"Didn't we pass this stream before?" Ruby exclaimed tiredly as her eyes moved toward the gentle flowing water, recognizing the rocks being smoothed by the stream. There was no doubt that they had passed this area again; it was all too familiar with the same vegetated surroundings.
"Yeah…" Elia replied with a frown. If she had to estimate, they had probably been walking in a circle for almost an hour.
The redhead heaved out a sigh. "We're officially lost."
Before Elia could encourage hope, the two women immediately jumped when the forest ground shook. Spinning around, they stared edgily at a growling alacat within feet away. The alacat hissed as it approached them, its ears bent back as it revealed rows of its several sharp yellow teeth. Its burning, copper eyes never left the two human beings that had invaded its territory.
Elia and Ruby cursed under their breaths. They had been too busy scouting for Sable that they did not notice that the alacat had been watching them from a brawny white oak tree. They step back and moved their hands to their weapons.
"Stay behind me!" Elia whispered as she pulled Ruby behind her. The warrioress drew out the falchion from her back holster and held it threateningly toward the aggressive alacat. The alacat locked her copper eyes on the human, unmoved by the steely blade. It took another step forward and hissed at the blonde, challenging the human to a fight.
Ruby's eyes moved toward the white oak tree behind the alacat. Quickly thinking, she unsheathed a dagger and threw it over the alacat, aiming it at the tree. The dagger pierced into the thick bark, driving back the alacat. However, the alacat remained persistently on guard.
Elia glanced approvingly at Ruby for her smart plan. "Throw another one!"
The redhead fumbled her fingers to her other dagger and carefully aimed it a few feet away from the alacat's paws. The alacat flinched, and immediately retreated toward the white oak tree. From a tree hole, she frantically pulled out a tiny cub by its scruff and jumped down to dart away.
"That was a close one," Ruby stammered, feeling her heart pound. Her hands were still trembling as she retrieved back her daggers. She had never encountered a wild animal before; this was her first experience.
Elia regained her composure, staring at the direction where the alacat disappeared. "I guess it was just protecting its cub," she remarked quietly, sheathing back her falchion. It was indeed a close one.
~~~
Sable could not see Bluey inside the wire cage; she was perched on a tree branch observing the three men camped by the lake. Their bows and quivers of arrows were resting by the cages. Sable was anticipating for them to leave their campsite and go hunt. That would leave the campsite empty, so she could snatch Bluey back, but unfortunately, the three men settled for freshwater mussels and clams from the shore.
"To my success!" Cathan boomed as he drank his wineskin with Tyrell. Colin was unenthusiastic as he opened a cooked clam with his knife. The two men did not seem to be paying attention to him as he walked over to the cages with the clam.
"He can't be…" Sable whispered in astonishment. She winced at him to get a better look. Colin cooed something softly to Bluey and peeled off the clam meat to put inside the cage. She could not believe that a fur trapper like him was feeding Bluey.
"What're you doing back there, boy?" Tyrell called out as he turned his head to look at the young man. He saw Colin sitting on the ground by the alacat in the cage and spotted the empty clam shell in the boy's hand. He laughed. "Been feeding the cub, eh?" he asked as he walked toward him. "You have a soft girly heart for a boy."
Colin resisted glaring at Tyrell. "We have to keep the cub alive don't we? It'll be starved to death if it gets nothing to eat. It probably hasn't eaten for days. Just look at…."
Cathan devoured one last drink from his wineskin and threw it on the ground. He clumsily grabbed a cooked mussel from the pile and hobbled drunkenly toward the men. "You say that cub is hungry, huh? Well, I'll feed it then. Move aside, boys!"
Sable's stomach tightened as Cathan moved toward the cage. Grabbing her bow, she squeezed it tightly. She did not know what the fur trader was going to do to Bluey, but she knew it was not going to be pleasant.
Colin moved aside with Tyrell even though he tried to resist Cathan's command; the fur trader's orders tend to shut him in fear and made him listen to them unwillingly. Colin was mostly afraid that if he did not listen to Cathan, he could stir up a fight with him. Colin was not much of a fighter even though he wished he was braver.
Cathan bent down on his knees and stuck his smug face toward the alacat cub; she was already in the far end of the cage. Her cerulean eyes dilated with fright as she peered at Cathan's dark blue eyes mocking back at her.
"Here, kitty kitty…" he cooed in a sinister tone. "You want this tasty thing?" he asked, sticking the mussel between the wires.
Bluey stared at the delicious-smelling mussel. The clam meat, that she had eaten, was not the greatest thing she ate compared to what Sable had fed her, but it filled her hungry stomach. Hopefully the mussel would be better tasting. Bluey lost her fear of Cathan and hesitantly approached the mussel. But when she was about to touch it with her paw, he pulled it away from her.
Cathan and Tyrell both snickered. "You stupid cat!" Cathan said haughtily. "I fooled you! You really want it, huh?" He shoved the mussel inside the cage again, but when the alacat cub attempted to grab it once more, he pulled it away. The two men burst into laughter, but Colin could not watch the sight anymore. He was too sick of watching Cathan torturing the cub with the mussel.
Cathan opened the mussel with a knife and stabbed the meat. He brought it to his lips tempting the cub as she watched him. The cub stared at him with dilated blue eyes, wishing she could eat it as he teased her with it. Licking her lips, Bluey stuck her paw out the wire bars and tried to reach for it. The mussel suddenly disappeared into Cathan's mouth, disappointing Bluey as she shrunk back.
Cathan tossed the empty mussel shell across the ground. A mischievous grin pressed on his lips. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said as he flashed his eyes innocently at the cub. His grin grew wider as his blue eyes twinkled back at the sad alacat's. "Not!" he cried ecstatically as he shook the wire cage wildly mimicking an earthquake.
Tyrell found himself choking with laughter at the drunken fur trader. Colin was horrified and took a step forward, wanting to stop Cathan.
"Leave Bluey alone!" Sable screamed through a flurry of angry tears. She brought the arrow to her bow, aiming it towards Cathan's head. No, not there, Sable's voice growled in her mind. He needed a more painful death. Before the confused men could locate where the voice was coming from, Sable turned her aim towards Cathan's right shoulder and let the arrow loose.
Cathan hollered with pain as the arrow penetrated into his shoulder. Dropping the cage to the ground, he staggered to the ground. The cutting burning sensation dominated his senses as he tried to comprehend what had happened to him. His blue eyes stared dizzily at the arrow lodged in his right shoulder. Tyrell burst toward him.
Colin's mouth hanged open with shock when he found Sable on top of a tree.
"Shoot the damn person!" Cathan seethed through his teeth. "Kill them!"
Colin jumped at the command and pulled his bow out. He fumbled the arrow to his bow, but he could not bring himself to shoot the mysterious dark-haired women. Her cat-shaped, dark brown eyes were filled with tears which daunted him. He could not kill her.
Tyrell managed to pull the arrow out of Cathan's shoulder and seized Colin's attention. "Why the hell are you just still standing there? Shoot her before she gets away you freaking fool!"
Before Colin could reply, Tyrell scowled at him and snatched the bow impatiently out of his hands. "Do you even know how to use a freaking bow? Go help Cathan now! I'll take care of that bitch."
Sable hissed when she saw Tyrell pull his arrow back at her direction. She roared, her chilling inhumane cry sent shivers down his spine. Before Tyrell could release his arrow, Sable's arrow pierced the middle of his forehead, burying deep into his skull. Tyrell toppled over, and another arrow sliced his lifeless back. Colin and the injured Cathan stared shockingly at the arrows cutting Tyrell's dead body.
The ranger aimed her next arrow at Cathan, but it missed and hit the tree behind him. Cathan yelped and shouted at Colin to help him get up, but the young man remained frozen in his spot. Cathan's voice died off when the arrow lodged into his throat. Colin looked frantically back between Sable and the bloody fur trader. If he did not speak up now, he would end up dead like them.
Sable placed the fourth arrow to her bow, ready to shoot Colin. However, Colin's desperate cry stopped the ranger. "Stop! Please don't kill me!" he begged, shouting up at the ranger. "You can have the alacat cub back!"
The veil of anger dissipated from Sable's dark brown eyes as she returned to reality. She realized that Colin was the 'nice' one who fed Bluey. Lowering her bow, Sable stared calmly at Colin. Colin loosed the tension in his face, relieved that the ranger was going to spare his life.
Sable placed her bow and arrow away. It did not take long for her to climb down from the tree. Colin stepped aside as Sable ran toward Bluey's cage to set her free. The alacat cub burst out and rubbed her body against Sable's legs, recognizing the human's scent.
Sable's eyes moistened as she held the cub up in her arms. "Oh, my poor Bluey! I missed you so much!" She brought the cub up to her face and gazed at the little one's cerulean blue eyes. They blinked back at her, and Sable smiled. "Don't ever run off like that again. You had me all worried."
Bluey closed her eyes and purred as the ranger nuzzled her furry cheeks. Sable remained smiling, happy that Bluey was unharmed. Now the alacat cub was safe and sound in her arms.
Sable turned her attention to Colin whom shifted nervously. He could had harassed Bluey just like the other two men, but he was different from them. "I'm sorry about what I did to your friends," Sable remarked flatly without much sympathy.
Colin widened his eyes. He did not expect any apology from a killer. "They—they weren't exactly my friends…" he stammered. He told Sable about his story about becoming a fur trapper and what happened after seeing the alacat cub. "I'm never ever going to do it again," he said, coming to conclusion.
Sable nodded approvingly. "That's good. By the way, thank you for feeding Bluey."
Colin flushed embarrassingly and nodded his head.
"Let's go," Sable said. "I have to find my friends now."
"F—friends?" Colin asked with a stutter. He hoped they were not rangers like her. Who knew how they would react to him.
"Yes," Sable replied as her eyes wandered to the knapsacks by the cages. "Do me a favor and carry those bags for me? You can keep yours of course."
"Huh?" Colin looked at Sable's direction, confused at first. Finally realizing that the Sable was going to inherit the belongings of Tyrell and Cathan, he went over to the cages to grab the other two knapsacks. As he followed Sable out of the campsite, he hoped he would be 'safe' around Sable and her friends.
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