Chapter 2 Chaos Cypress found herself in the Chaos camp, feeling incredibly nervous and overheated. She hadn’t realized how sweltering the desert could be. About twenty faces stared at her; most wore aggressive expressions, while a few looked curious. One individual seemed to have murderous intent in his gaze. “Is she a spy?” “What’s with the stranger?” “I don’t trust her.” Amidst the chaos, one voice stood out—Anarchy’s. “Why are you here?” “I—uh—I—” Cypress took a step backward and tripped off the ledge, crashing down onto a stone slab below. Though it wasn’t the highest fall, it left her vision blurry, and then darkness enveloped her. • • • The first thing she heard upon regaining consciousness was Anarchy muttering to someone. “Oh, dear. How long will this take?” Cypress’s vision swam. Did Anarchy always have more than one head? No, she was seeing double—or perhaps even triple; she was too dizzy to count. “She’s up,” Anarchy hissed to a medic, who was a rich gold canid. “Great, 'cause I have no idea what I’m doing,” the not-so-qualified medic replied. “What?! Why’d you volunteer then, Citrine?” asked a greenish canine that Cypress hadn’t noticed before. Citrine shrugged and exited the den, which Cypress now realized was hollowed out of a tree. The sound of water filled her ears. How could there be water in the desert? It seemed her mind was playing tricks on her. “Let’s try this again,” Anarchy snarled. “Why are you in Chaos territory?” “Uhm… I was seeking refuge. I was chased out of Earth,” Cypress replied, shying away from Anarchy’s snarling maw. “Refuge? Hm…” Anarchy tapped her claws on the wood of the tree. “How do I know you aren’t a spy?” “Why would she bring a child into a spying mission?” the green canine spoke up. Cypress had forgotten he was there, and apparently so had Anarchy. “Fern, leave,” Anarchy commanded. Fern looked indignant but left with a flick of his tail. Mangrove! Cypress realized he must have been taken somewhere when she fell off the rock. Anarchy turned back to Cypress, her expression grim. “Never mind that question. Do you have any information about the Earth Clan?” Cypress hesitated for a moment. She didn’t owe any loyalty to Earth! They had banished her for no reason! So why did she feel guilty about wanting to share the secret? “I know where their camp is… but I won’t tell you unless I know Tr—my son—is safe.” Anarchy lashed her tail and grinned an unsettling grin. “Alright. Stay right here.” She turned away and exited the same way Fern had gone. Cypress looked around. Inside the tree, it was dim, but she could see a few rays of light poking through holes in the wood. There was a nest made of large cactus flower petals—probably the only soft thing you could find in abundance in the desert. Small clusters of dead moss were attached to the side of the wood, and there were stone bowls filled with herbs. Cypress wondered who the real healer was if Citrine wasn’t one. Was Anarchy going to come back soon? Before she could ponder further, Anarchy returned, holding Mangrove carelessly. Mangrove cried out and ran toward Cypress, who hugged him tightly. “There. I have brought you your son,” Anarchy continued pleasantly. “Now, will you cough up the information?” Cypress sighed, searching her memory for the location of the Earth camp. She knew it was situated in a forest. She recalled a large, mossy old log where she had played as a child, and that there was a giant hill only a few minutes' walk from the camp that provided a view of the entire forest. She also remembered a small field of rosebay her mother had warned her not to enter. “Okay. Look for a large hill. At the base is a log, which is close to a field of flowers—” Cypress didn’t specify that the flowers were rosebay; she didn’t want Anarchy to use that to her advantage. “In between the log and the flowers is the entrance to the camp… a tunnel.” [ CONTINUED IN N + C ]
“Alright. You may leave,” Anarchy hissed, beginning to turn away. “Wait! May I join the Chaos Monarchy?” Cypress pleaded. “I don’t have anywhere else to go… Please, I just need a chance. I promise I won’t disrupt your camp or anything, and—” “Fine. Go find Fawkes or something.” Anarchy exited the den. Cypress tried to follow her, but when she emerged from the healer’s den, Anarchy was nowhere to be seen. The heat was extreme, and Cypress wondered how they had endured the desert for so long. She turned her head and saw a large feline lounging on a rock. The feline had brown and blue markings and two sets of golden-orange eyes. Her ears were pierced with golden rings, and her wings drooped down. Despite her relaxed posture, the feline exuded an air of authority. As Cypress passed by, the feline opened one eye to glance down at her. Cypress raised her snout, trying to locate Fawkes. The overwhelming jumble of scents made it impossible to identify anyone, so she gave up. Remembering how terribly thirsty she felt, she realized she could still hear the sound of water in her ears. There had to be water nearby—how else would the Chaos group have survived? Cypress raised her snout again, this time scenting for water. Then she caught a whiff of it—slightly bitter-smelling water—but water nonetheless. Following her nose, she was led to a small stream filtering out from a rock formation. Thirstily, she lapped at the water until she was satisfied. The water was slightly warm and bitter, but she didn’t mind. Mangrove squawked and shuffled out from behind her legs to take a long drink. Cypress heard murmuring from a large cave, so she cautiously peeked inside and saw around five or six creatures resting there. Taking a glance at the sky, she realized it was nightfall and probably time to sleep. “Excuse me… Is this where you sleep?” She entered the cave slowly. A pale yellow figure raised its head. It was Citrine; Cypress recognized her from the healer’s den. “Um… yes. Who are you again?” Citrine responded warily, her green eyes darting to look behind Cypress, where they fell on Mangrove. “I’m, uh—Cypress. Anarchy let me join. Where is Fawkes? She told me to find him.” Cypress sidled over to shield Mangrove. “Fawkes? I think Anarchy put him on guard duty for the rest of the night as punishment.” “Punishment? For what?” Oh no, Cypress thought. Had she caused him to be punished for something? “I don’t really know. Probably for not attacking you when you intruded on our territory. But just let me sleep,” Citrine groaned, tucking her head under her wing. Cypress had many more questions, but she didn’t want to disturb Citrine any further. She shuffled into a corner of the cave, finding a sandy spot without a nest so she wouldn’t accidentally sleep in someone else’s. Slowly, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to rest. [ CONTINUED FROM INSTRUCTIONS ] Next: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1094340574/ Last: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1094154086/ First: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1094154086/
