Paw Prints (Book One in the Trails Series) *BEING EDITED-NEW VERSION WILL BE LONGER*

~Chapter Four~ Tony

"Tiquail!" Sparrow yelled. She felt a tail lay across her shoulders. "Sorry child." Tiquail purred. "Hold on, let me fix you."

Sparrow felt the air tingle around her. She blinked a few times and the white, sunlit room appeared once again before her. "Why the heck did that happen?" She snapped, dragging herself angrily to her feet and rounded on Tiquail.

Tiquail sat and licked a paw calmly. Her attitude only aggravated Sparrow more. She swished her tail once before replying. "Well, I suppose you couldn't take that much of an overflow of magic. No big deal. Easily fixed."

Sparrow shrugged and pushed away the uneasiness pulling at her heart. "Can they understand you now?" She asked.

Tiquail flicked her ears happily. "See for yourself."

"Holy crap, this is awesome!" Marley yelled gleefully. "I mean seriously!" Dot roared, skipping over to Tiquail and ruffling the fur on her head.

The snow leopard bared her teeth in annoyance. "Just because you can understand me, child, does not mean I will hesitate to chew your hand to a bloody stump." She warned.

Dot pulled her hand away, though she was still smiling and her eyes were still glittering. "Oh, a violent one. I think we'll be good friends."

Tiquail huffed. "I'm starting to think that I've made a foolish mistake.

***

Tiquail gazed at the girls who were happily joking with each other and running around like three-day-old cubs. She felt dread prickle her paw pads as she stared at the stairs, waiting for Ainnya's return.

Unfortunately, that return came sooner than she'd hoped. Ainnya bounded down the stairs and landed gracefully one the floor.

She stalked up to Tiquail, her tail held high over her head. "Hello, Tiquail." She purred. Tiquail nodded her head in acknowledgement, her tail tip twitching uncomfortably.

Ainnya narrowed her eyes. "Why do you look guilty?" She asked.

"Hey, who's that?" Miki yelled, hopping over to the two wild cats.

Tiquail winced inwardly. Bad timing, child. She thought.

Ainnya's eyes were burning with fury. "You didn't." She hissed. Tiquail flattened her ears. "So what if I did?"

Miki grinned evilly. "Oh, well someone is doing something that someone else doesn't like." She said.

Tiquail looked at Miki furiously. She would not take this type of disrespect from a girl she had just preformed a favor for.

"Child walk away now, before both of us claw your face off." Ainnya hissed. Miki shrugged. "Okay, see you later!" She called over her shoulder as she skipped away.

Ainnya's growl was minimized to a furious whisper. "How dare you allow those girls to understand us. They have no magical blood."

Tiquail fluffed up her fur. "They have a right to it. They're her friends. I've been observing these girls for eight years together, they do not abandon one another. What sense would it have made if we would have left these girls in the dark, despite the fact that they would be a constant shadow?"

Ainnya's golden eyes were so narrow they were almost closed. "I am the leader here. You do not go against my wishes."

"Wishes? You had no wishes, Ainnya. It was me that made this decision, and you never said not to."
"You should have consulted me first."
"Just because you lead us does not mean we can't make our own decisions."
"I should have been consulted!"
"You have no control over my will."

"Um, guys?" Sparrow called. Ainnya and Tiquail both snapped their heads to the side. Sparrow jumped back a few feet. "Are you okay?" She squeaked.

Ainnya sighed and turned back to Tiquail. "You will pay for this." She warned. Then she continued more lightly, despite the fact that her eyes still glowed with a certain fury.

"I went upstairs to find Tony. He is to mentor her. Now that we have three new recruits..." She paused, her voice lowering dangerously. "I suppose we have to find a few more people to...ah...help out..."

Tiquail nodded. "I will find them." She said, stalking toward the door. She would take an excuse to get away from Ainnya right now. She was not prepared to suffer the leader's fury.

***

Sparrow tilted her head as she watched Tiquail slink away, worry clawing at her heart. "Who's Tony?" She asked, turning to Ainnya.

Ainnya's tail flicked in annoyance. "Like I said, your mentor. He will be showing you around and teaching you out ways. How to use magic, and how to live over all."

Before Sparrow could question further, she heard a soft sound behind her. Spinning on her heal, she watched a boy hop the last three steps and land softly on the ground. He looked around and his green eyes found Sparrow's blue-purple ones. "You must be Sparrow." He murmured, walking up to her.

Somehow, his feet made no sound, despite the fact that he was wearing shoes. He shook her hand, his eyes glittering as he took her in.

Sparrow shifted uncomfortably. His gaze was like an X-Ray, scanning her inside and out.

She jerked away. Tony smiled. "Scared?" He asked silkily.

Sparrow narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling defiant. "No not scared, you only make me uncomfortable." She hissed.

Tony laughed softly. He raked his hand through his dark brown hair. "Get used to it, Sparrow. You will be made uncomfortable in this world."

Miki, Marley, and Dot trotted up behind Sparrow, their eyes wide. "Crud he's hot..." Marley whispered. Sparrow turned and slapped her arm while Tony chuckled softly. "Thank you...ah...what's your name?"

"Marley, hot face." Marley replied, shaking Tony's hand. Sparrow felt a spark of jealousy burn in her chest.

She put out the little fire and started to think. Why did she have a different feeling about this boy? He made her uncomfortable, yet her best friends were drooling over him.

"So, I heard something about a mentor." Dot said, curling her hair around her finger. Tony nodded, his eyes still glowing with amusement.

"Will that person be me?" Miki questioned. Tony shook his head. "No offense, ladies, but I happen to know that you have no magic inside of you whatsoever. I'm mentoring Sparrow."

Miki, Marley, and Dot shot Sparrow jealous looks. Sparrow felt her heart skip a beat as she stared into Tony's eyes. There was something about this boy that made her think...