Good, Evil, and the Gray Area (FIRST DRAFT)

Chapter 47

My labored breaths resounded in my ears, short and shallow. My rib was still extremely painful, but it had lessened because morphing did help healing processes. At least, it seemed to with me, as I had no one else to judge, except Ava, and we were different species, I thought.

I risked a glance behind me, the world moving dizzyingly up and down with my fast strides. Everything was a brown and white blur, but I managed to make out the woman standing there with her evil red eyes and black fingernails, stunned. 

I was as confused as she looked. What the heck had she been doing, and why had she done it to me? How had I been under her control? What was she? Werewolf, wizard, medicine man, something else that I had yet to encounter? Something- someone like me?

I turned my head to the front and focused on running. Whatever she was, she was bad. 

My paws splayed across the snowy ground, keeping me on top of the crust. There was an inch thick layer of powder on the hard layer, and my paws sent it flying. A bare crust would've been nice, hiding my tracks. 

I fought to keep my strides as fast as I could make them, my breathing coming heavier, my legs feeling like they weighed more than my whole body. I was having a harder time picking up my feet, a harder time moving my legs forward. 

Finally, I had reached the camp. I slowed to a stop at the edge, turning to look back. As far as I could see, there was no one behind me. I gulped, nervous. What if there was someone I couldn't see? I stepped into the clearing quickly, wanting to at least be in the open if I had to face someone. 

I turned, scanning the clearing. It was empty but for the dead and the dying. It deeply disturbed me, but I walked across. 

It was a long clearing, about one hundred yards long and fifty yards wide. I made my way to the other side, picking my way through bodies, some still moaning for help. 

I reached the far corner just in time to see a tail whip through a hole in the ground and a paw reach up to slam a trapdoor shut. I sighed in relief, having believed that the werewolf base would be harder to find. 

It was made of wood, the trapdoor, and painted brown to match the soil. It was just big enough to allow for a big man, or his wolf form. 

I put my paw on it, cursing myself for not remembering the usefulness of opposable thumbs. If only cats had hands. 

I slipped my paw, after some work, into the loop of rope and pulled. The trapdoor swung open with some difficulty, the hinges being pieces of splintery rope. Gratefully, I pulled my paw out and ducked through the door, jumping down. 

It was pitch black except for the dim moonlight shining through the open door, and it took a while for my cat eyes to adjust so I could see the dirt steps leading down into the darkness. 

I swung the trapdoor shut, slightly apprehensive, and began my descent. 

I saw no one until the bottom crumbling dirt stairs. Every step resulted in a shower of loose dirt on my back, and I had to continually shiver irritably. After a while, the stairway was lit by flashlights stuck into the walls.

It took a very long time to get to the bottom, and there I was met with two large sentries, in wolf form. I grimaced, thinking. I could pull the "I chose your side" card, assuming that the wolves had figured that out when I had massacred so many wizards, but taking the chance that they either hadn't or didn't care. Or, I could fight them, leave them incapacitated, and run for Ava's cell like a mad-woman... er, cat. 

I opted for the fighting, being more comfortable and expericanced with it. 

The guards were down in seconds, one with eyes clawed out and one with the tendons in the back of his paws sliced. They made such a racked during the fight that I didn't bother silencing them, knowing that there were more to come whatever I did. 

I trotted down the right hand coridor, taking a guess at where they were holding prisoners. Soon, the patter of feet met my sensitive ears, and I paused. Then, I sprinted forward, vaulting over an unsuspecting wolf and landing with a thump, jarring my ankles and leaving me limping. The wolf, of course, chased me, and, not being able to completely control my cat instincts, I ran. 

I ran hard and fast for the second time that night, my paws struggling for purchase on the loose dirt of the floor. It was packed in some places, and loose in others, showing how well traveled each section was. I came to a section that was packed to a shine, and followed it, figuring that a prisoner's corridor would be patrolled, and therefore heavily traveled. 

I looked behind me, taking in the tunnel, empty of any wolves. I'd lost the one I'd jumped over. 

I slowed slightly, my fur prickling nervously. I needed to be a different cat: this one was too bulky, too furry, too slow, and too hard to maneuver for the tight space. 

I scanned the corridor in front of me, looking forward as far as I could. The flashlights were bothering my vision. It would've been better for me pitch black, because then humans couldn't see, giving me an advantage when fighting or evading them.  

I heard the pack before I saw it- they were yipping and growling, howling and barking. Someone or something was fighting them, giving them trouble. I stopped, trying to make a decision. I could seek them out, and risk getting caught or getting hurt by whatever was hurting them, or I could run. 

I was tired of wandering through poorly lit dirt tunnels, so I sprinted towards the sounds. 

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Hey! Two uploads in a day: impressive, right? Thanks for reading....:) vommetan....

This chapter is all thanks to @Fallenheart ... she left this amazing comment that pushed me to write this chapter. Let me know what you thinkk....

WREN