“We were, but my son contacted us,” Misako responded this time, catching up with Little Leaf. “He and the others have their part of town under control. We have yet to hear from Wu and Zane. We had just decided to go join them, in case there’s another attack coming.” The older woman peered through the rain. “Where’s Cole?” “I don’t know,” Liana admitted. “He went to find his dad. I got the rest of the villagers out by myself.” Misako’s voice sharpened. “He went off alone?” “I couldn’t stop him. But— I’m trying to find him.” Misako eyed the blind teenager skeptically. “By yourself?” A small frown touched Liana’s lips. “Yes. By myself.” “But. . . you’re—” “For gosh’s sakes, people!” Liana snapped. “I’m blind, not crippled! Or stupid—!” Stop. Balling her hands into fists, she took a long, deep breath. Quickly she reminded herself, They’re not condescending you. They just care. It’s OK. It’s OK. Steadying herself, she took another breath and continued. “And anyway, I’m mind-bending… If— if Talon could connect himself to Cole’s head and track him down, maybe I can. We’ve touched minds before, in training. If I can just…” Her voice trailed off. She stared sightlessly into the rain, looking as if she were concentrating. “Can you feel anything?” Leaf whispered with wide eyes. For an answer, Liana turned and headed down a smaller street. Without a word, Little Leaf and Misako followed.
* * *
Cole was ready when Blood ran into him. She wrapped her paws around his legs, shoving him down. He fell, but he twisted and raked his claws over his sister’s ears. Those were sensitive. She shrieked loudly and struggled, and he scored several scrapes around her face. One of her paws slashed at his chest. He felt something hot and sticky soak through his shirt. Eagle Talon fell on them both. He shoved Black Blood away and cuffed Cole on one shoulder, grazing it. Black Blood snarled and lashed at Talon, claws flashing. A cut stood out on his nose, and he limped on one forepaw.
Black Blood squirmed free and whirled around in a circle around Cole, trying to regain her bearings. Cole staggered to his feet and met her gaze, watching her moving. For a moment, her back was to the wall of the alley. That moment was all Cole needed. He ran headlong into her, jumping and smashing himself into her. His arms glowed orange brightly, lighting up his face against the dark rain. They flew across the ground, flew into the wall— —and with Cole’s arms and fists smashing and punching into the stone, crashed right through it. Eagle Talon threw himself at his siblings, clawed and grabbed at both of them, just as they tumbled out of the street. The town sat on a small hill. The three Brookstone siblings crashed out of the surrounding wall and rolled down the hill. Pain wreaked havoc on Cole’s body from all around. Mud mixed with rocks and pebbles scraped against his body as he fell. Something broke through the material of his pants, and he felt his knees sting. Black Blood’s claws flashed out of the corner of his eyes. She was still fighting, even though they were all falling off the side of a hill. Rain got into Cole’s eyes. Mud clung to the ends of his hair. The landscape flashed by his vision, making everything a blur. Dimly, he was aware of the ground flattening out. Grass replaced the majority of rocks. Black Blood let go of him. Cole’s head spun. He staggered to his feet, slipping in the mud and wet grass. His legs trembled as he pushed himself up. He turned and faced his siblings. His arms were still glowing, bright against the dark sky and blinding rain. Eagle Talon was in a bizarre state between nekomata and human. His face was humanoid, as were his torso and biceps. Dark brown ears, however, protruded from the top of his head, standing out against the mop of shaggy black hair. His arms ended with tabby fur paws, claws shining in the occasional lightning that flashed every once in a while in the distance. Rain and sweat made his human flesh glint. He stood on crouched hind legs, paws spread out and forked tails lashing.
Black Blood staggered a few feet away from both boys. She retained her nekomata form. Her black fur was plastered to her body from the rain. Her chest heaved as she fought for breath. Cole felt a stab of guilt when he caught sight of her wounds. He didn’t take any notice of his own burning injuries. Thunder crashed overhead. Cole took a breath and called over its growl and the hiss of rain. “Please. I don’t want to fight you… either one of you.” Talon stared at him with the same pained expression. Black Blood, on the other hand, sneered at Cole. “I hate you. I hate you and our father. I hate your ancestors and your family, and your ninja friends. I hate all of your kind. “And I will take out my hatred on every single person you love. You will watch them suffer, and there will be nothing you can do about it. I already took the Son of Fire from you. You saw what I did to the Son of Lightning. All of the Sons and Daughters will be defeated under my claws.” Her smirk broadened. “Including the Daughter of No One, Liana. I’ll destroy them all. “And there’s nothing you can do about it,” She then cackled wildly, raising her voice to the wind. “Because you’re too much of a coward to fight me like a real warrior!” Rage roared in Cole’s ears. He hardly heard his own scream as he threw himself at Black Blood. His claws slashed at her. She snarled and reared up, meeting him face-to-face. Lightning flashed. Thunder crashed, shaking the sky with its vehemence. The light of Cole’s power illuminated the battlefield alongside the lightning. His and her eyes met, just for a split second. Then, as light glinted against Black Blood’s teeth, she opened her jaws wide and bit down on his shoulder and collarbone. Cole screamed—this time not out of anger, but of pain. He threw his head back as he screamed, and slashed desperately at Black Blood’s face.
Eagle Talon yelled loudly and threw himself at his sister, once more trying divert her attention from Cole—protecting his brother. He dug his claws into her shoulder and yanked her back. Black Blood turned on her forelegs, using her hind paws to swing around her body and kick Talon’s own legs. The blow sent him sprawling to the grass. Cole lunged at Black Blood’s back and scratched, rapidly using his claws to rake her shoulder blades and his legs to kick. She whirled around and threw him off. Cole was on his feet within a second and once again threw himself at her. She reared on her hind legs and parried blows from his claws, punching and jabbing with equal fury as he did. Eagle Talon scrambled to his feet and joined in. He alternated helplessly between fighting Black Blood and Cole. A slash at his sister, a clout at his half-brother. They fought him back as vehemently at he fought them. Cole felt his heart tear apart with every thing he tore with his steel claws. Pain, rain, burns: it all ran together in a hot haze. His cries, Black Blood’s screeches, and Eagle Talon’s caterwauls mingled together in one irate battlecry. The wind picked up until it was howling. Rain fell like shards of ice, cold and merciless. Lightning split the sky like thin, jagged claw scratches. Brother One: his test comes from his roots, his earth. Cole fought to take vengeance for his friends, who had been hurt by the Moon Tribe. This was his challenge, to face the offspring that came from his family roots: Black Blood and Eagle Talon. Brother Two: between two worlds, mangled trust. Eagle Talon was torn between protecting his sister and his half-brother. He was a half-breed, stuck between two worlds: the world of humans, where his brother Cole fought alongside the ninja, and the world of werecats, where he had grown up with his sisters in the Moon Tribe. Little Leaf’s story of Black Blood’s attempted murder had left him inwardly questioning his leader, wondering if she was really what she made herself out to be to the tribe. The ninjas’ deception concerning the moonstones left him wary of them yet. Talon’s trust in the people he knew was indeed mangled.
Sister Only: a broken, scattered heart that bleeds. There was something broken in Black Blood. Whatever it was, it hurt, and she took out her pain on the world and her own family. The hate in her heart leaked so much that it poisoned the Moon Tribe and hurt the ninja and their friends. She made herself look strong, but all that she did only made her more broken than ever. As bizarre as it was at the time she uttered it, Kohuru’s prophecy was indeed coming true. It came true as the children of Lou Brookstone threw themselves at one another in a terrible struggle. Two of them were mothered by Silver Mist, warrior of the werecat Tribe of the Moon. The third was mothered by Arianna, the former Master of Earth. Their relation was obvious in their matching dark, coal-black hair and green eyes that all blazed with anger. As she fought her brothers, Black Blood recalled the great advantage she had had that night in Dog Bone’s fortress, when she had slipped into Cole’s head. He had been as easy to put to sleep as a kitten then. Why not now? As the werecat queen fought, she began to murmur words that summoned an ancient spell. Soon the Son of Earth would be in a slumber as deep as the Dark Sleep.
* * *
Liana could feel Cole’s mind clearly now. It was in turmoil, like a storm at sea. She could feel his emotions. It hurt her somewhere, to feel her friend in so much pain. She didn’t know if he could feel her, but she wanted to help him—to give him strength, to let him know that she was here for him. I’m coming. If you can hear me, I’m coming. Just hang on, please, she thought over and over again. Thus, when Black Blood’s presence began to invade Cole’s mind, she felt it. Cole may not have been as aware of it as she was, but Liana could feel the foreign presence in his head; it was dark, hot, and raging, angrier than Cole’s was. Somehow, she knew who it was. Liana knew what was going on, and she determined to get Black Blood out of there. Get out! Liana wanted to scream. She shoved against Black Blood’s mind, as vehemently as if Raven Frost were in her own head again. Leave him alone! “Liana? What’s the matter?”
Liana realized she’d stopped. She was standing stock-still in the middle of the street, arms slightly spread out as if she were regaining her balance. She felt Misako and Little Lead standing around her. “It’s Black Blood. She’s trying to get into Cole’s head,” she said stiffly. Breathing seemed to be harder now. She tried taking steady breaths. Misako sounded confused. “How can you—?” Yet Little Leaf seemed to understand the situation immediately. “Fight her! Fight her back!” she insisted. “If you can feel Cole, you can help him! I know it!” Liana nodded once, trying to concentrate. She focused her mind back to Cole’s presence, and was immediately met with Black Blood’s rage. It was easier to slip into Cole’s head, now that she had been maintaining a connection for the past ten minutes. Get out. She met the werecat’s presence and pushed at it. You don’t belong here. Black Blood’s emotion switched to something like confusion. Liana could feel the other girl’s thoughts swirling unsteadily. The Daughter of No One! How did she—? Liana shoved this time, lashing out at Black Blood’s presence. She imagined sharp knives in her head, and she was jabbing them at Black Blood. Get out! Leave him alone! You think you can stop me, Daughter of No One? Black Blood sneered—but Liana caught a note of worry from the back of her mind. Yes, she responded coldly. Yes, I do. While Cole fought a battle in the body, Liana fought a battle in the mind.
* * *
Black Blood suddenly snapped, “Curses upon your Daughter of No One, Cole! I’ll get Liana yet, and she’ll pay!” Cole had no idea what she was talking about. As far as he knew, Liana was at the other side of the village, helping scared villagers to safety. He didn’t know why Black Blood was suddenly screaming about her. Maybe the werecat leader had finally lost her marbles.
Well, if Black Blood had lost her marbles, it sure didn’t seem to affect her attack. Again and again, she lashed at Cole and Talon, holding her ground. Cole swiped his claws in a flurry, hoping to break past her defense with his strength. He ignored the rain dripping into his eyes. Suddenly, Black Blood staggered to the ground with a groan. Cole had no idea what he did to put her in that state, but he didn’t waste time thinking about it. He fell on her with furious slashes. Then Talon, of course, fell on him, caterwauling. He grabbed at Cole’s shirt with his teeth and tried to drag him away from his fallen sister. When Cole whirled around and clouted him around the head, Talon snarled and lunged forward. He slashed at Cole’s arms. One of the gauntlets was ripped loose. Cole raised his hands to defend himself, but Talon proceeded to bite down on his shoulder—the same one Black Blood had bitten minutes before. Excruciating pain made Cole throw his head back in a strangled scream. He struggled feebly against Talon. Talon didn’t let go. That was when Black Blood leapt back to her feet. She hadn’t been wounded enough to collapse on the ground. She had faked that move. She knew that if she looked vulnerable and Cole took advantage of that, Talon would turn on him and attack. Thus, when Talon had a strong grip on Cole’s collarbone, she magically recovered. Her paws smashed into Cole’s head. Cole saw bright lights and stars. He struggled feebly to get up, but with both Eagle Talon and Black Blood upon him, wounded as he was, there was no way for him to escape their hold. Black Blood scored his face and head several times, blows hard as stone. He finally fell limp. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He could only feel pain. He barely felt the rain and wounds on him. His body squelched against the slippery mud he lay in. There was no more strength left in him. He was drained. Every move he made hurt. Black Blood had won. Sneeringly she purred, “Thank you, Talon, for helping me finish our human brother once and for all.”
Talon finally let go of Cole’s bone. The movement made Cole’s head swim, and he whimpered. His werecat brother stared down at him in horror, finally realizing what he’d done. He’d just helped Black Blood bring him down for... “I—!” Talon began to rasp. Black Blood ignored him. Her gaze was for Cole only. “You put up a good fight, Son of Earth. Your ancestors will honor you. Now it’s time for you to join them in the stars.” She grinned, revealing her red-stained teeth. “I’ll tell Father you said goodbye.” Her jaws opened up. Cole closed his eyes. He really didn’t want it to end this way. But then, he thought philosophically, Who really plans something like this? And anyway, ninja don’t live forever. The faces of his friends flashed before his eyes. I’m sorry, guys. I tried. “Wait!” Black Blood glared at her brother. Rain dripped off her nose. “What?” Eagle Talon’s gaze flickered between Cole and Black Blood. His cat ears were flattened, his hair plastered to the sides of his face. “If— If you really want to hurt him— if you really want to make him— Look, just hear me out, all right?” he said carefully. Black Blood tails flicked back and forth. “I’m listening, but not for long.” “Just think about this. Think about what Cole’s feeling right now.” Black Blood barked a coarse laugh. “If you think I’m going to start feeling sympathy for this piece of crow’s food, then you’re out of your mouse-brained mind—!” “No, not like that! Think about it,” Talon insisted. “He just realized he has a brother and a sister, and they’re both the enemies he’s been fighting for so long, who’ve been attacking him and his friends. We’re on opposite sides—he just lost his family. “He’s been beaten and humiliated by his own brother and sister. We’ve gained the sixth moonstone today, which means we’re another step closer to fixing the Great Moonstone, and they can’t stop us. His friends aren’t here for him now. He knows what we’re going to do them; all the Sons and Daughters, the ninja, his family. Sooner or later, he’ll realize there’s nothing he or anybody else can do about it.”
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