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Post by LordTigress on Feb 8, 2022 16:12:20 GMT
Yet, home felt different now… Did the mountain crags glare down upon her accusingly? Did the cold wind whistle a sharper tune than usual? Was there something more forbidding to the scattered patches of grass and boulders decorating the steep hillsides? The sky was certainly darker, casting slow-moving snowflakes upon the feline army. Oddly enough, the snow didn’t feel much colder than her own blood did. Was the snow warmer, or had her veins been chilled permanently so that they may never feel joy again? She didn’t think she would feel anything again.
Eagle Talon’s gone and you killed him, a little voice in her head chanted bitterly. You killed him, you killed him, he’s gone and you killed him…
The trek up the mountain took another couple hours but the time seemed to skip over Black Blood. Even when they all finally reached the cave entrances and filed inside, she kept walking. She ignored the surprised and worried meows of the nursing mothers, kittens, guards and elders who’d been left behind. She kept walking until she reached her private den.
Exhaustion no longer meant anything to her. She stood, teetering slightly on her paws. She didn’t even remember shifting into her bakeneko body.
You killed him, you killed him, you killed him…
“I didn’t mean to. It was an accident,” she whispered, alone in the darkness. Somehow talking out loud helped, if only a little. Yes, control—that was what she needed. She was strong. She was in control.
“Just— just an accident. An unforeseen… circumstance. Accidents happen. And anyway, it means nothing in the long run. If anything it— it is a blessing, it means I won’t have to deal with him anymore…”
Her voice caught. “He betrayed me. He just— he betrayed his tribe. Our ancestors. He deserved it. He— yes, he— he deserved it, it was his own fault.”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 8, 2022 17:07:55 GMT
Then it all came crashing down. “Come back! I want you back, Talon! You’re my brother, you— we were supposed to stick together! Please, I want you back… I’m sorry… I never wanted this to happen to you…!” Weeping, the black cat crumpled into her nest of moss beneath the lichen ceiling. She almost changed into her human body again, just so that she could feel those relieving hot tears trail down her cheeks, but a cat she remained. The sobs she heaved were dry and empty.
For what felt like forever she lay there, trembling and weeping in a pathetically small voice. She wanted to rebuke herself for giving in to personal feelings, but the feeling of her heart tearing apart kept interrupting her.
Among all her grief there was a distinct feeling of desperate wanting, but what exactly she wanted, she did not know. So like a kitten abandoned by its mother, she lay there and cried her heart out to the uncaring darkness.
Her bed lay atop a shallow stone shelf, which overlooked some natural small pools in the cavern, decorated with the occasional stalagmite. It was from one of these little pools a strange glimmer caught her eye. Quivering, Black Blood raised her head and looked over her bed into the pool.
A glittering shape with colors of violet, blue and silver mingling together appeared in the water like a hazy vision, glowing in the dark.
Black Blood’s eyes gleamed. Her crying stifled, she stared into the water. At last she murmured, incredulous, “So… you— you choose this moment n— now to reveal the seventh moonstone to me…?”
Grief hastily buried, she stood, whisking her tails. A crazed grin spread across her muzzle as she tried to laugh away the sobs. “S— something came of my suffering, eh? I lost him, but we got her. Something lost, something gained? Ohh, Cole… I’ll make you pay for Eagle Talon’s death.
“I’ll make you pay through Liana’s suffering.”
* * *
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 8, 2022 17:55:41 GMT
The Destiny’s Bounty flew across the gray sky, rocket thrusters screaming and white and red sails whipping in the air. A couple hours had passed since the ninja and their werecat allies had agreed to go after the Moon Tribe together and left the Commissioner to take care of things in the city. They’d finally left the Sea of Sand behind them, and the landscape gradually grew a blanket of dark trees over its rolling hills.
Lloyd stood at the bow. The wind’s force sent his bangs flying wildly about his face. “How could they all have vanished so fast? It’s impossible!”
Cole glared at the landscape as if his problems were its fault. “It’s probably because of another magic trick of theirs. Maybe they have some kind of teleportation spell. Explains why the sorcerers can get to different places so quickly.”
“Why don’t they use that more often? Most of the time they seem to just walk to places.”
“Maybe it takes up a lot of energy. How should I know?” Cole paced, angsty and impatient. His grief for his brother was overshadowed only by his fear for Liana’s safety. Fear came out in anger. “Can’t this old tub go any faster?!”
“This is as fast as she can go.”
Cole leaned on the bow and stared away at nothing.
“We’ll find them,” Lloyd said, sympathetic now. “And we’ll end this once and for all.”
“I just don’t want anyone else to die.”
“Neither do I.” A girl’s voice made them jump. The ninja turned around to see two of the werecat girls—Wolf Paw and Lightning Streak—approaching them. Lightning Streak had spoken.
“I’m sorry about Violet Swift and Loud Bird,” Lloyd returned gently. “They were good— uh, people.”
Lightning Streak nodded her thanks. “I did not know them very well, but they were kind and funny cats. They will be missed.”
“I heard that Earth Flame and Spark Pelt were wounded badly. Are they going to be OK?”
“Misako and Wu are treating them both inside. I think Earth Flame will recover soon enough.” She hesitated. “I— I am not so sure about Spark Pelt. Broken Fang… did not hold back on him.”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 8, 2022 18:34:14 GMT
Cole tried to ignore all the gloom-and-doom talk, but his heart couldn’t help but sink. If the sorcerers were that vicious with their own tribe-mates, how cruel would they be to Liana…?
Wolf Paw, the younger girl, spoke up. Her voice sounded small. “What will you do when we find them? Everyone is probably already at the caves.”
Lloyd looked uncertainly at Cole, but his friend offered no help. “We’ll… follow them as far as we have to and fight as much as we have to.”
Wolf Paw stared at him coolly. “There are innocent cats and kittens in there. They could get hurt in the fighting.”
“Then we’ll get them out.” Lloyd’s voice hardened. “We’re not going to make a reenactment of what our ancestors did to yours. We know better.”
Lightning Streak interrupted the exchange. “Hey, what’s that?” She was peering over the side of the ship.
“What’s what?” The others joined her at the bannister. The tall girl gestured at the trees.
“Look—by those big rocks on that hill, a little to the left. Do you see that?”
Cole’s gaze swept over the forest before he finally caught sight of it: a splash of vivid purple, standing out from a cluster of pale rocks atop a hill.
“Liana.” Cole stiffened. “Get us down there!”
* * *
Cole, Jay, Nya, Lloyd, and Zane scurried down the anchor that was lowered from the ship. They hopped to the ground and raced uphill while the Destiny’s Bounty hovered overhead. Cole could feel the gazes of the werecats, his father, Wu and Misako on them.
They burst from the trees and headed for the cluster of boulders. He could see her, lying on her side on one of the rocks. She wasn’t moving.
“Liana!” He reached her first and knelt by her side. Strands of hair fell across her bruised face. Long scratches stood out on either arm and one of her boots was gone. Both knees were skinned through torn pants and her uniform was covered in grass stains, dirt, and scratches. The Moon Tribe had not been kind to her.
Hands shaking, he checked her pulse. “She’s alive!” he cried as his friends joined him.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Nya murmured.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 8, 2022 22:24:22 GMT
“Liana.” He cradled her in his arms and held her to his chest, shaking her gently. “Liana, wake up. It’s us, you’re OK now. You’re safe.”
She whimpered softly. Her milky gray eyes blinked open hesitantly. “Cole…?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Relief made him feel so weak that he nearly dropped her. Instead he hugged her tight. “Don’t ever let me lose you again.” He didn’t care that the others were watching. The situation was much too serious for them to tease him, anyway.
“Oh, Cole…” Her arms curled around his neck before she drew herself away. He helped her sit up carefully. “How— how did you all find me?”
“We have been pursuing the Moon Tribe ever since we discovered you had been abducted,” Zane replied. “Why did they leave you here?”
“I— I don’t know,” she murmured. “Perhaps they realized carrying a prisoner would be too much trouble for them… perhaps they realized they have already been defeated.”
“It’s not over yet,” Lloyd said grimly. “Not until we make sure Black Blood is stopped for good.”
Liana grabbed Cole’s hand and leaned into his chest. The movement made his cheeks burn, but he allowed her to do it. “But you should’ve seen her, Lloyd,” she murmured faintly. “I think— I think Eagle Talon’s death did something to her… she seemed to have lost all spirit.”
“Really?” Lloyd exchanged an uncertain glance with Zane and Jay.
She nodded, biting her lip. “Call me crazy, but… maybe we don’t have to worry about her anymore. I have a feeling she’ll be grieving for a long, long time.”
“But… even so,” Lloyd said uneasily, “she’s still dangerous, and maybe her grief will drive her to do something even crazier. We have to stop her while we still can, before it’s too late.”
As Cole helped her stand up, Liana implored, “Oh, but you all look so exhausted! And— and I hate to say it, but I need to rest for now…” She winced. “Please. Can’t you let your team rest? Is driving everyone to the point of exhaustion really worth it?”
“I— uhh…” Now Lloyd looked really uncomfortable.
Cole stiffened. Something didn’t feel right. “What did you say?”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 8, 2022 22:49:25 GMT
“What?” She turned her face back to his, resting one hand on his shoulder. “I said you all look exhausted.”
Cole stared at her.
And used all his weight to punch Liana in the face. She tumbled back with a shocked and pained cry, grabbing her nose.
“Cole!” Nya shrieked. “What the heck are you—?!”
“That’s—not—Liana!” he roared, grabbing his scythe. Before anyone could stop him, he slammed one foot on her shoulder and brandished the blade over her arm.
“No!” Liana screamed and writhed beneath him. Fangs appeared from her mouth, and she bit his leg.
“Gah!” Cole stumbled and shook her off, swinging the scythe. The weapon whacked her in the side and sent her sprawling. Liana’s girlish figure shrank and became shorter and wrinkled. The purple gi vanished and was replaced by a dark ragged cloak and an animal skin dress, complete with bone necklaces. No longer “blind”, a pair of yellow eyes glared hatefully at the ninja.
“Broken Fang!” Cole growled. “What’d you do with Liana?!”
Something red dribbled from her broken nose to her chin. The old werecat witch cackled darkly, “She’s still alive, but not for long. And neither will you be, when I’m through with—!”
Cole punched her again, this time by her eye. Yowling, she tried to hide her face behind her hands while still looking intimidating, which didn’t really work. “Foolish humans! You will regret the day you—!”
He punched her again. This time she went sprawling in the grass. “How dare you! I will make you pay for—!”
“Shut up.” He punched her again—one, two, three more times. Her angry threats became pained yowling.
“OK, Cole, you can stop any day now,” Jay said, biting back a grin.
“No no, I like this,” Nya said, smirking. “It’s satisfying.”
“Enough!” Thoroughly battered, the old woman staggered to her feet. “I am one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world! You should bow before me, for I will make you pay for—!”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 9, 2022 11:50:59 GMT
Before Cole could hit her again, a flash of tabby fur flew past him and slammed into Broken Fang. She fell back and hit her head on one of the boulders. Unconscious, she sank into a heap on the ground.
“Sorry.” Mist Rise’s tails twitched as he stood over her. “But she was becoming rather obnoxious.”
“She was probably about to unleash some spell, anyway, and then we’d all be in trouble,” Cole replied, glaring at the unconscious sorceress. “What should we do with her?”
“Tie her up,” Jay suggested cheerfully. “Leave her here. Maybe a bear will come eat her.”
“Ew, Jay.” Nya made a face.
“Uh, if you’ve seen some of the nightmares she’s conjured up for me, you wouldn’t be saying ‘ew’ to this plan,” he retorted. “Trust me, this is the least she deserves.”
“I will go and get some rope.” Zane loped back into the forest where the Destiny’s Bounty hovered.
He came back with several strong cords, and he and Cole tied Broken Fang’s wrists and ankles together.
“Why do you think she was waiting here, disguised as Liana?” Nya asked, scanning their surroundings.
“Why else? To spy and persuade you from attacking the Moon Tribe home,” Mist Rise responded.
“Too bad she forgot that blind people can’t see,” Jay said wryly.
“But… should we?” Lloyd question surprised everyone. He looked uncertain now, frowning. “I mean… she has a point, as crazy as she is. We’re all exhausted. Maybe I’m pushing everyone too hard—”
“Stop! Just stop,” Jay waved his hands at him, looking anxious. “That’s just Broken Fang getting into your head. She wants you to think you’re being a bad person!”
“Although for the most part they rely on their dark magic,” Zane joined in, solemn, “the sorcerers often use psychological tricks and suggestions to manipulate their enemies. She has played on your secret insecurity stemming from your role as future sensei to make you question the decisions you make, thereby weakening your resolve.”
Lloyd blushed. “I’m not that insecure!”
“Uh-huh, sure, Green Machine,” Jay retorted.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 9, 2022 11:51:30 GMT
Cole forced a slight grin before casting his gaze over the trees. In the east he could see the dark outline of the mountains. “We’re almost there.”
“I will show you the best place to put your ship.” Mist Rise started toward the trees. “Once there, we will get out and lead you in the caves.”
“Right. We should plan on what to do when we get inside.” Lloyd joined him, and the rest of the ninja followed.
Cole, last in line, hesitated. He looked from the unconscious Broken Fang to the cloudy sky. The dark mountains sitting on the horizon seemed to glare at him.
“I’m coming for you, Liana,” he whispered. “Just hold on.”
* * *
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Feb 10, 2022 14:32:08 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 10, 2022 14:32:08 GMT
Chapter 105: The Great Battle, Part 3
“Behind that crag.” Mist Rise, in his muscular human form, pointed for Nya to see. “Take us there. We’ll climb on paw.”
The majority of pine trees and grass dwindled away as the hills and cliffs grew higher and numerous. The Destiny’s Bounty skimmed over jagged tips of rock, then slowing as it lowered itself into a sandy hollow. Rocky cliffs surrounded the hollow on all sides, effectively shielding the ship from any creature except birds. The sky was still dark and snowflakes continued to fall.
“Mom, you don’t have to come with us,” Lloyd protested. Everyone was clambering up to the deck, grabbing weapons. Misako was one of them, taking a bo staff.
“Nonsense.” She cast him a little smile. Her hair looked frazzled and a bruise was forming over her eye from the previous battle. “You will need all the fighters you can get.”
“Hey,” Ronin piped up, sharpening some throwing knives. “We just kicked their rears back there. It can’t be that much harder beating them up in their own home, right?”
“Don’t jinx us, man,” Jay snapped.
“Ancestors save me—you have no idea what you’re talking about.” Everyone turned to look at Earth Flame. Like the others he was in his human body for Lloyd’s sake. “We don’t just live in a cave. It’s a massive tunnel system that’s impossible to navigate if you haven’t grown up there. Every cat knows the bottom of this mountain like the back of their paw, and intruders can get cornered or lost real easily.”
“Which is why you’ll be our guides.” As the group assembled on deck, Lloyd pointed at each werecat. “We’ll have to fight in small groups to make sure none of us get captured or lost. Quick Fin, you’re with Jay and Nya. Mist Rise, you’re with Master Wu and Misako. Wolf Paw, you’re with Skylor and Ronin.”
“I don’t need no stinking kitty guide!” Ronin huffed.
“Who’s stinky, rat-mouth?” Wolf Paw retorted.
Mist Rise silenced them both. “Shush!”
Lloyd continued, unheeding to the interruption. “Lightning Streak and Earth Flame, you two will be with Zane. And…”
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Feb 10, 2022 15:17:33 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 10, 2022 15:17:33 GMT
“What about me?” Everyone was surprised to see Spark Pelt limp into view, leaning on Mr. Brookstone’s shoulder. A freshly-stained linen bandage was wrapped around his head. “I can still fight.”
“I’m not sure…” Lloyd looked doubtful.
“Me, too.” There was something hollow in Little Leaf’s voice now, taking away the enthusiasm that might have been expected from her. Yet she held her head up and faced Lloyd. “I’m fighting.”
Lloyd’s gaze flickered between Little Leaf, Spark Pelt, Zane and Cole. Clearly thinking, he finally said, “OK: Lightning Streak and Spark Pelt, you’re with Zane. Cole, I’m putting you with Earth Flame, and Little Leaf will be with me. Wow,” he added, scanning the crowd. “that’s a lot of people.”
Mr. Brookstone cleared his throat uneasily. “I’m not sure I want Little Leaf fighting.”
“But I can keep going.” Some old strength was beginning to return to the young werecat’s otherwise hollow voice. “I want to defeat Black Blood and make my home good again.”
“But you both could...!”
Cole stared at him. “You’ve seen me go into battle before, Dad.”
“But I’ve never lost a child before!” His father burst out. “I just got back from burying a son I only just met! Do not make me do that again, I beg you.”
For the first time Cole really registered how pale and sick-looking his father’s face appeared. A wave of fresh grief returned. “We— we can’t promise you anything. We can only do what we think is right.”
Mr. Brookstone groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, lowering his head.
Wu spoke up, surprising everybody. “Grab a staff and come with us. Misako, Mist Rise and I will keep you out of harm’s way.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Cole cried. “Master, are you crazy? My dad’ll get hurt out there!”
“Better than staying here alone. There may be Moon Tribe patrols about.” Wu grabbed a spare staff from a weapons racket and tossed it to Mr. Brookstone. “Better fighting a war with us than being captured alone.”
Stunned to silence, Mr. Brookstone stared at the bo staff in his hands like it was some alien object. Cole glared at Wu, then at his dad. “Whatever. Just don’t make me lose anyone else.”
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Feb 10, 2022 15:42:26 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 10, 2022 15:42:26 GMT
“We will protect him with our lives,” Misako vowed.
“That won’t stop them from trying to destroy us all,” Earth Flame grumbled beneath his breath.
* * *
The werecats took the lead, bearing few weapons. Their human companions followed close behind, armed to the teeth and grief still raw in their hearts. They made their way out of the hollow and up the dry hillside. Cole cringed every time someone’s misstep sent pebbles clattering, but it could not be helped. Even he found himself stumbling every now and then. Mr. Brookstone, Misako, and even Wu were having a more difficult time than the teenagers were. The werecats, on the other hand, ascended with ease, as many as there were. They were obviously accustomed to this terrain.
“Keep up, slow slugs!” Earth Flame chortled as he leapt smoothly atop a large boulder.
Lightning Streak was sympathetic. “They’re not used to this. We should slow down for them.”
“We can keep going. Everyone all right?” Lloyd looked to see his companions nodding or replying “yeah” before turning back to the werecats. “Which mountain are we heading for, anyway?”
“That one.” Mist Rise pointed northeast. Their position on a steep hillside gave them a view over several valleys and jagged hills. Beyond those sat massive mountains. They were so tall their tips disappeared in the dark clouds. Three stood out in particular.
“The second-highest one, to the right,” Mist Rise continued. “It’s half-hidden by the third and fourth ones. You wouldn’t expect it to be a home to hundreds.”
Indeed, Cole would have expected the highest mountain, the one with the jagged tip to be the secret home of the Moon Tribe. In comparison the second-highest one looked smaller, though nonetheless massive in of itself. It nearly blended it with the landscape, that pale gray and beige of the mountains. Snow decorated several peaks and was spreading, growing thicker in drifts like those that had begun to coat the valleys.
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Feb 10, 2022 16:07:56 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 10, 2022 16:07:56 GMT
They continued onward. They chose the valleys and clusters of trees to travel by when they could, hoping to stay hidden from any patrols. Their werecat guides constantly smelled the air for danger. Twice the group was forced to retrace their steps and go a different way when one of them smelled a Moon Tribe patrol nearby.
Ronin had a watch and kept track of the time. Every half hour the group would stop to rest, during which Misako would check on Spark Pelt’s wound and the werecats would stand guard. Many of the group would begin talking quietly among themselves. Wry jokes and muffled laughter helped ease the tension.
Cole did not join in on these chats. The numb feeling threatened to consume him, so he devoted his mind to trying to reach Liana through mind-bending. He was not as strong in it as she was. Feeling small and helpless as he stared at the mountains, he repeated in his head, Liana. Liana, can you hear me? We’re coming for you.
“Quiet!”
Cole jumped—had Liana responded? Then he realized that it was Lightning Streak’s voice he’d heard. She was standing atop a boulder stiffly, staring at something in the distance. The crowd had hushed.
“Do you smell that?”
One of the girls, Wolf Paw, joined her companion on the rock and tasted the air. Her freckled face turned grim. “Wolves.”
“That can’t be right,” Skylor protested. “We chased them away. They left before the Moon Tribe did.”
“They could just be stragglers, or maybe some stayed with the tribe for protection.” Mist Rise growled, “Either way, we need to get moving. We’re so close, we can’t be stopped yet. Let’s move!”
Some of the younger people helped Wu, Misako, and Mr. Brookstone stumble up the rocky valley and make their way up the slopes. The climb became steeper and steeper until everyone had to walk sideways, sacrificing speed for balance. The werecats at last reverted to their feline forms, but made sure to steer clear of Lloyd for the sake of his allergies. Spark Pelt’s head kept hurting, so Misako picked him up and carried him.
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Feb 10, 2022 16:36:08 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 10, 2022 16:36:08 GMT
The few trees in the valley shrank smaller and smaller until they looked like dark ants. Cole caught sight of Jay sneaking a look down the slope, seeing the distance between himself and the ground and turning away hastily.
“Hey, Fluffy!” Ronin huffed behind Mist Rise. “Ain’t there a path or something we could take instead? Cats may always land on their feet, but humans don’t!”
The long-haired tabby whisked his tails. “This is the shortcut to a path. You said you wanted to get there as fast as we could, so here’s fast. You didn’t say anything about being safe.”
Cole risked a glance upward. The mountain seemed to grow for hundreds of feet more, though jagged shelves and precipices jutting out told him they’d be able to get off the slope soon.
A wolf’s howl made everyone jump. Startled, Mr. Brookstone stumbled and started plummeting off the side of the mountain.
“Dad!” Cole’s heart leapt to his mouth.
Wu whisked the end of his staff out. Mr. Brookstone grabbed it, one foot on the mountain. He wobbled there a moment before Wu pulled him back to safety.
Zane’s head angled upward. “Above us!”
Pebbles and dirt rained on the group. Several large animals panted as they raced across the shelf that jutted out of the slope and stopped. Looking up, Cole could see a pair of dog-like faces peering at the humans twenty feet above them.
“We’ve got company!” He took the tekko-cagi claws from his belt and slid them onto his hands.
“There’s not enough room for all of us to fight!” Wu hastened. He gestured to the ninja with his staff. “Cole, Lloyd. You two can fend them off while the rest of us continuing climbing.”
“Yes, Master.” Lloyd pulled his mask back over his face and summoned an Airjitzu vortex. Cole followed, feeling the miniature tornado whip his hair around as he was thrust into the sky. Yellow flashed by his gaze—Skylor had joined, using the element of gravity to fly with them.
The three of them landed like birds atop the shelf. There awaited five enormous wolves, with thick pelts of mottled gray, black, white and brown colors.
“These’d better not be shape-shifters or sorcerers, too,” Skylor said grimly.
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Feb 10, 2022 17:13:52 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 10, 2022 17:13:52 GMT
Cole and Lloyd unsheathed their tekko-cagi claws and threw themselves at the wolves. As Cole slashed his claws across one wolf’s face and saw the wound, he said, “Nope, normal wolves!”
Skylor took two for herself, using gravity to lift them in the air. Shocked, the wolves swam frantically in the air until she chucked them over the slope, away from the group. The boys danced to and fro, raking the metal claws into their canine opponents. The wolves evidently regretted taking on the humans and they snapped and growled more desperately. One managed to get around Lloyd and clamp its jaws onto his armored shoulder. Lloyd twisted around and shot an energy ball, sending his attacker careening off the cliff.
“Is that all of them?” Cole grunted as he chased the last two away.
“Let’s not stop to find out.” Skylor stood on the shelf and helped their friends clamber up. The cats leapt up gracefully while the humans stumbled over one another. Everyone was relieved to find themselves on flatter ground, narrow though it was.
Two more wolf howls echoed through the mountainside. Nya groaned, “There’re more? We haven’t even seen any cats yet!”
Wolf Paw bounded ahead of them like a little black shadow. “This way! I know this path!”
“You’re just a student, you’re not supposed to know about this path!” Mist Rise growled as he ran after her.
“Whoops,” she purred.
“Keep going!” Cole snapped. If a larger pack confronted the ninja on a narrow path like this, it could be disastrous. He dared not look to his left, where the cliff fell away into open air.
They kept running—awkwardly, bumbling until the path curved away from the edge and grew wider. With Wolf Paw, Mist Rise, Lightning Streak, Little Leaf, Earth Flame and Quick Fin leading them, the group scrambled up the hills. Wolves’ voices hounded them like ghosts’ wails, though none could be seen. Cole kept glancing frantically around their surroundings, searching for any mottled gray and brown pelts bounding toward them. He expected a wolf or nekomata to jump out from behind a boulder at any moment.
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Feb 10, 2022 18:43:36 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 10, 2022 18:43:36 GMT
The snow continued to fall. The higher up they went, the thicker the flakes and the thinner the air. Though it was still day, every rock looked like a crouching wolf or cat prepared to leap upon its prey. Everyone was stumbling over a slope littered with rocks and random bushes now. Cole could just barely see another hill ahead of them. He hoped they’d reach their destination soon. He thought he could see one of the rocks moving.
He stopped. Something was moving.
“Watch out!” he croaked.
Wolf Paw squeaked in surprise when a small shape ran up and stopped in front of her. Mist Rise quickly stood in front of her protectively while the rest hissed and arched their backs.
“Sky Pelt!” Earth Flame growled.
Zane’s eyes flashed through the snow. “One of the sorcerers?”
Cole peered over Nya’s shoulder. A skinny pale gray-blue colored cat stood before them, blocking the path. The last time he could recall seeing Sky Pelt was when he and Matilda had been talking together before engaging in a duel.
“That’s a sorcerer? Ha! He’s scrawny.” Ronin stepped forward baring throwing stars. “Let me at ‘em.”
“Wait!” Lightning Streak cried.
Sky Pelt spoke—his weak, croaking voice revealed his age. “I will not let you invade the tribe.”
Cole stiffened.
“Not without my assistance, at least.” His whiskers twitched.
“Huh? You’re helping us?” Little Leaf’s ears pricked up.
Unusually fierce, Skylor snapped, “I don’t believe him. He’s one of those cats who put me in those nightmares.”
“No, wait!” Lightning Streak protested. “He stood up for us when we defied Black Blood. He kept her from destroying us so that she could send us into exile instead.”
“That’s reassuring,” Jay muttered.
Sky Pelt whisked his tails. “You are prudent for hesitating, Sons and Daughters. I will let my own conduct and the words of your friends guide your decision. But if you wish to get to the Moon Tribe, follow me.”
As suddenly as he’d appeared, the pale tom bounded up the hill and disappeared beyond the boulders. The humans stared after him, perplexed and suspicious.
“There’s no way we can trust him,” Nya blurted. “Let’s get out of—”
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