Sable awoke by a heavy sensation on top of her chest. Groaning, she opened her eyes to face Bluey whom was gawking at her with her dilated, cerulean blue eyes.

"Good morning, Bluey," Sable muttered sleepily.

The cub continued staring wide-eyed at her, never leaving eye contact with her soft brown eyes. Coming to conclusion that Bluey was possibly waiting for her to wake up, Sable sat up and brought the cub to her lap.

"Let me guess," Sable thought out loud. "Are you hungry?" She petted the cub's spotted silky fur, and Bluey purred in response. I take that as a yes. For the past few days, Bluey's coat developed a healthy sheen from eating well since was no longer a starving thin cat.

Placing the cub down, Sable stood up to give herself a good stretch. The morning was an excellent time to hunt for deer and rabbit, especially quail. Despite the ranger mostly survived on meat, her favorite was quail eggs. She was in a mood for those, but Bluey probably would not be able to eat them or like it for that matter. All the alacat had been eating was rabbit meat, but hopefully the alacat cub would not be too picky about other types of game.

I hope Bluey will like quail, Sable thought. Although those would be challenging to shoot since they flew, she had hunted them before. Slipping her feet inside her dry boots, Sable grabbed her bow and arrows.

Bluey followed Sable as she headed out to the stream. The ranger repetitively kept checking back to make sure the cub was still behind her. She knew young animals were prone to danger if they got lost from their mothers from straying too far. It had happened often too many times in the Ajar Forest, resulting in tragic deaths caused by predators. Sable had to keep a good eye on Bluey.

The alacat cub suddenly crouched low, standing still like a rock. Tracing the cub's direction, Sable widened her eyes at the sight of a plump quail sitting on a conifer tree branch. Grabbing her bow quickly, Sable slid an arrow to her bow and aimed quickly, releasing the arrow.

The arrow struck the quail and knocked it down to the forest ground. Bluey scampered toward it excitedly but halted edgily at the sight of the arrow protruding through the dead bird.

Noticing the alacat cub's discomfort, Sable approached them. "It's just an arrow, silly," Sable said as she pulled it out.

Bluey stared at the bloody arrow on the ground. She approached it slowly and smelled the distinctive iron smell. Sable went to wash the kill and her hands by the stream.

"Alacats like you have very good eyes," Sable said as she washed the blood off the quail. "Someday you will be a very good huntress like your mother."

Bluey sat next to Sable, licking her paws clean. Although the cub was not an adult alacat yet, she still had better eyesight and hearing than humans; that was why she was able to spot the quail before Sable did. The cub would make a very good hunting companion.

Sable thought about quail eggs meanwhile. The quail's nest must had been around in the tree somewhere hidden away from predators. After the quail and her hands were washed, Sable stood up to search for the nest on the conifer tree.

A wide smile grew on Sable's lips as she spotted a straw-colored nest buried by the needle branches. She could had missed it easily if it wasn't for the light-colored nest which mismatched the tree's darker bark.

Sable placed down the quail on a pile of fresh leaves, trusting the alacat to look after it. Jumping up, she climbed the conifer tree with the best of her ability. Climbing conifer trees were more difficult to climb than deciduous trees; they had less broad branches suitable for climbing.

Four small, brown-speckled eggs came into view were nestled together. Sable carefully grabbed the nest and clutched it to her chest as she jumped down. Checking on the eggs, Sable was relieved they were not cracked.

Bluey sniffed the eggs curiosity as Sable let the cub smell them. It appeared the alacat cub liked the smell, so maybe Bluey might like them. The two headed back to the tree cavern for breakfast. After they would eat, Sable would have to think about Canthan. The rogue referred him as the fur trader that hired him. If that was so, the two other men she had killed were most likely hired by him too.

~~~

Elia helped Ruby search for dried dandelion root in the herb stands. According to the red-haired girl, the herbalist told her to drink at least two cups of dandelion root tea each day to alleviate her blemishes.

"I found it," exclaimed Ruby as she pointed to chopped pieces of brown roots. A coffee-smelling aroma emitted out of the dried herbs which showed they were already roasted. She gave a silver coin to the female merchant and took the pound of dried herbs in the paper bag.

"They smell really good," Elia complimented. She could smell them within feet away and wondered if they tasted like coffee beans.

Ruby nodded in agreement. Even though she was beginning to lose hope in the herbalist she was seeing, she hoped the new remedy would work; the others had failed miserably. Fresh lemon juice did work for her scars, but it wasn't that effective.

The warrioress stopped walking and grabbed Ruby in the corner of the wall.

"What's the matter?" she asked Elia, but the warrioress placed a finger to her lips.

Ruby followed Elia's gaze toward two fur trappers talking to a middle-aged fur trader. He was as tall as the two young women, and he had a scar running on the right side of his cheek. A gray wolf tail hat fitted his short black hair, and his small blue eyes revealed a frustrated ambition. His skin was tanned by the sun as he gestured his rough hands while he talked.

"Those three bastards still hadn't come back yet with those damn alacat cubs! I specifically wanted them to cage up those creatures, so I—I mean we can breed them for their fur. So men, we have to do it ourselves now. We can't wait to make the profit."

A young man nodded his head. "I told you that rogues were unreliable, but I'm with you, Cathan." He glanced over to his other partner, and the other man agreed with the plan.

Cathan twisted his lips into a smile. "The rogues were only hired to do the dirty work. They were going to get a small portion of our profit, but it doesn't matter now. We meet tomorrow at dawn in the entrance of the Ajar Forest. Any objections?"

The two men shook their heads and left the grinning fur trader to his stand.

"Damn," Elia whispered to herself. She had to go and warn Sable before it was too late.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked. She didn't know what kind of involvement Elia had with the fur traders and trappers, but she knew it wasn't good.

The warrioress sighed. "It's a long story. I'll explain it to you on our way back."

~~~

Elia strapped on the back holster with her falchion inside. The redhead, whose hood was still on, was thinking heavily on the ledge of her bed. In her hands, she played with the pink rose Elia gave her.

"I'm coming with you," Ruby decided.

Elia glanced at her deep green eyes coolly. "No, it's too dangerous if I decide to help her. You stay out of this; I don't want you to be involved." It was between her and Sable; the debt she owed to the ranger for saving her.

Ruby resisted glaring at the older woman. "Are we not friends?" she asked accusingly. "I'm not a little girl anymore, you know. I'm coming with you."

Elia sat down beside her and sighed. "Ruby, you don't understand. It's my own issue I have to worry about. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself."

"How can I not worry about you?" Ruby snapped as stood up. She walked toward the window and glanced angrily at the clear sky. Why couldn't Elia let her come? She would be additional help. There were only three men, and she can handle all of them by herself. She could defend herself after all; she wasn't some kind of weak defenseless girl.

"I'm sorry," Elia said quietly as her voice fell. Getting up from the bed, she stood behind Ruby. "Why don't you take your hood off?" she asked softly changing the direction of the conversation.

"I feel more comfortable like this," Ruby replied indifferently without turning around. "I'm still coming with you even if that means I have to sneak up on you."

The warrioress sighed once again. There was definitely no way to persuade the stubborn girl. As a child, whenever Ruby declared something, she remained persistent about her words. Elia could just leave Serendi secretly at night, but then Ruby would find out and hunt her down blindly; it would aggravate the situation.

Ruby finally turned around to face Elia. She gently deposited the pink rose in her hands, her eyes falling on her smooth flawless skin and then her startled grayish-blue eyes.

"I used to always envy you as a child," Ruby began. "Remember our adventure games? You were always the leader, and I was always the follower. I want to make decisions once for myself."

I want to make decisions once for myself. Elia felt a realization hitting her, and she gazed at the friend before her. Was it true that she had been acting selfish since they were friends? Did she always boss Ruby around? It was not Elia's fault if she was overprotective; she could not help herself from caring so much about her.

"Please, Elia. Let me come."

Elia stared at Ruby indecisively. It was true Ruby was no longer a child but a young woman. She had to let Ruby choose for herself. "All right," Elia decided. "Let's pack our things."

~~~

Sable carefully plucked the bountiful blackberries off the thorny bush into her woven basket. She hummed a light tune while she filled the basket with the fruit, and as usually, kept turning around to check up on Bluey. The alacat cub was still stretched on top of a mossy rock dozing off to sleep.

Sable chuckled. "You're lucky to have me as your mother," she said softly to the half-asleep cub. Bluey flicked one of her ears; a sign that she was still listening.

And I'm lucky to have you too, Sable thought. Having Bluey made life more interesting. Hunting together became more enjoyable, and cuddling together during the night helped Sable fall asleep more easily. Every day became more anticipating and meaningful; Sable could not wait to watch Bluey grow from a cub to an adult. Will she still be with me when she's older though? Sable wondered.

The last blackberry plopped on top of the pile of dark fruit. "Time to wash these by the riv—"

The basket of blackberries dropped from Sable's hands. "Bluey?"

The mossy rock was empty.

~~~

The alacat cub chased the monarch butterfly fluttering in the air. She was too distracted to know where exactly she was going. All Bluey wanted was to catch the butterfly, and she was determined to claim it as her trophy. Sable would be proud of her.

While the appearance of trees and vegetation started to thin, the butterfly started to fly farther and farther away. Soon it disappeared in the sky, and Bluey remained gazing up hoping that the butterfly would return or at least fall down to her paws. Unfortunately, nothing happened as the alacat cub waited for several long moments.

Bluey lost interest and studied her new surroundings. There was a familiar lake in the distance which sent chills down her spine. Bluey's cerulean eyes lit up with panic as she recalled the ferocious brown bear that attacked her real mother. The cub quickly bolted toward the nearest shrub and mewed loudly hoping that Sable would find her.