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Post by LordTigress on Jan 10, 2022 1:46:31 GMT
“Humans cannot destroy all of us at once. Your pack is in danger, Alpha.” She pressed, “The humans are attempting to destroy my tribe. Once they’re done with us, they’ll most likely go after you. They will come into these hills, into these forests, with their rolling machines and boom sticks.” She met his gaze. “Humans will come. Humans will destroy. Cats and wolves must fight together.”
Alpha interrupted her with a great huffing laugh. “Humans no come if wolves not attack humans! Wolves safe in forest.”
“We cats thought we were safe in our hills, too,” she responded gravely. “But we were wrong. They are coming. They will destroy us, and then they will destroy you. They will take everything. The hills, the trees, the water, the food, and your mates and your pups.” Her eyes narrowed. “Humans love taking wolf pups. Do you have pups, Alpha? Is there a litter of puppies waiting for you in one of those dens beyond those trees?”
That did it. That was his weakness. She saw a shudder of fear cross his mangy muzzle. “Humans— humans come?”
Black Blood shifted to reveal several deep scratches on either side of her shoulders, standing out against the glossy black fur. “Humans come,” she repeated solemnly. Those scratches had been from her bitter skirmish with her brothers. Cole had done that to her.
Now he seemed to take her seriously. Alpha’s eyes flickered to Grunt. The other wolf barked at the others and all of them turned away from the cats to huddle together for a meeting. Again Black Blood could not make out the language beneath the deep-throated growls and huffs.
I do hope these creatures are as stupid and impressionable as they are ugly, she thought. A look over her shoulder revealed that the other sorcerers had not moved. They stood stiffly behind her with unsheathed claws and bristling fur. Rip Claw’s eyes kept flicking back the way they came, as if he were considering fleeing the scene.
Alpha barked, making her jump. In a flash of mottled gray and brown fur the other wolves surrounded the cats again in a circle. The massive red-furred wolf stepped up to Black Blood. His eyes were shining with excitement now.
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Post by LordTigress on Jan 10, 2022 4:41:59 GMT
“Humans not take forest. Humans not take wolves. Wolves kill humans.” He chortled, revealing many yellow teeth. “Wolf pack fight. Wolf pack join big cats. Wolves and big cats kill humans!”
Mingling relief and satisfaction had her whiskers twitching. “Excellent. We shall meet together to fight tomorrow, when the sun rises.”
“Wolf pack fight at sunrise!” Alpha raised his head and let loose an eery howl. The other wolves followed eagerly with some loud barks and tail wags. The sound made Black Blood shudder but she forced herself to purr.
Prepare yourself, brothers. You have no idea what’s in store for you.
* * *
Jay kicked at a pebble, sending it scattering down the deserted road. “What’s the point of having to walk around the city all morning? We know they’re coming, anyway.” He cast a baleful look toward the Sea of Sand stretching out several miles away.
“It’d be better to alert everyone when we see them coming, obviously.” Though the tall young man walking alongside him looked human, blue feline eyes glinted mischievously at Jay. “Don’t want them to sneak up on us—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, Earth Bane.”
“It’s Earth Flame.”
“Why are you called ‘Earth Flame’?” Jay didn’t bother trying to hide the derision in his voice.
Earth Flame grinned, exposing a pair of sharp fangs among his otherwise human teeth. “It’s because I’m the most attractive tom in the clan.”
Huffing and rolling his eyes, Jay veered a few steps away from the annoying werecat. On a better day the joke might’ve made him chuckle and venture to exchange more puns and banter, perhaps even leading to himself forming a nice friendship with Earth Flame. Today, however, was not that day. He still mistrusted the werecats, all of them. He didn’t care what Cole, Master Wu, or anyone else said. He hated having to work alongside the shape-shifting felines. They constantly reminded him of all the nightmares he’d suffered—all of them.
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Jan 11, 2022 14:53:39 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 11, 2022 14:53:39 GMT
Jay and Earth Flame were with three police officers and Spark Pelt. The six of them had been assigned to make a patrol around the city borders, where a hill overlooked the Sea of Sand. They were the second patrol to make the round today. Lloyd and some others had led a patrol around eight in the morning. Now it was nearing ten. While the sun was shining, there was an icy chill in the air and storm clouds were drifting in from the northeast. The weather channel foresaw rain or even snow coming soon.
They were walking several hundred yards from the borders of Ninjago City, where the dry landscape was deserted except for patches of dead grass, sand, some rocks, and the occasional two-to-four-story buildings left deserted in the evacuation. Jay scanned the horizon impatiently. A few low hills obscured his view.
“I bet we could see better if we went a little further.” He gestured vaguely to their right. “All you can see from here is sand.”
The police officers exchanged uncertain looks. “Are you sure, Lightning Ninja?” one of them queried. “I thought the Green Ninja told us to stay close to the city in case we’re ambushed—”
“Lloyd’s just being overly cautious. We’ll see them coming.” Jay took off at a jog. “C’mon! You wanna protect Ninjago or what?”
The police officers hesitated. They weren’t huge fans of having to follow the orders of teenagers, but they followed Jay. Earth Flame and Spark Pelt joined them at a more leisurely pace.
Running head, Jay topped the nearest rise of land and swept his gaze over the miles of hot bright sand. He was almost disappointed to not find any large army of monsters marching toward them. Only a few potato-shaped birds could be seen drifting lazily over the desert.
“See? No ambush. Just sand.” He waved to the desert as the policemen and werecats joined him.
“All the same, I’d prefer to be back within the walls of our city,” one of the younger men huffed. “I feel way too exposed out here.”
“So do I,” Spark Pelt concurred. He squinted against the glare of the sun reflecting off the sand. “I’m not used to be in a place so… barren.”
“Or loud.” Earth Flame gave Ninjago City a rueful frown.
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Jan 11, 2022 22:55:46 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 11, 2022 22:55:46 GMT
Jay sighed. “Let’s keep going. The sooner we’re done with this patrol the sooner we can get back and get some water.”
They set off walking again, kicking sand and pebbles as they went. Earth Flame and Spark Pelt walked side by side and spoke quietly to one another. Spark Pelt seemed fascinated by everything the humans said and did while his younger companion maintained a more guarded, if not haughty disposition. By this point Jay felt tired of constantly expecting the werecats to turn on them. Instead he let his mind wander to the ever-dangerous thoughts that had been haunting him for days.
He’d gone to bed early last night. Nya had been warming up to some of the werecats and he didn’t like it. She needed to see that they were all still just as dangerous to the ninja as they were when they first came to kidnap Kai and Skylor and burned down the teashop. Not to mention there was that ever-living fear of herself and Cole… ah, it would all be so much easier if Cole and Liana were a thing. That way Nya couldn’t have him. Maybe if Cole didn’t exist at all… maybe there’d be some accident today, and Cole would…
Jay stopped as if some sound had awoken him from the dark mist in his mind. Did— did I just think that? Bewilderment made him feel dizzy. Holy baloney, what is wrong with me? Do I really want to see Cole…?
“What’s the matter? Why’d you stop?” One of the policemen’s voices urged Jay to shake himself out of his ponderation.
“N— nothing!” He turned to see everyone giving him a perplexed look. “Sorry, uh, just got a little lost in my thoughts. Heh, heh.”
“Oh. OK.” The man yawned. “C’mon, let’s get back to—”
Something whizzed through the air and struck one of the police officers, a woman. She shrieked in shock and pain, stumbling to the ground. Sand flew as she writhed and clutched her arm.
“Rachel!” the younger policeman cried.
“Get down!” The oldest officer yanked his companion and Spark Pelt down behind the rise of the hill, where Rachel lay. Jay yanked his nunchucks from his belt and found himself frantically scanning the horizon with Earth Flame.
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Jan 11, 2022 23:42:09 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 11, 2022 23:42:09 GMT
“What was that?!” Jay swept his gaze up and down, searching for any sign of movement.
Earth Flame fingered a long clearstone sword dangling at his side. His lips parted as he sniffed and tasted the air. His eyes flashed. “Moon Tribe warriors.”
“Where?”
“Straight ahead, a little to the west.” He pointed. Jay followed his gaze until he caught sight of several figures lining up atop one of the sand dunes. A shimmer of dark red color—like some super-bright lamp—hovered in front of one of the figures.
“They’ve got a sorcerer with them,” Earth Flame realized before Jay did. He looked over his shoulder. “What did he do to her?”
Jay looked back, too. Bile rose in his throat. Rachel shrieked as one of her arms bent and twisted as if an invisible hand were squeezing it like a ball of clay. The sleeve of her uniform started burning and her flesh turned green as it shrank and shriveled to the bone. Her fingers seemed to be wrenched out of their knucklebones, transforming. Strange claws stuck out from her nails.
“Some kind of mutation spell,” Spark Pelt murmured, face dark.
Gritting her teeth, the policewoman stared in horror at his disfigured limb. “Guys… why does my arm look like a chicken foot?”
“I dunno, why are a bunch of teenagers always having to defend this city instead of some official military force?” Jay groaned and scanned their surroundings. His eyes fell upon one of the abandoned apartment complexes that stood closer to the desert than the rest of the buildings. “You guys hide out there. I’ll take care of these cats.”
“Aw ancestors, no!” Earth Flame snorted. “That looks like Raven Frost out there with that scout patrol. You can’t take him by yourself.”
“Besides, someone needs to run back and alert the rest of the police,” the white-haired policeman added.
“I’ll go,” the younger man volunteered.
Earth Flame huffed, “No, you’ll be too slow. I’ll go.” He faced Jay. “Get the female and the others into that building and defend yourself for as long as you can. I’m getting the Son of the First and the others.”
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Post by LordTigress on Jan 12, 2022 0:31:22 GMT
Before Jay could bluster a retort, the tom shifted into his dark gray feline body and bounded away. Jay risked watching the cat’s figure grow smaller as it approached Ninjago City. Then he turned to the others. “OK, let’s—”
Another high-pitched whizzing sound by his ears, followed by a loud boom and an explosion of sand, sent him scrambling down the slope. He helped the white-haired police officer half-drag Rachel to the apartment complex. Spark Pelt and the other policeman ran ahead, kicking away any debris the wounded officer might be dragged over.
The younger man shoved the doors open and slammed them shut once everyone was inside. Just as he was closing them another whizzing sound flashed by their heads. The building shuddered.
It was a dingy and cheap apartment complex, with bare furniture in the lobby and dusty corners. Jay’s mind raced as he assessed the situation. “OK. This might be easier if these were just normal warrior cats, but since they’ve got this Raven Cough dude—”
“Raven Frost,” Spark Pelt corrected.
“Whatever—since they’ve got him and he’s like a cat wizard, we can’t really fight him, so we have to hide out here. Earth Flame had better be fast.” He scanned their surroundings. “We gotta block the doors. Take what you can find and pile it up against any door or window you find!”
They set to work. Jay and the younger policeman shoved chairs, side tables, armchairs and even some lamps and trashcans against the main doors and side exits. Rachel was taken upstairs and watched over by the older officer while Spark Pelt helped the humans. He found a toolbox and some discarded boards left in one of the storage rooms and all three of them hastily boarded up some of the windows.
Oh golly, this isn’t gonna last long, Jay thought grimly.
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Post by LordTigress on Jan 12, 2022 2:02:48 GMT
* * *
One battle scythe, sheathed and strapped to his back… five throwing stars stuffed neatly into the leather pouch in the front… two sai knives on the breast strap crossing over his torso… and, of course, the pair of tekko kagi claws attached to his belt… altogether the weapons hung heavily on him, but he knew he could take the weight. He had to be prepared for anything and everything today.
Movement made Cole turn to face the threshold of the armory room. There Liana’s cousin Rosie stood, eyeing him uncertainly. She looked out of place in her plain civilian clothing.
“Hey.” He hoisted the scythe to rest on his shoulder casually. “What’s up?”
The dark-haired girl stared at the enormous weapon. “Mister Wu said I might want to grab something to fight with. I ain’t gonna be on the battlefield, but they might manage to get into the city…”
“Gotcha. A bo staff will probably do the trick.” He gestured to the barrel that held a few spare staffs, among other long weapons. “It’s light and easy to handle for newbies. You don’t have to worry about using it, though,” he added. “We’re gonna send those cats running.”
Not answering, she took a staff and swung it around experimentally. It was obvious she had little to no idea how to use it properly. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He tightened a couple of the buckles on his breast straps, removing one of the knives to keep from poking himself. As casually as he could, he asked, “Is Liana ready?”
“Think so. Wu’s been doing some extra trainin’ with her this morning, I think.” She paused. “Are you and Liana together?”
One of the sai knives fell and clattered on the floor. He bent down quickly to grab it in order to hide his blush. “Wh— what makes you say that?” His voice squeaked—he hated it when it did that.
She flashed him a small, knowing smile. “Hard not to notice last night.”
He put the knife back into its sheathe. “We’re— uh, we’ve been good friends for a while.”
When he finally stood back up he forced himself to meet her prying stare. She seemed to be taking careful observation of him.
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Jan 13, 2022 15:23:46 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 13, 2022 15:23:46 GMT
“She’s always had trust issues,” she finally remarked. “But she seems so happy and comfortable around you. Not a lot of people get to see her like that.”
He didn’t respond. She swung the bo staff around a couple more times, then walked past him. “My sisters adore Kai, but you’ve always been my favorite.”
She left. Cole stood uncertainly in the armory. Finally he attached the scythe carefully to the sheathe on his back and left the room. In the corridor Master Wu and Liana ran into him.
“There you are,” he remarked. After last night seeing Liana felt different—there was a little more excitement, a little more anxiety, but also a strange feeling of secret, unblemished joy.
She was suited up like Cole was in her ninja gi, her only weapons being her nunchucks and the sight archery set. Back set straight and hair pulled back into its usual ponytail, she looked tense and nervous. A vague smile crossed her face at the sound of his voice.
“I was taking a moment to test Liana’s powers a little,” Wu responded. He gave the girl a gentle look and stroked his beard. “And I believe it is safe to say that her powers are not related to air.”
“He had me stand at the bow in the wind for like twenty minutes,” Liana added wryly. “Trying to get me to make the wind move the sails while breathing slowly or whatever.”
“Looks like fire’s next,” Cole replied brightly.
“Oh, gosh.” She grinned ruefully and rubbed her hands together. “Maybe we should keep doing air, Master Wu—I’m not sure I’m ready to get burnt to a crisp.”
“You will be fine, Liana.” In a more serious tone he added, “Let us go up to the deck. Black Blood could attack any minute now.”
As the three of them ascended the stairs, Cole slipped his hand around Liana’s. She squeezed it and leaned in briefly to touch her cheek to his shoulder.
The werecat allies—except for Talon—were all at the city police station, where Lloyd and the Commissioner were showing them maps of the city and giving them points on how to find their way in case they got lost or had to retreat. This left Zane, Eagle Talon, Misako, and Lou up on deck waiting for the others.
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Jan 13, 2022 19:41:10 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 13, 2022 19:41:10 GMT
Lou yanked his son into a hug as soon as he appeared on deck.
“Dad!” Cole grunted.
“I know, I know, I just—” He took a step back and held Cole at arm’s length, looking over him anxiously. “Just… be careful, all right?” He looked back over his shoulder. “You, too.”
Eagle Talon flashed his father a vague smile. “Can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best to bring Cole back.”
“I want you to come back, too.”
Surprised, Eagle Talon looked away and pretended to fiddle with his sword. Lou turned back to Cole, where his gaze rested upon Liana and the two hands entwined. “I see you—”
Zane interrupted grimly. “Earth Flame just reported to the police alone.” One hand was up to his head, where his intercom was.
“Alone?” Misako repeated. “Where are the others?”
“Trapped in an apartment complex on the east side of the city, near the Desert of Sand. Jay and his patrol ran into a small Moon Tribe group with a sorcerer. They could be a scout patrol. We do not have much time.”
“Should we all go to help him?” Eagle Talon pressed.
“No. Nya is already on the way and so are some policemen. It could be a distraction from the rest of the army.”
“It’s happening. The Moon Tribe is coming,” Cole realized.
* * *
“You cannot hide forever, cowardly Sons and Daughters!” a raspy voice came from outside the doors. “I can make this building stand up and tear itself in two!”
Raven Frost. With an angry curl of his lip Jay stood up. “Come and try it, you two-tailed rat-face, and I’ll electrocute your ugly face off!”
“Good one,” Spark Pelt muttered.
The ninja, the werecat, and the young police officer—Jeffery, his name was—stood together gripping their weapons and facing every possible entrance that had been barred by random furniture and ugly wall decorations. Feline growls signaled the presence of several nekomata. Jay could hear great big feet padding this way and that around the building.
The tuxedo cat, now in his own nekomata form, murmured bleakly, “Now I wish I’d done better in battle training.”
“I just wish I had something other than a dumb taser,” Jeffery added.
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Jan 13, 2022 20:29:33 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 13, 2022 20:29:33 GMT
“And I wish tacos would rain from the sky like they did in my dream once, but that’s not gonna happen now, is it?” Jay snapped.
A loud boom shook the building, silencing them all. A flash of bright light illuminated the front doors briefly, followed by tinges of blue fire. The flames crept in from the hinges and cracks.
“Ack! Put it out, put it out!” Jay used his mask to suffocate the flames on the doorway while Jeffrey stomped on the fire licking the floorboards. Spark Pelt stood by, bristling and slashing his tails back and forth.
Another boom sent Jeffrey stumbling back from the doors. A lopsided lamp tumbled from a sideways couch and hit him on the head, making him yelp. “They’re trying to get in!”
Thinking quickly, Jay turned and raced up the stairs. “Hang on!”
Dashing past the room where the older man sat with Rachel, he burst into an empty apartment and headed to one of the boarded-up windows. It sat at the front of the building, looking down at the patrol of Moon Tribe warriors prowling around it. Praying they wouldn’t see him, he slid his hand beneath the boards and managed to unlatch the window. A rusty squeak made him hesitate with a cringe, but the voices outside did not change.
Another boom made the building tremble. Dust and grains from the ceiling rained down on Jay. He could feel the wave of heat that came with Raven Frost’s fire curse. He wondered if this was the most powerful spell he had or if he was just toying with his victims.
“Come out, come out, little mice!” the raspy voice taunted from the sandy parking lot. “You’ve been playing for so long, I think it’s time you had a nap!”
Not today, buster. Surveying the scene below, Jay caught sight of the sorcerer. He was standing among the nekomata in his human body, in robes of musty animal skins and a cape that looked as if it were made of bear fur. He did not seem bothered by the sharp pebbles his bare feet stood upon. Instead his face was focused on the doors. Blue fire still flickered about the old wood while some bricks had fallen from the building’s exterior.
Raven Frost grinned, revealing jagged yellow teeth. “Come on out, little mice.”
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Jan 13, 2022 21:25:20 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 13, 2022 21:25:20 GMT
Jay remembered that Raven Frost had been the first sorcerer to reveal himself to the ninja at the burning teashop. It felt like a distant nightmare now except for the sting of anger that still felt fresh.
The sorcerer began murmuring another incantation. A ball of the same blue fire appeared and grew between his hands like an inflating balloon. It hissed and shot to the doors.
Gritting his teeth, Jay stuck his hand as far as he dared out the window.
This one’s for Kai.
A hoarse scream of shock and pain shook itself from Raven Frost’s throat. Electricity ran up and down his body for several seconds before dying away in wisps of smoke. Meanwhile the ball of fire evaporated before it could hit its target. The nekomata voiced startled hisses and meows.
“Wh— what was that?!” Raven Frost’s eyes swept over the building before landing on Jay. “You.”
Jay shut the window just as the spell came hurtling toward him. He scrambled out of the room and slammed the door behind him while the window exploded in a shower of glass shards. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Running up another two flights of stairs, he entered another apartment that looked over the parking lot.
This one’s window hadn’t been boarded up. He could see the nekomata pacing nervously while the sorcerer screamed at Jay, hidden from him at the moment.
“Where are you, Son of Lightning?” Another ball of fire burned into the already-broken window. The bricks around it were charred black. “That was a cute little trick of yours. I dare you to try that again!”
“Challenge accepted!” Jay stuck his whole head out this time and shot two bolts at Raven Frost. Once again the sorcerer fell writhing and groaning. By the time he got to his feet again Jay had moved on to a different window.
“This one’s for Liana!” A shot from the ground floor sent Raven Frost flying. The sight of the old man being blown off his feet made Jay laugh. “Try to catch me, Raven Sauce!”
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Jan 13, 2022 22:03:21 GMT
-last edited on Jan 13, 2022 22:03:37 GMT by LordTigress
Post by LordTigress on Jan 13, 2022 22:03:21 GMT
“You prancing rat!” He staggered to his feet. Jay shot another bolt at him, but this time Raven Frost fended off the bolt with a small burst of fire. Through the smoke he glared at Jay with ice-blue eyes. “Give up! You know we outnumber you, and you can’t keep doing this forever!”
“It ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings!” With that, Jay ducked out of the way of the next curse that shattered the window frame.
“Huh?” Raven Frost looked at his nekomata companions, puzzled. “Fat lady? Who is this lady? And why must she sing?”
Running up and down the stairs made Jay’s lungs burn as he gasped for breath, but he wasn’t stopping now. Dashing to the highest floor, he ignored another boom of a magic explosion ramming against the building. He stuck his head out another window.
Raven Frost was facing away, expecting Jay to appear around the middle floor windows. Cackling, Jay shot three more bolts. Red burns finally began to appear on the sorcerer’s flesh and clothes.
“Fox dung!” Raven Frost cursed.
“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Jay taunted.
The man’s feline eyes flashed. “More than I can say than you, since we destroyed your mother.”
Jay nearly fell out of the window. “Wha—?”
The world seemed to explode around in in a flash of blue fire, dust, black smoke and broken bricks. He felt himself blasted from his feet across the apartment room, crushing a coffee table as his body tumbled across the floor.
A ringing noise in his ears drowned out everything else. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He lay there in a stupor as the ringing went on. His vision blurred.
Gradually his senses began returning. The building was shaking. Muffled booms continued at a faster rate than ever. He wanted to get up but he’d forgotten how to move his muscles. Smoke made his eyes tear up and his breathing labored.
Something touched his shoulder. He stiffened and peered through the veil of smoke. A cat’s head was looking down at him—he nearly panicked until he recognized Spark Pelt. He tried to speak but his throat felt as if it’d been burned by fire.
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Jan 13, 2022 22:32:23 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 13, 2022 22:32:23 GMT
“Oh,” the big cat sighed, “thank your ancestors you’re still alive.” Gently he grabbed Jay’s gi between his teeth and hauled him away from the burning wreckage. When they were out of the smoke the werecat shifted into his human body and helped Jay sit up.
“You all right? You look awful.”
“Thanks,” Jay rasped as his head throbbed. A quick inspection of himself revealed his gi was burned and scraped in several places. Even a piece of his hair was on fire. He slapped at the burning strand weakly.
“They’re breaking through the front. We need to get to the back and barricade ourselves there,” Spark Pelt said.
Another explosion sent dust raining over their heads. The lights flickered. Jay coughed and stumbled to his feet. “Lead the way, Fluffy.”
They joined the white-haired policeman and Rachel on the stairs. He was helping her walk, as she still seemed to be in pain. Jay scanned the stairway. “Where’s—?”
“Here!” Jeffrey staggered into view, joining them on the fifth floor. “I managed to use the taser on a few cats, but the sorcerer’s still breaking down the doors.”
A loud shattering noise from downstairs seemed to confirm Jeffrey’s claim. Jubilant caterwauls rose to the highest floor. Jay’s heart pounded.
They were inside.
“Upstairs or downstairs?” Spark Pelt demanded. “Where do we go?”
“The only place upstairs we can go is the roof,” Jeffrey pointed out.
Jay peered over the bannister and down the rickety wooden staircase. It curved in a spiral down to the lobby. He thought he could see a flash of fur at the bottom.
“To the fourth floor,” he decided. “You guys find a room in the back and start barricading there.”
“What’ll you do?” Rachel groaned.
“I’ll destroy the staircase. That should stall them for a while—I hope.” Jay bounded downstairs. While the others scurried down the hall and slammed open doors on the fourth floor, he stood over the staircase. He couldn’t see them, but he could definitely hear the giant cats’ claws scrabbling over the old wood as they raced up the stairs. Already a great black cat was running into view.
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Jan 13, 2022 23:41:41 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Jan 13, 2022 23:41:41 GMT
“Lightning!” A bolt of blinding, hot light seared down the stairway and blasted apart the platform and neighboring stairs. Broken boards and splinters flew like bullets around him. He yanked his mask over his face before the splinters could take out an eye. Then he did it again—bigger bolts, fingers of lightning made to smash apart structures. He was so close to the explosions that the white fire burned his face and arms.
Shocked hisses and screeches came from the cats out of his point of vision. When he could see again he surveyed the damage in approval. The majority of the stairwell connecting the third floor to the fourth floor had been properly blasted to nothing but scorched splinters.
Then icy eyes glared up at him angrily. He could just barely make out Raven Frost’s red face beneath the second-floor stairwell. “Your frame is thin and your face is weary, Son of Lightning! Do you still have nightmares?” he taunted. “I remember your nightmares. I made them for you. Do you still fear the Son of Earth will steal away your darling mate?”
The strength that’d been lost in the magic explosion suddenly rushed back into Jay’s bones. His face burned. “Can it, Jack Frost!” A sizzling branch of lightning shot from his fingers to the first floor carpet.
Raven Frost stamped out the small blaze. “I know everything you fear, Jay.” That was the first time he’d used his name. The sound of it from the werecat made Jay want to slug him in the nose. “Dark attics, still bodies, losing loved ones… tell me, did you ever find out what happened to the mother who gave birth to you?”
“I don’t care!” He shot another bolt. This time Raven Frost deflected it with a spell that summoned a glowing shape of a shield.
“I think you do,” he purred. “Now, I don’t really know the details of the Daughter of Lightning’s demise. You’ll have to ask Rip Claw about that. He’s the one who did it, after she abandoned you. Oh, and by the way,” he added with a dark chuckle. “I do believe Rip Claw’s taken a fancy to that Nya of yours. I wouldn’t be surprised if, after killing you, he took her—”
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Jan 17, 2022 3:45:52 GMT
-last edited on Jan 17, 2022 15:46:53 GMT by LordTigress
Post by LordTigress on Jan 17, 2022 3:45:52 GMT
“Shut up! Nya will kick Rip Claw’s tails, both of them!” Two more bolts seared down the shattered stairwell, burning two nekomata. Jay ignored their yowls of pain and anger. His own rage blocked out everything else. “Say her name again and I’ll burn you so badly your grand-kittens won’t have fur!”
Raven Frost grinned toothily. “Nya.”
“Did someone call?”
Water with the force of a firehose blasted into Raven Frost sent him tumbling off his feet. The nekomata warrior cats received the same treatment, yowls being drowned into gurgles. Then a familiar figure stepped into view.
“Nya!” Jay gasped.
An Airjitzu vortex carried her up to him. Her face looked grim. “I ran into Earth Flame. He’s getting reinforcements. Where’s the rest of the patrol?”
“The little robin has come to join her beloved blue jay!” Raven Frost’s voice rose tauntingly out of sight. “Looks like I get two birds with one stone!”
“This way!” Jay and Nya darted down the corridor just as a blue fireball burst up to the ceiling. Spark Pelt stood at the entrances down the hall, beckoning to them.
“What’s the plan?” Nya demanded.
“Hide in here until the calvary arrives!”
“Isn’t there a better way to stop these guys?”
Jay growled, “I burned down the staircase. That’s about the best I got.” They stumbled into the apartment and Spark Pelt bolted the door behind them.
It was a simplistic room with little furniture. A tiny kitchen took up the left wall while a lounge area with a couch and a TV made the center space. A narrow hallway in the right wall led to two bedrooms, one with a window. There was also a window overlooking the kitchen area. One of the bedrooms had a door that led to the neighboring apartment. Rachel lay on the couch while the policemen paced around, tasers in hand.
“Is there a fire escape?” Nya asked.
“There is, but there are also several of those cats outside, watching the windows,” the older man replied. “If we try to get out that way they’ll see us, and we’ll be done for.”
Jeffrey shoved an armchair to the door. “Help me!”
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