What Tinny Bird lacked in size he made up for in speed and precision. Before Kai even knew what was happening, the small man had zipped around him and delivered several stinging smacks and jabs at Kai’s torso and legs. Kai whipped around and lunged himself at his opponent as fast as he could, but being both unused to the Pawreles sword and exhausted from traveling all day, he found himself at a great disadvantage in this duel. Tinny Bird danced around him, almost like an energetic small child, landing perfect blows wherever Kai couldn’t defend himself. He finally began to realize why this group of rebels seemed to respect the short man so. Tinny Bird was a swift and cunning opponent. Rarely did he miss a mark, he was light on his feet, and even though the sword he held was nearly as tall as he was, he was strong enough to wield it adeptly—all this with only one hand. Kai privately lamented not having a proper katana with him. This sword he held now—What a stupid, stupid sword! he shouted in his head—was nothing in terms of elegance and ability, not in the way Kai was used to. It was heavy, cloddish, and in his opinion, no better than a giant knife made for spearing things. It seemed a marvel to him that anyone would wield this thing as smoothly as Bird did. But if Shortie can use this butterknife like a proper weapon, Kai decided grimly, then I can, too. Tinny Bird continued to circle him, dancing in a never-ending series of jabs, slaps, and pokes with the blade and point of his sword—basically humiliating Kai over and over again. However, there was no malice and less mockery than Kai expected in his features. Bird carried something matter-of-fact and pragmatic in his movements, in how he handled his weapon and in the occasional shift in his facial expression when he hit Kai and elicited a low grunt of pain. He didn’t seem to want to embarrass his opponent, but only to teach him a lesson. It made Kai think of Master Wu, in a way.
Slowly, gradually, Kai adjusted not only his grip, but his person to the stick-straight sword. He began to grow accustomed to its weight and movement. Swinging long, sweeping blows still threatened to yank the weapon from his hands, but his jabs and stabs became a little more concentrated, a little more precise. It was still awkward and ungraceful work, but it was better—even if he was still getting kicked over and over again by Tinny Bird. This went on for several minutes. Ignoring the trails of sweat trickling down his face, Kai focused his gaze on his adversary, determined to predict Bird’s movements. The man must have sensed Kai’s resolve, because his attacks became faster, fiercer, and more painful. Kai’s knuckles became cross-crossed with scratches. Several more—he lost count—accompanied the sides of his legs, arms, and torso. Meanwhile Bird was completely unscathed, and barely panted for breath. He was definitely not going easy on Kai. Kai’s blood pounded in his ears. His arms were aching from the strain of carrying and wielding the sword. His bare, bruised feet were throbbing. Sweat moistened his face, hair, and chest. The most heavenly-sounding thing he could do at that moment was collapse on the ground and not move for a century. Yet through this all, his resolve remained. He didn’t care how long this went on. He would not back down. He would keep fighting. Slash, clang, swipe—he found himself lucky if he managed to avoid a blow, much more to block it and keep up his defense. The speed and power of Bird’s attack only increased as the sun was setting. Kai gasped for breath and frantically tried to defend himself. The attacks only increased. Again and again Bird whipped his sword up and down at Kai; beating him, winding him, only occasionally breaking skin.
Desperate for it to be over, Kai stumbled backwards a pace, feigning defeat. He didn’t wait to see Bird’s reaction. He suddenly darted to the side and launched himself at Bird, stabbing low. He was aware of a low gasp coming from the people behind him. He concentrated on his blow, and to his inward jubilation, he succeeded in stabbing Bird’s torso—very lightly, at the side. It was barely a prick—but so far, it was the best move Kai made. Silver flashed by his vision. Before he knew it, Kai frantically had his sword thrust up at an awkward angle as he attempted to ward off Bird’s swift slashes and precise cuts at him. Soon all he was doing was desperately trying not to get completely pummeled. The blows came hard and fast. Kai staggered back. He felt himself trip. He landed heavily on his tailbone and uttered a pained grunt. He attempted to sit up on his elbows and push himself back up. Cold steel suddenly pressed against his throat. Panting heavily, Kai glared up at Tinny Bird, who stood over him with the point of his sword digging gently into the flesh of Kai’s neck. The silence that followed was abrupt and unexpected. The audience seemed to be holding their breath. Kai ignored the gazes of the onlookers and only scowled angrily up at the victor. Bird’s expression was unreadable. He now panted almost as heavily as Kai did. Kai felt heat rise from the palms of his hands. He summoned more. You haven’t beaten me yet. Bird opened his mouth to say something. Hot flames exploded from Kai’s fists. He dropped his sword, used one leg to kick Bird’s weapon out of his grasp, and leapt to his feet. Before anyone knew what was happening, he jumped up, and in one fluid spin, delivered a solid punch to the short man’s solar plexus—hands still on fire. Tinny Bird was flung off his feet, and he tumbled several feet away. The audience gasped collectively, of both shock and wonder.
Kai straightened up and faced the group of people. Meeting their astonished gazes, he raised both flaming fists to the darkening sky. Through the aches and pain ranging throughout his body alongside the weight of exhaustion, the feeling of triumph blossomed. He grinned mirthlessly at the spectators. “There’s more than one way for me to defeat an enemy,” he said. Jukeni wore a huge, stupid grin on his freckled face. Kaeden’s expression was more grave, but Kai was sure he detected a smile riding along his muzzle. The rest of the crowd regarded Kai with a strange element of excitement and wariness. One voice hissed, “You didn’t tell us he was a mage!” A grunt sounded behind Kai. He turned as Tinny Bird picked himself up and walked back to where Kai was. Kai expected the man to be angry. To his surprise, however, Bird’s expression showed only surprise and interest—and a certain wryness, as well. He gazed up at Kai and, clearing his throat, said, “Before you hit me there, I was going to say that despite your mediocre swordsmanship, we’d accept you into the rebellion. Now, however…” Kai stiffened. He sensed the atmosphere among the spectators tensing up. Among them he heard Jukeni say despairingly, “Oh, no..” Kai felt his stomach clench. Oh, great. Did I seriously just blow up my one chance of getting back home? “… With your powers, we are definitely going to accept you.” Bird reached up and grasped Kai’s arm with his hook. Kai felt so surprised, he barely felt the handshake. Jukeni voiced a happy whoop. The crowd relaxed, and several approving cheers were voiced loudly. “Welcome to the rebellion, Kai. It’ll be good to have a mage with us.” “I’m not a mage…” Kai said automatically. Tinny Bird arched his eyebrows quizzically. “You sure seem like one.” Kai scanned the admiring faces of the audience. He felt a surge of pride overcome his weariness and wonder, and a smile grew on his face. “I’m a ninja. Where I come from, I’m known as the Master of Fire.”
“Master of Fire, huh?” Bird granted a small smile—he didn’t seem to understand what Kai meant, but it seemed to give him an idea. Abruptly, he clutched Kai’s wrist, raised his arm up with his hook hand, and announced loudly, “All welcome our newest warrior: Kai, the Fire Mage! May he bring us pride and victory! By’lännie!” “By’lännie, Kai, the Fire Mage!” Kaeden, Jukeni, and all the rest of the rebel warriors echoed enthusiastically. Happy whoops and cheers followed, and the courtyard rang with the voices of its delighted occupants. Through the loud voices and celebrations that followed, a dazed and exhausted Kai repeated the new title wonderingly to himself. “Fire Mage.”
It was a cold, clear day in the mountains. Alone, Eagle Talon prowled the hillsides. He strained his ears for any sound of birds or animals, but all was strangely quiet—subdued, even. As if the valley itself were holding its breath in anticipation of some dark force. Talon couldn’t remember leaving the caves and going out on his own. Padding past dark cloud-colored boulders was the first thing he felt aware of, though he was sure he’d been walking all day. He decided not to be bothered by the fact that he couldn’t remember anything beforehand and to just keep walking. He would need to find something to bring home before returning. A low growl broke the silence. Eagle Talon froze in his tracks. He was standing in a valley with a field of large boulders scattered here and there. He couldn’t see very far ahead of him or around him. He bristled uneasily and unsheathed his claws, glancing around. From behind one of the biggest boulders, a large, sand-colored shape crept into view. Talon felt his heart rise to his mouth when he saw what it was: an enormous mountain lion. The great beast towered three times as tall over Talon in his bakeneko form. The huge feline’s eyes glowed like fire as it set its gaze hungrily upon the small cat. Another growl sounded behind Talon. He whirled around to see another mountain lion creeping out from the shadows. This one’s eyes glowed like amber. Talon found himself cornered by the two beasts, and they were stalking him as they would prey. Eagle Talon shifted into his nekomata body. The first lion uttered a louder growl and lashed its thick tail, but Talon ignored the warning. Without any thought of caution, he responded with a warrior’s yowl, bore his claws, and launched himself at the first lion. There was a heated skirmish, and Talon found his opponent was using his weight against him, along with snapping those strong jaws at his face over and over. Yet, somehow, Talon was light on his paws and vicious in his counterattacks. He felt grim triumph as he found himself beating the mountain lion.
The second beast joined with a scream of rage. Talon took it down just as easily. Before he knew it, they were both finished. He stood over their bodies triumphantly. Then, their feline shapes shifted and transformed. Once again, Talon felt realization and horror clog up his throat as he recognized the humans who now lay before him: Kai, the Son of Fire, and Skylor, the Daughter of Amber. “No—not again!” Talon groaned, tearing himself away from the gory spectacle. He ran at a wild, stumbling pace, desperate to get away. The ground tilted over suddenly. Talon was flung off his feet and plummeted into darkness. His own wail of terror echoed hauntingly in his head. He hit the ground. Staggering on his shaky paws, he stood up. He found himself on a steep, narrow mountaintop, with only pebbles and dirt to stand on. The sky yawning above him was dark, and a cold, angry wind lashed at his fur. He glanced over the edge of the precipice, but the slopes of the cliffside fell away only into shadows as black as ink. Terrified, he dug his claws into the dirt and crouched down, shivering. He looked up, and saw a cat standing before him. His blood ran cold when he recognized the pelt and face of the young tom facing him with a sneer: Tall Ears. His kithood tormentor who had delighted in reminding him of the dark rumors surrounding Talon and Black Blood’s birth. “It’s true, then,” Tall Ears taunted him, raising his voice above the low-whistling wind. “You are a half-breed! Your father is a puny human! And your brother is a ninja, one of those cursed Sons of the Elements!” His eyes glittered spitefully. “You’re weak. Your human side affects you. You barely had the courage to punish the Sister of Darkness Matilda, and you didn’t take the chance then and there to end Cole once and for all!” The skinny tom lashed his black-and-white tails. “It’s just what I’ve said all along. You’re no warrior. You’re a coward. A sniveling, human-loving, pathetic coward. If it weren’t for you, the ninja would have been defeated by now, and the Moon Tribe would be at peace. Instead, we’re still at war, and your tribe-mates will continue getting hurt.”
She wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling to herself. She sometimes felt a strange desire to be near him, to constantly keep him in her sights. She felt oddly light-hearted and happy whenever he was nearby, even if he wasn’t paying a lick of attention to her. It was almost as if his mere presence had a soothing, comforting effect on her—and the more she felt it, the more often she wanted to feel it again. The feelings heightened when he did pay attention to her, whether by a friendly comment, a question, or even a small smile when he caught her looking at him. Friends do that, right? she reflected anxiously to herself. It’s normal to want to hang out with your friend often, to hear him talk and laugh. Totally normal. Despite her own thoughts, she couldn’t help but recall the occasional teasing the elders or motherly females of her tribe would give her concerning meeting young toms. Those jokes had begun to come up when Little Leaf had reached her ten-and-third or ten-and-fourth season of life—normally she’d just roll her and eyes and shrug them off, and she’d wonder why older cats always think they’re so hilarious when they tell a kit that one day they will take a mate and have a litter. The jokes had never meant more to her than that. She was still young, with her whole life ahead of her, and unlike some of her more rabbit-brained peers, she had no interest in finding favor with a young tom just yet. But now… Leaf found herself wondering about herself. Well, I suppose I am ten-and-five seasons old. I guess I could— what? No! She felt herself jolt, and she shook her head hastily. Beetle-brain! What are you thinking? That you and Lloyd can just—? Like the heat of flames, she felt her face burn furiously—almost painfully—as she realized the thought that had been slyly creeping into her head. She knew her expression was contorting into a mix of a disgusted cringe and—to her utter horror—an embarrassed smile. She bit her lip hard and looked away, turning her face away from the light of the TV screen. She determined not to turn her gaze back to Lloyd until her face had stopped stinging.
*snip* But now… Leaf found herself wondering about herself. Well, I suppose I am ten-and-five seasons old. I guess I could— what? No! She felt herself jolt, and she shook her head hastily. Beetle-brain! What are you thinking? That you and Lloyd can just—? Like the heat of flames, she felt her face burn furiously—almost painfully—as she realized the thought that had been slyly creeping into her head. She knew her expression was contorting into a mix of a disgusted cringe and—to her utter horror—an embarrassed smile. She bit her lip hard and looked away, turning her face away from the light of the TV screen. She determined not to turn her gaze back to Lloyd until her face had stopped stinging.
**** “Talon’s not like that…” he heard himself protest weakly. Wu’s expression was sympathetic—mournful, even. Cole had rarely known Wu to look to visibly concerned. “Perhaps. I sense there is good in him.” The hope that surged from Cole’s chest surprised him. “Really?” Wu smiled at his pupil’s expression, but there was pity in it. “We cannot give up hope for him—or Black Blood, for that matter. Even if they do not deserve it, we must give them a second chance. If their half-sister Little Leaf can join our side, why not them? There is always hope, no matter how small.” “What if he decides he’s with Black Blood?” Cole demanded. Wu’s smile faded, and his face became grave. “Then you must look at yourself and the people in your life, and decide for yourself who your true brothers and sisters are.”
He wondered if she was testing him. He knew that she was furious with him for attempting to defend Cole from her assault, before she had manipulated him into delivering the near-final blow on their younger brother. Did she know that the thought of tormenting humans no longer had any appeal to Talon? Was she aware of how much torturing Matilda yesterday had sickened him? She must have. Black Blood was no mouse-brain. This is a test of my loyalty, he realized with a lurch to his stomach. She’s looking for ways to indirectly point out that I’m getting soft. If I refuse to join the war party, it might look like I’m trying to avoid conflict. Thankfully, however, he had an excuse not to go: he had already taken part in the battle with the Moon Tribe yesterday and helped Black Blood bring down the Son of Earth. He had been Matilda’s public tormenter that same day, in view of everyone in the tribe. Surely no cat could blame him for wanting to take a day off from battles. He was tired and needed to rest. The nightmares from the previous night had only added to his fatigue. He ran all this through his mind quickly and decided that he was safe. Knowing that everyone in the room was still waiting for an answer from him, he asked, “If I don’t lead the party, who will?” Black Blood gave a small nod toward the other end of the circle on Talon’s left. “Mist Rise.” As the long-furred tom glanced up with surprise, Talon felt himself relax. Despite being in charge of the warriors’ training and strategy-planning—ultimately being one of the strongest and most ferocious fighters in the tribe—Mist Rise was one of the few cats who did not seem to share the same lust for violence as his tribe-mates did. Although young, only a little older than Eagle Talon himself, he was thoughtful and methodical in what he did, and often liked to think outside the box, which is one of the reasons why he ranked up so quickly at such a young age.
Oh no, I'm starting to like Mist Rise, hopefully nothing happens to him. O.O
His whiskers twitched in a dark, mirthless sneer. “This is all your fault.” “Shut up!” Eagle Talon burst out. His heart felt ablaze with fury, so hot and lashing that it burned him from the inside. His stomach churned and recoiled from Tall Ears’ words, but he poured his fury into his strength. “Just shut up!” he repeated in a caterwaul, launching himself at Tall Ears with claws unsheathed. He fell upon his enemy heavily. Tall Ears screeched angrily and writhed, biting and scratching. Talon wrapped his forelegs around him, yanking him down. Tall Ears hissed and yowled as he squirmed to free himself. The two toms struggled furiously upon the narrow precipice. To any onlookers, they were whirring balls of fur, claws, and teeth, snapping and lashing at each other. Talon ignored the stabs of pain—in a way, the pain gave him a boost of energy. The physical hurt he felt was finally beginning to match the hurt he felt within himself, and it was an oddly satisfying sensation. Empowered by this feeling, Eagle Talon fought back against his tormentor all the more viciously. Abruptly, Tall Ears uttered one strangled cry. Then, the tom sank onto his side and collapsed. Eagle Talon fell away. He gasped for breath and felt his limbs tremble with shock. Blearily he gazed at the limp, broken figure lying before him. There was no joy in his success in this vision. Once again, the body of the one he’d defeated shifted and changed. Somehow, a part of Talon had known this part of his series of nightmares would come to this. Yet it could not ward off the spine-chilling, gut-dropping feeling of not only horror, but a terrifyingly real sensation of grief—grief so agonizing it felt as if something had been plunged into his heart. He opened his mouth to scream, but for that moment of shock, any voice he had found itself trapped and strangled in the deep of his throat.
Cole lay in a twisted, pathetic heap before him. His skin was colorless. The material of his uniform was ripped and shredded where Talon’s claws had ripped it. One of Cole’s arms lay at an angle it probably wasn’t supposed to. The leathery breastplate had fallen away, straps broken, and the wraps on his undershirt had been torn away to reveal his wounded chest. His unmoving face was contorted with pain. The howling wind made locks of his black hair—so much like Talon’s own—dance around his face, and the jagged green scar running down the side of his head glittered weakly in the darkness. Then, Cole stirred. With a jolt, Talon realized that he was still alive. Coughing, Cole wheezed quietly, “Talon… please…” Talon didn’t move. What could he do? What could he say? Cole stared up at him pleadingly. “We’re— we’re brothers.” Before Talon could find strength to move, a horrible sob sounded beside him. He saw Liana suddenly appear, her silver-blond hair glowing in the night. For some reason or another, she was wearing long, dark robes like that of Matilda’s, and instead of being pulled up in its usual ponytail, her hair was down. “Cole!” Liana staggered to the ninja’s side in a second, as swiftly as if she could see, and she kneeled by him. Her scarred face contorted, tears running down her face. Her hands groped for his face, and they came away sticky and red. “No, no, no… please, no…” Cole blinked wearily at her. Then he gazed at Eagle Talon with a look that made Talon feel as if his heart were being wrenched out of his chest. His lips parted once more, he struggled for breath to say something—then his head fell back with a small sigh. His chest stopped moving, and his body lay still upon the cold ground. Liana bit her fist into her mouth, but it could not stop the strangled wail of grief that shattered from her throat. She was trembling from head to foot, tears falling more profusely than ever—some dripped onto Cole’s face. She hunched her shoulder and hugged herself, leaning over—
![[uni]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/mPKcREJAtrpeAXSOgaOH.png)
