Darkness … footpads on stone … hushed whimpers … rapid breathing … quick motion through corridors, going by only dim lighting…

The haze only slowly begins to focus itself. A green-eyed Savanite kit finds herself being ushered along in near-darkness by taller, older, robed cheetahs. They wear robes of the priesthood, somehow she knows, but of the lowest echelons.

The cheetah kit is dressed in her finery – the same clothes and jewelry she picked out on that horrible day – but over it all she's wearing a coarse cloak, the hood drawn up.

Some of the robed cheetahs split off down different passageways. Only two are leading her now, sprinting along the corridors, taking this turn then another.

Kaela hurries after the cheetahs as best she can, struggling to keep up with their longer gaits.

At last, they slow. Through the archway ahead is a chamber, lit by torches mounted on the walls. Its purpose – unknown. There are some marble benches and pedestals. By the runes on the floor and walls, it must have some sort of ceremonial significance.

Inside, she can see a bit better. There are some statues in here as well. Statues of great rulers of ages past – Priest-Kings, masters of the forces of magic, and wise in their governance of their empire.

One of the cheetahs dashes back out of the chamber, leaving only the oldest with the girl. His head-hair is no longer dark brown or black like so many Savanites. It is wispy white. "We must hide you, your Highness," he signs. "For they come already."

Kaela gasps and pants softly as she looks about the room. Looking back up towards the cheetah, she signs, "'They' who?"

The cheetah moves over to one of the statues, then stops. He turns toward the young princess, and signs, "Jasper and his men. They have learned that one of the royal family yet lives. I know not who betrayed us."

A mental image of a tall and cruel warrior, almost more a lion than a cheetah, comes at the name of "Jasper" – adorned with leather armor decorated in a severe fashion with the stones that earn him his name.

Kaela shivers softly at the mental image. She signs, "Where am I to go?" With very little success, she tries to relax enough to get her fur to lay flat again.

The priest moves to one of the statues, and grasps the sceptre held in the statue's hand. It moves, and the statue slowly slides to one side, with the sound of bits of sand crunching under stone.

Behind the statue is an alcove. It would be too cramped for an adult – but for Emerald-Eyes, not yet fully grown, there is just enough space for her and the small cache tucked inside.

Kaela's green eyes widen in alarm. "In there?"

The priest frowns. He signs, "I am sorry, your Highness. It is the best that can be done. Behold – " He indicates a part on the back of the statue. "You can escape by pulling this. But you must be patient. Jasper will tear the monastery apart, searching for you. He is determined to make himself lord of the empire, and he will not tolerate a young heir – even a female – to become a figure-head of some future uprising."

Kaela swallows hard. She signs, "How long must I remain within?"

"Besides," the priest adds. "You have the mark upon you. You have eyes of green. None save some in the line of the Priest-King have had such eyes. There is no way we can disguise you." The priest pauses. "I am not sure, your Highness. The longer … the better."

Kaela nods slightly. "And… what am I to do when I leave?" She tries to remain calm and dignified, but mostly just looks like a frightened little girl.

There are the sounds of footpads in the halls. There are clashes of weapons and cries of pain. The priest turns toward the princess. "There is no time! Your Highness, I wish I could see you to safety … but, please, remember me, your faithful servant."

Kaela swallows hard, nods to the priest with a quick forced smile, and clambers into the space behind the statue.

"I must delay them," he signs. With that, he triggers the sceptre. There is just a flick of his tail, as he rushes out of the room, and then the statue obscures all vision, sliding into place.

He never even told her his name. Another priest. So many in the service of her father. Or, once there were.

Kaela settles down onto the floor and hugs her knees tightly to her chest. She breathes shallowly, shivering in the dark.

There are more shrieks, and sounds of combat … but the priests bore no weapons. The sounds pass into the chamber. There are thin cracks that allow faint light to filter in … and occasionally the light is obstructed as forms dash about the room. Something crashes to the floor. Something breaks.

Kaela cringes slightly with each crash and thud, but remains as still as she can manage, fearful of revealing her position to those outside.

There is more scuffling, and hissing, as the warriors do not find that which they are searching for. And then … silence. At least, no more sounds in this room, though occasionally running footsteps can be heard outside. And far less frequently, a wail of pain.

Kaela finally dares open that small cache left inside the statue with her. Guided by scent and touch, she sifts through the contents.

There is a bundle. Some clothes and another cloak. They are of far coarser fabric than that which she wears, and even patched in places … and a bit too large. Certainly not finery becoming a princess.

There is also a small, slender dagger – of stone or chitin – in a slender scabbard. A cask with a wax seal might perhaps hold some preserves. But one cannot tell without breaking the seal.

And then, there are a few other items. It is hard to tell what they might be, but perhaps they are baubles and jewelry. Why they might be in here is hard to ascertain. Something about their placement suggests they are apart from the rest … perhaps placed here much earlier.

Kaela only hesitates for a moment. She begins disrobing, being extra-careful with her jewelry to avoid making noise as she sets it into a pile on the ground. Once out of her older clothes, she begins to work her way into the plainer clothes and cloak.

Several eternities pass, so it seems. For a long time, all that the cheetah can hear is her own heartbeat in her ears, and her own breathing. And then, just when it seems all is still … some more footsteps. Some more yowls. Some crashing … running footsteps, departing. Silence again.

And countless moments longer with no more noise. The lights through the cracks disappear. The torches have burned out.

Kaela remains in the statue for as long as she can bear. She almost opens the cask in the hopes of finding some food, but changes her mind at the last moment, fearing that it might have some scent. She slips the sheathed dagger into a pocket, and takes a very few of the baubles (?) from the bottom of the cache, settling them into another pocket, for just in case they're something more important than she can discern at the moment.

The darkness and silence remain.

Kaela cautiously pulls on the protrusion on the back of the statue, forming a small crack between the statue and the wall, through which she peers cautiously.

The room, near as can be told, is empty. And dark. There are no lights from the corridor, either. Either the torches out there must have burned down as well … or perhaps they were deliberately snuffed out by someone.

Kaela swallows fearfully. She draws the hood of the cloak up over her head, and forward so that it almost obscures her eyes, and then slips out of her hiding spot, closing the statue behind her.

Kaela moves very, very slowly so she doesn't accidentally trip over some unfamiliar aberration in the floor. She quietly works her way in the general direction of the passageway she entered through, knowing no other way out.

It's pitch black, eyes obscured or not, even with the feline's keen eyesight. Nothing moves. Nothing responds to her escape. The sound of the moving stone seems like thunder compared to the silence … but once it is finished, there is nothing more. No footsteps to respond to the sudden disturbance.

The cheetah's foot encounters … something … almost soft. The smell in her nose is of blood.

Kaela shivers and squeezes her eyes shut. Don't think about it. Just… just walk around it… Slowly she edges to one side, then resumes her journey towards the passageway.

The passageway is just as dark. And there are similar obstacles across the floor to be found outside the chamber as well.

Kaela continues along the passageway… She does her best to remember the turns they made, but her memory is so fuzzy… And having to maneuver around dead bodies so frequently doesn't help her frame of mind any.

Occasionally, the cheetah finds herself encountering a dead end … or finding herself having inadvertently come around in a circle. But every time she reaches some stairs, she makes some more progress upward and hopefully out of this dark labyrinth.

At last, there's a glimmer that passes for light. It does not flicker or dance. But occasionally it flashes.

Down the corridor, around a bend must be this light source. Thankfully, no more 'obstacles' can be seen silhouetted in that faint light.

Kaela freezes. She knows no other way out. Whatever's out there isn't liable to go away… if anything is out there. She steels herself, shuts her eyes tightly for a moment, and then resumes her forward movement towards that bend.

Just around the bend is another flight of steps. Alcoves to each side of the steps contain statues, forever holding vigil. And at the end of the steps, at the top, there is an open doorway … and the overcast sky beyond, silent lightning dancing across it at unpredictable intervals.

Kaela's eyes widen slightly. Can it be? She's made it out, and without meeting any soldiers? She carefully moves up the stairs and towards the doorway…

Outside the doorway can be seen the prostrate forms of several cheetah acolytes. Many of them are but cubs, their head-hair shaved, except for a single braided cord. No sign can be seen of their attackers here … but below.

The monastery stands on the edge of the lip of the canyon, looking down upon the city, from which plumes of smoke and wails of anguish rise.

Shadowy figures move about, engaged in combat – but just as often knocking down those who have no weapons to fight with. No distinction is made – slave and master fall alike.

Kaela's eyes begin to water, but she quickly wipes away the tears. She has to run… go somewhere far away… She turns away from the city and takes flight.

Past the monastery, away from the city … there is the wild of the jungle. The vast, for all she knows, endless, jungle.

The jungle seems even larger than she'd ever seen before. Soon, the sky is blotted out by the thick canopy of leaves overhead. Vines grow this way and that. Strange beasts lurk in the underbrush, and cry out at her passage.

Thorns reach out to tear at her, like bony hands trying to drag her to the grave. But onward the cheetah dashes. Only certain death remains behind … there is no choice but to charge into the unknown.

At some point, the cheetah comes into a clearing … and above she can see the stars and the Procession. Has she run all night? Suddenly, waves of exhaustion roll over her.

The trills of the Creens and the drone of insects continue … but for the most part, the jungle is quiet now. And there are none of those strange flashes of lightning to be seen.

Kaela staggers to a stop, and settles to the ground. Looking up into the sky, she watches the stars, and briefly imagines seeing her loved ones joining in the Procession. After a moment, though, her exhaustion overwhelms her. She settles down on the dirt and begins to lightly doze, one hand on the dagger in her pocket.

The sounds of the jungle diminish. There are still the trills, but they're muffled. And Kaela is not in the open air … but in her tent once more.

Kaela's eyes flicker open. She draws herself into a tight little bundle and closes her eyes again, lying awake for the rest of the night.