The silent hunters prowled through the forest. Four of them flicked between the trees in perfect silence, from afar looking not too dissimilar from leopards. They moved in perfect coordination with each other, needing neither gesture nor words to communicate, spreading out through the trees to trap and ensnare their wounded prey.

The kobold was certainly aware she was being chased, but there was little she could do about it but keep pressing on, glancing back into the shadows of the trees for any signs of her pursuers. They were skilled though, the her leg was on the verge of giving in completely, the spear wound in her thigh a souvenir of her last encounter with the khalian hunters, earlier in the day. They had been chasing her ever since, and now it seemed they had her.

With a pained cry, the lizard finally succumbed to her injury and collapsed to the ground, falling to the ground. She quickly tried to cover herself in a pile of leaves, hoping against hope they might pass her by. After all, the khalia didn’t exactly see in the traditional sense.

Shera froze as she saw a pair of feline paws pad into view from beyond the trees. She didn’t dare move, knowing that any sound would alert the khalia to her presence. The feline stopped halfway through the small clearing and, as far as Shera could tell, it remained perfectly still. With barely a rustle, the khalia was joined by two others. Where the fourth was, the lizard couldn’t be sure.

Not a sound or a single movement came from the three khalia before they all turned as one, walking right past the pile of leaves Shera had hidden under. For half a moment she dared to think she might have outwitted and escaped them. Then she felt the butt of a spear on her back.

She was slowly rolled over onto her back, the spear gently resting over her chest to keep her in place. She looked up at the face of a white leopard khalia. Though face was perhaps generous to call it, with the twitching nose being the only part of a traditional face present. The khalia had no eyes or mouths, with just a featureless expanse of skin over where these parts would normally be.

The white khalia seemed to be staring down at her, though it was difficult to tell exactly what the feline was looking at. The other three yellow spotted khalia stood over the shoulder of their leader. They all wore the same skirt-like green cloth around their waist with nothing but a leather strap for their weapon sheathes on their upper body. Though Shera wasn’t too familiar with the mammalian species, she was pretty sure the large mounds on the khalia’s chest meant it was a female. The other three all appeared to be male.

Do you have it?

Shera blinked. It was always difficult to work out which khalia was speaking, as the mental voices all sounded the same to those not familiar with such methods of communication.

“Do I have what?” the kobold squeaked, stumbling a little over the common tongue that didn’t come easily to her mouth. The spear-butt pressed harder into her chest.

Do not play games with us, lizard. Where is it?

“I… I don’t have it anymore, I sold it,” Shera stuttered, swallowing hard as she looked up into the khalia’s face. She wondered how good they were at reading facial expressions, not having any of their own. Despite herself, she couldn’t stop her eyes flicking towards her small bag, thrown to the ground in her fall.

One of the male khalia moved forward, picking up the bag with the point of his spear. Passing his weapon to a companion, the khalia pulled a small brooch from the bag, before tossing the leather satchel aside. Shera looked away as the others converged on her.

“No, please, you have what you want. Let me go,” she whimpered. They ignored her. The kobold’s hands were bound behind her back. Her legs were next, tied together with a thick length of rope around her ankles. She could wriggle her feet, but any hope of escape was gone. She’d never be able to free herself from such bonds.

Without any ceremony whatsoever, Shera was thrown over the shoulder of one of the males. His hands were gentle at least, though she could never be comfortable in such a position. She bounced awkwardly as they walked and, as she faced backwards, she wasn’t even sure where they were going. All she could be sure of was that they were nearing the edge of the trees. She could hear a river nearby that flowed around the border of the great woods.

When they stepped out from the shadows of the forest and into the light she hissed in pain, squinting her eyes shut at the bright sunlight. She shrieked, her eyes watering as she squirmed helplessly. Her captor shifted beneath her, and before she knew what was going on, a sheet of cloth was thrown over her face.

“Thank you,” she whispered, unsure if it was an act of sympathy or annoyance at her shriek that had driven the khalia to act, but glad of it all the same. The khalia gently patted her side, but she heard nothing from him.

Shera didn’t know how many hours they walked for, but it was all spent in total silence. It was unnerving, only the gentle sounds of breathing even indicating the other cats were even there. Whatever communication passed between them utterly bypassed the kobold, leaving her alone to her thoughts. She feared what would happen to her. The khalia had caught her with the stolen brooch, a magical artefact said to bring luck to the wearer. Fat lot of good it had done her.

Sun was starting to fall and the veil over her eyes was no longer needed, but the khalia seemed to have forgotten about it for now. It was pitch dark by the time they finally reached their destination, the kobold gently lowered down from her captor’s shoulder to balance precariously on her bound feet. A few moments later the rope was cut away and the veil pulled from her eyes, though her arms were kept tied behind her back.

The kobold blinked, peering through the darkness to see that she had been brought to a small village. She could make out a dozen over khalia, mostly leopards but also a tiger and a lioness amongst them. It felt like they were all staring at her, despite their lack of eyes.

Guided by the butt of a spear, Shera was led towards the central hut of the village. The back of her neck prickled, but she was powerless to flee. Instead, she submitted to their will and allowed herself to be taken inside, where a fire burned bright in the centre of the round hut. Smoke was allowed to escape through a small hole in the roof, but otherwise the only way out was from the door they had entered.

Three khalia were waiting for them, sat in chairs the other side of the fire – a lion flanked by two leopardesses. The shadows flickered over their blank faces, making it look like they had eerie hollows where their eyes should be. It was hard not to be afraid of them.

They all stood in silence for some time, the three in the chairs not even seeming to acknowledge their presence, almost completely unmoving. Eventually the kobold had to cough to break the silence. “Uh, hello?” she asked, but her words were met with a firm cuff around the head from the snow leopardess beside her. She whimpered in pain, but let the silence fall again. She stared into the fire to distract herself from the frightful shadows on the faces of the khalia, and so she was surprised when she felt a tug on her shoulder.

Almost stumbling, the kobold was dragged from the hut and led through to a different part of the village. She was thrown into one of the smallest huts, a barred door over the entrance that was quickly slammed shut behind her. Inside was just a small bed of hay. A prison. She quickly turned around and slammed her shoulders on the door, but it would not give, no matter how many times she tried.

Eventually Shera gave up, wearily flopping back onto her rough bed. It was then she noticed one of the khalia sat outside, back faced to her door. She thought it was the one who had carried her, but she couldn’t be certain. All the males looked much the same to her.

“Excuse me?” she called out. The khalia’s ears flicked. She supposed that meant he had heard her. “Could I have something to eat? I haven’t had any food all day and I’m hungry. You… you do have food, don’t you?” She wasn’t sure if she’d just insulted the mouthless feline, but he gave no indication whether he had heard her at all. He still sat perfectly still, eyeless face looking out over the village.

Giving up that he hadn’t even heard her, she lay back on her bed with her arms awkwardly and uncomfortably beneath her. With only the ceiling to stare at she felt herself drifting off to sleep, before some movement caught her attention outside. She quickly sat up, surprised to see a second khalia out there, carrying a small plate of cold meat and fruit. At first she thought the food was for her captor, somehow, but she was surprised when the door was opened and her guard entered with the food. The newcomer left as soon as the door was closed, leaving just the two of them together.

The khalia placed the plate on the ground, before pulling a small knife from the leather strap on his chest. Shera tried to back away, scared, but she was unable to resist as the feline grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. Her bonds fell from her wrists before she was released. With a squeak of lingering panic, she turned to face the khalia, rubbing her wrists as blood returned to her hands unhindered. The feline was returning the knife to its holster. He then picked up the plate and handed it to her.

For you.

Shera just stared, mouth hanging open. “You did hear me?” she asked, her hands slowly reaching out to take the plate from the khalia.

Of course. I called out for food immediately.

“But I didn’t hear you?” the kobold asked, sitting down on her bed and looking up at the feline as he tilted his head.

Because I did not project the words into your mind. There was no need for you to hear me.

“Oh,” Shera said, taking a slice of cold meat. Chicken. It wasn’t the nicest, but then, a creature with no mouth probably had little concept over what flavour was. She just had to be thankful there was anything to eat at all. After a few mouthfuls she looked back up at the khalia. He hadn’t moved at all. “It was you who carried me before, wasn’t it?”

It was.

Still no movement. He unnerved her. “Thank you,” she said, looking away from his eyeless gaze. “For the food. And for the veil, when my eyes hurt.”

More silence. Just the sound of her chewing the meat. Did the khalia have to be so damned quiet all the time? “Would you… would you care for some chicken?” she asked eventually, holding up a slice, more in the hope of generating some conversation than actually expecting the feline to accept.

No, but thank you. Chicken does not agree with me.

“I see,” Shera said, not really understanding at all as she stared at her plate. She was then surprised to feel the hay move beneath her as the khalia sat down at her side.

I am to pass on a message.

Shera waited a few seconds, but the khalia didn’t continue. “Go on,” she said eventually, but she got no response for almost a full minute.

They were still telling me what it was. The elders are willing to release you and pardon your crime, but on one condition only.

“I’m listening,” Shera said, taking another mouthful of chicken when the khalia’s speech fell away again. She was a little apprehensive, but so long as it meant she would be able to walk away from the eerie and silent felines, then she would be glad.

Your people have a relic of ours. The elders want it back. It is a crystal of immense power, able to tear through the fabric of space, but useless in your people’s hands. Bring it back to us, and your crimes against the khalia will be pardoned.

“You… you want me to go and steal something for you?” Shera spluttered, almost choking on a piece of meat that threatened to wedge itself in her throat. She could just agree to the task, then flee these lands and never return. There was nothing binding her here.

Of course, I would be your companion, should you decide to accept this offer.

Drat. She doubted the khalia would be easy to slip away from, but when it came down to it she had little choice. “Fine, I’ll accept your offer,” she said, resigned to her fate. She doubted she’d have much choice, the elders would send her away with this khalia whether she wanted to or not.

Then we shall leave in the morning. Sleep well, little lizard.

“Shera. My name is Shera,” the kobold said as the khalia rose to his feet. The feline walked to the door without turning around, giving no indication he had heard again. But as he locked the door he turned around, fixing his eyeless gaze on her.

And mine is Celsis. Call if you need me. I shall hear.

With that, he was gone, disappearing into the darkness outside like he had slipped into a cloak. She was sure he was still there though, watching over her and making sure she couldn’t escape. Shera held on to the door for a few moments, rattling the bars to make sure they wouldn’t give, before sighing and turning around. There wasn’t anything for it really. She’d be gone in the morning one way or the other. In the meantime she thought she should sleep and regain her energy. It had been a long and difficult day after all.

Though the bed was uncomfortable and there were many worries on her mind, sleep was surprisingly easy for the kobold to come to. She thought she felt a touch on her mind right as she fell into slumber.

Sleep well, Shera.