In the Shadow of the North

Arrival

Earth spent the next day preparing for her trip to the Third Quarter. It would be simple enough for her and Jre to slip in, but with a Grïll flying behind them, it might prove a little more difficult.
Jre helped her with the routes, but most of all they realised they would be relying on luck. Earth felt the weight of the Grïll's- and her own- life in her hands. She was determined to get through and meet whoever they would meet beneath the city's many paths.
She purchased a map for Ilrêsh should they he separated, but he seemed unable to read it despite her teachings.
'Grïll maps...' he said, 'they nothing like these. They... different. Cannot read.'
Earth accepted defeat, and tucked the map inside her house.
Finally came the evening when they would attempt their route, and Earth and Jre headed to the Fifth Quarter where the smell of excrement filled their nostrils unpleasantly.
Earth would have made a jest about Jre's extraordinary sense of smell, but neither of them were in the mood for talking.
It was dusk when they made it to Ren's House. A little early for comfort, but needs must, and they needed time to reach the Third Quarter before midnight.
Ilrêsh was waiting anxiously inside, his wings rapidly fluttering, and Earth beckoned him to venture outside. His fear of the dark was not without warrant, when foxes would attack those who appeared after sundown. On some occasions, it hadn't even been fox police that attacked them. The Campaign after the Second Revolution aimed to turn as many foxes as possible against the Grïll. It had been frighteningly effective, and foxes Earth had known since infancy she found she could no longer trust.
Jre took the lead, managing the small group as far as the edge of the Fifth Quarter.
There were only a few foxes that had ever been this far, and Ilrêsh was not one of them. He shook violently, and Jre pressed his flank against the Grïll's legs to calm him.
'You know we're more likely to be seen if you keep shaking.' Earth noted.
Ilrêsh looked at her fearfully.
'That's what I'm so afraid of!'
Earth let out a low chuckle, though merely to stop herself from shaking.
They entered the Forth Quarter, and it was immediate to tell the difference. The stone was free from grime, and almost no buildings showed any signs of ageing.
According to Ren, the stone type in the Fifth Quarter was different to that in the rest. It was designed for the vagrant Grïll who had no money with which to buy a house, but instead the entire population of Collenhar was housed there.
The Forth Quarter was possibly the most open Quarter in the whole city. Earth would always have thought that the First would be, yet the land in that part of the city was so highly sought after that the houses were so densely packed to fit as many foxes in as possible. Traditional light crept out of the windows, and the street ahead of them was dimly lit by a golden glow at intervals between houses. The three of them weaved between the shadows, and prayed this night would be a quiet one for roaming foxes.
They had little trouble, and were almost into the Third Quarter when they heard several low voices talking. A Sul light danced ahead, and Earth gathered a fox must be carrying a lantern in its mouth.
She ushered Jre and Ilrêsh into a small alley, and waited for the sound to pass.
All grew quiet, and Earth began to creep forward.
As she peered around the dark corner, a Sul light dazzled her, and she heard a shout from the direction of the light. Earth let back with a cry, and called the others to run.
She took off at speed down the small alley, forcing her eyes to adjust to the dark once more.
Shouts emerged from the houses as foxes were awoken by the din, but Earth ignored them, and kept her steady pace away from the foxes that now pursued her.
'Hal' Jre called, setting Earth on alert instantly.
She spun around to see him staring face to face with four dark foxes. Behind her, there were five.
She looked at Jre despairingly, and then looked for the Grïll. There was no sign of him. Then, from the corner of her vision, she caught movement as Ilrêsh hovered above the dark city.
She ignored him for now, and looked for a way out. Seeing none, she cursed and directed all her earthly powers at a stone wall to her left. It gave way easily, and she darted through, followed closely by Jre and the other foxes.
The houses weren't wide, and so every few seconds she had to cause another hole in the wall, leaping through to the next house.
She tried to make her path as winding as possible, but still she was followed.
Seeing no other alternative, Earth turned to collapse the roof behind her when a wall of flame spontaneously lit up the hole, stopping the foxes from making their way into the room.
An auburn fox stepped from the shadows, breathing heavily, and Earth noticed a smashed vial of glass beneath his feet.
'Who are-?' Earth began, but he cut her off.
'Run!' He rasped, and darted into the shadows. Behind her, she saw the wall of flame grow dim, and she caused another hole in the wall. She found herself back in a street, and managed to get out seconds before her pursuers.
Jre led the way then, and saw a fox-hole leading down to the sewers below. Earth leapt down, and she felt a gust of wind hit her. Ilrêsh flew in swiftly behind them, moments before the foxes emerged from the house.
The three of them cowered there in fright, when at last the sound of pursuers were gone.