacat bite was still deep. The herb the young lady found for her had appeared to have worked since the knightess felt less weak.

Mei slipped out of bed to join the conversation outside of her room.

Troy was among one of them, looking furious. The sight of his commander surprised him.

"Knightess Mei!" he exclaimed. "You are feeling better?"

"Yes, I am," Mei replied coldly. "What is the matter?"

Troy hesitated to tell her, knowing he had disobeyed her orders by locking the young woman up in the dungeon.

Mei stared hard at him. The look on his face read so much guilt. "Let me guess," she began sarcastically, "you locked her up?"

"Yes," Troy murmured hesitantly. "It was a necessary precaution."

"And what of the cat?" Mei demanded. She was so worried of all the things that could had happened while she was left ill and immobile while Troy was second-in-command. He was a loyal soldier but cold and selfish. He never pitied prisoners or outcasts. She would dismiss his position as second-in-command, but only the queen had power over it. "Did you kill it?"

"No, that was something I was unable to accomplish," he replied immediately, "but the woman said that it died in the fire and she cremated it."

Mei arched her eyebrows, knowing that Sable had lied to protect her alacat. Nevertheless, Mei sighed with relief that Troy was fooled, and he had not done anything else other than putting the lady locked in the cell.

"She has escaped with another prisoner," he added. "That poses a lot of concerns for the safety of our citizens. The prisoner is a foreigner, an uncivilized barbarian, and both of them—I mean she, needs to be taken back to the cell!"

Mei raised her eyes at the mention of the prisoner. "Do you know her crime history?"

Troy shrugged. "There's a good reason why prisoners are kept locked up though."

The knightess rolled her eyes. "We better make haste then."

~~~

The Lesendi dungeon was located a block away from the inn. Mei made her way quickly to the entrance of the dungeon with Troy and three of her soldiers following closely behind her. The knightess was silent; she could not stand to see Troy's face right now, disgusted by his disobedience. Before she could even reach the doors of the dungeon, two guards ran toward her. One of their faces and hair were covered in what looked like overnight porridge to her.

"What happened to you?" Mei questioned to the guard, holding back a surfacing grin.

The guard scowled. "The black-haired bitch did this to me! I'm going to drag her back to the dungeon when I find her."

Mei widened his eyes, realizing he was referring to the young lady she rescued. She surely did make a mess on his face. "Calm down," she said. "Do you know where they are now?"

Both of the guards shook their head. "We looked over the town for them, but we cannot find them."

The knightess looked over to Troy and her soldiers. "All of you stay here in case something comes up. I will look for them myself."

Troy scrunched his face in disagreement but answered quietly, "Yes, ma'am."

Mei left the scene, thinking where the two women could had escaped. 

They would hide somewhere safe and isolated from the town, Mei thought. And most likely the lady I rescued would be looking for her alacat. The alacat is probably still in the forest.

Mei exited the town's gate to search for signs of the women and alacat in the Tameka Forest.

~~~

The shore was casted by a gray horizon of extending stratus clouds that hung above the Oculis Sea. Tiny rain droplets fell from the sky and landed onto the hair and skin of the female fugitives.

"I need to look for my alacat," Sable said, ceasing her running as they approached the shore. The thought of Bluey's safety had stressed Sable since she was last taken away to the dungeon. Even though she knew that Bluey was familiar with the Tameka Forest with several fond hiding spots, the thought of her alacat being catnapped bothered Sable the most since the feline was wanted dead for 'poisoning' the knightess that saved her. Soldiers could also possibly still be trooping around the forest persistently.

"I too will look for my lycat," Kaimana replied. "We should meet back here soon once we find our companions."

"Lycat?" Sable asked curiously. She had never heard of one before.

"They are evolutions of an alacat," Kaimana answered. "I will tell you more about them when we have time."

Sable nodded understandingly. The image of the peculiar wild cat with tipped long ears she had encountered earlier by the river appeared in her mind. Could it be that the feline she had seen that resembled an alacat was a lycat—Kaimana's lycat?

"Wait!" Sable exclaimed, stopping Kaimana to turn around. The dark-skinned ranger casted her a curious eye. "Does she look like an alacat but with tipped ears?"

Kaimana's expression widened with surprise. "Yes, that's how lycats looks like. Have you seen Sasha?"

"I think I saw her," Sable answered. "I will show you where I last found her by the river, but we'll need to be careful because soldiers might still be in the area."

Kaimana nodded. "Let's go quickly search for Sasha and your alacat. They are waiting for us."

~~~

Mei had almost been scouting the Tameka Forest for half an hour. She stumbled upon another section of the forest that led to a cave. Stopping cautiously in front of it, she hesitated whether or not to go inside it. It was possible the cave was inhabited by bears or even alacats.

A deep growl emitted from the stomach of the cave, cutting Mei's thoughts. Her arm moved slowly to her sheathed shortsword.

Gleaming round copper eyes stared back at Mei in the darkness. The familiarity of those eyes struck the knightess like ice.

Bluey? Is that the alacat? Mei thought nervously. The knightess took a step back to avoid aggravating the hostility from the mysterious animal.

The glowing copper eyes neared the entrance of the cave, revealing its spotted coat, sharp canines, and folded back ears. The feline's eyes were dilated—it looked angry yet frightened at the same time. By its neck was fresh blood visible from a deep scratch that appeared to be made from another wild animal.

Mei felt sorry for the alacat whom definitely was Bluey. "Are you okay?" the knightess asked softly, hoping her low voice would assure the alacat that she was not going to attack her.

Bluey's eyes pierced past Mei, focused behind the human. Before Mei could turn around to follow its gaze, she was slammed to the ground by a heavy furry body.

Furious copper round eyes stared into Mei's eyes, startling the knightess. The wild feline looked very similar to Bluey except long tuft ears extended from its head along a beard-like growth from its chin.

What… what are you? Mei wondered, her jaw almost dropping from facing the exotic creature. She felt the growls vibrating from the heavy weight of the alacat-like animal.

The wild feline hissed at the human, ready to lash at Mei's neck. Before it was about to claim the knightess skin, it was knocked off to the ground.

Bluey pinned the wild feline to the ground, growling at the animal. Her paw tried to swipe at the animal's face, but she was wrestled to the ground. They rolled on the ground, trying to lash at each other with snapping bites.

It was a dangerous fight between two powerful giant felines. Mei knew she had to stop them from killing each other, especially if Bluey was dear to the lady she rescued.

Mei picked herself up and unsheathed her shortsword, exposing the steely blue blade. The leather wrapped hilt was a darker blue shade, matching the color of the steely blue blade. Gold horizontal lining decorated the hilt like a neverending spiral. The hilt extended into the golden rain guard at the center of the blade where its ends were curved downward into an umbrella shape. Mei charged toward the fight, waving her blue sword at the long tipped ear feline.

"Stop it!" Mei's shout echoed in the forest. She drew both of felines' attentions, continuously waving her sharp blue blade.

The long tipped ear feline glowered, receding from the fight. Mei threateningly pointed it toward its direction, scaring it off to scurry away.

Bluey glanced tiredly at Mei as if almost thanking the human for scaring the intruder away. The knightess smiled at the alacat, but the smile soon faded as she analyzed Bluey's injuries. The scratch in her neck opened deeper, exposing more blood, and the right of her nose was bleeding.

Mei sheathed her shortsword back into her belt. "I won't hurt you," the knightess said softly, stepping gingerly toward Bluey.

The alacat did not flinch at the human's movement, allowing the knightess to fully approach her.

Holding her breath, Mei cautiously extended her hand toward Bluey. The alacat sniffed the human's hand, absorbing the human's scent. To Mei's surprise, Bluey licked her hand.

Mei smiled at the alacat and petted her head. It felt strange to feel fur beneath her hand; Bluey's fur was as soft as a well-kept domestic cat. The lady she rescued must had taken well care of the alacat.

Bluey purred softly, approving the knightess's petting. It seemed a beginning of trust was soon going to form between them.