Thank you thank you thank you! Y\'all encouraged me to start writing again, so here\'s my gift to you- Chapter 4! (Alterations made since I posted the beginning of this chapter, so I\'ve posted it in its entirety below.)
I love you.
4. Moogie sat up quickly, her ears pricking up in alert. She had been sitting infront of the fireplace most of the day, having raided Draklar\'s pantry for food and drink, and had been gently drifting off into sleep when she heard a muffled noise somewhere outside the room. She listened for a long time, wondering if Draklar had come home. Perhaps she had even imagined it. Whatever it was, nobody seemed to be there now. Moogie curled up tightly on the fluffy rug and closed her eyes again.
The feline suddenly jumped up onto her feet as the living room door burst open with a heavy kick. Four people dressed in dark clothing and brandishing shortswords bolted into the room and headed straight for the terrified girl. Moogie backed up against a wall, trapped, as the intruders closed in.
The air outside was silent and cold. Darkness prevailed along every street and building, shunned only by dim street-lamps that lined each side of the wide, cobbled roads. Nighttime had long since put the city\'s inhabitants to sleep; a perfect opportunity for the group of kidnappers to carry an unconcious female to their waiting horse-driven cart without being seen.
\"Are you sure this is her?\" A gruff voice whispered.
\"Positive. She has the mark.\" Another replied authoritively. \"Put her in the back and let\'s go.\"
\"What mark?\" The first voice replied. As Moogie was loaded onto the back of the cart, the two figures sat beside her. One of them gently lifted her torso from the ground and turned her body to show a faint symbol tattooed on her left arm.
\"This. You see? Our guild mark. She most is definitely Moogie.\" Having proved a point, the kidnapper laid her body back down. The other nodded in acknowledgement.
With their hostage secured, one of the masked people jumped into the driver seat while the others sat in the back with Moogie and the other two. With the crack of a whip, the horse gallopped down the road and out of the city gates, disappearing into the darkness. However, none of them seemed to have noticed a lone figure hiding in an alleyway nearby. He had silently witnessed the entire scene but was not close enough to discern what the hushed voices had said. His vantage point here was completely concealed by shadow, and his long, black cloak disguised him easily. Stepping out into the open street, the cloaked man hurridly approached his steed.
Moogie awoke to a dull pain in her head. She slowly opened her eyes to a dimly lit cavern, a yellow shadow flickering across the jagged walls to her side. She tilted her head and saw a campfire there, aswell as several unknown figures feasting themselves on the meat that was roasting on a spit above the hot flame. They each wore light clothing underneath a cuirass of leather armour and dirty looking leather grieves. Scattered around the campire were pairs of gloves and screwed up cloaks which the group had discarded there in order to eat and relax more comfortably. One of them, an Enkidukai like herself, had a more eligant, dignified look about her. She was a female, with much cleaner, steady looking armour than the rest of them. Underneath the untarnished material and shining metal buckles, smooth white fur covered her slim body from head to toe. A long golden falchion sat proudly by her side. As she sat chewing at a piece of meat, Moogie studied her appearance and mentally decided she must be the leader.
The female happened to glance aside and catch her captive\'s eyes fixed on her, like a criminal caught redhanded, much to Moogie\'s horror. She noticed the growing fear in Moogie\'s eyes, but smiled at her and spoke softly.
\"Don\'t worry Moogie. We\'re not going to hurt you. You\'re safe now.\" She said. This was a totally unexpected reaction for the girl and now the entire group\'s attentions were fixed solely on her. She sat up, feeling afraid and incredibly awkward.
\"Wh-where am I? Who are you?\" Moogie asked timidly. Her eyes darted from person to person, but met silence from all but the female.
\"You\'re back where you belong, Shadowkin. Do you not recognise us?\" She got up and approached the girl, showing the tattoo on her upper-arm and then pointing to Moogie\'s. Moogie almost didn\'t want to look, but brought her arm around to see the exact same mark branded on her own skin. Her expression betrayed deep confusion as she sullenly studied the symbol. What did this mean?
\"Your memory has been completely obliterated Moogie, so I shall have to explain alot to you.\" The female sat down beside her and offered some fresh meat. Admittedly, Moogie was very hungry, but she refused. How could she trust these people, who had not long ago struck her over the head and abducted her while she lay unconcious? Unperturbed, the leader began.
\"Firstly, I am Ayshe. I am the founder, and leader, of a Guild that you rank very highly in, friend. We are the Felines Lair. Does any of this so far mean anything to you?\" She asked, her eyes pleading to the girl\'s for some kind of recognition. Moogie, however, shook her head slowly.
\"I don\'t know... somehow it sounds familiar... but I\'ve never heard this before. It feels like deja vu...\"
\"Well that\'s a start, at least.\" Ayshe smiled. \"You\'ve been lost to us for a long time now. Since when did you forget everything?\" She asked. Moogie tilted her head slightly.
\"That depends on how long you kept me unconcious...\" Said the girl quietly, some fear returning to her voice. Ayshe sighed regretfully.
\"Oh Moogie... I\'m so sorry but we had to be sure. We were tipped by an informant who said he had seen you get carried to that building by a guard, but his information was vague. We needed to make sure we were retrieving the correct person before attempting to remove you. If it had turned out to be another girl, at least we wern\'t running the risk of her seeing or hearing anything she shouldn\'t.\"
Moogie stared ahead of her silently. If her captors needed her so badly, then why? Who was she? What was this high rank that the leader spoke of? Suddenly the memory of the abduction came into her mind. She absently felt the back of her head with a paw; it was still painful where she had been struck by the butt of a sword. However, she wasn\'t as frightened now as before. Going against all reason and logic, she felt like she should trust them. Moogie couldn\'t quite explain it to herself; perhaps it was due to feelings beyond her supressed memory?
Ayshe stood up slowly, turning to face the confused girl.
\"I know this must be pretty hard for you right now. Come, sit yourself down by the fire and eat something, won\'t you? I\'ll tell you as much as I can while you fill yourself up.\" With that, she herself sat by the fire and patted the floor beside her, beckoning for Moogie to join her. After a hesitant pause, the girl gave in to her hunger and curiosity, and the two Enkidukai talked for the rest of the night.
