II
He'd known someone had been following him, but he also knew that initiating a confrontation in the twisty little passages of the cave would only prove troublesome. With ears perked and flashlight at the ready, he instead pressed forward, merely hoping that his body language didn't betray the fact he knew he was being followed. The deepest part of this lost sanctum should only be a bit further ahead - provided his source's information had been accurate.
Either the boy's luck held out or his stalker was simply not yet ready to make his move, for the next few minutes (though tense) proved uneventful. Aha! A glimmer of light shone from through a narrow passageway, and he hastily made his way through the corridor to find an alcove with a few stray beams of light streaming through cracks in the rocks far, far above. It was enough to provide a small amount of natural light to the chamber amidst the darkness, and the boy flicked his flashlight off. An ancient pedestal, about 3/4 his size, stood at the far end of the cavern, and atop it sat a dusty leather pouch. Pushing aside his elatedness at finding anything within these godforsaken ruins, he quickly took stock of his surroundings: the room seemed to have been a perfect circle once upon a time, but a cave-in near the far end had turned it into more of a crescent moon shape. The sides were about ten feet apart lengthwise, he surmised, with the distance between the alcove's opening and the caved-in wall in front of him about half that. It wasn't much space, he noted, but should be a lot easier to fight in here than the cramped passages that had led here.
"Okay, kid," came a gruff, familiar voice from behind. "That's as far as you go. Now turn around, nice and slow." The boy complied, turning to face his stalker for the first time. Blocking the room's only exit was a tall, tawny-furred figure: a dingo. He was outfitted in a khaki vest, worn unbuttoned, and a slightly darker pair of cloth cargo shorts along with what appeared to be a pith helmet. He also stood a few notches over six feet, which would have given him a rather imposing air even if he had not had a gun pointed directly at the youth.
After a brief silence, the boy - a feline with the markings of a gray tabby - grinned and spoke loudly. "Oh, I remember. You're that guy from the cantina. Leon, right? Geez, it must've been hard for you to make it through all those tight squeezes to get back here, as big as you are. I'm surprised you didn't just give up and go home."
"Without collecting my prize?" Leon sneered. "Doubtful. Oh, and forgive me, but I can't say as I remember your name. Not that it matters." Taking a step forward, the dingo glanced at the flashlight still in the cat's hands. "Drop it, and step away from the dais," he growled.
"Right, right," the cat muttered. He leaned down slowly, keeping his eyes on Leon. His finger lightly rested atop the flashlight's switch. "I certainly don't want any trouble!" On the last word, he slid his finger forward and the light came on at the brightest setting, aimed directly for the dingo's eyes.
"Son of a--" Leon staggered, and it was the only chance the cat had. He deftly pulled a circular metal disc from his belt, and in the same fluid movement, hurled it through the air toward the blinded dog. The brief clang of metal on metal, followed by the sound of something skittering across the stone floor confirmed that the chakram had hit its mark and knocked the gun from Leon's hands. The chakram ricocheted toward one wall of the cavern, and then the other. Before Leon could register just what had happened, though, the cat was suddenly behind him - and then darkness, as the cat clubbed him in the back of the head and he collapsed on the cold rock beneath him.
Looking over the unconscious body of his would-be assailant, the cat frowned. "Sorry, but I'm not the kind of treasure hunter who's just going to give in to some thief who followed me to a job," he quipped. Hearing the whirr of his chakram returning toward him, he raised a hand, ready to expertly snatch it out of the air. "And my name is Ndoto." The cat grasped, and was startled to find not the cool steel of his weapon, but only air. Off-balance, he stumbled forward, tripping over and falling into a heap on top of the dingo's body, as the sharp weapon sailed mere inches over his own ears. The chakram collided with the stone wall behind him, but having lost most of its momentum, merely bounced to the ground rather than continuing to ricochet. Heart pounding, Ndoto got to his feet and began to dust himself off. His tail frizzed in annoyance as he grabbed his chakram and reattached it to his belt. Stepping back over Leon's fallen body to retrieve his flashlight and collect the pouch from atop the pedestal, he grumbled. "That would've been way cooler if I'd actually caught the darn thing," he complained to himself as he exited the alcove and began to make his way back toward the outside world. Leon groaned.
Either the boy's luck held out or his stalker was simply not yet ready to make his move, for the next few minutes (though tense) proved uneventful. Aha! A glimmer of light shone from through a narrow passageway, and he hastily made his way through the corridor to find an alcove with a few stray beams of light streaming through cracks in the rocks far, far above. It was enough to provide a small amount of natural light to the chamber amidst the darkness, and the boy flicked his flashlight off. An ancient pedestal, about 3/4 his size, stood at the far end of the cavern, and atop it sat a dusty leather pouch. Pushing aside his elatedness at finding anything within these godforsaken ruins, he quickly took stock of his surroundings: the room seemed to have been a perfect circle once upon a time, but a cave-in near the far end had turned it into more of a crescent moon shape. The sides were about ten feet apart lengthwise, he surmised, with the distance between the alcove's opening and the caved-in wall in front of him about half that. It wasn't much space, he noted, but should be a lot easier to fight in here than the cramped passages that had led here.
"Okay, kid," came a gruff, familiar voice from behind. "That's as far as you go. Now turn around, nice and slow." The boy complied, turning to face his stalker for the first time. Blocking the room's only exit was a tall, tawny-furred figure: a dingo. He was outfitted in a khaki vest, worn unbuttoned, and a slightly darker pair of cloth cargo shorts along with what appeared to be a pith helmet. He also stood a few notches over six feet, which would have given him a rather imposing air even if he had not had a gun pointed directly at the youth.
After a brief silence, the boy - a feline with the markings of a gray tabby - grinned and spoke loudly. "Oh, I remember. You're that guy from the cantina. Leon, right? Geez, it must've been hard for you to make it through all those tight squeezes to get back here, as big as you are. I'm surprised you didn't just give up and go home."
"Without collecting my prize?" Leon sneered. "Doubtful. Oh, and forgive me, but I can't say as I remember your name. Not that it matters." Taking a step forward, the dingo glanced at the flashlight still in the cat's hands. "Drop it, and step away from the dais," he growled.
"Right, right," the cat muttered. He leaned down slowly, keeping his eyes on Leon. His finger lightly rested atop the flashlight's switch. "I certainly don't want any trouble!" On the last word, he slid his finger forward and the light came on at the brightest setting, aimed directly for the dingo's eyes.
"Son of a--" Leon staggered, and it was the only chance the cat had. He deftly pulled a circular metal disc from his belt, and in the same fluid movement, hurled it through the air toward the blinded dog. The brief clang of metal on metal, followed by the sound of something skittering across the stone floor confirmed that the chakram had hit its mark and knocked the gun from Leon's hands. The chakram ricocheted toward one wall of the cavern, and then the other. Before Leon could register just what had happened, though, the cat was suddenly behind him - and then darkness, as the cat clubbed him in the back of the head and he collapsed on the cold rock beneath him.
Looking over the unconscious body of his would-be assailant, the cat frowned. "Sorry, but I'm not the kind of treasure hunter who's just going to give in to some thief who followed me to a job," he quipped. Hearing the whirr of his chakram returning toward him, he raised a hand, ready to expertly snatch it out of the air. "And my name is Ndoto." The cat grasped, and was startled to find not the cool steel of his weapon, but only air. Off-balance, he stumbled forward, tripping over and falling into a heap on top of the dingo's body, as the sharp weapon sailed mere inches over his own ears. The chakram collided with the stone wall behind him, but having lost most of its momentum, merely bounced to the ground rather than continuing to ricochet. Heart pounding, Ndoto got to his feet and began to dust himself off. His tail frizzed in annoyance as he grabbed his chakram and reattached it to his belt. Stepping back over Leon's fallen body to retrieve his flashlight and collect the pouch from atop the pedestal, he grumbled. "That would've been way cooler if I'd actually caught the darn thing," he complained to himself as he exited the alcove and began to make his way back toward the outside world. Leon groaned.