Breaking Free (BXB)

Chapter 9- Far From Home

My paws dig into the damp, dark earth, the soothing feeling of the forest ground in between my toes sending shivers down my spine. Suddenly, unnaturally, the sky darkened to an ominous grey and I stopped, the chittering and cackling of the other cats in the forest sliding to a stop, a cacophonous sound of caution and fear. Someone came up and nudged my side and I leaned into them softly, waiting for what was to come, waiting for something to happen.

And then the Earth cracked beneath my paws. My gut lurched and I yowled in panic. We all started to flee, the earth cracking and bleeding beneath our paws. There was a sliding sound, rocks and dirt and twigs and animals creating a discord of sound as the world fell apart beneath me. My claws scraped for purchase, rocks and dirt ricocheting off my body, as I fell into the void.

-

Jerking out of bed, I gulped in air desperately, my chest heaving. The room spun around me and I clutched the sheets in my grip, the thin white fabric crumpling in my hands.

My body was lit ablaze from the inside, the tips of my fingers and toes frozen and icey cold. My mind was spinning and racing a mile a minute and I couldn't make any sort of sense of my thoughts or emotions. I needed to get out, to run away as fast as I possibly could. I couldn't remember getting up and dashing out of the room, but the next thing I knew I was somewhere else entirely, my legs aching from the run. I could feel the molten stares of strangers pressing into my back, and I collapsed to the floor, clutching my head like a lifeline.

"Milo!" A voice. Someone called to me through the haze and the silent noise of it all. "Milo, you're all right, come back to me, Milo." Cold hands pressed into my cheeks softly, gently, as if holding a baby bird that had fallen out of it's nest. Everything seemed to still and I caught my breath, gazing into a familiar pair of hazel eyes, the bright green flecks dancing around softly in a pool of chocolate brown. I could see little freckles dotting his nose and cheeks and a couple stray strands of curly hair floating around his face. Leaning into his touch, I let my eyes flutter closed, exhaustion washing over me in a tidal wave.

"Owen." I murmured. Opening my eyes I gazed at him softly. His face was soft and his eyes drowning in concern and something softer hidden just beneath the surface.

"I'm here, kitten. I'm here." I flinched at the nickname and drew away, a sharp flash of memories lacerating my mind. Katreena, the man in the basement, the lion, the fighting, all of it. It slashed across my mind, re-opening the wounds that had begun to heal while I slept.

My eyes darted around the extremely unfamiliar room, filled with unfamiliar people. My heart pounded in my chest. There were runes littered all over the walls in rusty oranges and the walls seemed to be more cave-like then anything, but there were all sorts of technology scattered around the room. Bright balls of yellow-ish light floated around the room of their own accord, leaving some of the figures staring daggers at me, shrouded in shadows.

"Don't call me that." I hissed, abandoning his side and scrambling into the wall, blood rushing in my ears. It didn't make any sense why he would try to comfort me, he was the one to want to end whatever had happened between us, anyway. Besides, he's part of the people here, and I had no clue where I was, so why should I trust him? Owen's eyes darted to the side, an unreadable expression on his face, before turning back, his shoulders slumped and his eyes turned down. He reached out to me softly, like one would an injured animal.

"It's ok, Milo. Let me explain this, let me explain everything." His voice was soothing and I almost trusted him. The place where he had carressed my cheeks still tingled and I wanted so desperately to feel his hands against my cheeks again, I needed to be near him, the one person in this whole place that I recognized. Shaking my head, I pressed my back into the wall further, bits of rock grinding into my spine.