Chapter 3-the quick escape

Jake woke with a shudder; the leopard still snored. Around the corner, Jake could hear voices mumble and footsteps followed. Looking over the plants and through the trees. He could just make out one of the guards saying ” quick I know they are here.” Jake gave the leopard a tap and she awakened. She looked up at him eyes full of fear but also fierceness. He shook his head at the leopard trying to signal to be quiet. Loud voices shouted demands; The leopard let out a growl; Jake sighed. 

Strolling across the muddy ground, Jake signalled to the leopard. Slowly, she walked towards him and stood at his side. Kneeling down, they hid behind an empty storage crate. Carefully, Jake opened the door to the crate, turned on his torch and closed the door. No one would ever think to look here.

Without warning, the door opened. Somebody had plunged in. Jake looked from the door to the leopard and back again. Jake could feel the hairs stand up on his neck, there was someone else in here and they were definitely listening. Siamese twin shadows cast across the room; voices mumbled; the hunters began to search. Jake didn’t dare move neither did the leopard they were both scared and cornered. Panicking and shaking Jake cuddled into the leopard. They could wait till the hunters had left as long as they stayed quiet, no one would find them.

It felt like decades, but it had probably only been 20 minutes by the time the individuals had left. It was almost midnight, the leopard spoke to Jake without actually making a sound. They seemed connected to each other in some odd way she said that they needed to find the portal as she was losing time. The portal back to her own time and her own country were she didn’t have to live in fear.

Jake had an idea this portal would be well disguised and somewhere no one would ever suspect. Apprehensively, Jake checked her scar it was still bleeding a little bit but had mostly scabbed over. She didn’t seem as strong as she did when Jake met her. She said the portal would be a long walk but they needed to get to it. He wondered whether they would make it, whether the leopard would make it.

Jake knew his family would be worried and wondering where he was but he couldn’t just leave the leopard she was being hunted and if Jake wasn’t by her side she probably wouldn’t have made it until now. The moon watched over them, two shadows circling around the town as they were locked in a dangerous town with only one way out.