Raz raised his hand, signaling for the others to stop. They managed to cross safely through the misty forest with their men on high alert. Several hours had passed since they stumbled upon the outpost ruins. The caravan arrived at a narrow wooden bridge, held together with aged logs and tethered with rope at the edges. At the end of the bridge stood a circur tunnel entrance, allowing them entry through the mountain side. A pair of statues stood at either side of the tunnel entry, giving it a creepy look.

  As soon as the first pair of horses stepped over and the bridge trembled under their weight. Analyzing the situation. Raz felt it wiser to halt their progress as he stepped to the second carriage where Perdilius was waiting.

  "The bridge might not hold our collective weight," He expined, gncing down the line of carriages behind them. "Best we cross one carriage at a time to be safe."

  Perdilius poked his head out the window, squinting at the structure ahead. "Hmm, indeed. Do proceed then, we are nearing the next fort."

  Raz bowed his head and stepped to the front carriage, instructing them to move ahead as he climbed in. "Steady, be patient."

  The man at the front nodded, wiping his runny nose. With a whistle and a click, he had the horses pull their weight as the traveled down. Raz's eyes trailed over the edge, spotting the steep drop below where a river runs through with raging waters. It was possible to survive the fall but judging by how loud the water crashes from turn to turn in this jagged snake-like path, it would be life-threatening regardless.

  While Raz crossed the bridge, the others took the opportunity to step out and stretch their limbs. Leone hopped off from the third carriage, keeping his hand to his belt near the handle of his sword. He scanned around, seeing that the fog was more translucent here. Several soldiers walked toward a nearby tree, unzipping and relieving themselves while they stood around. The hunter gnced at the rear of the second carriage, unable to see the Nekomata as they hid behind the curtains. He wondered if it would be wise to check on them for their safety, or perhaps a stroke of luck would prove that they could escape unnoticed. But no, he hadn't the nerve to be at their presence.

  It pained him to admit that being unable to see them made it easier to pretend he was fine.

  Licking his lips, he checked around before slipping his hand in his back pocket. It was a small charm, nothing fancy judging by its wooden texture and clumsy design, but it crudely resembled a paw print. His lip twitched at the sight of it, bringing back the memories that came with this. The night she gifted this to him, which intertwined their fates into this conundrum. He should have known better than to do that, they knew there would be consequences from their coupling, and here they are. Pulling his head back, he could only close his eyes and breathe the misty air in an attempt to calm his nerves.

  He snapped his head around, staring high at the trees around them. His fingers tapped steadily along his sword, unable to shake the feeling of being watched.

  "Onward!" Someone shouted, instructing the second carriage to move. It was their turn to cross the bridge, with Perdilius seated inside and the Nekomata girls carried in the rear.

  Na'Vi gnced down from her hiding spot beneath the carriage, biting her tongue. As soon as they began walking down the flimsy rope bridge, it wobbled and swayed from side to side. The small bck cat turned her head around, her senses warning her of something she could not see. What she did know was that the carriage was alone for now, and this opportunity might not present itself again. Determined, she decided now was her best chance as she climbed up the rear and slipped through the curtains.

  Inside, she found her family curled up in their cages as they slept. The cages were locked, no way around breaking it open with her cws. Irritated, she hopped over a few cages and cwed her way through the cloth material, slicing an opening for her to escape through the top. She wagged her furry head, enjoying the breeze as she pressed her body over the roof of the carriage. Scooting forward, she reached around the passenger area and peered through the window, finding Perdilius seated alone. He kept his head out the window, steadily watching their progress as the carriage wobbled roughly and the horses whined in fright. She looked around, no sign of any keys.

  Gncing up front, she found the faint jingle of keys cnging around the waist belt of the seated driver at the reins. She smirked, biting her tongue as she inched forward and hopped down behind him. Stretching her little paw, she used her cws to lift the key ring from his belt, then pressed both paws over the keys to stop their noise. She kept her eyes glued to the driver, scanning his face as he kept watch in the front. Perfect, she thought to herself. It took less time for her to slip into the back once more, climbing into the rear and transforming into her humanoid state with an exaggerated gasp of relief.

  Her growth in size from a cat to a woman caused her to kick and topple over several supply boxes over the cages, abruptly spooking the girls awake. They stared wide-eyed as Na'Vi rubbed the back of her head, sitting up and struggling to aim the key into the lock with her paws. The first cage freed Syri, who wasted no time growing back into her skinny, silver-haired beautiful self, trapping Na'Vi in a bear hug as she burst with emotion and glee.

  "You're alive!" She cheered, sending them crashing back. She didn't care, burying her head into her friend's chest with tears. "Thank goodness you're alive!"

  "I'm here." Na'Vi grinned, patting her head gently. "Sorry I took so long, we don't have much time."

  "Oh, right right." Syri stepped back apologetically, keeping her paws together as Na'Vi moved in to unlock the next cage.

  Emyri grew back in her humanoid form, stretching her arms and holding her daughters tight. "My babies!" She beamed, kissing their faces.

  "Hey, agh!" Na'Vi blushed, pushing her adoptive mother back. "I love you too, but not the time Mum!"

  "Oh dear, apologies." Emyri scooted back, sitting beside her youngest. Na'Vi moved in and freed Dimyri and KuliKuli next, each one greeting her with a hug.

  The carriage stopped suddenly, the horses whining and shaking their heads frantically.

  "What's going on?" Asked Dimyri.

  "We're crossing a wooden bridge," Na'Vi expined.

  "Maybe they're spooked?" Syri suggested in a low voice, "Are we high up? I hear water below."

  "It's not that, there's something else." Na'Vi growled, looking around.

  Outside, Raz watched as Perdilius' carriage was having trouble calming their horses. The front rider stepped out, holding his arms out wide as he tried to have them settle down.

  "What's keeping them?" One of the soldiers asked from behind.

  Raz bit his bottom lip, looking around the surrounding forest.

  Leone noticed a leaf descend from above. He snapped his head back, finding someone readying their bow and fire. They struck one of their followers, the arrow lodging into his exposed neck. The man fell to his knee, gasping and choking for air as his friends looked up in shock.

  "Ambush!" They shouted, reaching for their shields.

  Leone pressed himself against the nearest carriage, retrieving one of their shields for his protection. His eyes darted back and forth, catching glimpses of several figures hopping from tree to tree. Some would steady themselves before firing an arrow, while others would take advantage and shoot as they jumped to the next branch. The hunter raised his shield in time, blocking an arrow as it lodged into the wooden frame. The quiver mirrored the same design from the arrows they found at the fort.

  The rider stepped around the carriage, with Perdilius looking out from the window.

  "Sir, we're under attack!"

  "Quickly now, get through the tunnels." He ordered, keeping inside.

  From an elevated branch that stretched over the ravine, an archer poured some oil over their arrowhead before lighting it abze. They took aim and fired, sending the arrow into the carriage side to spread its fme.

  Na'Vi jumped back as a fire arrow whistled through the curtains, turning back to the others.

  "Hurry now, cross the bridge!" Someone shouted, urging the remaining two carriages to press forward. The ambush left everyone frantic, with the next carriage climbing over, the added weight causing the bridge to buckle and sway suddenly.

  Perdilius lost his bance, their carriage sliding back abruptly. The third carriage lost control as an arrow sliced into the reins, freeing their horses.

  "Damn it, form a line!" Raz shouted back, running down the bridge. He hurried toward them just as the third carriage slid down the bridge, crashing into the rear of the second carriage. It pinned the girls into pce, blocking their means of escape.

  Perdilius shook his head, finding Raz and his men opening the door to escort him. Once he stepped out, Raz rushed to the back and met Leone along with their group of men moving down the bridge on foot.

  "Where are the girls?" Leone asked, keeping his shield overhead.

  Raz ducked as another arrow whistled by, digging into the wooden pnk nearby. He pointed at the rear of the second carriage, to which Leone passed the shield to him. He reached for his dagger and tore the side of the carriage open, his eyes filled with relief when he found Emyri and the girls staring back. They were frightened of course, but he reached out with his hand.

  "Come now, hurry! We haven't much time!" He shouted, keeping close as another arrow stabbed into the shield Raz held for him.

  Emyri reluctantly took his hand, climbing off the side. Raz was shocked to see them in their human form, but brushed it off and kept his shield up to protect them. But the girls had other ideas, with KuliKuli tearing open the opposite side of the carriage to break free. She and her sisters jumped down, with Syri losing her footing and stumbling at the edge of the bridge. Dimyri reached with her tails, pulling her sister back by her waist. She whined and held her close. "I'm scared!"

  "We'll be fine, just stay close." Dimyri responded, doing her best to keep on a brave face.

  By this point, some of Perdilius' soldiers had their crossbows armed and were retaliating with their own bolts. One man took aim and pulled the trigger, sending his bolt through the dense leafage and catching a ranger by their shoulder.

  KuliKuli stuck close with her sisters, looking around in a panic. Dimyri stuck out her paw, pointing out some of the rangers overhead. "Look, over there!"

  Na'Vi followed their gaze, but the girls were alerted when the second carriage began to move forward again. The horses marched forward, pulling the weight of the carriage with them. Some of the rangers swooped down from the trees using ropes, fighting the men head on. Turning back wasn't an option, with KuliKuli peering over the edge. Dimyri pulled her back and shook her head. "We wouldn't make it if we tried."

  "Then what can we do?" She asked, looking around.

  Dimyri was ready to answer when the third carriage was engulfed in fmes by the numerous fire arrows lodged into it, spreading its heat over the wooden bridge. If they didn't hurry, the bridge would fall soon.

  There wasn't much time left to choose.

  Snap!

  One of the many ropes sprung apart, shing out violently like whips. One end struck the nearest horse pulling the second carriage, it cried out and pulled its weight to the opposing side, smming into the horse beside it. The girls fell down, turning their backs with Dimyri covering Syri to protect her. A nearby soldier turned to their side of the carriage, his eyes widening as he caught them. "The beasts are escaping! The beasts are escaping!"

  "Damn!" KuliKuli stepped forward, shing out with a back hand across his face. He stumbled back but the others heard his cry as the incoming wave of men came sprinting down the bridge.

  As the horses struggled to pull the carriage forward, the girls noticed the reason behind it. The third carriage stuck to the rear of the second like glue, dragging both carriages together. Further back, the fourth carriage was racing down the bridge as a flurry of arrows came down like rain. The men ducked behind raised shields, grateful for their dome-shaped helmets that resisted against this ambush. Those that had less armor to wear were the first victims to fall, unable to cross the bridge in time.

  Perdilius raised his head from the group of men protecting him with their shields, catching a glimpse of a female archer aiming for his head.

  Fwoo!

  She fired her shot, the arrow piercing through like a loud whistle.

  P-Tang!

  Raz lifted his shield in time, saving Perdilius from a lethal strike.

  "It's them." Perdilius growled under his breath, unfazed.

  "We need to cross the bridge, now!" Raz shouted, guiding Perdilius down when the carriage pulled forward, its wheels groaning under the added weight.

  The bridge leaned further to one side, snting to an extent that the carriages began to slide left. The girls froze up as the carriage pushed them back, they used their cws to cling onto the side as their legs dangled over the edge.

  "Aaaahhhh!!" Syri cried out, hugging her sister's waist. Na'Vi made sure to reach over the roof, climbing aboard and pulling Syri with her. KuliKuli and Dimyri slipped down, choosing to crawl under the carriage instead. Perdilius and Raz fell to their side as well, only they were able to hold onto the bridge to keep from falling off. Two of their men were not so lucky, screaming for their lives as they rolled off the bridge and fell into the river below.

  Leone kept Emyri in his arms, carrying her over toward the tunnel entrance. He pced her down as she pointed toward the rocking carriage where Na'Vi and Syri stood. "Leone, the girls!"

  He reached for his belt and pulled out the grappling hook, stabbing it into the rocky entrance. He held the web string in his palm, running down the bridge just as Raz brought Perdilius over. Raz followed behind the hunter, leaving Perdilius and Emyri by the first carriage.

  Snap!

  Another rope snapped, the fire spreading down the left side of the bridge. By this point, the rangers took notice of the cat girls atop the second carriage, communicating with hand signals. Three of them swung down using ropes, nding near the two tangled carriages. Na'Vi and Syri watched as the three archers nded, wearing grassy-green robes with hoods decorated with leaves to hide their faces behind. The two archers reached for their daggers and turned around, defending against a group of soldiers swinging their swords at them. These rangers didn't wear any armor for protection, relying heavily on agility and speed to evade attacks.

  The front ranger reached out for the girls, a red tattoo presented at the back of her hand. "Come with us!" She demanded, struggling to keep her bance under the swaying bridge.

  Snap!

  The archers ducked down as a third rope snapped apart, this time causing the bridge to dangle with one rope remaining to keep its bance. Syri and Dimyri wobbled and knelt down, the two carriages beginning to tilt over. Slowly, the vehicles began to flip over the edge, forcing the sisters to jump onto the bridge in time as the carriages fell below. Dimyri threw herself down, clinging onto the wooden pnk of the bridge. KuliKuli dug her cws into the wood as leverage, looking up as Leone lost his footing and made a grab for the right edge of the bridge. The structure was one rope away from toppling over to one side, and to make things worse the fire spread across and was now scorching the other end.

  Dimyri looked up as Raz presented a hand to her. She turned to her sisters, reluctant to accept their help. To her surprise, some of Perdilius' men were furiously tying the end of a rope to the surviving carriage and presenting it to them. She frowned, reluctant to accept their help when the bridge sunk another inch down, sending a few more men falling. She eyed Raz with a crossed look but saw no other way out as she accepted his hand. He pulled her toward him, keeping the rope around his waist as the others pulled them back to safety.

  KuliKuli was left with Leone, refusing his help.

  "Grab my hand!" He shouted, grunting as he held onto the bridge. "Nityri, grab my hand!"

  "No!" She yelled back, gncing back at her sisters.

  Syri and Na'Vi were fighting to hold onto the bridge as well, the trio of rangers climbing across as if they were passing by a mountain ledge. The female archer grabbed Syri first, letting her grab onto her back.

  "Change!" The archer cried out.

  Syri held her tight, shrinking into her cat form to reduce her weight.

  Na'Vi was several feet away from them, trembling as she looked down. The rangers hung onto ropes that tethered them to the trees back into safety. With a deep breath, Na'Vi jumped toward them while transforming into her cat form. The female ranger extended her hand, barely grabbing Na'Vi with a hand under her belly. She whistled loudly, letting go as her allies pulled her back with her rope.

  KuliKuli watched her two sisters be taken away, wondering if they were being rescued or taken captive.

  SNAP!

  She gasped, feeling weightless as the bridge began to descend. She looked up, seeing the ledge with worried gnces pulling farther away from her. She heard the screech from her mother, closing her eyes as she accepted her fate.

  When a hand grabbed her forearm and stopped her from falling down. When KuliKuli opened her eyes, she was met with Leone pulling her to him. The duo held each other, dangling by the web attached around his waist. They were slowly pulled back up, with Leone pushing her over first as she was embraced by her mother immediately.

  "I thought I lost you." She gasped, stroking her daughter's hair.

  "I'm okay Mom, I'm okay." KuliKuli panted, turning around to see Na'Vi and Syri taken away by the others.

  Perdilius curled his hands into fists, grinding his teeth as he watched the pair slip away. "This... is not over." He hissed, marching off as his men stepped away from him with nervous exchanges.