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  Isabella looks at me then, swoops out of the hollow. What?! She just left? Come on!

  I trot to the “door” and look out. She’s gone! Anger fills me, and I claw the bark by me. Whatever. I think. She’s out in the rain and cold while I’m in a fairly warm hollow, sheltered by the rain. I curl up in my corner again and try to let the anger leave me, but my tail keeps flickering. Up, down, up, down. I watch my tail for a few minutes. Then I hear flapping and perk my ears and head up. It’s Isabella. She carries a few berries and small fruits in her beak and drops some down in front of me. Oh, she was getting us food. That’s why she left. I apologize in my head and give her a nod of thanks. She hoots and eats her share. I paw at the fruit for a few seconds, then watch Isabella. I never liked apples very much in cat form, but I soon stop being picky and just eat it. It’s bitter and hard in my cat mouth, but I swallow it and don’t regret it. I feel much better after the small portion of snacks. Isabella might not be the most talkative person ever, but she’s nice for getting us food. We make a good team. I find the safe spots and she gets us food.

  After I’ve finished with my tiny meal, I go sit by Isabella. The rain looks like it’s clearing up, but not for a little while longer.

  As I sit here, my siblings run through my head again. The memory of them playing in the berry field and them running around the house whips through my mind. Aurelian nearly setting the kitchen on fire and her just walking down the path in the forest with me. My throat swells up and I shake my head, hoping those painful memories will leave me. I perch myself on my tiptoes and sink down into a round fur ball. I want to go back home, but I want it to go back to the way it was. When no one knew what I was, the Southern City wasn’t slaughtering innocent people, and my siblings and I were having normal but fun lives again. I long for those days to come back but they might never. The only thing that makes me feel closer to my family is the small necklace around my neck, sitting over my fur with the little cat charm hanging by my chest.

  ***

  When I wake up, the clouds are still looming over the forest, but the rain has stopped. I sit up and stretch out and then look at Isabella. Her head is perched on her back, tucked inside her wings. I’m hungry again, but that can wait. I have more important stuff to do. Like go to the Western City for protection.

  I can smell the fresh rain on the trees. It’s always been my favorite smell. I go onto the branch extending a few feet below the hollow and look around. It’s about late afternoon. We should head to the Western City again. I turn around on the branch nimbly and meow loudly to wake Isabella. I hear a soft coo from above and know she’s awake. Seconds later, she flies down and transforms into a girl again. I do the same then say, “We should head to the city again. It looks like it won’t rain for a few hours. We have time to get lots of distance in before it rains again.” I look up to the clouds. I might not be in school, but I’ve learned lots from watching nature all my life.

  Isabella yawns then nods. “Ok, what time do you think it is?”

  “Around, six? Maybe.” I look down from the sky and walk west. There’s a slight breeze blowing about and it makes me shiver now and then.

  “I’m starving.” Isabella moans a few minutes later, then transforms into an owl mid step. I continue walking, knowing that she’ll be back soon.

  I try not to think about my family. It seems like they’re all I can think about lately, but I have to get to protection then I’ll get enough strength to figure out what to do, then I can go back home. I turn my charm necklace in and out of my fingers as I walk.

  Suddenly I stop. It’s been at least ten or more minutes since Isabella left. She should have been back by now. This side of the forest is crawling with critters to eat. Why is it taking her so long to find something? I look around to see if I see a bird above, but only see the grey clouds. A thought comes to mind. What if the Hunters got here?! She’s an owl so she couldn’t call for help. What if she got into a trap? I continue walking. That couldn’t be. It just can’t. Plus, I didn’t hear the shock of their weapons. My heart speeds up, but I keep trudging along the forest. Having hope that she’ll come back. After five more minutes of silence, I head back. She can’t be far. I go in the direction she went and look around. Nothing. I’m panicking. Where could she be? I rip through the plants, my burns stinging. I look frantically around and see and hear nothing until, “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” I follow the noise and see a barn owl flapping frantically in a net above the tall branches. It looks like Isabella, so I clutch my spear and climb the tree up to where the ropes extend out. It’s almost thirty feet high!

  My arms and legs are burning from the climbing. But Isabella saved my life. It seems only fair to save hers. And it seems like the only option. I could never leave a fellow Morph or animal here to die from the Hunters.

  I reach the ropes and jab my spear at it. I hear talking voices in the distance and see the rope with the tip of my spear. The voices get louder. Isabella flaps frantically in the net. I hear and see her wings bang again the rope, trying to get free. The Hunters are almost here. A few pieces of rope get cut, but there’s still a lot left. I jab the tip of my spear at it and it comes loose. I pull the rest out and the rope falls, but Isabella is still tangled in the rope. I slid down the tree, scraping my hands and legs. They burn when I get to the ground, but I run over to the tree. Isabella is far enough down the tree, so I reach up and untangle the feathers and claws from the rope. When she’s out, she transforms and grapples my arm for support. She whimpers from fear and I hold her tightly.

  “It’s okay. But we have to get out of here! Now!” I grab her and run in the direction I came from.

  As we run down the forest, I pull us both to the ground instantly. I see the Hunters walking down to the trap with their weapons. These Hunters don’t have such bulky outfits on, but they still wear red and black. Southern City colors.

  I hear Isabella breathing uncontrollably by my side. I look down at her and see her arms with rope burns and cuts all along them. She shakes from fear, but I look back at the Hunters. The closer they get to the trees, the more I move sideways, away from them on the ground. When they are out of sight, I get up and lift Isabella with me.

  “Come on!” I whisper and run again.

  Chapter 11

  Once we’re far away from the trap and Hunters, we stop, and I look at Isabella’s arms.

  “Isabella,” I say. “How did you trapped?”

  “I was… flying…” she says, through gasps of air. “And all… of a sudden… a rope latched around me… and it trapped me. It just jumped up… in the air from the ground.”

  “Here,” I reach in her brown bag and take out the Aloe Vera leaves and rub the goo onto her rope burns. She flinches a little. “We should find some water.” I say, thinking it will stop the bleeding on her cuts. It would also be good, since I feel I’m getting weak from dehydration. And that we’ve lost the river.

  “Yeah,” Isabella sighs and walks again. “By the way, you can call me Bella if you want. Everyone else does.”

  I nod. “That’s a pretty name. My real name is Calista, but Calico is just a nick-name my mother came up with when I was little.”

  “It’s cute, I like it. Your eyes are amazing. Calico suits you.” I smile and try to make my mind clear up. It seems like every time we take a step the Hunters find another way to trap us or kill us.

  “We should find food together from now on. Just in case this happens again.” I put the Aloe leaves back into the bag and look at Bella.

  “Yeah,” she says. “Thank you for saving me.” I nod.

  We probably have gotten farther away from the city by now. From the trap and Hunters. I want to get there now, but I’m terrified that the Morph Hunters will find us again. I keep my thoughts to myself. I’ve never had a best friend who I could share my thoughts with. I’ve always wanted one though. Maybe Bella is that friend.

  We continue through the forest in silence. Bella’s arms aren’t getting worse, but I notice th
em not getting any better either. My burns are also stinging. It seems worse today. Maybe because I climbed the trees.

  “Stop,” Bella says, her soft voice piercing the silence.

  I stop and look around. I hear no Hunters, but that doesn’t mean they’re not around. I strain my ears, and instead of hearing footsteps or weapons going off, I hear rushing water! Water!

  “Over here!” Bella jogs to our right and we come to a small area where water flows down a few rocks above. Bella runs in the water and clenches her teeth together after she sets her arms in. It must be painful. I go to the water too and gasp as the cold water touches my burns. It stings and feels like it's burning my skin more but after a few seconds the relief heads into me. I let my breath out and let the pain wash away. I walk over to where the ground lifts. There’s another area full of water there. I see a few fish swimming and go under water. I feel everything washing away from me. Stress, mud, leaves, and possibly a bit of fear. When I come up, I take a few handfuls of the water gushing down. It’s refreshing and makes my mouth long for more.

  Once we’ve both taken care of our injuries, I gather a few blackberries and dandelions for dinner. Our mother used to make dandelion salads a lot. I remember Aurelian hating it.

  Daylight is still bright, but not for long. “It’s still light out, but not for much longer. We should extinguish the fire in an hour at most. So, the glow doesn’t let the Hunters know we’re here,” I say.

  Bella nods. “So, since we will hang out together for a while, we should get to know each other.” Bella says, taking a bite of a dandelion leaf.

  “Okay,” I say, thinking of something to say. “You’re from the Southern City, right?”

  “Yep.”

  “I used to go there sometimes. To get food and supplies for my family. I went in as a cat, so no one would know that I was sneaking in.”

  “Clever!” Bella looks down at the fire. “What did you like to do since you didn’t live in any city?”

  “There’s an abandoned farm by our house that my siblings and I went to a lot in the summer. I liked to practice with my spear a lot, and that’s pretty much it. When my parents come home on Saturdays, we would go to the beach,” memories of the life I had only a few days ago, fill my mind and make my throat swell up. But I have no time for crying. I have to stay strong now and go to the Western City. To see what’s going on and how to stop it. “What did you like to do?” I ask Bella, trying to get the conversation off of me.

  “I had stupid school, which was pointless for me. Sometimes I would go to my brother’s office and help him with the city designs. Other days I would hang out with…” she looks down and I feel she’s in pain. Not just from her arms, but in her heart.

  “With whom?” I ask quietly.

  “Daniel. He was my best friend since we were two. He was a Morph too. A hawk,” a few tears run down her cheeks. “But he was the first to be killed.” She looks away and wipes her face with her hand. The first to be killed. Daniel was the boy I saw on our television set a few days ago.

  “I’m so sorry.” I whisper, then look up to the sky. I see the sky get a deep blue color. Silhouettes from the trees sit against the sky in eerie ways. We’re both dry and warm so I have to let the fire out. “We should get some rest.” I go to get water for the fire. Once the fire’s out and the pitch-black darkness covers the forest, I lay down against a tree. Bella sits next to me.

  “I can keep watch for a little while you get some sleep. Just so no Hunters come along. I can wake you if they do.” Bella says.

  I take this into my mind. “Okay, wake me in an hour? So, you can rest, and I’ll watch.”

  “Perfect. Now get some rest.” I nod and curl up in the trunk's dent. It’s better to have someone with me when I’m out here. We’ve got each other’s back and I’m grateful Bella found me. Not just to save my life, but to be a friend and companion.

  “Calico!” a whisper calls from a meadow. I look around it, but the whisper makes the picture fade. I open my eyes and see I’m still in the forest. In the dark forest. Bella nudges me a little to wake me. I look around and realize I have to keep watch. “It’s your watch.” Bella whispers.

  I nod and sit up. “Thanks.” I say, just as Bella sinks into her side of the trunk.

  “Wake me in an hour,” she mumbles. I nod again and blink. Sleep still covers me, but I must stay awake now. My eyes are forcing close, but I force them open. I grab my spear beside me and think. At dawn, we should go off again. But which way? We’ve lost the river.

  I sit in silence for a bit, just listing to the gushing water from the rocks. But then it hits me. That water flowing down cannot possibly make that much noise. Mostly, but not completely. I get up and go to the higher waters. I walk around it and climb onto the boulders on which the waters flow down from. I look ahead and see the river! Only a few yards away. It was above us the whole time! The river flows to my left, towards the Western City! I climb back down and sit back against the tree next to Bella. I can’t wait to tell her!

  After a few minutes, the clouds above part, and let the moonlight shine through a small opening. It lights up the water and makes beautiful reflections against the shimmering surface. I look up and see the shadows of the leaves against the dark sky, then hear something. Something electric. Like lightning or something. My heart speeds up. The Morph Hunters. I listen carefully and hear that they’re far away, but I feel I should wake Bella. Just as I turn around to wake her, a scream echoes through the forest. Then, ends with a shock of electricity. Bella jerks awake and looks at me.

  “What was that?” she asks.

  “The Hunters. They’re far away, but I was just going to wake you. You think we should run?” I clutch my spear tightly in my hand. My heart can’t handle anymore fear and miniature heart attacks.

  “I don’t know.” Bella says, sitting up.

  “Look!” I say, pointing in front of us. A speck of light flickers. It’s tiny, but I can see it through the trees.

  “We should go.” Bella shoots up and grabs her bag.

  I get up too then say, “I found the river. It’s above those boulders. But the way to the City is towards the Hunters. But if we just go this way,” I point to our right. “We can go around them without them noticing. We just need to get enough distance between us. That way we don’t have to lose the river again.”

  “I say we do it. I want to get to that dang city soon. I don’t want to keep over-lapping our path. Let’s go this way.” We start in the direction I pointed to and climb up the boulders. Once we’re up, we splash across the river. This part is shallow and narrow, but the rocks are bigger and slippery and the water gushes much faster and stronger. I struggle in my steps a little. My fear of water is surfacing in me. I panic a little as I trudge across.

  “Come on,” I say, and I run onto the dry land on the other side. I let my breath out as I step out of the water. Bella is struggling to get across the river, but the gushing water is too strong. She slips and hits her knee on a rock. I see the blood as I rush in to help her. “Bella!” I yell over the water.

  “I’m fine,” I hear her say as I help her across. Once we’re out of the water, I let her sit on the ground while I look at her knee. The water cleaned it, but there’s a gash on her left knee. It’s not huge or deep, but enough to cut the deeper layer of skin and to make it bleed.

  I dig in the bag and to my amazement, find some wrapping bandages. I pour some water on her wound and she clenches her teeth tightly.

  “It’s okay.” I say, trying to sooth her. After I wrap her leg, I help her up and we slowly go straight. Away from the river. After we can’t see the light from the Hunters no more, we head left back to the river. Then take a break.

  Chapter 12

  “How’s your knee?” I ask, helping Bella sit.

  “Better but hurts.” She sets her hand by the bandage.

  “Yeah, do you have anything to help it?”

  “No, only things for burns and scratches.
Nothing for major pain or broken bones or anything like this.” She swings her hair back with her hand and looks around. I look behind us and strain my eyes for the light of the Hunters. But I see darkness. Just plain darkness. The moon has been covered by the clouds again. I mess with my hair in its bun for a bit then sit down next to Bella. I wrap my ankle with the bandages too. The wounds are healing, but still visible and painful here and there.

  “Do you want to rest right now? We can spend the rest of the night here. The Hunters are nowhere close.” Maybe it would be a good idea for Bella to get off her knee for a bit.

  She nods and leans against a tree.

  “I’ll keep watch,” I say and stand up. I’m too restless to sit down. I grab my spear and walk a few feet away from Bella. Then pace. Back and forth, back and forth. The Morph Hunters are roaming the forest. But so are the Morphs. I can’t handle this kind of panic. My heart can’t handle it anymore. I might just die from a heart attack one of these days. I let my hair out of its tangled-up mess and let it flow around my shoulders and down my back. I jab my spear in the ground and look at the trees. I can’t live like this. Running away from Hunters. We’re people, not killing machines. This is unfair! We should have the right to live too! The Southern City is killing off innocent people, and they think the Morphs are to blame for being bad? Yeah, right! This is stupid! Dumb! I can’t listen or see another Morph die! I have to do something before all the innocent Morphs are gone. But what? Fight? I don’t know. My mind is jumbled up again. I must have a gift for letting every single thing enter my mind whenever I want it clear.

  I jerk my spear out of the ground and go check on Bella. She’s fast asleep against the same tree I left her at. I hope she lives. I hope she has a long life. I hope we both do. We always seem to get caught by the Hunters, but always seem to save each other. I think I have found a lifelong friend. Bella. Maybe she’s the one who I’ve been waiting for, for so many years. So, I guess there is something good coming from this running. I finally made a real friend.