It's not supposed to snow in the South Forest, but the weather in the second-emptiest corner of Shelha is not the only thing behaving strangely. When an ex-tyrant started acting up again, Sethral had hoped it meant the end of lazy days and monotonou...
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The next day dawned bright and clear. Light flashed in Whipper's eyes as he opened them slowly. The ceiling of his alcove was sparkling. He got to his paws and crept to the alcove edge. A cat-like creature was chasing sunbeams across the hall floor with a stolen Drakon trinket—a pawring, or a gem. It was moving too fast to tell. The creature sent pale sand spraying as she wheeled and pounced, attacking her stolen toy.
Whipper blinked. Her fur. It was pure silver. Not the dull, whitened silver of old age, even ... she shone in the sun like the toy she was chasing, and she looked no older than he.
The cat darted back into shadow to stalk things. Whipper strained to make out more details. She was as tall as the Saggitayria, or a little taller. Standing up straight, she could probably butt her head against the Rocklander twins' chests. Her limbs were lanky like an adolescent Flatlander's and her paws were at least a size too big for her. He was amazed she could coordinate them so smoothly.
The cat glided forwards, belly flat on the ground. There was a blinding flash. The toy was flung across the hall floor; she bounded after it with tail flying, caught it, and killed it thoroughly. She was purring. Whipper cocked his head. Her weapons besides claws were smooth copper horns that hooked upwards at the back, and the pointy teeth of a hunter. She also kept skidding in the sand. Given a better surface, she was probably fast.
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A sound from the hallway made the cat freeze. Well, except for her tail, which lashed like she was trying to swim with it. She had the toy in her mouth. Limbs flew as she scrambled up the wall. She found a ledge near the ceiling and attempted to blend into the stone. She actually succeeded.
One Rocklander twin wandered into the hall. By his spiked fur, Whipper guessed this was Taz. The Coppertail yawned, then jumped as a rock flake bounced off his nose. He frowned at the ceiling. There was nothing there. He walked to the window and peered out, slouched, and wandered back again. He flopped on the boulder at the center of the hall and rolled in the sun. A rock flake bounced off his nose again.
