The Professor's Mate

Chapter Eleven

   Akira's heart raced in her chest as she stared at the beast in front of her, growling and baring its teeth. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recognized the creature as one she'd heard of in stories. The black fur, dark purple stripes, and crimson eyes were all a perfect match for a Shadowcat, a predator said to be a solitary yet extremely deadly hunter. The large cat mainly fed on small dragons and other Shadowcats. They were highly territorial and aggressive, but didn't normally attack without reason. Most likely, they had ventured too close to the animal's home, and now it was trying to scare them off. As easily provoked as they were, Shadowcats were intelligent creatures. They knew that a fight with an elf wouldn't end well, and to go after an armed elf accompanied by five fairies was near suicide. These thoughts slowly brought reason and logic to the forefront of Akira's mind, chasing away the mild panic and allowing her to calmly assess the situation. Just in time, too, as the elven princess noticed that the fairies had begun to circle around and flank the creature. Bloom was getting ready to launch a fireball at the Shadowcat when Akira calmly said, "No matter what you do, do not attack it. This Shadowcat is only trying to scare us out of its territory. If we attack, we'll be provoking it, and it will have no choice but to defend." Extinguishing her fire, Bloom asked warily, "What should we do, then?" Glancing around, Akira noticed paw prints off to the side, leading out of the undergrowth. That must be the direction of the Shadowcat's lair, she thought. "Just follow my lead. Stay quiet, and don't make any sudden movements," she instructed. Slowly, she began moving away from the prints, keeping her eyes on the Shadowcat. Noticing her movements, it growled more forcefully, but seemed to relax some as the group got further from its lair. Things were going well, until Stella tripped over a tree root, crying out in surprise as she fell. Startled by the sudden commotion, the creature lunged at the nearest girl, which happened to be Musa. Paralyzed by fear, the music fairy could do nothing but scream. Knowing none of the fairies would be able to protect their friend in time, Akira let her instincts take over, tackling the Shadowcat away from Musa and the others. Unfortunately, this left her as the primary target for the beast. Dodging away from a claw swipe, the elf kept drawing the cat further away from the fairies. However, she knew she couldn't keep running forever, and this was made painfully clear when a claw made contact, opening a long shallow cut on her arm. Looking around frantically, Akira spotted a bunch of vines. Just as she started to formulate a plan, though, the Shadowcat took advantage of her distraction and landed a swipe to her side, knocking her several feet away. Luckily, Akira now lay near the vines. On the other hand, she might possibly have a broken rib or two. Pushing away the pain, Akira started to scale the tree, hoping beyond hope that this would work. As she balanced on a branch, she saw the Shadowcat follow her up. When the cat had almost reached her, Akira jumped to the ground, slipping between the tangle of vines. The animal tried to get down the same way, but ended up stuck in the vines due to its larger body. The vines wouldn't hold it for long, but hopefully it would be long enough to get away from here. Akira backtracked until she reached the group. They immediately began bombarding her with questions, but before she could answer them, a bright light engulfed the group, and before they knew it, they were in a cave of sorts. And before them was none other than Guardian Dragon Zephyrus.