[Kittyms]

With nothing left to do but follow, Rowena leaped down the hole after her mate and son. She held the flashlight, aiming it down at the darkness rushing up at her. But the blackness was so complete that it couldn't penetrate further than a foot. She swallowed hard, feeling the contents of her stomach threatening to erupt from her fear of the freefall. And then, before she had time to worry any more, she hit something soft that cushioned her fall.

"I'm alive," the Shadebane female said amazed. Using her paws, she felt around for the flashlight that she had dropped. Finding it, she switched it back on and looked around.

It appeared that she had fallen onto a giant patch of moss. Scattered around her on the bed of moss were skulls and skeletons of various other victims that had presumably fallen and hit a hard patch. She breathed a sigh of relief that she was safe. "Max? Benji?" she called tentatively into the darkness, trying to smell them but unable to catch the scent of anything other than fish.

[Max: 11, Rowena: 15, Benji: 15 -- both level up]

[Kittyms]

Hearing no response, Rowena forged hesitantly ahead. Her keen eyes scanned the ground for signs that Max and Benji had gone this way. A few pawprints in the dust and some crushed bones were enough proof for her and she picked up her pace in excitement. "Max! Benji!" she called into the darkness. With her eyes fixed on her path, she suddenly saw a trip wire laying across the tunnel. Startled, she didn't have time to dodge it and tripped it. A panel of the wall slid back and an automated machine gun began to shoot at the exact spot she had been. But Rowena was already running for her life down the tunnel. This place is a death trap! she thought, terrified for her son and mate's safety.

"Rowena?" a voice said, and she screeched to a stop, flashing the flashlight around. From the shadows Maxwell emerged, carrying a bloodied bundle on his back. "Mother," he said in relief. "The way out is up ahead, I just can not disable the trap blocking it."

"Max," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. Then her eyes fell upon the bloody Lucain lying across her son's shoulders. "Benji?" she said, fear constricting her heart. "Is he all right?" She just barely restrained herself from rushing over and checking her mate herself. Now was not the time to let emotions get the best of them.

"He's alive," Max said. "He fell into the trap up there but somehow managed to avoid any fatal blows. I shall describe the trap for you now. There is a section on the floor that when depressed causes this massive panorama of whirling blades to appear from within the walls. However if you can get past it, there is a button that will turn the trap off. I believe that only you can do it, mother." His green eyes were fixed on her similar ones, and she gave a single nod.

[Max: 12, Rowena: 16, Benji: 16]

[Kittyms]

There was no time for thought, no time for analyzing. She operated merely on instinct as soon as her paw depressed the button in the floor. As Max had described an array of whirling blades and knives flew through the air. She didn't even have time to feel fear, as she methodically dodged through the obstacles. One knife would miss her, just for another to graze her back. In no time at all, she was covered in grazes and bruises, but she had not actually been penetrated by any of the blades. It seemed to her that she was dodging them for an eternity - an eternity of muscles flexed to the max, sweat dripping through her fur, and flashing steel whirring around her. Then, without warning, she was through.

Her knees trembled and Rowena nearly collapsed to the floor out of relief. She looked around, panting heavily, and saw the button that her son had mentioned. She walked over, and extending one paw, gently pressed it. The whirling contraption of steel and iron blades that had assaulted her suddenly stopped moving and retracted back into the wall. "Quick, get across," she called, beckoning to Maxwell weakly.

The black Lucain darted across the expanse, his wary green eyes fixed on the walls behind which lurked the deadly gleaming knives. "Thank you, mother," he said, adjusting Benji's body which lay across his shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here."

[Max: 13, Rowena: 17, Benji: 17]

[Kittyms]

Rowena nodded mutely and followed her son out into the sunlight. She squinted, and quickly surveyed their surroundings. They seemed to have come out on a grubby beach near the slums of the city. She could no longer hear sirens, nor could she smell policemen. "We seem to be safe," she said, flopping down onto the sand in exhaustion. "Let's just rest."

"Agreed," Maxwell said, gently sliding Benji off of his big shoulders. The red and black Lucain with silver Ancient markings stirred a little as he hit the sand. He opened his mouth, and seemed to be silently saying something. "He needs water," Max decided, and dashed back toward the city to fetch some.

"Benji, Benji love, can you hear me?" Rowena asked softly, crawling over to where he lay. "Are you all right?" She looked him over and was relieved to see that the only serious wound he had sustained was a long slash mark on his arm. The rest of his wounds seemed shallow, although there was a scrape on his head that was bleeding pretty badly. Without a thought, she ripped the lower half of her shirt off and bound up his head wound. "I need water to clean this," she said aloud, looking at how bloody his fur was. She looked over at the ocean, but before she could go fetch some salt water, her son returned.

"Here you go," he said, carrying a bowl of sparkling clean fresh water. "Don't ask where I got it from." Maxwell handed it to his mother, who gently dribbled some droplets of water into Benji's mouth.

Benji gave a cough, then suddenly grabbed the bowl from Rowena's hands and slurped down the rest of the water. "Wheww..." he said. "Rowena, love, let's not do that again anytime soon."

[Max: 14, Rowena: 18, Benji: 18]

[Kittyms]

Benji made to sit up, but Rowena pushed him back down. "No, don't move. You've been injured and I'm not done binding up your wounds yet." She turned to her son. "I hate to ask, Max, but do you think you could bring me some more fresh water? I still need to clean his wounds." Maxwell nodded silent acknowledgment and slipped away again, like a shadow.

"I'm going to take your shirt off so I can bind the wound on your arm," Rowena said. "It looks pretty deep and it's bleeding pretty badly." Her paws were on the fabric of his shirt, but before she could pull it off, he grabbed her paw.

"Take care," he said, his yellow eyes solemn. "I have many scars down there." Then he grinned, his serious tone of voice instantly gone. "You could always take off your shirt instead."

She snorted, and pulled off his shirt. All across Benji's stomach were the marks of past fights. The most notable was a large black mark running all the way across his abdomen that looked fairly fresh. "As if I don't have scars too," she said, ripping his shirt into strips. "I hope you weren't too attached to this shirt," she added as an afterthought.

Maxwell returned, this time with a whole bottle of water. "Mother, now that I am no longer needed, I think I will return home." He embraced Rowena, and nodded at Benji. "It was good to have met you."

"We will come along soon," his mother said as she opened the bottle. "I just need to finish binding his wounds." Max nodded acknowledgment, and then the jet black Lucain dashed off.

[Rowena: 19, Benji: 19, Max: 15 -- Max levels up and has now left]

[Kittyms]

Gently, Rowena splashed water on Benji's wounds, washing away the blood matting in his fur. She used her tongue to dry his fur off, then wrapped the strips of cloth she had made from his shirt around the scratches.

His eyes closed, Benji lay still as she treated his wounds. "I've missed you. I dreamed about you almost every night since that night we were separated. I was never able to love any other Lucain. I hated myself for not being able to see you, but I was young and foolish and got involved with the wrong people."

"Hush, it's all right. I have forgiven you. The moment I saw you, I forgave you." Rowena stopped, her job done. All of his wounds were bound and all that was left was for them to leave. Leaning down, she licked his cheek, and whispered in his ear, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Benji said, grinning. "Do you want to help me to my feet?"

"Be careful not to move too quickly," she said as he got to his paws. "Here, lean on me." He put one arm around her shoulders and licked her cheek. Together, leaning on each other, Rowena and Benji made their way out of Jawan and into their new life together.

[Rowena: 20, Benji: 20 -- level up for both and both have left]