Lord Bruce stroked his beards in thought. He hated the idea of Fauna or his tigers frolicking with the humans, but Zara was right. They were desperate and any knowledge they could sink their fangs in would be appreciated.
"No, this cannot –"
"Silence!" Lord Bruce commanded and Ryker snapped his mouth shut and turned towards Bruce in wait for his command. "Zara seems to trust this human, and I hold no doubt in Zara's fighting skills which have gotten even better since her training with Bruce."
Zara beamed with pride and bobbed her head.
"We need to always put Fauna first. She is the most powerful being in this forest, but without knowledge, she is as useless as a human child."
Zara furrowed her brows at Lord Bruce, but she said nothing. He wasn't lying.
"So, I have made up my mind. Fauna will venture into the human world with Zara for company and protection."
Fauna nodded. She was excited. She was finally going to meet someone who may hold answers as to who she was and what she could do. She didn't care of the dangers. She just wanted to learn about herself and be the powerful being everyone was convinced she was.
"I wish to come with," Saber added and Lord Bruce turned to his son. He was expecting it and knew Saber was only asking telling him out of respect.
He knew that whether he granted his permission or not, Saber would follow Fauna to the ends of the earth to keep her safe, so he didn't bother with convincing his son otherwise.
"Very well. You will all leave at night so you will not be spotted as you sneak into the human settlement. You will not morph unless absolutely important and you will stay out of the spotlight. You three are very important to the clan and I cannot afford to lose you."
"Aww!" Zara cooed and much to everyone's surprise, she stepped towards the throne and threw herself on Lord Bruce in a short embrace. "I know you care about us. There's no shame in admitting it. I miss you already, old man." She turned to Bone. "And Bone, try not to forget how to fight when I'm away. I know you don't really have anyone to challenge you. Shame!"
She shook her head before she strutted out of the throne room, a skip in her steps. The others watched her in fascination as they wondered just what exactly ran through the head of the tigress. She just wasn't on the same frequency as anyone in the clan.
"I question my decision to bring her in every day. She's crazy," Hailey muttered, though she smiled as she talked.
As loud and annoying as Zara could be, she was just someone that was extremely loveable. Lord Bruce really didn't want harm to fall to her as he couldn't imagine a clan without the young tigress. Council meetings would be boring and meal times would be uneventful.
"You're all dismissed," Lord Bruce told them and Fauna practically ran out of the room. If this was her last day before she had to travel, she knew what she wanted to spend it doing.
Thankfully, Saber didn't try to stop her to invite her for breakfast. He already knew she preferred having breakfast with the Helpers and the cubs. She may have been the Lady, but she never cared for the title.
Fauna didn't stop walking until she was in the Helper's quarters and in her best friend's embrace. Most of the cubs were away as training had officially started, and only the really small ones were resting inside. This gave her all the privacy she needed to talk with Alegra.
"How are you holding up?" Her best friend pulled away to examine her. "We had a traitor who was plotting treason. That must be so scary. What is Lord Bruce planning now? I know he always has a plan." Her words toppled over the other. She was nervous as she was concerned for Fauna.
Fauna looked away and drew her lower lip between her teeth. She didn't know how to tell the woman that she would be leaving and probably wouldn't be back for a while.
Upon sensing her hesitation, Alegra's weary grew and she grabbed Fauna by the face and forced her to look right at her.
"You're scaring me. There's a plan, right? We wouldn't have to move, right? We cannot afford to. Surely, he knows this. We have a pregnant tigress who is due to birth tomorrow, and mating season is before us.
"The thought crossed his mind," Fauna admitted, "but he refuses to allow it be an option. He knows lives would be lost if we attempted moving. This territory has everything we need; food, water and shelter. We cannot afford to risk it."
"Why then do you look worried?" Alegra raised her brows. "It's good news, isn't it?"
"Well, I..." Fauna trailed off and took in a deep breath. "I have to leave at dusk tonight. I'm heading into the human settlement."
Alegra's face became a shade paler at Fauna's words. She furrower her brows as she shook her head rapidly and held on to the girl.
"No insult to Lord Bruce, but how is that smart?"
"Well, Zara apparently knows someone who is well learned and may know about me. It's worth a shot."
"It's dangerous, is what it is," Alegra argued. Fauna knew that was the reaction she was going to get, but there was nothing Alegra could do to keep her in the clan. She wanted to venture and learn about herself. She wanted to – no. She needed to learn.
"Zara and Saber will accompany me. I'll be as safe as safe can get," she assured the tigress who's face fell. Her eyes looked glossy and her breathing was uneven. Fauna could feel her melancholy and it was choking.
She grabbed Alegra's palms in hers and brought them closer to her chest.
"I'll be back. I promise!"
"I don't want to lose you."
"And you won't!" She promised. "I want to spend the remainder of today laughing with you and not saying goodbyes. It's not like I'm dying or anything." Fauna let out a light-hearted chuckle that Alegra refused to participate in.
"You shouldn't be making jokes like that!" She criticized as she withdrew her palms. "However, I understand what you mean. You have to understand me too. Humans are vile creatures, with their fire and weapons and explosives and weird radiations." Alegra scrunched her nose in disgust. "What is your immune system gets compromised?"
"The humans have animals around them too and they seem to thrive just fine... Most of them anyway. Now, let's sit and have a good time before we leave."
And that was what they did. They took a walk to the drinking pond where they sat and chatted. They laughed about the most insane things and had a lovely time that unfortunately had to come to an abrupt end when Alegra heard the footsteps of an approaching tiger.
"Saber's here," she informed her best friend.
Fauna sighed and rose to her feet. Her heart was pounding and she had to take slow and steady breaths to calm herself down. Alegra shuffled to her feet beside her, her head down as she fiddles with her fingers. A part of her wanted to tell Fauna to stay behind, but she had to accept that mother nature had plans for Fauna, and the plans didn't include Fauna being a Helper.
Saber approached them. The young man walked with the purpose and confidence of a leader. His silky black hair was braided behind his head in a ponytail and when his purple eyes fell on Fauna, his pale lips stretched into a lazy grin and he threw an arm around her shoulder when he got to them.
"I could hear your heart pounding all the way from my room," he exaggerated and Fauna jabbed him playfully in the ribs with her elbow. "Look." He pointed to the sun which was falling behind the horizon. "It's time."
Fauna offered a grim nod before she turned to offer Alegra a final smile.
"This isn't goodbye," Alegra told her, though it sounded like she was trying to convince herself. "I will see you in a couple of days. Bye." Alegra started to walk away, but she suddenly stopped and turned back to them. This time, she addressed Saber directly.
"You better take care of her, okay?"
Saber frowned in confusion. He wasn't used to that attitude. Not especially by the Helpers who were the most timid and more often than not, didn't speak unless they were addressed. He however pursed his lips and spared the tigress a brief nod.
She seemed satisfied with his response because she turned on her heels and walked back in the direction of the Helper's quarters.
When she was out of sight, Saber turned to Fauna, a small smile on his flawless face.
"You're okay, Fauna. I promise to let no harm come to you. We'll be in and out before you even know what's happening."
Fauna nodded at his words. She believed him. She trusted him.
"Let's go," she stepped forward and Saber followed behind her.
Together, they returned to the throne room where Zara and Lord Bruce were already waiting for them. Zara was licking her paws, so Fauna could tell she just had dinner and was ready for the road. When she saw Fauna, she put her hand down and walked over to her.
"Slow poke! I was beginning to think you developed cold feet and was hiding from us," she teased and despite her anxiety, Fauna managed a chuckle.
"I wouldn't. I'm all set." She said aloud, more to herself than to the group.
Lord Bruce walked up to her and placed a palm on her shoulder. He wanted to give a sentimental speech about how he would hold them in his thoughts and how he would pray to mother nature to keep them safe, but it just wasn't in his nature to be emotional.
It was okay though. He didn't need to say anything because Fauna could tell everything he was feeling and it was more than enough for her. She clamped her palm over his and nodded and in return, he smiled and turned to Saber.
"Take care."
"Okay, okay! You're going to make me weep!" Zara joked. "Let's get going already so we get there before the gates are locked."
"Gates?" Saber frowned at Zara who simply sighed and shook her head rather than provide an explanation.
Soon enough, goodbyes were said and the trio were headed in the direction of the East-side. It was Lord Bruce's idea to go through the East before they head west -in the direction of the humans- so no one tries to venture past them and into the forest.
Much to Fauna's surprise, Hailey followed after them. Together, they approached the border. They heard the waterfall before they saw it and with a huge smile, Fauna took a deep breath, relishing the scent of the fresh water and damp grass. More than anything, she wanted to go for a swim, but she knew there was no time for that.
They arrived at the edge and peered down. It was incredibly high and Fauna didn't know how they were supposed to get down. She stared at her companions. Saber was walking around, trying to find a way, Hailey stared down with furrowed brows while Zara had a huge smile on her face.
"I say we jump," came Zara and they all turned an incredulous stare to her, but her smile only widened. "If we get hurt, our bodies will just heal itself... Except we go splat, which would be quite unfortunate. Dying before the mission even started." She laughed as though the idea of dying was something to be taken lightly.
"I don't know if you are aware of this, but detest the idea of taking a swim," Hailey voiced her concern and Fauna could feel her anxiety. She didn't blame the tigress. Most werecats hated swimming.
"We could always try to go around the waterfall," Saber pointed into the distance. "It would only take a –"
"Too slow!" Zara screamed before taking a few steps back. Before they could discourage her, she ran forward and took a leap, throwing herself off the cliff.
They all watched in trepidation. Fauna knew that if there were rocks below the waterfall, Zara may not make it. As Zara fell, Fauna wondered why the tigress was just so impulsive and how she managed to stay alive all the while when she never thought things through.
Zara however screamed for joy as she plummeted towards the water. Soon enough, a loud splash was heard and she went under the surface. They all watched, their hearts pounded as they waited for her to rise to the surface.
"Why isn't she coming up? She should be up by now!" The worry was clear in Fauna's voice as she squinted, trying desperately to find her friend.
"That's it! Zara has finally killed herself!" Hailey shook her head.