Monica was apprehensive about leaving Rick alone. There might be others that could hurt or catch Rick. She might have carried him with her, run to escape, but there was little room and many ways he could get hurt while she was occupied.

So she had to make sure to kill everyone that could hurt Rick.

Make sure the only Barons would be in front, never behind. Rick was too soft to survive the fight with tough-ones.

Taking the shiny bent stone that had blocked the path, Monica held it loftily with her right paw, dragging it behind her as she walked further out of the hole, up the slope with sharp edges and listening closely. The dragging made an annoying screeching sound, but it wasn’t her concern right now. She could hear one Baron shouting. The voice was harsh, a tough-tough one? It felt like there was at least one tough-tough one ahead.

“Monica.”

Rick’s voice was a distraction she did not need. She had to hunt, she had to keep him safe.

“Monica!” His hand grasped her free claw.

She could smell his concern, but there was nothing to be concerned about. She would keep him safe. Her eyes kept looking forward, waiting for the next threat to show up. She could hear they were near, waiting to ambush her. If they showed up, she could at least use the hard, shiny, bendy stone to crush a few.

“MONICA!”

The voice startled her. She flicked a moment of attention froward, frowning, then turned to look at Rick. He was angry now. Angry why? At her? Monica hesitated. That couldn’t be right. Why was Rick angry with her? She watched more carefully, trying to figure out why he smelt so angry, it was an afraid kind of angry, but what was he afraid of?

She’d kill everyone, make sure they’d be safe.

More surprising was that he turned away from her to look towards where the Barons were. “To everyone standing in the corridor!” Rick stepped ahead of Monica, towards the threats. She stopped him, though, grabbing his weird extra skin to keep him within reach. He knew there were dangers there, he had to. Why approach? She might not understand what was going on, but she would not let him get hurt. At least this close, she could pull him out of the way of danger. “If you do not clear the route out, you will die.” He kept doing the noises.

“You are trespassing in-.” The quivering voice was from one of the Barons, a threat, but afraid, scared.

“And we have White Claw!” Kat shouted. The sound made Monica’s ear twitch. “How many of you want to die to try to stop her?”

The feline growled in frustration. So many noises that meant nothing. The ones further ahead wanted a fight. Monica could smell it through their fear. Noises would not change that. There would be a fight, and Monica would hunt.

“We will protect our Lord and the-.”

“Two pure-blooded human women came to harm at the hands of the Baron.” Rick made the noises with determination. It was a nice tone, not soft at all. Strong. Monica almost nodded in approval, but it was the wrong time for noises, it was time to fight. “And you know as well as we do that if you try to fight against… White Claw… in here, the human women you’re supposed to be protecting are likely to get hurt, too. We don’t want that. Do you?”

Monica growled, taking a step forward, only to halt when both Rick and Kat grasped her claws and pulled, trying to stop her. Rick was looking at Monica seriously, so she stopped. But she was growing impatient. If they waited too long, more tough-ones could show up, and that would make the fighting more dangerous. The enemies’ stench was thick, weary, and ready for battle.

She’d give it to them. Show them to never hurt her or Rick ever again.

“You have five seconds!” Rick said loudly. “If you do not stand down, there WILL be a fight. And human women will die because of it.”

Monica’s ears perked as she sensed panic. The tough-ones hearts had suddenly started beating really fast. Her eyes turned to Rick, and frowned slightly. The noise he had made had made them panic? How? It had been a squeak of a roar, a good one for a soft-one, but it hadn’t been scary at all!

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“Five!”

The hard-one’s waiting to ambush them were making more noises, hurried and even more afraid, like the little soft-one’s trying to squeak and hide from Monica. She might not have understood how, but she couldn’t avoid feeling a strange hint of pride. Rick might be a soft-one, but he could make tough-one’s panic!

“Four!”

Whatever noises he was making, it was scaring them, scaring them lots! Rick stank of fear and nervous. Was this a fight? A fight with noises? Monica didn’t understand, but he was less afraid than the hard-ones. That was good.

“Three!”

Monica didn’t know what the noises meant, but she knew she could help. Taking a deep breath, she growled. Loud and clear, a threat. She could make scaring noises too, she snarled as she locked her gaze ahead, making sure everyone could hear her clearly.

“Two!”

Rick’s voice cracked a little, but Monica could forgive him. She was scarier than Rick. It made sense. She’d have to teach him to be less scared, but that would have to be ‘later’. First getting out. Later food and safety.

“We agree!”

And suddenly, half of Rick’s fear vanished with a sigh of relief. He’d won? Monica stopped her growl, looking at Rick and taking several deep whiffs in his direction before focusing on the tunnel ahead. The others were scared, and… angry? Monica didn’t understand how Rick’s sounds had made them afraid and angry. They smelt like someone who’d lost, though. That was… good, strange, but good.

“We’ll make a path, just… leave.”

Monica didn’t wait for Rick this time. She stepped out of the corner, carrying the gray stone, still ready to fight. Strange, but good didn’t mean safe. She had to be sure it was safe. She looked down at the long tunnel that had hard-one’s pointing sticks her way. The smell was clear now, loss. But they were glaring at her, some with more anger than fear. They had lost, though, losers had to tuck their tails. Monica growled, zeroing on the one that smelt the angriest, the tough-one with a shiny stone covering her chest.

“Lower your heads, and don’t meet her gaze.” Rick’s voice was rushed. “She doesn’t understand words. You are threats right now.”

More noises, Monica kept her gaze sharp on the one that was glaring back. One that growled and… looked down. No tucked tail, but Monica understood since this particular tough-one didn’t have a tail to begin with. It was also clear now that Rick’s sounds weren’t as intimidating as Monica could be. But it would have to do.

Safety first.

Snorting, the feline nodded.

“Just… go.” The hard-one spoke with clenched fists and a shaky voice. Loser anger.

Hard-one had lost to mere noises.

It still didn’t make sense to her, but safety came first.

Monica took Rick and put him in front of herself. She could not trust having him behind her, where she couldn’t see an attack coming as easily. Kat hurried along, and Monica kept her eyes on the hard-ones that stood at either side of the long tunnel. Their eyes lowered, but their hands tightly grasping their sharp sticks. Not a true victory, a weak one. Monica could smell they still desired to fight.

She kept one paw on Rick’s back while the other held the bendy stone. If a fight happened, she’d rush ahead and use the stone to protect them.

But no such fight happened.

They made it past the long cave and reached the strange slanted sharpened stone to go up. Monica could smell fresh air, the rain, and blood. She held back from grimacing. At least the dangers outside were not fresh, so nothing to be currently worried about. The bigger danger was the hard-ones that kept glaring at them and that might opt to be too angry to stay losers.

But another scent caught Monica’s attention. She paused, stopping on her tracks as her head moved to look up. Not towards the way out, but to the slanted stone that led above. A growl left her the moment she’d lay eyes on the green-skinned tough-one, wearing a gray shiny stone on her chest and stinking of anger. Monica’s claws came out. The green hurter, the green Baron, the one who’d hurt Monica and Rick.

Her hackles rose, her tail stilled, fangs out. She’d kill the green one, she’d-.

“MONICA!”

The word stopped her. Rick was pulling her claw, pulling her away from the green one. Why? Hurter was right there! Monica might be hurt, but she could still fight. Green one would die. It would not be a hard fight.

“Monica.”

Rick caller her again, pulling towards the outside again. His scent was thick with fear again, concern, and it had… anger. So much anger. He was angry, but he didn’t want to fight? Monica stilled, her claw in his hand, only a twitch away from snapping out of his grip. It would be easy, just one fight, revenge, hurt the hurter, make sure green-Baron could not hurt again.

“Monica.”

She looked over her shoulder at the green one. Green one wanted to fight. Monica did too. Monica thought to the woods, the river, when she’d told Rick to stay because it was dangerous and he’d left, not knowing, not smelling the danger. Like a kit, too blind to notice.

Her growl stopped, her eyes left the green one. There were other hard-ones nearby, nervous, ready for a fight. Could she fight the green one while keeping Rick safe?

No. Too many of them, not enough space, too hurt.

“Let’s go.”

He tugged at her gently this time, trying to make her follow. She let him move in front towards the outside, towards the fresh air. She stepped cautiously, keeping an eye on the potential dangers around them since Rick could not.

The scent of rain calmed Monica. She had been trapped in the cave for too long.

Safe first.

Monica would make sure to hunt the green hurter… later.