Chapter 8

She ran through the forest with the Lynx cat in her arms, not knowing where to go, but wanting to get as far away from the palace as she could. Only when she was too out of breath to keep running did she stop and tried to calm down. What would Lynx do now?, she thought to herself. Lynx would have looked for a safe place in the trees. Fay had told them about the many treehouses in the forest. They came from the time of the rebellion when people needed somewhere safe to hide. So with Lynx the cat still in her arms, Tina set out looking for one.

There were many of them, she soon discovered, but most of them were too broken to be livable. In the end, she found one that at least had all four walls still and a roof. She climbed up, making sure Lynx the cat was safe in her arms as she ascended. Once up, she put Lynx the cat down and then sat down on the floor.

Fay had said nothing the whole way, and Tina wondered if maybe this cat spell also meant fay couldn't talk. Or maybe fay had transformed into a cat and didn't even remember fay was Lynx? The cat known as Lynx responded to her thoughts by hissing at Tina and running to the door, scratching to get out. Tina began to cry. What was she doing here? Alone in the forest with a cat that didn't remember fay was Lynx and Ratatosk was left in the palace.. Oh, how would she sort this?

"I'm sorry, Lynx, I failed you. I didn't know what to do. I know I promised to help you, but I didn't know how to overthrow her. I'm sorry." Lynx the cat stopped scratching on the door but kept sitting with fair back towards Tina, waiting to get out. "Have you really forgotten who you are? Do you understand what I'm saying?," Tina asked. But Lynx either ignored her, or fay really had forgotten who fay was and now was just a cat waiting to get out, because fay didn't respond. "Please come back to me. It's cold and I'm lonely," Tina tried. She went to fair and picked fair up and this time Lynx didn't hiss but just let it be. Tina put fair on her lap and said, "I will find a way, and I will find your name, I promise. I will not fail you this time. I just don't know how yet." Lynx licked fair paws in response, like a normal car. "You really don't understand me, do you?," Tina asked. And Lynx the cat didn't respond, just kept licking fair paws. "I will take care of you," Tina said. "And I will find the way. I will save you and I will save Ratatosk and the Wolf King and everyone. I just need to find out how."

And so she sat there in the treehouse shelter, cuddling Lynx and speaking out loud, but whether to Lynx or herself, she didn't really know. "Lynx, what would you have done in my place? You are so strong. I admire you. What would you have done now? How can I find your name? I know no one here to ask for it." But as she said it, she realized she did know someone. She knew Old Bear. Could she find him? She had to try. So she said to Lynx, "Tomorrow we'll look for Old Bear. He's old and has many stories. He must know what to do." And with that, she lay down, cuddling Lynx the cat in her arms and eventually fell asleep.