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Chapter 18: Escape

Someone shook Ellie awake. The only light was the moonlight reflecting through the window off of the surrounding skyscrapers, but Ellie recognized Edgar's outline.

She hissed a reprimand, "I said you-"

"Shh shhh," Edgar hissed urgently.

She felt him touch her right wrist, and then her handcuff clicked. Ellie slid her hand out of

the open cuff.

"Careful," Edgar whispered, so quietly Ellie had to prick her ears to hear. "I have your

phone and shirt here."

Slowly, nervously, Ellie slipped out of the vixen's arms. She crept across the bed and

silently slipped down onto the floor.

Edgar put a bundle containing her blouse and her cell phone into her hands, "Go," he

breathed.

"What about you?" Ellie whispered back.

The pine marten's dark silhouette shook its head, "I'm staying. I want to stay. Go, hurry." Ellie stared at him a moment longer then walked to the door as fast as she could without

her claws scraping the marble and possibly waking the vixen. She eased the door open a crack, slipped out, and eased it shut. As soon as the door was shut, she ran, pelted toward the elevator. The brass doors were painfully slow and horribly noisy as they creaked open and close, but then Ellie was in the lobby of the hotel. She bolted past the bronze statue of the King and out into the night.

Ellie dashed down the shadowed steps from the hotel and across the street. Haring down the lamp-lighted sidewalk with her blouse and cell phone in her arms, she turned right, then left, left, right, and left again. She needed to make sure the Duchess couldn't follow her. What if she'd awoken as Ellie had exited the room and was trying to track her down?!

Finally, Ellie stopped at a street corner to catch her breath. She slipped on her white blouse and buttoned it up and then looked at her phone: 2:38 AM. Should she call Jason? She needed to let him know she was free so that he wouldn't do something stupid and get himself captured. He's probably asleep. Besides, Ellie had no idea where he was; her first priority was to get to safety, so she needed someone close who she could rely on.

Ellie called Flora. After a few rings, the phone went to voicemail, and Ellie felt a shot of panic. What if she couldn't get ahold of anyone?! She was trying to think who else she could call when her phone buzzed: it was Flora. Thank Zeus! Ellie quickly accepted the call.

"Flora! I-"

"It's two AM, Ellie!" Flora snapped crankily.

"Sorry, but I need your help! I just escaped the Duchess and-"

"What?! How did you-"

"I'll tell you after you pick me up! I'm at the corner of fifth street West and fourteenth

avenue West!"

"Alright! I'll be there soon!" Flora hung up.

Ellie breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the cool bricks of the adjacent highrise.

She'd known she could rely on Flora. Ellie was enjoying the sound of the crickets when a purr to her left startled her.

"Well, look who it is?"

Ellie jerked toward the voice to see a very plump cat with ratty fur. In the yellow light of the streetlamp, Ellie thought she was a gray tabby. She watched the cat warily, ready to run.

"Don't you recognize me?" the cat purred amusedly. She grinned widely, showing her mouth full of wickedly sharp fangs. "Still nothing? I'm disappointed. I recognized your scent a block away. I told you we'd meet again. Sleep with any cats lately?"

With horror, Ellie finally recognized the cat: it was the insane tabby who had eaten the rabbit officer and half eaten the papillon. She hadn't recognized her at first because of the poor light and because of the cat's increased size. She took a step backwards, and the hungry cat took a step toward her.

"Now you remember," the cat growled. "I've eaten so many prey since we last met, but I haven't forgotten you." She licked her lips then sprang at Ellie.

The cat's reflexes were fast, but so were Ellie's. And Ellie wasn't weighed down like she was. Ellie dodged under the cat's arms and dashed past her. With a growl of rage, the cat was after her! Ellie could have easily outrun the tabby, but the problem was that she needed to be where Flora could find her. If she had to stop to call Flora again, the cat might catch her. Instead, Ellie darted around the intersection with the enraged feline chasing her. Each time, Ellie would wait until the cat was almost near enough to leap on her then dart away. She was adeptly keeping clear of the cat's deadly claws, but Ellie couldn't keep this up forever. While they were both getting tired--and the cat might have been wearing out faster--a single mistake could cost Ellie her life. Where are you, Flora?

As Ellie dashed across the street yet again, the headlights of an approaching vehicle shone in her eyes, distracting and momentarily blinding her. She tripped on the curb and sprawled onto the sidewalk. Immediately, the cat was on top of her.

The tabby yowled with triumph, "Got you!" She rolled Ellie onto her back and sat on her, her far greater weight squashing the air out of Ellie's lungs. Grinning wickedly, she raised one hand with its horribly long, fiendishly sharp claws over Ellie's face while the other squeezed Ellie's throat. "I'm going to have some fun before supper," she growled.

BANG! The side of the cat's head exploded, and she collapsed on top of Ellie, the feline's blood pouring out onto her. Ellie gave a cry of horror and struggled to get out from under the gruesome corpse. Suddenly, the cat was heaved away to reveal a visibly distressed and very pregnant Flora holding a semi-automatic handgun.

"Ellie! Are you alright?!" the gray fox yelped.

Ellie nodded, shakily pushing herself to her feet, "I'm okay! You were just in time!"

"I'm afraid I was the reason you got caught," Flora admitted anguishedly. "I would have

turned the lights off sooner if I'd known they'd cause you to stumble!"

"I'm okay," Ellie repeated. She touched the wet fur on her neck, and her hand came

away sticky and red. She grimaced, "I just really need a bath. This is the second time I've been covered in a predator's blood."

Flora frowned worriedly, "You live dangerously, Ellie. Let's get you home."

Flora shoved the handgun into her green, nylon shoulder holster and climbed back into her SUV. Ellie got into the front passenger's seat. Pete's booster seat was there, but Ellie sat in it without comment. She watched as Flora pulled the seat belt around her protruding belly. Swollen nipples were poking through her white and light brown belly fur.

Flora noticed her staring and giggled, "Heeheehee, haven't you ever seen a pregnant fox before?"

"You must be due soon," Ellie commented embarrassedly.

"A week and a little bit before they're due, but I have a feeling they might come a few days early. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking," Flora replied cheerfully. "Let's get home. We can talk more in the morning. I'm exhausted!"

About five minutes later they were parked outside of Flora's house. Flora led her inside, and they found Pete pacing anxiously in the front hallway.

He saw Ellie and cried out in horror, "O-oh Zeus! What, what happened?!"

"It's a good thing I checked my phone when I did!" Flora declared. "Some horrible cat was trying to attack her!"

Pete's pink nose went white, and his blue eyes got even wider. "Oh Zeus," he whimpered. "W-why did you bring her here? She needs to go to-"

"None of the blood's mine," Ellie cut him off. She looked down at the blood-soaked blouse and chest: it was hard to tell if she had any cuts or scrapes when there was so much cat blood on her. "At least I don't think it is. I'm fine."

"W-why was," Pete began nervously.

"You can ask Ellie about it in the morning," Flora interrupted. "Let's get back to bed. I'll grab Ellie some sheets, and then I want to try to get some sleep, assuming I can after all of that excitement." Flora unbuckled the holster strap across her chest and slipped the laden, kelly- green holster off of her shoulder. "I told you it was a good idea to get a license," she addressed Pete matter-of-factly.

"D-did you kill them?" Pete whined.

"They were going to kill Ellie. I did what I had to do," Flora returned.

Pete nodded hesitantly, "What's going to-"

"Let's worry about it in the morning!" Flora snapped.

Pete flinched, and Flora immediately looked guilty.

"Sorry, Pete," she murmured contritely. "I'm just tired and cranky. I'm sure everything will

be fine. Come here."

Cautiously, Pete crept over to Flora, and she hugged him to her belly, stroking his head

with the hand not holding the holster. Pete seemed to relax under her gentle caresses.

"The kits probably had quite an exciting time too," Flora murmured softly.

Pete lay his cheek against her swollen belly, "Were they scared?" he asked concernedly. "If they were, they're calm now. Are you ready to go back to bed?"

Pete nodded, and Flora led him upstairs.

Ellie headed downstairs and took a shower in the basement bathroom, scrubbing herself

with the peach shampoo to get the blood out of her fur. She sighed exasperatedly: why did this keep happening to her? At least she had escaped, both the clutches of the vixen and the stomach of the crazy cat. I wonder how many prey she's killed? In releasing the unhinged feline, the cultists had precipitated the slaughter of prey beyond the end of their brief, bloody reign. At least she won't kill anyone else. I wonder if she's been responsible for all of the disappearances since that witch took power. Ellie felt a little uncomfortable to think that perhaps the vixen hadn't been lying when she'd pleaded innocence in the recent disappearances of prey. It doesn't

matter if she's innocent in this case or not! Ellie rebuked herself. Whether or not the fox was still killing prey, she had plenty of blood on her hands. Nothing could erase that.

Ellie had to use the blow dryer in the upstairs bathroom, and then she went back downstairs to pass her caecotrophs. She was glad she hadn't been forced to wake the vixen and explain what she needed to do. The red vixen; Flora would understand. Finally, Ellie made it into the living room where she and Jason had slept and found the pale green couch already dressed with sheets and blankets and even a pillow. Ellie turned out the lights and climbed in by the orange glow of a streetlight shining through the window on the opposite side of the room. Exhausted by the stressful day and calmed by the lengthy hot shower, Ellie was soon asleep.

***

Ellie yawned and stretched her arms over her head. She rolled onto her belly and stretched her legs, pushing them against the soft couch cushion. She wondered how Jason had

spent the night. Jason! Ellie rolled over and fell off of the couch in a tangle of sheets, landing on the bluish gray carpet with a thump. She writhed on the floor, struggling to extricate herself. Shit! I didn't call Jason!

"Are you having trouble?" Flora's voice chirped amusedly.

"What time is it?!" Ellie demanded anxiously. "I forgot to call Jason last night!"

Flora frowned worriedly, "It's ten thirty. Where is Jason?"

"I don't know, but I need to call him to make sure he doesn't get himself captured trying

to rescue me!" Ellie explained urgently. Finally shoving the blankets down far enough to pull herself out, she shot to her feet and snatched her phone off of the back of the pale green couch. Anxiously, she selected Jason from her contacts. The phone only rang four times, but with each ring Ellie became more fearful. She let out a cry of relief when Jason answered.

"Ellie? Is it you or the Duchess?" he meowed warily.

"It's me, Jason! I got away! Where are you?" Ellie squeaked into the phone joyfully. She hadn't been too late!

"Uh, I'm with Fitzie right now, at his place. How did-"

"Thank Zeus!" Ellie exclaimed. "I'm with Flora. You can pick me up, and we'll still be able to meet Katya in Wolfsbane."

"How did you escape?" Jason finished the question she'd cut off.

"Edgar let me go," Ellie explained. She felt an ache in her chest as she thought about the pine marten. "He let me go, but he wouldn't come with me. You were right, Jason; I couldn't save him," her voice trailed off sadly.

"I'm sorry, Ellie," Jason replied sincerely. "I hope he'll be okay, but what you did for him wasn't worthless. He did the right thing and defied her; he's not the person he was before."

"If she hurts him, it'll be my fault," Ellie muttered gloomily. "He might be worse off than before."

Jason was silent for a few seconds before asking, "When did you want me to come get you?"

"You can come any time. I don't think Pete and Flora will mind," she glanced at Flora for confirmation, and the vixen smiled.

"That's fine. We'll be happy to have you," Flora answered.

"I haven't eaten yet, so you don't need to hurry," Ellie concluded.

"You can't leave until you tell us what's going on anyway!" Flora put in jovially.

"Alright, I'll say goodbye to Fitzie and head over," Jason told her. "See you in a little bit. I'm glad you're safe, Ellie."

"I'm glad you're safe too! See you soon!" Ellie hung up. She turned to Flora, "What's for breakfast? I'm starving!"

Flora grinned amusedly, "Pete made some orange and spinach salad. There should be plenty left, but while you're eating, you need to fill us in."

Ellie nodded, "Alright."

Ellie took a seat at the far end on the dark walnut dining table whilst Flora retrieved the remaining salad from the fridge. Flora and Pete joined her at the table while she ate though they had already eaten. Flora sat in the chair to Ellie's left, and Pete sat next to Flora.

"Well?" Flora prompted. "I thought you went back to Willowdale. How did you end up captured by the Duchess again?"

"We were on our way to Wolfsbane," Ellie explained. "A police officer we know, Katya, found the evidence against the Duchess and asked us to join her to add our testimony to her case so that she could convince the King to do something about that witch. I got captured because, er," she paused embarrassedly. "Because I got pulled over for speeding," she mumbled. "There was a reward for my capture, apparently."

Flora frowned, "You ought to be more careful, Ellie," she scolded. "It seems you escaped without harm, but you might have been killed for such a foolish mistake!"

Ellie didn't like being scolded by the fox, but the fact that she probably wouldn't have been captured if she'd gone the speed limit made it difficult to defend herself. Instead, she just grumbled, "I doubt I would have been killed in any case, but obviously, I'll be more careful until this whole mess is over."

"The Duchess might have been angry about your video," Flora rejoined. "Just because she didn't kill you before, doesn't mean she won't ever. From what you've told me, she's hideously cruel; you can't get complacent around a person like that."

"I agree, and I don't want to defend her," Ellie returned. "But she wasn't even a little angry when she saw me. Ecstatic, delighted, overjoyed, practically wetting herself with glee, not at all angry."

Flora looked disturbed, "She was really that happy to get you back?"

Ellie nodded.

Flora scratched her ear worriedly, "If she wants you that badly, who knows if she'll ever

give up? I don't know what you should do, Ellie."

"That's why we have to convince the King!" Ellie declared. "He's the only one who can

force her to stop murdering and terrorizing people."

Flora didn't look convinced, "I'm sure he can," she conceded. "But what guarantee do

you have that he'll listen, and if he listens, how do you know he'll take the necessary action?" "None, and we don't know. But we have to try!"

Flora glanced at Pete a moment, and he gave a small nod. Intrigued, Ellie pricked her

ears.

"Is there something you know?" Ellie inquired curiously.

"There could be another option," Flora told her cautiously. "I don't know if you'd want to

be involved given who's in charge, but there's a sort of underground resistance force preparing to oust the Duchess. If she becomes too tyrannical, they're planning to remove her by force."

Ellie's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? Of course I'm interested! Who's behind it?!"

"Their leader is Lily Schulz," Flora answered. "They're mostly prey--their base is in the tunnels the prey used to escape, and they're wary of letting predators in--but Lily is leading it."

Ellie scowled, "It's hard to think of a less appropriate person. Are you sure it's real and not a trap for anyone who opposes the Duchess?"

"It's not a trap," Flora avered. "Pete and I tried to join, but Lily wouldn't let me because I'm pregnant. And of course Pete wouldn't leave me on my own right now."

"She'd probably find a reason to turn me away too," Ellie remarked dryly. "Not that I want to take orders from that negligent piece of shit."

"That's why I said you might not be interested," Flora replied awkwardly. "I know you don't trust Lily, but I think, if you were willing to give her a second chance, she'd be glad to have you, Ellie."

Ellie frowned. Was it worth the risk to try? Lily might have let Flora go, but she might decide that handing Ellie over to the Duchess to reclaim her old position was a better idea. On the other hand, Ellie knew that convincing the King to stop the Duchess was a long shot. Jason might not like the idea of taking justice into his own hands, but Ellie was more than ready to see the sadistic fox executed. Ellie imagined marching the vicious murderer of so many prey to the gallows herself, but in her imagination, the vixen turned, smiling at Ellie sadly, "Do you really hate me this much, Ellie?" Suddenly feeling ill, Ellie shoved the image away. Lily was not to be trusted; Ellie wouldn't join her rebellion.

"Jason and I will meet Katya in Wolfsbane and try to convince the King. Lily can do what she wants, but if you can, you might suggest to her she wait until we've had a chance to try."

Flora nodded slowly, "I'll see if I can talk to her. I don't think they're planning to do anything anytime soon. Things really aren't bad here right now. I'm sure Lily is sore about losing her job, but as cruel as she is, the Duchess hasn't, well, she hasn't done anything toounreasonable. Those first laws were certainly silly, but since then, it's only the fine for swearing and the harsh punishment for littering that have really been outside of the ordinary. Besides, the Duchess has a point when she says there's no reason to swear in public, and I certainly won't shed a tear over littering dirtbags being given community service."

Ellie rolled her eyes, "So what you're saying is she's a tyrant you can live with. What if she's still murdering prey?!"

"Of course she needs to be stopped if that's the case, and I hope she's gone before long regardless. But from your story, I might have expected her to be much worse."

"You have to know her personally," Ellie returned dryly. "She might enjoy her royal charade too much to cause havoc on a public level, but when she decides to make you her slave or cut you apart, you find out what she's really like."

"I don't doubt you," Flora conceded.

They were silent for a moment. Ellie had finished her salad and considered taking her bowl to the sink. However, Pete stopped her.

"You said how you got captured. How did you get away? And what about the cat? They mentioned her on the news this morning; they said she was an escaped convict known for murdering prey. W-was she, was she trying to murder you?" he finished nervously.

"She was trying to eat me," Ellie clarified. "She didn't just kill prey; she devoured them."

Pete blanched, his expression turning to one of abject horror. His ears laid back, and he began to tremble all over. "De-de-de-de," he stuttered.

Flora hurriedly stood from her seat and lifted Pete out of his. Her arms wrapped under his to hold him up, she hugged him tightly and whispered soothingly in his ear, "Shh shh shhh, you're okay. That awful cat is dead, and no one's going to hurt you." She shot Ellie a dirty look.

"Sorry," Ellie murmured awkwardly. She hadn't meant to put the timid rabbit into a catatonic state.

After a minute or two, Pete calmed down under Flora's ministrations. Flora continued to hold him, petting his head with one hand.

"Sorry, Pete," Ellie repeated.

He shook his head, "You only said what happened. You were the one it happened to, not me." He grasped the hand Flora held him with in both of his hands. "I know you'll always protect me, Flora," he murmured. "That cat might have come for me someday, but you didn't let that happen."

Flora nuzzled his head, "Of course not, Sweetie Pie, I'll never let anything happen."

Ellie was touched by their tender exchange, but she was also glad Jason didn't try to coddle her like Flora did Pete. Clearly though, he and Ellie were very different rabbits, and the fervent love between the vixen and buck radiated out of them and filled the room with warmth.They're perfect for each other, Ellie reflected. There were those who would find Pete and Flora's relationship strange or off-putting, and there were those who would feel the same about Ellie and Jason's relationship. But their relationships were right for them, and that was what mattered. Ellie was glad her friend had found someone to make her so happy.

Ellie was still sitting at the table while Flora and Pete washed the dishes when the chimes of the doorbell sounded. Ellie hopped up and made her way to the front door, standing on tiptoe to peer through the peephole that had been placed at Pete's level. Seeing Jason's black stripes and white whiskers, she flung open the door.

"Hiya, kitty!"

Jason quickly stepped over the threshold and caught Ellie in a tight hug. He pressed his nose to the base of her right ear, silently holding her in his strong arms while his warm breath washed over her head.

Ellie hugged the cat back, "I missed you too," she quipped. "How was Tom?"

"I was so afraid," Jason murmured thickly. "I wanted to save you, but someone saw me. I'm so glad she didn't hurt you."

Ellie pressed her cheek to his chest, "I'm glad you didn't get captured too, but it wasn't easy without you there."

Jason nuzzled her ear, "I'm glad you got away," he breathed.

"I wouldn't have escaped without Edgar," Ellie reminded him. "And I wouldn't be here without Flora. After I left the hotel, I ran into that cat from the police station jail, the crazy one. Flora shot her while she had me down. I think she might have been responsible for the recent disappearances."

"Zeus, Ellie!" Jason gasped in horror. "I'm sorry! I'll never let you out of my sight again!"

"It wasn't your fault, Jason," she murmured. "If you'd been driving, we wouldn't have been pulled over. I guess this is karma for all of those times scaring you in the car."

Jason held her silently a few seconds longer then asked, "What do you want to do now?"

"We need to go meet Katya! We'll never be free from that witch until someone does something!"

"I want to thank Flora before we go," Jason meowed.

Ellie led Jason back to the kitchen. Flora and Pete had finished with the dishes and were taking stock of their refrigerator. Flora was crouched behind the black door while Pete held a pen and notepad. Flora stood as they entered, and Pete quickly darted behind her.

"Hello, Jason," Flora chirped cheerfully. "Please excuse Pete. He's a little on edge this morning."

Jason bobbed his head in acknowledgement, "It's good to see the two of you again. Thanks for looking after Ellie. She said you saved her life."

"I'm sure either of you would do the same for me," Flora replied politely. "I'm just glad I was prepared. I don't know what would have happened if I'd had to fight that cat with tooth and claw."

"I owe you," Jason returned. "I hope you've been alright here. Is, uh, everything going well with your kits?"

Flora smiled warmly, "They're perfectly healthy, all four of them. Pete and I couldn't be happier about our babies. I'm just glad they're almost due. I can't imagine being a large mammal and being pregnant for months and months!"

Jason nodded awkwardly, "I guess our species are lucky."

"Rabbits are even faster though!" Flora exclaimed. "Only a month! That's something to factor in, Ellie."

Ellie blushed, "I guess," she mumbled. She'd never felt the desire to have kits of her own, but she understood that Flora was simply excited about hers.

"Do you know the sexes?" Jason asked.

Flora nodded, "Two tods and two vixens. Pete got lucky; he won't be doubly outnumbered living in this den of foxes," she joked.

Pete poked his head out from behind Flora with a nervous smile, "I told her we should call it that when we talk to my parents."

Flora put a hand on Pete's shoulder, "You wouldn't think it, but Pete has a bit of a mischievous streak. His parents are very nice for the most part, but they do worry excessively." "They're terrible," Pete amended. "They wanted me to move back in with them when we

got back, not the two of us, only me. I told them I'd sooner live with Flora's parents and that they'd either accept our kits as their grandchildren or they'd never see me again."

"I'm sorry you're having trouble," Jason murmured sympathetically.

"When they see how adorable the kits are, they'll forget all about their concerns," Flora predicted optimistically.

"You'll have to invite us to come see them," Ellie declared, partially to change the subject but also because she really did want to.

"Of course!" Flora chirped. "And you have to do the same if you ever have any." Ellie smiled and nodded.

They said their goodbyes, and then Jason led Ellie out to his car.

"Do you want to drive?" he asked.

"I'll let you drive first," Ellie decided. "Unless you wanted me to." "Either's fine."

Jason got in the driver's seat, and they left Maplesburg, once again heading for the capital and, hopefully, an end to the Duchess' reign.