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Breaking someone out of prison is hard. I mean, yeah, sure, it's not suppose to be easy or it wouldn't be prison. Still, I really wish someone had a handbook for breaking out of jail.

I spent hours lying awake, thinking of some way to break Jarred out. Every way ended the same. We both died a horrible death. No pressure right? That was, of course, if I managed to even get him out of his cell.

The key for Jarred's cell only opened the door. But he was chained to the wall by the wrists as well. The key to his restraint was never given to me while guarding him. I guess they figured I'd never need the key anyway. I couldn't just ask one of the other guards for it either.

My best bet was to steal it from my friend Relos. I felt horrible thinking about betraying him. Still, what was happening to Jarred wasn't right. It was his life on the line. I had to do something.

I had the night off from guarding Jarred. They wouldn't tell me why though. I really hoped they weren't extending their torture sessions or something. It's bad enough they don't feed him, but they beat him in hopes of getting information.

I figured tonight would be as good a night as any to make a visit to Relos's house. My plan was simple for getting the key. Get Relos drunk. Like, really, really drunk. Once he was passed out, I would have plenty of time to find the key. I would still need another day to prepare though. I hope he doesn't notice it missing in that time.

I held the biggest bottle of wine I could find as I stood at Relos's doorway. His lights were on so I knew he was home. I smoothed out my light blue button down shirt. I wore some simple grey shorts as well. Taking a deep breath, I decided it was now or never and knocked on the door.

Relos answered and looked at me. His face was stressed, even possibly angry. When he saw me though, his expression lightened a little.

"Well now. Not very often you stop by. What can I do ya for Markus?" Relos asked. His dark blue eyes looked at me, then to the bottle. A smile crossed his face. "Lookin for a drinking buddy?"

"I...uh...Yeah! Would you mind if I came in?" I asked. I probably sounded nervous, but I tried to hide it as best I could. Relos didn't seem to notice.

"Sure! I could use some good company for once," Relos admitted. He stepped aside and allowed me in.

His house was a bit bigger than mine. Being a pack alpha had its benefits. He had a small wooden table that could only seat two, maybe three. His bed sat in one corner, the sheets tossed around a little. Relos was probably too busy to make his bed every day. A fireplace added some light and warmth to the room.

I sat the bottle of wine down on the table and took a seat. Relos looked through a cupboard in search of glasses. He had a smile on his face. He seemed happy to have someone to visit that didn't want to talk about the war.

"So how is guarding the cat going?" Relos asked as he produced two glasses and sat across from me.

The subject caught me off guard, but I managed to say, "Not so bad really. He's an interesting guy."

Relos studied me for a moment. "Interesting huh? My men say he's the devil himself. Hardly anyone wants to go near him. Except you. Why do you think that is? Relos asked as he poured two big glasses of wine.

Honestly I didn't have a clue. Jarred had admitted that he tried his magic on me. It didn't work though. "I'm not sure really. Guess I'm just braver than your men," I said with a grin.

Relos laughed. "I'd like to hear you say that in front of them," he joked. He took a huge drink, clearing his glass. He poured himself another. I took a small sip of mine, just to show he wasn't drinking alone.

"What do you suppose you'll do with him once you get the information you need?" My heart raced as I asked the question. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know the answer.

Relos thought about it for a minute. He took another drink then said, "Honestly, we're not getting much useful information from him. He's got a strong will, I'll give him that. I don't think we can break him." He swallowed a big gulp, poured himself another glass, and then said, "I was considering just putting him out of his misery tomorrow."

My heart leapt into my throat. I tried to hold back my gasp, which thankfully Relos didn't notice. I planned to break Jarred out tomorrow night. Now if I wait, he will be dead before then.

"I think he might be close to breaking. Just give him a few more days," I said desperately.

Relos rubbed his chin. "I don't think so. He's going to die from starvation before he tells us anything," Relos replied.

I had to think fast. I wasn't sure if my next move was the right one, but I had to do something. "Let me talk to him tomorrow night. He...he talks to me sometimes. He might be willing to give me a little bit of information to me. Maybe if I brought him some food or something. Maybe if I showed him some kindness, he would tell me something."

Relos looked me right in the eyes. He was studying me. "What has he told you?" he asked. He had a slight slur in his words now. He was getting drunk and was drinking more and more. I still hadn't even finished my first glass and he had drank nearly half the bottle already.

"He told me why your guards are so scared of him," I admitted.

Relos eyed me coldly. "How?" he asked. His tone was a bit harsh.

I looked away from him and said, "He told me that he's using a simple spell. He doesn't have to use hand movements to use it. He said something about how the reagents he needed were all around him."

The alpha wolf's expression showed he was angry. "You didn't think this would be something you should mention to me sooner?"

I swallowed hard. "He only told me that the other night," I said. I was being very vague on exactly when the 'other night' was.

Relos seemed to relax a little. He looked at his glass and took another long drink. He set his glass on the table and rubbed the lip of it with a paw pad. The wolf seemed to be thinking. He was always like that. Always really tactical. He's not just the pack alpha because he's strong. He's smart too. And here I was, trying to outwit him.

Thankfully Relos was fairly drunk by now and his judgment was impaired. He looked at me and said, "That might not be a bad idea. I'll give you tomorrow night to get any more information from him. If you get nothing at all, then I'll consider him a lost cause."

I practically leaped out of my chair. I played it off as a sneeze though. I only needed one night. Jarred and I would be out of here before anyone else would even know any better. "Alright," I said coolly, "I'll try my best. Now let's forget about that stuff and enjoy the night."

I held my glass into the air. Relos poured himself another and held it up to. "To a good night, with one of the few true friends I have left," the wolf said.

Guilt flooded over me, but I held strong. I tapped my glass against his. The sound resonated through the home.

We spent a good portion of the night drinking. I was worried Relos wouldn't get drunk enough. He could really hold his liquor. Thankfully he had his own bottle of rum. He threw back a few shots and wobbled where he stood. I helped him over to his bed where he sat down with a thud.

"You know, Markush. You've alwash been a good friend to me," Relos said. He pulled me onto his bed and gave me a hug. Just a few days ago I would have loved to be in this situation. Being held by the powerful wolf was something I longed for, for years. Even now, knowing what I was about to do to him, I couldn't help but hold him close a bit longer than I probably should have. He was too drunk to notice anyway.

After Relos let me go, he stared into my eyes, and then suddenly fell onto his back. He'd finally passed out.

Finding the key wasn't all that hard actually. It was in one of Relos's pouches he wore with his armor. I stuck it into my pocket and looked back at the wolf. He slept soundly on his bed.

His lightly scarred face only added to his charm. He was a wolf to admire. If I were being honest with myself, Relos was better looking that Jarred. Maybe that was because I was more comfortable with wolves. I took one last look at Relos. It might be the last time I ever saw him. I sighed, and then walked out the door.

I had headed straight home and went to bed as soon as I got there. We were up most of the night drinking and I was plenty tired. Plus, I had a big night coming up. Jailbreak, running for my life, that sort of thing. I hadn't even told Jarred my plan yet. I thought he might try to talk me out of it. He might say something like how I should just let him die. I didn't want that.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I sure remember waking up. There was a knock on my door. I figured it was probably the guard coming to trade places with me. When I opened the door my eyes shot open. Relos was standing at my door. He looked like hell. He was hung over for sure.

He smiled at m, which made me slightly less nervous. Maybe he wasn't here about the key. "You ready for this?" he asked and held up a bowl of soup. It took me a while to remember why he'd brought me food.

"Oh...yeah! The prisoner. I'm sure I can get something out of him if I give him this," I said with a smile.

"Good. As soon as you get any information come to me directly. I'll be up most of the night looking over war strategies," Relos said.

A shiver went down my spine. I was hoping Relos would be out of the castle leading his troops or something. I really hoped Jarred and I wouldn't have to fight our way out of here, or we were as good as dead.

"Ok," I said simply and took the food from Relos. "I'll...see you later," I said. Hopefully it was the last lie I'd have to tell my friend.

He let me pass and I went down toward the prison. I walked down the long hall, my heart was racing. I went to Jarred cell and saw the guard sitting inside. He looked as uncomfortable as ever. Once he saw me he got up and said, "This cat freaks me out. Good luck." With that, he left.

I opened the cell door and closed it behind me. Jarred looked up at me and he looked much worse than he had any other nights. He had a long cut down the side of his face from his left cheek bone down to his chin. It would probably scar.

Even after all that, he looked at me and gave a warm smile. I wanted to cry. I wanted to kill whoever did this to him. I set the food down and walked over to him, giving him a hug.

"Ouch," he gasped, but nuzzled my neck with his head. "I missed you."

"I'm sorry," was all I could say as I fought back tears.

Jarred laughed and said, "You gotta stop apologizing for them."

I decided Jarred should eat first before I told him my plan. I wanted him to be as healthy as he could be before we tried this. Again I spoon fed him. It had become routine by now. I ate some myself, but let Jarred have the much larger portion.

I rested on the bed behind him and warped my paws around him. I could feel him gently rubbing my belly with his hands bound behind his back. I wasn't sure how I should start the conversation.

"They're going to kill you tomorrow," I said. Yeah, that was a stupid way to start it.

Jarred didn't seem too shaken up about it. He said, "I'm surprised they kept me alive this long. Although I probably wouldn't be if it wasn't for you. I'd have died from thirst by now most likely. I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me."

I held him tight and said, "I'm not gunna let it happen."

He froze. I couldn't see his face, so I don't know what was going on in his mind. After a moment he said, "I don't want you doing anything stupid. Just forget about me and move on. You have a good thing going for you here."

"A good thing? I've lived here my whole life and never have I felt as good as I do holding you. My life has been just me doing simple tasks. I finally have something I'd fight for. Someone I'd die for. I'm not going to just watch them kill you," I said firmly.

"You don't know what you're saying. Did you really think something would work out between me and you? Fate brought me here to die. I'm ready to accept that. Don't start giving me hope," Jarred said. He was starting to sob.

I realized that while he tried to act tough, he was terrified of his situation. His way of dealing with it was to give up and accept it. I got up off the bed and sat him up. I looked the leopard straight in the eyes and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not giving up on you. So don't give up on yourself." I kissed him deeply before he could reply. He pulled back at first but I was firm. I leaned in more. Eventually he gave in and kissed me back. He had a passion I had not ever felt from him before. He seemed renewed.

Finally I pulled away, looking into his beautiful emerald eyes. They seemed to have a new fire to them. He had tears streaming down his face. "You better have a good plan," he said.

"It's not much, but I have this," I said, fishing through my pocket. I pulled out the key to his handcuffs. The leopard smiled and turned so I could reach his paws. I fiddled with the lock and eventually got his hands free.

Jarred leapt at me as soon as he was free. For a split second I thought maybe I had been tricked, but he pulled me into a hug. "I've wanted to do this for a really long time," he said. I warped my arms around him and held him close. "So what's next?" he asked.

I swallowed hard. "Uhh, this is about as far as I've gotten," I admitted.

I honestly thought Jarred would tear my head off once I told him that. Instead he just laughed. He sounded happier than I'd ever heard him before. "Well then. I guess we'll just have to figure something out," he said.

Freeing Jarred made him seem almost like a new person. He had hope back and he wasn't about to let it go again. He grabbed my canteen of water, and poured some into his hand. He said a few words and threw it at the wall. Instead of splattering and falling to the ground, it formed a picture. In front of my eyes a puddle of water lined itself up all over the wall to create a small map. I realized it was the castle we were in.

"There's an exit not too far from here but it's most likely guarded. The easiest exit is, of course, one all the way across the castle. If we were to get there, we may just be able to get out without anyone noticing," Jarred said, studying the map.

"How did you do that? Better yet, how do you know what our castle looks like?" I asked in bewilderment.

"The elements are pretty well informed," he said simply. I had no idea what he was talking about but didn't question it.

"So that's it then? Sneak out and hope not to get caught? I guess it could work. I don't really know the guard patrols though. They could be anywhere. We might walk out right in front of them," I admitted.

Jarred thought about it for a minute and said, "We'll just have to hope luck is on our side." He turned to me, looked me in the eyes and said, "Thank you." He leaned in and kissed me. His paws were finally free and he made good use of them holding me close. The leopard broke our kiss and said, "Shall we?"

We walked toward the cell door and I unlocked it. We headed down the long hallway full of empty cells. The door ahead would lead to a small path outside the prison. I walked it every day for a while now. Still, I wish I had paid more attention to my surroundings so I could know exactly what was out there.

Jarred stopped at the door and opened it slowly. He peeked outside and said, "Looks clear."

We walked outside. Jarred hadn't actually been outside since he was caught. He took a deep breath and smiled at me. For better or worse, we were going to try and make it out of here.

Sneaking through the dark city was taking longer than I think either of us planned. We had to constantly avoid guards and make sure to be as quiet as possible. Jarred seemed to know where he was going fairly well but we still ran into a dead end on occasion.

Eventually we made it to a dark alley. Sure that no one would see us there, we took a break.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Jarred. He was still badly beaten up and I was worried he wouldn't be able to keep going for long.

"I'm feeling...alive," he decided. "More alive than I have since...Well, since Derek died," he said, his voice fading. He looked down at the ground.

I knew Derek meant a lot to Jarred. The whole reason he was here to begin with was because he ignored his training and tried to save Derek on the battlefield. He ended up getting caught by us because of that.

"You said that Derek saw your fate and that he accepted it. If that's the case, maybe he saw that I was here to help you. Maybe he knew we would make it out of here," I said. I wasn't sure what I had hoped to gain from saying that, it just felt right.

Jarred looked up and smiled at me. "I hope you're right."

We decided we had spent enough time resting. We got back on our feet and headed for, hopefully, the final stretch before being outside the castle's walls.

We finally made it to the common area I knew well. I always cooked in this area and would serve the warriors food. We stayed in a small alleyway in the shadows. The exit we wanted to take was just ahead.

Jarred looked out into the darkness and said, "Damn. The gate is down. I guess I should've known." He thought for a minute then said, "The lift control is right there," he pointed into the darkness. "It doesn't look guarded. I guess they didn't expect anyone to want to raise the gate from the inside. We could lift it, but it would make a lot of noise. Once we do that, we're most likely going to attract some guards."

I thought about Jarred's plan. It wasn't a great sounding one, but it was just about our only option. I guess it was asking too much to get out of here easily. "I'll lift it. You wait by the gate," I said.

Jarred laughed and said, "Can you even see out here? You're just as likely to walk right into a guard as you are to find the gate lift."

I didn't like the thought of leaving Jarred unguarded, but I knew he was right. I had never used the gate lift. By the time I figured out where it was, it might be too late. "Ok," I said, "but be careful."

He smiled at me. His teeth shined in the dull moon light. "Always," he said. He quickly leaned over and gave me a kiss. I wished it didn't have to end, but unfortunately Jarred pulled away. "Remind me to kiss you properly when we're out of this," he said and headed out into the darkness.

I felt extremely vulnerable alone. I was no fighter. When I was young I took beginner sword lesions, like any other kid, but I never was all that good at it. Relos was always the top of the class.

Thinking about Relos made me feel guilty all over again. I'd betrayed my friend's trust. Someone I considered my best friend at one point. Then, to top it off, I'm going to leave without any explanation to him at all.

I didn't have time to think about all that. I put it to the back of my mind and went as quietly as I could toward the gate. So far so good, there were no guards in sight. I got to the gate and pressed myself against the wall near by.

It seemed like I was waiting an eternity before I suddenly heard a loud groan. The gate was slowly lifting. It was making far more noise than I expected. Every guard in the castle would surely hear it.

It rose much slower than I expected too. It only moved about half a foot when I heard the first guard shout.

"Someone's opening the gate!" a voice in the darkness shouted.

Jarred apparently heard the voice too. The gate started to lift slightly faster. The leopard was most likely trying to lift the gate as fast as he could.

It was now high enough for us to barely crawl under it. Jarred must have seen it because he stopped lifting it. He seemed to have really good vision in the dark.

"Hey stop!" I heard another guard shout, quickly followed by a thud.

I had no idea what was going on, until a flare shot into the sky. It made a whistling sound before exploding. It lit the night sky and I could see everything in a deep red glow.

Somehow the guard that found Jarred had been knocked out. I don't know how and I didn't care. All I knew was that I saw Jarred running toward me.

Time seemed to be moving in slow motion and the gap between me and Jarred seemed like miles. He ran with all his might toward me. He waved for me to go under the gate. I refused. I wouldn't leave him until I was sure we could both make it under.

More guards seemed to be coming. I could see them now, running toward us. My heart was pounding in my chest. I saw that they were too far away to make it to us in time. We would make it under the gate before they reached us.

"Come on!" I shouted at Jarred. He was running franticly toward me. Just a few more excruciating seconds and he would be here.

He finally ran up to me and took my paw. We headed for the gate and were about to crawl under when suddenly it slammed to the floor much faster than it ever lifted.

I started at it in stunned disbelief. We were so close. Just a few more seconds and we would have been free. What happened? I looked toward the lift mechanism and saw a rope that originally connected to it had been cut. The near by wall had an arrow imbedded into it. Someone had shot the gate's support rope.

Jarred let out a frustrated yell. He looked at me with pleading eyes. He was out of ideas. I wasn't in any better shape though.

Within seconds, guards had surrounded us, warriors on one side, and an inescapable wall on the other. There was nowhere to go.

Jarred sighed and said, "I guess that's as far as we go."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" a voice shouted through the crowd. The warriors made a path and Relos walked toward us. When he saw me, his expression went from furious, to stunned. He almost looked sick. "Markus...What are you doing?"

I had no idea what to do. I looked at Jarred, then to Relos. "It's not right what you're doing to him. He doesn't deserve any of this," I pleaded.

"He's our enemy!" Relos shouted. "Do you have any idea how many wolves he's killed? How many wives and children he left without a father? Why the hell would you help him?"

"I love him!" I shouted.

For a split second, I thought Relos looked hurt. He quickly replaced it with a scowl. "You...Love him?!"

"You love me?" Jarred chimed in.

"I...I do," I said much softer.

Some of the warriors grunted in disgust, others laughed. Relos just stared at me then sighed. "Take them both to the prison. We'll figure out what to do with them in the morning."

"No!" Jarred shouted. "I tricked him. I used magic on him to make him obsess over me. He had nothing to do with this."

"Be that as it may, he will have to be imprisoned and interrogated," Relos said.

"I challenge you Relos," I blurted out.

If Relos looked mad before, he looked absolutely furious now. "You what?!"

"I challenge you to a battle. If I win, you have to let us go. If you win you can do whatever you please with us," I managed to say, although my body was trembling.

"I'll do with you as I please anyway. Why should I accept?" Relos shouted with rage.

"Because if you don't accept you'll look like a coward in front of your men," I said. This was technically true. If someone challenges the alpha, he basically has to accept or he would be dishonored.

Relos eyed me coldly. "You know you stand no chance against me. What do you think you'll gain from this?" He gave me a harsh looked and said, "Fine. I accept. I guess I'll just kill you tonight and get this over with." The crowed cheered when Relos accepted the challenge.

"Pick your weapon," he said sharply.

"Don't do this!" Jarred pleaded. "If you go to prison, you can just pretend to be under some kind of spell of mine. They might let you go!"

"And they'll kill you. If you dying means me living, then I'd rather die with you," I said. I had never been so determined before. Maybe Jarred's people were on to something about a mate in battle. I felt like I would take on the world if it meant possibly saving Jarred from death.

"I'll take a sword," I said.

Someone from the crowd stepped forward and pulled out their sword. It was a simple one handed sword. It was well balanced, but aside from that, it wasn't anything special.

Relos laughed and said, "You were always horrible at sword fighting. I guess you're crazier than I thought Markus." He drew his own sword and the crowd started to cheer.

We both circled one another, Relos looked confident. He had perfect guard. I didn't see any opening at all. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. I'm sure Relos could have killed me twenty times over by now. He was toying with me.

I lunged at him and he easily deflected the blade. I stumbled but managed to regain my balance. He studied me with his eyes. Relos was a brilliant tactician. He was watching my movements, reading my reactions. He knew what I would do even before I did.

I was determined to win and swung at him again. I sliced the air and Relos hit me in the muzzle with the hilt of his weapon. I staggered backward and hit the ground. My head was spinning.

"Give up," he commanded.

I got back to my feet. I looked at him with defiance. It was clear he was getting tired of this. He stepped forward and swung at me. I barely managed to block his attack. He kicked me in the stomach and I fell to the floor gasping for air.

Relos stood over me and held up his sword. "Goodbye my friend," he said. Maybe it was me imagining things, since I was about to die and all, but Relos sounded truly sad when he said that.

He lifted his sword up high and I closed my eyes.

"No!" I heard Jarred shout.

Suddenly I had a very strong urge to live. I can't really describe what happened next. I felt...funny. It felt like I was pulling life from the ground itself into my body. My eyes shot open and I lifted my hand. I was expecting Relos to chop it off, but instead, the ground lifted with my hand. It shot out and hit Relos in the stomach with a force so hard he flew back at least twenty feet. Another large rock shot out of the ground and hit the gate, shattering it into pieces.

Everyone was too stunned to react to what had happened. I took the chance and stood up. I ran toward Jarred whose muzzle was hanging open in amazement, staring at me. I grabbed his paw and jerked him toward the gate. That seemed to pull him out of his daze and he started running as fast as he could with me.

I didn't look back but I could hear the sound of the warriors chasing us through the forest. Pine trees whipped past me as I ran as fast as I could. Jarred was leading the way now. I had no idea where to go. I had hardly ever been outside the walls. We were running in a seemingly random pattern, but Jarred just kept shouting, "We're almost there!"

We had to both be running on pure adrenaline. I wasn't exactly in shape for these kinds of runs. Jarred was beaten and bruised. We wouldn't last much longer.

We came to a dead end. A cliff with easily a sixty foot drop. I said, "This is where you wanted to take us?!"

"Trust me," he said simply. He gripped my paw and started running full force toward the cliff. He was practically dragging me behind him because I was pretty certain what he wanted to do and I didn't want any part of it.

We got to the edge of the cliff and Jarred jumped. I closed my eyes and jumped with all my might. I heard frustrated howls through the air as we fell. Then there was the sound of rushing water. I knew that we were dead once we hit it.

Strangely, the landing was softer than I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, it hurt like hell. Still, we weren't dead. We were rushing down a river at full speed now though. I had lost Jarred's grip and was struggling to keep my head above water.

I looked around frantically. I shouted, "Jarred!?" but got no response. I was getting too tried to struggle against the current. I was going to drown. My head began to dip under the water but my muscles were too tired to bring myself back up.

I was beginning to black out when suddenly a surge of water shot me out to the side. I landed on the shore hacking and coughing up water. I rested down on my back, too exhausted to move.

I heard someone walking toward me. I managed to look up and saw Jarred, soaking wet and limping. He collapsed next to me and held me close. He was shivering.

"Are you cold?" I asked him confused. It was a rather warm night, or should I say morning, and the water, although cold, wasn't that bad.

"I'm exhausted. I used too much magic when I shouldn't have. I'll be fine in a few hours," Jared explained.

"Oh," I said simply. I held him close anyway and rested my muzzle on top of his head.

It's amazing where you can sleep when you're as tired as I was. Within minutes I was fast asleep. The rocks under me weren't the greatest bed, but it sure beat a prison cell.

I had a strange dream that I was in a cave. The thing was, there was no way in or out. Anywhere you looked there were rocks all around. There shouldn't have been any light in the room, yet it was lit well enough to see. I studied the rock. It was made of really dark stone, maybe onyx. I couldn't be sure, but what I was sure of was that I was trapped inside.

I could hear a low voice. I pressed my ear to the rocks and I could just make out what the voice was saying.

"You wish to wield me? You're a rare one indeed, wolf. You don't seek conflict, but is seems to have found you. Maybe you will be worth my time," the distant voice said. Before I could speak, the room shook violently.

My eyes shot open. The mid-day sun shined brightly and made my eyes sting. I went to reach for Jarred, but he was gone. I slowly sat up. I was sore from the night before and sleeping on the dirt didn't help. Jarred wasn't anywhere. I was starting to get worried.

"Jarred?" I shouted. I didn't get a reply. I was starting to really freak out when suddenly I heard a rustle in the bushes. Jarred came out of the brush with some food in his paws, a few berries and a fish.

He set them down and hugged me. "You know. You really shouldn't be so loud. Those wolves are probably not too far," he said casually.

I swallowed hard. I didn't think about it, but we were still in danger. "Sorry," I said.

"Don't worry about it. It's kinda cute that you got all worried like that," he joked.

I hugged him tight and gave him a quick kiss. "I went through a lot of trouble saving you," I said.

"That you did," he said happily. He held me close and said, "Thank you."

I blushed and said, "Any time."

Jarred pulled away from me and started preparing the fish. It was interesting to watch him cook. He made a fire from some dried brush and set to work. He used the berries as a garnish for the fish and it smelled delicious. We didn't have any type of eating utensils so we just used our bare paws.

I took a bite and was surprised by the flavor. "This is really good!" I said.

Jarred smiled and said, "Told you most spell casters are cooks."

I suddenly remembered what I had done the night before. "Was what I did magic?" I asked.

Jarred studied me with his eyes. It was like he was trying to find the right words to say. Finally he said, "It was. But what you did was...different."

I looked at him confused.

He just laughed and said, "I guess I should explain a little about how magic works," He took a bite of his fish then continued, "You've probably heard that there are four elements. That's pretty common knowledge. Fire, water, air, and earth. While this is true, most people don't know how magic really works."

He paused for a moment, "The elements are more than simple things of nature. They're literally living beings. A magic user knows how to communicate with an element and ask for their power. Reagents are almost always necessary for a spell, but they're not exactly hard to find. Air or earth, for example, is easy to find, it's all over the place. Water is a bit tougher, but even the water in the air can be used for simple spells. Spells such as...giving people a feeling of dread." He grinned.

"I see," I said simply. It was a bit much for me to grasp. What bothered me most was what he said earlier. "So how was what I did any different?" I asked.

"Well, since you haven't been on the battlefield, you probably haven't noticed, but none of the cats can use earth magic. In fact, it has been hundreds of years since the last recorded earth magic user was found. Many people thought it had died out. An art lost forever. Many people have tried, but failed to communicate with the earth elemental," Jarred said, looking me in the eye. His emerald eyes shined brilliantly in the sunlight. I hadn't had a chance to fully appreciate them in that dark cell.

I thought about what he said, then remembered my dream. "I had a dream that I was in a cave, but there was no way out. Someone spoke to me in there. I don't know what it was, but he said I might be worth his time," I said.

Jarred considered what I had told him for a minute. Finally he said, "That could have been the earth elemental talking to you. Then again, maybe it was just a dream. I don't know."

We had finished our meal and I had many more questions than when we started but Jarred stood up. "We can't stay here," he said. "They'll eventually find us."

"Where can we go?" I asked.

Jarred studied me for a minute then said, "Honestly, there isn't any other choice. We can't stay out here. The battles would eventually find us and we don't have much means to defend ourselves." He looked at me nervously and said, "How do you feel about cats?"

It was a strange question that caught me off guard. Then I realized what he was asking. "What? We can't just go to your temple. They'd kill me as soon as they saw me!"

"Maybe," Jarred admitted.

"Oh thanks. That really makes me want to go," I said rolling my eyes.

"It's not a great option, I agree. I could try to convince them though. Maybe after I told them what you did for me, they would listen. We're not as savage as your people make us out to be," the leopards tone held a bit of resentment.

I felt a bit of guilt flood over me. We had treated Jarred just as savage, if not more so, than any story I'd ever heard the wolves tell about the cats. He did have a point too. We couldn't just stay out here. We weren't prepared for anything like that. If we didn't starve to death, we would be killed by the two warring sides.

I let out a sigh and said, "If you really think it's the best option."

"It's the only option. I promise you that they won't torture you at the very least. My people don't do that to our prisoners," he paused and said, "Although they usually do face a quick execution," he admitted.

I swallowed hard. I guess I owed it to Jarred to trust him. He put all his trust into me to get him out of prison and I'd just have to do the same. My voice was shaky but I said, "Alright. I guess if that's the only way."

"I almost forgot," Jarred said and then pulled me into a deep kiss. My knees buckled as his warm tongue gently massaged mine. The feeling was amazing. The world around had ceased to exist. All I could focus on, all that I thought about was the leopard kissing me.

He wrapped his paws around my lower back and pulled me in close. One of my paws held the back of his head, while the other gave his butt a playful squeeze. He moaned, but continued kissing me.

I don't know how long it lasted. I don't know if minutes or hours had passed. Jarred reluctantly pulled back and looked me in the eyes. He said, "There, that was a much more proper kiss." He smiled at me and I couldn't help but chuckle.

With that Jarred lead the way. We had to be careful walking through the forest. There could be traps, ambushes, or patrols walking through that we had to avoid. We went as quickly as we could, but it was still a slow pace.

Jarred limped as we walked. Now that the adrenaline wasn't pumping, he was showing much more pain than he had the night before. "Are you ok? Do you need a break?" I asked him with concern.

"I'll be fine," he said. He didn't sound very convincing, but I decided I wouldn't hurt his pride by forcing him to stop.

We walked through the rest of the day but night was fast approaching. Jarred sighed and said, "I guess we have to stop for the night." He set to work on building a small fire. Once he had it lit, he sat down and let out a sigh. He was happy to be off his feet.

I sat down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. I knew I had to keep my guard up, but I felt relaxed being near Jarred. I could forget about my worries and just focus on him. He seemed to feel the same because he snuggled up close to me.

We didn't really say anything. We both just stared at the fire, holding each other close. It could be the last intimate moment we ever shared. Tomorrow we would be at his village, and there's no telling what would happen then.

Don't get me wrong, I was way too tired and sore to show him my...full affection, but this was enough. I looked over at him and he locked eyes with me. We shared a gentle, warming kiss. As we kissed, we laid down on the forest floor. The area we set up camp was decent enough. The floor didn't have too many sticks or rocks to lie on. I broke the kiss and closed my eyes. I quickly fell asleep in Jarred's arms.

I could have slept for years. Unfortunately, a loud explosion off in the distance woke me up. It seemed to wake Jarred up too. We both sat upright. It sounded like the blast was still a good distance away, but we didn't want to stick around and wait for it to get closer.

We both slowly got to our feet. Jarred smothered the remaining embers of the fire from the night before and looked at me. "We should get going. I don't know what kind of reception we'll get from my people, but it's better than sticking around here," he said.

I agreed and followed the leopard. We walked for a few hours before Jarred said, "We're almost there." He was breathing hard, it was taking a lot of effort for him to keep going, but he continued on.

It wasn't long before I could see the temple in the distance. I instantly recognized it as the one from my dream. I was starting to get worried. There was no telling what would happen when we got there. Once we did, we were committed. I wouldn't be able to outrun them, I was way too tired.

We walked toward the temple's front. It was strange. There weren't any defenses to the area. No walls, guard towers, or anything to stop an invasion. You could just walk right in.

We were only a few feet away from a hallway that led into the temple when suddenly there were six spears pointed at me, one of which was right at my throat. Holding them were various species of cats. I didn't have time to think or react. I was caught.