Happy Birthday to me! Thank you eld mcm for wishing me one!

I was curled up in a ball in the corner of my cell. If I had thought the first beating for trying to escape was bad, I now knew that smacking the leader's son was a larger offense. I seriously thought they had broken one of my ribs. For some reason, I could almost hear Jenny in the back of my head, saying "Always be thankful for what you have." Yeah, Everlasting Cat, even though you had me kidnapped and beaten and are probably putting the Tribe in danger, thanks for letting me be alive... That was sarcasm by the way.

I had heard noises from outside my cell for a while. Something big had been moved, making scraping sounds as it must have been dragged across the ground. I tried to look underneath the cell door to see what is was, but there had been something stuffed between the gap. That's when I moved back to my corner.

My thoughts were racing as I tried to think of some way out, or just even think about what Macavity was planning to do to me now. Sure, I was decently convinced of the fact that I was now a hostage or something, but that wasn't what I was concerned with. What I wanted to know was if I was to be exchanged, who was it to be with, and if he would actually let me go.

'Cause I had a scary feeling that I had pushed him too far to just let me be free.

I really had no problem with trying to do the whole 'sacrifice yourself' thing to save my brother, but I had one with Macavity taking me and either Munkustrap or Old Deuteronomy. That would just be offensive. Not that I could do anything about it now, but still...

I started to hear more noises outside my cell again. I sat still as the lock on the door was unlatched and some random heanch-cat walked in. He picked me up, causing me to gasp in pain, not that he cared. He dragged me out of my cell. I could have walked, but A. I wasn't sure I would be able to move without pain, and B. If I couldn't run away, I wasn't even going to try to make this guy's life easier. That would make no sense!

I did, however, try to take notice of the many hallways and rooms we passed. If there was a chance to run, I might have been able to actually get out if I knew how the place was planned out. I admit, I didn't know that the place was so big. We finally arrived in a big hall, with a throne at the opposite end of it. I paled as I saw what was to the right of it.

A steel cage.

I tried to sallow my fear as I got pulled closer and closer to it.