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

~Chapter Twenty-Nine~ Rescues and Arrows

Tiquail burst out of Assero's house, pricking her ears. She had heard something, like a scream but more powerful.

"What was that?" Assero whispered. Tiquail looked at her. "I don't know." She growled. "But I'm going to need to find out. If you'll excuse me."

The snow leopard slipped away, weaving between houses and stopping to smell the air. With every step she took she got closer to something sinister. She could feel it.

Along her way, she ran into Ainnya, who was also looking for the source of the scream. "I haven't heard a scream that loud in centuries." Ainnya said. Tiquail nodded to agree, but then stopped. "What is it, Tiquail?" Ainnya asked sharply.

"Sparrow." Tiquial murmured. "Sparrow let out a scream like that before she-when you lost all of those lives."

Ainnya widened her red eyes. "She's in trouble. We need to find her."

The cheetah took off running toward the hills. Tiquail followed her, though much less stealthily and certainly slower.

Sparrow, I hope you're okay. Tiquail thought. We're going to need you to be.

***

"Tiquail!" A voice called. Tiquail stopped in her tracks, looking around for the source of the yell. "Yes, what is it Miki?" She asked.

Miki, Marley, and Dot came running down a hill, followed closely by Theo, Vinny, and Chase. "We found Tony!" Marley said, pulling to a stop in front of the snow leopard.

Tiquail pricked her ears. "What do you mean you found Tony?" She asked urgently. "I don't think I could make it any clearer!" Marley snapped. Vinny laid a hand on her shoulder. "Respect, Marley." He whispered in her ear.

He looked up at Tiquail, his brown eyes glittering with a worried light. "He's at the base of a hill. He got himself stabbed. Don't know by who or what, but he's not okay."

"And you left him there alone?" Tiquail snapped. Vinny shook his head vigorously. "Of course not! Shikira's with him-"

"Shikira!?" Tiquail yelled. The group of kids jumped back. The snow leopard sheathed and unsheathed her claws nervously. "Listen. Three of you go back to Tony. Three of you come with me."

"Why?" Dot asked, widening her yellow-green eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know yet." Tiquail replied, turning and trotting off up the next hill. She turned to see who was following her.

Miki, Marley, and Dot. "Are you sure you don't want to bring a mentor?" Tiquail asked, trying to avoid sounding rude.

Marley grinned. "Hell no. We're here for our friend." She paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "And I see no reason why you should be underestimating us."

Tiquail shook her head and turned back around. "I'm not underestimating anyone. I just though you would have liked to stick with a mentor."

She paused for a moment. "But I appreciate you girls being brave enough to follow me."

Miki grinned and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, well we appreciate you being brave enough to let us come with you!" She said, walking ahead of the snow leopard up the hill, followed closely by Marley and Dot.

Tiquail stared at them, her whiskers twitching. "What's that supposed to mean?" She called, following them as well.

None of them responded.

***

Shikira lifted a huge paw and placed it over Tony's chest, his eyes glowing. "Well, would you look at that..." He murmured, bending over the boy and speaking into his ear. "Just look at how things turn out when we chose not to-"

He stopped talking and pricked his ears. Someone was coming. Cursing to himself, he removed his paw and sat delicately next to Tony, his neck inclined slightly.

"You tell no one, child." He growled through a mouth that barely opened. "Why?" Tony managed to gasp.

Shikira glanced at him. "Because I have my ways."

"Shikira?" Chase called, leading Vinny and Theo down a hill. Shikira looked at him, arranging his face to make it seem like he was relaxed and not seething on the inside.

"I'm here." He replied calmly. "And why are you coming back? Did I not say I would watch him?" He added.

Theo shrugged. Tiquail sent us back.

Shikira tried to keep his fur from bristling. Of course she's sent them back. Tiquail's no idiot.

"In that case, I can be going now, yes?" He asked. Vinny raised his eyebrows. "If you have something better that you need to do." He responded.

Shikira smiled coldly. "I have a million better things I could be doing rather than watching a young Ancient die." He growled, turning and trotting away from the group of boys.

No matter. He chided, climbing up the hill. The heartbreak he'll soon be feeling should be enough to get him to kill himself.

Little did the lion know that at the top of that hill lay Sparrow's body, yet to be discovered by anyone.

***

Sparrow opened one eye and found herself lying on her back, a lion's face looming over her.

She blinked. "Shikira?" She asked. The lion smiled. "Yes, my dear, it's me. Now listen closely. Tony is at the bottom of this hill and he's dying. You're at the top of this hill and you're about to be killed."

"I'm what!?" Sparrow snapped, trying to sit up. She then discovered that Shikira had a paw on her chest, his claws unsheathed. "I said listen." He hissed.

Sparrow screamed, squirming. "IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO KILL ME-!"

Shikira let out a shout of laughter. "Planning to kill you!?" He roared. "No, Sparrow, that is not my job! It is simply my job to do my job correctly."

The lion lifted his paw off of her chest, turned, and ran down the hill, his golden tail streaming behind him.

Sparrow stared after him, confused, before getting to her feet and running back down the hill to find Tony, not even hearing her friends as they shouted her name from the next hill over.

***

Tiquail and the girls managed to catch up with Sparrow a few moments later, while she was leaning over Tony and extending her powers to heal him. She glanced over her shoulder at her friends and smiled, then turned back to Tony.

"Please wake up, Tony, please." She whispered.

Tony's green eyes flickered open. He looked at Sparrow like he didn't recognize her, then smiled.

"Hey, you're alive." He said.

Sparrow grinned at him. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Tony struggled to sit up, then widened his eyes. "Tony, what is it?" Tiquail asked sharply.

That's when an arrow flew out of the trees and hit Sparrow in the back of the neck.