Shiloh the Stow Away

Shiloh looked around for a way to sneak aboard without being seen. Perhaps she could hide in one of the crates? The more she looked, however, the more she realized that each crate was sealed tight. If she snuck into one of these and was sealed inside, she'd parish before she even got to New York City!

As luck would have it, however, the sound of a loud and angry growl caught her attention as she eyed a crate that actually had air holes. She saw the large label on the crate that read "Caution: Live Animal!" as she approached, looking inside through one of the air holes.

"Wild Claw?!" She whispered as she saw the white lion pacing in the crate. The big cat, as if it understood her, came over to the hole Shiloh was looking through and let out a chuff.

"I warned you to stay away from that village, didn't I?" Shiloh scolded, "Just be thankful they didn't decide to shoot you and mount your head like a trophy!"

Wild Claw let out another chuff as he hung his head, almost as if the lion was apologizing for his actions.

Shiloh was just about to say something when an idea struck her. This crate had air holes and was large enough to hold her until she got to New York. There was even a small, barred window on the top that was wide enough for her to slip through. If any crate was the right choice for her to stow away in, it was this one!

However, another thought popped into her head at the same time.

If she let Wild Claw loose and took the lion's place, the crew would be much too curious about why the lion was much too quiet. And that was assuming that the white lion wasn't spotted leaving the docks in the first place.

The only other option she had was to slip in with the lion. Thankfully, she knew that Wild Claw wouldn't hurt her. She found him as a cub that was abandoned by his pride, raising him as a kind of foster mother until he was old enough to hunt and fight for himself. The lion saw her as family, even coming to her aid a few times. She was safe with Wild Claw around.

On the other hand, this would mean that she would have to bring him along on her quest to save Meowfang. And she was sure that a lion running around New York City was something that was bound to be noticed. Let alone a lion with a mane and fur as white as the snow of Kilimanjaro.

Shiloh knew that she didn't have much time, so she had to pick one quickly...