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Pixie was so bored. She rolled on her back staring up at the sky, watching clouds drift by. She wasn't sure she'd ever been so bored. She sighed heavily and rolled over onto her stomach, tail twitching behind her. The spot she'd been lying in was now in the shade but had started out in a warm ray of sunshine. Annoyed that she would either need to move to find more sunlight or stay there in the shade, she contemplated just how lazy she wanted to be.

Overall, her desire for a warm sunny spot to nap won over and she stood, stretched her front legs forward, ears back in a BIIIIIG STRETCH, feeling all the muscles in her legs and back pulling in just the right way. She sniffed the air and looked around for where she would go next for a nice warm spot when something caught her eye.

A few hundred yards away, she noticed something glowing coming from the side of a shop nearby. She approached slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on it, trying to make out what she was looking at. It appeared to be a large trash bin outside the shop and there was a glowing purple light coming from inside it. As any feline would do, she had to know what was causing the light. She approached cautiously, bobbing side to side to get a better angle at what she was looking at. As she got almost close enough to peer inside, a loud crash from nearby startled her and she jumped, fur on her back raising and her tail puffed up. She skittered away, behind another large bin, and peered around to see what the noise was.

From her hiding spot she saw the shopkeeper throwing things after a Phelis who seemed to have stolen a fish. One of the bottles had broken and that was what had startled her. She watched as the other Phelis made his escape and began to enjoy his reward. A fish sounded really tasty at that moment but she decided not to try to steal it. She was still intrigued by the glowing trash bin.

Satisfied that nothing was actively trying to get her, she approached the bin again, stood up on her back paws and tried to peer in to the bin. That only caused it to turn over, making her fall with it. She flailed but was able to land on all paws, as the bin toppled and the lid fell off. It lay on its side, the eerie purple glow that was coming from inside looked as if it were a pool of shimmering liquid suspended inside like a portal. She sniffed the air, wondering what it was.

She had been aware of the other Phelis when he jumped down and began to approach. She almost hissed but as he approached slowly, she didn't feel a threat from him. Still on alert, she took a step back and looked at him. "I don't know what it is," she replied swishing her tail back and forth. "But I am very curious, aren't you?" She asked, returning her gaze back to the portal. "I think I want to touch it." She stood mesmerize by the glowing, swirling light. She took one small step closer.

She frowned at him for saying he'd check it out first. She wanted to be first. She started to say something as he stepped in front of her and his paw touched the light and suddenly she was alone. She jumped backwards, tail poofing and fur standing on end. What had just happened? She looked around nervously and squeaked, "Hello?" She didn't see him, hear him, or smell him anymore. He'd just disappeared!! She bit her lip and swished her tail frantically. Now what? Should she follow after him? Normally, she would probably just run away but he had stepped in front of her. Not that she'd asked him to or wanted him to, but he'd done it for her, or at least that's what it seemed like. Her thoughts were racing. She was so indecisive in that moment. She took a deep breath and let it all out. She was probably going to regret this, but she took two tentative steps towards the bin again. Then a third confident step, closed her eyes and reached a paw forward, a flash of purple light and she was gone.

A second later and she was on the other side. She kept her eyes tightly shut. Acrid smells filled her nostrils and a faint familiar smell as well. Unusual and scary sounds filled her ears, and then a friendly voice found her. She opened her eyes to meet the bright green ones of the other Phelis. Slightly relieved that she had found him, she breathed a small sigh. Now the big question was, where were they?

Her eyes widened at his question. Was she hurt? She looked herself over really quickly and shook her head. "No, not hurt." It was then she noticed he was right about the smell. She coughed, trying to clear her lungs of the burning air but it was no use. "I have no idea where we are. I just know I don't want to be here." She paused to look around. Beneath them the ground was black sand that seemed to be emitting the foul stench. What was that? Sulfur maybe? Large jagged rocks made of what looked like black and purple glass rose out of the ground casting long shadows. She could swear there were glowing eyes peering back at her from those shadows. Above them, the sky was dark with purple streaks of lightning flashing through heavy clouds emitting a purple glow like the portal. The entire place looked like something from a nightmare. A warm wind was blowing, make the sand shift over their feet and burn their eyes. In the distance a loud shriek sounded like a wounded animal or viscious beast. Her fur was still on end and ears twitching at every noise. "We should probably get out of here," she almost whispered. A low growl came from the shadows of the rocks where she thought she'd seen eyes before. It was way too close for comfort. "Now." She said fear on her voice, stepping closer to him. "I'm Pixie by the way. I figured you should know my name if we're going to die here together."

She hissed at the attacker and swatted the air in front of her. Kairos had jumped in between her and the creature and tackled it just as she swiped. Thankfully she didn't hit him. On high alert now, she looked around frantically for somewhere, anywhere for them to run and hide.

She looked behind where she seemed to have come from, hoping there might be a portal there but to her dismay there was not. However, there was one of those large jagged rocks about fifty yards away from them and there looked to be a cave or crevice at the base of it where a soft purple glow emitted from. She hoped maybe there could be a portal in there, or at least a place to hide for a few moments. "Hey! Look there!" she pointed with her paw. "I think we could probably hide in there. Maybe there's a way out of this place in there as well."

Now they just had to get there without being followed, and hope that there weren't more creatures waiting inside.