I woke up with a jolt. It is still night, and it's freezing. I backed as far away as I could from the sparking bars, and dragged the animal skin to the back corner. I curled up against the old engravings and tried to sleep.
As the sun rose, and the little light that trickled into the cave got brighter, I slowly stretched. I noticed that the bars were not sparking as much anymore. A neon yellow PulseClaw GuardClaw walked into the dim cave.A few other GuardClaws switched posts, but then the neon yellow GuardClaw started to shoot bolts of electricity at the copper bars repeatedly, and several other cats joined in. The bolts shooted out of their paws one after the other, and more cats gathered to add lightning to the pulsing bars. Now I could remember being told that every morning PulseClaws electrified the metal bars, and they had to do this every morning, otherwise the bars could be touched without hurting the cat touching the bars. I watched with wonder as the bars started looking more yellow than brown.
After a few minutes, most of the PulseClaws left the prison but some stayed as GuardClaws. I used the combined light of the sun and the sparking bars to take a closer look at the engraved carvings on the back wall. I took a close look at some of the newer rough drawings. They didn't nearly match the detail of the older carvings, and they did not seem to be scratched as deep into the rock as the older pictures of fire did.I still studied the newer ones though, as I had the time and had given up on escaping. I am also starving, as I hadn't eaten since last night. It's hard to plan an escape on an empty stomach.
Most of the newer pictures were names that were now unreadable, and a couple were pictures. But there were also some that looked like crude copies of the older engravings, except these did not look as impressive. I could only just tell that they were supposed to be pictures of fire.
I kept studying the pictures, and towards the highest I could see were some names that I could actually read. I shuddered and turned away. Those were too nerve- racking to look at. I turned my gaze towards the older fire pictures.
The old fire pictures are way more intresting to look at. They almost seem to faintly glow and give off a slight heat. I would remember that the next time I was cold. I tried to get a glance at the pictures that were higher up, but I couldn't see that high up, even though I could see taller cells in the distance. I stepped in a small pool of water that was leaking in from the ceiling. I guess that is where the inmates drink. Including myself.
The silence in the cells was gnawing at my bones. If I didn't know better I would say that the caves were haunted. Then a sudden sound of a few pawsteps came from outside my cell. Four GuardClaws carried a limp body out of the caves. It looked like the cat had been dead for awhile as the stench was even worse than usual for the cells, and there was exposed skin and flesh on the cat. A parade of flies followed. One of the sentry GuardClaws stationed at the entrance quickly backed away and made room for the procession. I was almost sick, and dreaded what had happened to what looked like an old and ragged InfernoClaw.
Unfortunately, it seems that the GuardClaws only took out the dead cats once a year, and today is that day. Most of the cats looked like tribal cats, and there also looked like there were a few loners who had somehow gotten imprisoned. I backed away from the bars.
I then realized with horror that I was actually an inmate. That the same thing could happen to me, and I had no idea wether during the time I was sleeping that Firestorm, Lightningstruck, and Snowstorm might have also been locked inside a cell as well, and that I might never see them again or know if they got away safely. I couldn't think about it. I turned back to the cave walls and started to investigate the carvings. I was kind of hoping that thecarvings may show some secret way out of the prison, as I was getting scared and desperate to get out. I did not know how the inmates who had been living here even longer could stand it.
Soon after, a GuardClaw came around with food rations and large, flat rock that could barely fit through a slot in the bars that went horizontally through the bars, which had a one-way push mechanism, so objects could come into the cell but a prisoner couldn't get out. He claimed the rock was good entertainment with seriousness on his face. Where he found that out I have no idea.
There was one thing though that the rock was good for, as it was flat enough for standing on and I could see the carvings higher up on the wall. After I finished my scrawny mouse, I scrambled up onto the rock. I stretched my neck as far as it would reach, and balanced on two legs, my front paws in the air.
I saw a strange looking carving that wasn't fire, it looked like an actual living creature. This carving was even more detailed than the fire pictures, and looked maybe even older. I somehow know it is a carving of a living creature. I had never heard or seen one before, but there was a voice in the back of my head whispering that it was a dragon.

Sorry about the late update. I am sure that the last few words made up for the late updat (hopefully). Anyways, I finally wrote a long overdue and much-needed prologue. If you go to the first chapter right after the Author's Note it should be there. It is called ~Prologue~. Sorry about not writing one, it slipped my mind. And in the next few chapters, even more shocking events will happen (yep, even more shocking than dragons). Please post this story around Wattpad and share it with friends (there is a purpose for that three pointed shape button that is next to vote) and remember to vote if you like this chapter and comment suggestions, or random. Thanks so much! This book has over 600 reads!
~DragonCat