Hey~
Moony speaking. Just letting you guys know that this is my first story. It will take a while to update in between chapters because it is my exam year and I am focused on that. But I will try and keep the chapters extra long, just for my special readers ^^
A few things first off though:
-I will accept any criticism as it will help me develop as a writer, but please, no swearing, or exclaiming how rubbish it is. If you think something horrible keep it to yourself.
-I was struggling on the rating for this fanfic. I didn't know if I should make it M or not. I'm keeping it at T because I think 13+ can handle it. But be warned, I selected Angst for a reason, it is quite dark at times. So let me know if the rating is okay for you and if I need to change it.
Well, that's that- you don't want to carry on reading the bold writing anymore, so let me know what you think! Reviews are always welcome :)
Now onto the story!
xxx
1- Tide
xxx
The soft silver light kept on shining. He didn't know why. He didn't care.
It was so beautiful, so peaceful, so still. As long as it kept on shining, he was satisfied.
Just one look and he wanted to touch it. He wanted to feel it. He yearned for it. He wanted the silver ball of light to shine; he wanted it to make his fur shine like the stars in the night sky.
He stretched out a tiny paw.
Almost there.
Nearly have it.
'Not yet, young one.'
What was that? He jumped back, startled. It was near, close to him, the nearness of the voice told him that. He looked around the illuminated chamber he was in. No one. Nothing. But yet, someone, or something spoke to him.
He turned his attention back to the glowing orb of light; becoming transfixed, once more, at the beautiful sight.
'No, little one, not yet.'
He jumped back, out of the beautiful spell the light had cast upon him, hissing in pure surprise and shock. The voice was thunderous, so loud; his fragile ears were still ringing from the burst of roaring sound. The voice was definitely close. It would not have made such a terrifyingly loud sound without a source nearby.
Someone was here. Something was here.
Watching him.
'Little one, it's time to go.'
Such a sweet melodious voice.
He looked around once more. There was not a slight of movement or a shape in the poorly lit chamber. Where was such a wonderful voice coming from?
'A danger is coming, young one, time to awaken your destiny.'
Destiny. It's such a strange word. He often heard it in the GrandCat's tales of the heroes in the time before he was born. It was their destiny to help, save or destroy a certain thing. They were heroes though, mighty warriors who cats looked up to. But, a kit to have a destiny? It was never mentioned in the legends. It was too eccentric, too weird.
And also, this danger, how will this awaken such a doubtful destiny? If it will unlock a tiny kit's destiny, will it be terrifying? Will it be too horrid to describe? It must be. If it unlocks a kit's destiny before he is ready.
This voice was making no sense. There was and always will be peace in the MoonKin. He shook his head, confused. What was this voice telling him?
'My sweet, a confident cat can be a warrior whilst the brave cat can be the deputy, combine the brave and the confident together, a leader is born. Be ready, young one, what you are about to face will decide your face. Be ready and controlled. Even a leader must stare death right in the eye, and even a leader will lose the ones he calls dear. Even a leader must face the hardships of life.'
He let himself crouch low on the smooth floor, his eyes were huge with wonder; one second it was his destiny, and the other she was telling him to be a leader? A leader to whom? For crying out loud, what was going on?
The words were echoing all around the chamber, back and forth, to and fro. His ears managed to pick up some of the jumbling nonsense as it was dying away.
'Be ready... ready... will decide your fate... fate... lose the ones he calls dear... hardships of life... life...'
He twitched his tail in agitation; something was going to happen, something that was going to change his life. This was no ordinary encounter. Something was coming, but what?
He stood up, paw by paw, with his head raised, mustering all the confidence he had. He wanted to know something. He needed to find out.
'But, what should I do? I...I mean, should I do anything?'
Almost immediately, he felt stupid. He was talking to someone he couldn't see nor smell. He wasn't even sure if they were for real or not.
A soft breeze ruffled his fur, making his fur feel warm and comforted. The soft voice whispered in his ear the answer he was dying to know.
'Little one, do not fear, have courage; even a leader can be scared. Be wary of the sigh of the wind, and then behold the shadows that come at night. And remember, when the time comes, a leader always has hope.'
And with those kindly words of advice, he felt the presence of the voice beginning to fade and the room started to grow dim, darkness crept around the edges of the chamber, slowly moving towards the centre where he was standing. He felt himself panic. He didn't know everything he needed to know yet.
The darkness started to envelope him, he couldn't breathe, as soon as he opened his mouth he felt the sour darkness pour in. It started playing with his fur, making it knotted and messy. He could feel it tugging at his ears; it felt as if it wanted to tear them off.
The darkness then started to crash onto either side of his body, his breath was blown away as it pounded hard onto him.
He didn't want this. He wanted it to go back to the way it was, staring at a wondrous light. He forced his body to turn against the persistent black wave of destruction, it was continuing to crash against his body, making him feel numb all over from the pain.
He caught just a glimpse of the light. But it was enough.
The darkness hadn't tainted its beauty, yet. He smiled slightly in relief. The light was still shining as amazingly as ever.
Just the glimpse he had was enough to put his mind back on track. It was enough give him the strength and courage he needed. The desperation he felt was fading away, being replaced by an incredible feeling. The feeling you get when you wake up to another day, alive and well. The feeling when someone tells you that someone you love will live to see another day.
The feeling you get when you know that darkness will never vanquish the light.
He couldn't place the word. He knew it, yet he couldn't place his paw on it. It was something the voice said.
He closed his eyes, feeling the radiating warmth of the emotion spreading throughout every vein in his small body. He couldn't feel the pressure of the darkness anymore; it was slowly crawling off him, afraid of the marvellous feeling inside of him.
He opened his eyes in realisation.
That's it! The word he was looking for.
He turned towards the sacred light, confidence filling in the spots where the fear left him. It was the light which gave him the word he was looking for. He smiled slightly; happy to have seen it. It was the light which gave it to him, he knew it. Without the light, he would have been swallowed up by the darkness.
It was the light which gave him hope.
When the time comes, a leader always has hope.
xxx
Tide woke with a start. His eyes darting back and forth, he looked at his surroundings. He almost cried out in relief at what he saw. Home. He was back in his CaveDen; its familiar walls were a welcome sight to his frightened eyes. He felt the all too pleasing moss, soft underneath his tiny paws, and wanted to bury himself under it in glee. It was all just a dream ...but, it seemed all too real, far too real for just an ordinary dream.
He gave a muffled sigh as he hid his head underneath the velvety moss. That feeling in the dream, that wonderful emotion coursing through his veins, what was it again?
Hope.
That was it. It was such a wonderful feeling, it made him strong and it gave him courage. Two things a kit his age wouldn't feel for a long time yet.
That light, it was the light filled him with the emotion, just being near him made him think he could do anything. But there was something about it, something he couldn't place his paw on, that made him terrified. It held such power; he knew from experience that it gave the bearer such unimaginable daring, that the user could do anything he wanted without fear, and yet that wasn't the reason, it was something else, something that was really sticking into his fur.
Maybe it was something the dream told him, it was unusual, normally he forgot everything about the dream from the moment he woke up, but this he could remember as clear as day. Something that the dream had told him, he frowned with his eyes closed, thinking. He couldn't recall anything about the light, in fact, the voice didn't even hint about anything to do with the light.
He huffed with annoyance, blowing some moss away from his bedding. Why did things have to be so complicated for him? He was just a kit, not nearly old enough to start training for the Kin. Aren't kit's lives supposed to be easy and relaxing playing with the moss balls in the PlayDen? How was he supposed to understand it all?
He rolled onto his back, thinking again, the dream mentioned something else disturbing; the uneasy feeling was still there. His eyes opened as quickly as lightning, his heart hard against his chest. He got up shaking, and looked across the den at a huge mass of black fur, which rose and fell gently. The voice was ringing in his head, repeating one line over and over again.
'Even a leader must stare death in the eye, and even a leader will lose the ones he calls dear.'
Big Brother. His only living family left alive. Even the sight of his black fur rising gently made him smile. He was the one who really brought Tide up; he was the one who cared and grieved with Tide when Mother and Father were found dead, killed by a wild beast. Big Brother played with him, joked with him, ate with him. He even put aside his Guard duties to comfort Tide when none of the other kits wanted to play with him, calling him a runt because of his small size.
'Lose the ones he calls dear.'
He didn't want to know what it meant. He didn't want anything to happen to Big Brother. Big Brother was very dear to him, he was the only true friend he had, and the only link to Mother and Father.
Tide didn't want to lose him. He wouldn't know what to do.
He needed to clear his head, to think clearly. He didn't want thoughts of death clouding his young mind. He gently shook himself, letting the moss slide softly off his grey fur. He padded tenderly to the CaveDen entrance, steering himself around Big Brother, being careful not to wake him up.
The Moon. He needed to see it. Big Brother often told him that if you told the Moon your troubles, it would help you out, some way or another. Maybe it will help him.
He reached the mouth of the CaveDen and looked at what he saw every time he came to the front of the CaveDen. The Crater. The home of the MoonKin cats. It is said that a huge chunk of rock from the Moon landed here and formed this very crater, it is also said that part of the Moon's spirit came from the rock, in the form of a cat, and founded the MoonKin. The Furless Beings then came and took the rock away, taking the Moon Spirit with them, leaving the MoonKin to look after themselves.
All around the Crater were the CaveDens of the many cats who lived there, and the Crater floor was where all the cats mingled and chatted to friends and family, shared prey, set out for Guard Duty or Hunting Patrols. Tide swelled with pride at the thought that his Kin was growing stronger every day.
Nobody or nothing will ever be able to defeat us! He thought, and the idea of him to be growing up to serve his Kin set him trembling in excitement.
In the silver light of the Moon, the Crater looked calm and eerie, and the shadows made no attempt of hiding themselves. No cat was out and about, they were all sleeping quietly in their own CaveDens with their own family, save for the Night Guards who patrolled around the Crater making sure no intruders are found lurking through the darkness.
Darkness. Tide shivered at the thought, he'd been afraid of the dark since he'd just opened his eyes. A small incident with nearly falling off the mouth of the CaveDen at night was enough to keep his wits about him. The dream he just had didn't help either. He frowned slightly, still puzzled by what it meant. Something, of course, was going to happen, something major. The problem was, he didn't know when. If it was later in the future, then why tell him when he was a kit? Why him at all?
He bowed his head in defeat, unable to answer the questions he wished he knew.
The voice said a lot of things about a leader. It was probably talking about me. But the thing is, I'm not quite sure if I want to be leader. For crying out loud, I'm just a kit! A stupid, cowardly, selfish kit! Let someone else take the job! I don't want to do it!
He flicked his tail in irritation. He was being stupid. It was just a dream, dreams were made up by the mind, and the mind did what it pleased. It was probably from his own imagination.
But it seemed so real...
Tide gritted his teeth. There it was again, that tiny, doubtful voice at the back of his head that won't shut up.
He looked up at the Moon, his dark green eyes full of wonder and questions, full of bitterness and full of the terror of the future he might have to face.
'I don't want it,' he whispered up to the Moon. 'Take it, why do I have to have it? Is it even real?'
Nothing. The Moon just kept on shining, just like it always does when it's a full moon.
Tide was shaking now, not from terror, nor sadness. Sudden anger was overpowering him like a huge wave of redness.
'Do you want to know what I don't get?' He yelled at it with all the venom he could muster. 'Is why do I have to be the flippin' hero! I don't want to be the courageous cat who defeated all the villains and come back home to bask in the glory! I just wanna be me!'
He quietened down, he suddenly felt drained. The anger had flowed out of his system along with the bitterness he felt. 'I just wanna be me.' He whispered, echoing his outburst.
A moment went by with just silence; Tide was still looking at the Moon, expecting something to happen. Another second went by, but nothing happened. Tide let a bitter sigh pass his lips, and sagged his shoulders wearily. It wasn't true then, talking to the Moon was false hope, well so much for a comforting answer.
He turned to go back into the CaveDen, his paws dragging unenthusiastically behind him.
But something stopped him. He flicked his ears around, his eyes darting around, something was wrong. The air pressure had changed; the clear atmosphere seemed to change so that it was denser. The air wasn't so light anymore.
Then he saw it. A movement in the shadows at the entrance. Just a flicker, but enough to tell him that whatever it was, it was bigger than a cat.
He knew he shouldn't, Big Brother would disapprove, but something urged him on, like a tugging feeling in his chest. Something convinced him to jump down onto the path leading towards the Crater floor. He didn't know why he was doing it, it just felt right, but terrifying.
He kept in the shadows, bracing himself in the darkness, his dark grey pelt blending in well against the black scenery. He would just go see what's wrong; it's nothing to worry about. It's probably the Guards having a scuffle with each other. But then why did the air get heavier?
Tide flicked his ears with unease, that nagging voice was starting to make him uncomfortable.
He was getting nearer to the entrance; he crept in the shadows, slowly but surely. He wanted, no needed, to know what was going on. He was nearly there now, only a couple hundred fox lengths to go.
A slight swish of air against his fur abruptly stopped him. He bristled with fear, something went past him. Something quick and lithe. The Guards were not quick and lithe, they were stocky and well built, ready for battle. Something is here. The nagging voice cried out.
He pressed himself low on the ground, well hidden in the shadows, praying that whatever they are will not see him, and for once in his life thanking the Moon for his dark pelt.
He crept closer, he couldn't stop himself. What was going on? Another rush of air. He paused, still with terror, another one? Where were the Guards?
Only a hundred or so fox lengths to go. He had to find out. Tide forced himself to creep closer still. Another rush of wind. He took a deep breath and kept going. Another rush. He was getting closer. Another rush. One paw step. Another rush.
How many more of these vicious bursts of air are there?
Just a few more tail lengths and he would see what was around the entrance corner. Tide wasn't sure he wanted to know, the air pressure was getting heavier with each step towards the entrance. And with each step a gust of wind passed him by. Nothing seemed to notice him; he guessed he was too well hidden to see. His heart was thumping so loudly, he was sure whatever was hiding themselves in the gust of winds would be able to hear it. He could hear the blood pumping in his ears, and he started to feel a cold sweat start on his neck fur.
He was so scared, so terrified at what he might see, what he might find out, that when he got to the entrance corner, he hesitated. Do I really want to know? What if... if...
He didn't want to know the 'if'.
Come on Tide! If you don't do this, you'll be a coward. A weak, scared, pathetic coward of a kit. Give a story to tell your Grandkits, tell them how you faced your fears! Have hope.
Tide shook himself into realisation. That nagging little voice at the back of his head was right. He needed to face his fears, and to be brave and confident. He drew in a deep breath, closed his eyes and counted to five, then to ten, then to twenty, and walked around the corner into the entrance.
And immediately wished he had gone back to his CaveDen.
Trembling all over, he took the image into his mind. His ears were flat against his head and his eyes as wide as they can be. No... No... Not all of them... that's impossible!
But it was right in front of him, before his horrified eyes.
A massacre.
All the Guards were dead, all a score and a half of them. Blood was everywhere; it was pooled around the pile of corpses, spattered onto the bushes around the entrance and stained the grass a dark red colour in the night.
Tide couldn't breathe. The air stank of rotting flesh and the sour smell of dried blood. These cats hadn't been killed recently, they probably been doomed from the moment the MoonKin had turned in for the night.
He didn't know what to do, he couldn't move, his paws were stuck to the ground, unable to be lifted, and his legs felt wobbly with fright. A sixth sense was screaming for him to run, get him out of the glare of the bodies. But he couldn't, he couldn't move his eyes from the seeping wounds across their necks and bodies.
His body shuddered as he felt nausea wave through him. He retched at the gruesome sight, and he couldn't help but sob with terror. He had known these cats; they had been friends of Big Brother's. He looked up one more at the horrific scene, and saw one more familiar face; the face was more familiar than all the others.
It was Big Brother's mate, Shimmer. Another sob forced its way out, she had been like a mother to him, like Big Brother had been a father to him. The silver she-cat cared for him when Big Brother wasn't around and loved him like he was one of her own. He knew that she couldn't have kits; he had overheard her crying about it to Big Brother. He guessed that he was a replacement for them.
And now he wouldn't be smothered by her nuzzling him every time he saw her.
He needed to get away, before Shimmer's blank face haunted him forever. He tried to move, but he couldn't. He frowned with anxiety, not wouldn't, couldn't. Something was keeping him from moving.
It was only then did he realise that the air was so dense, that even if he could lift a paw, it would be like moving through mud, slow and tiring.
He couldn't tell before because he was too absorbed with the frightening picture before him.
What's going on? I've never of this happening before. Who or what is doing this?
And it was only then when he saw it.
On top of the pile of stinking corpses were two giant shadows. The outline of the form looked like the wolves he often seen slinking outside the crater, but they were too lithe and lean compared to the bulky forms of wolves.
Two pairs of eyes were staring right at him. One so pale blue, they were as colourless as the snow. One so dark it was hard to compare with the colour of night. Their bodies were made out of shadows alone; you couldn't see any of the features apart from the outline.
And then they rose. Higher and higher, higher than any form of beast he'd seen. Higher even than the Furless Beings.
Then it stopped. He could see now that they were standing on their hind legs, they were about three fox lengths length wise, though the dark eyed one was about a head smaller than the other. Tide was speechless with terror. What were these shadows? How could the beings have so much power that they can stand on their hind legs?
His ears went flat against his head when he saw something glint in the moonlight. Their claws, there were so many of them, more than the usual five that's for sure. And their length was about a couple mice lengths and sharp enough to cut a leaf clean in half.
Tide's fur was bristling all over. They were monsters! That's it! They were Shadowed Monsters!
Those eyes, they were still fixed on him. He didn't know what to do.
Then he saw what tainted those devilish claws. Both shadows had red on their claws; it was dripping off them like rain.
Tide couldn't stand it. He crouched down in fear and whimpered; he didn't know what was going on. He didn't know why this was happening.
That's right, why? Why did all these cats die? Why are the Shadow Monsters here?
His thoughts were broken by the Shadows. One of the Monsters was smiling, no smirking. It was the pale eyed one. His fangs were glistening in the moonlight, glistening with blood.
Tide suddenly saw what was beneath the paws of the Monsters, shown by the light of the full moon. There were mangled bodies, bones were sticking out of furless flesh, limbs were torn apart from bodies and guts were spread everywhere at the top of the pile.
Tide almost retched again; the sight and the thoughts were too overwhelming. There was only one possible solution to how the grisly mess came about, the Shadow Monsters standing on top of the pile of carcasses were eating to their hearts content. And he had interrupted their meal.
'A kit.' The voice spooked Tide. He looked over at the being who spoke, bristling with defiance and fear, at the dark eyed shadow. The voice was gruff and deep, with malice rooted deep into the voice.
The two things of nightmares looked at each other and smirked. Then the pale eyed one turned back to him, wickedness glinting in his eyes, and went back onto all fours, crouching. Then an even deeper voice, filled with venom and harshness, it growled.
'Get it.'
xxx
Tide was running. He was running for his life. He didn't know how.
He himself thought he was done for, but for a second, the heaviness of the air had gone and he was free of its unwanted grasp. That's when he ran.
He could almost feel the surprise rolling off the two Shadow Monsters; they were probably controlling the air density. But then, what had happened? They had obviously not freed him willingly from the air's pressure.
No time to contemplate things now. You need to run!
The nagging voice was back, and like usual, it was right. He needed to concentrate on running. Thankfully he was the fastest out of the kits because of his long legs, that should come at an advantage.
He was running back to his CaveDen, and to his Big Brother, he needed to warn him. The whole MoonKin was in danger!
He could still feel the rushes of air go past him in all different directions; they were heading towards all the different CaveDens. What were they? He couldn't see anything because of the darkness of the night, but something was out there, something other than those two Shadow Monsters, and there were a lot of them.
No thinking. Just running. Don't look back. Gotta go to Big Brother.
The path to his CaveDen was right up ahead. He was nearly there.
Suddenly he felt a chill behind him, a cold breeze was blowing behind him.
'Be wary of the sigh of the wind...'
It kept on echoing around in his head. Tide ignored it, he needed to keep on running. He was on the path now. Nearly there.
'You can never run away from us, kit.' Something whispered in his ear as a breeze blew by.
Tide shook his head. It's just the wind, just the wind. He skidded around the corner, paws trembling, and fell head over heels into his CaveDen and crashed into Big Brother.
Big Brother wearily lifted up his head, disturbed from his sleep. 'Tide? What're you doing?' His deep green eyes blinking, still tired from sleep.
Tide jumped up. He needed to tell him, he would know what to do.
'Big Brother! Shadows! Big Shadow Monsters! They killed Shimmer and the others!' He cried, sobbing through his breaths.
Big Brother immediately stood up, the tiredness gone. His eyes hard and cold. He faced Tide, muzzle to muzzle.
'Shadows? Monsters? Is all this true?'
Tide barely nodded, he had never seen Big Brother in such a state. Big Brother hissed in frustration, tail lashing. Tide could hear his brother mumbling to himself.
'What are they doing here? And at their weakest time as well! They said they wouldn't! I told her not to trust them! But would she listen?'
He seemed to realise that Tide was still there, watching him with his eyes wide with fright and anxiety. He shook his head, getting rid of the frustration. He padded over to Tide, and put his muzzle on his head, as a comforting gesture. 'Don't worry, whilst I'm here, nobody's gonna touch you.'
'Well, isn't this touching.' A snarl came from the mouth of the CaveDen. Tide stood stock still. No... Not already, they couldn't have...
His muzzle still on top of Tide's head, Big Brother whispered to him,
'Don't worry, go to the back of the cave and in the middle start pawing at the wall, Father had an emergency tunnel built in before you were born, hide there and follow it, it will take you outside the Crater, I'll follow as soon as I gave these punks a beating for their own good.'
Nodding numbly, Tide did what Big Brother told him, he went to the back wall of the cave and started pawing at the middle. The earth and rocks came crumbling down. But still no tunnel.
I need to actually dig now, otherwise I'll never get this tunnel open.
Meanwhile, behind him, Tide could hear what was going on. And with a glance behind him, he saw the same two Shadow Monsters, on their hind legs again, in the front of the cave. Their claws glinting dangerously in the moonlight behind, and their fangs as long as their claws as the monsters smirked maliciously.
Big Brother wasn't fooled at the facade. He knew. He knew who the monsters were, Tide was sure of it. And at that moment, Big Brother stepped forward growling, his fur bristling and his claws unsheathed.
'Well, it's the two leaders themselves, I am so honoured,' he mewled mockingly. Leaders?
But then he got more serious and dangerous. 'What are you doing here? We told you we would talk at the next half moon, when we would be equal.'
A low, husky wheezing came from the pale eyed one. Tide suddenly realised that it was laughing. And the smirk on the dark eyed monster grew wider, revealing even more of its dangerous weapons.
'You cats are even more fools than when we first realised. We can't wait that long, we need what we have come for,' the dark eyed monster snarled nastily. 'And since we probably thought that you wouldn't give it to us anyways, we thought that the earlier we do it, the earlier we can have what we have come for.'
Tide was still digging away when he heard this, he paused confused. It looked like Big Brother knew what the Monsters were talking about. But looking at Big Brother's puzzled face, he guessed that he was baffled by the one thing Tide was confused about as well.
Do what?
The two Shadow Monsters smirked even more, showing even more rows of tiny sharp fangs. Tide was beginning to get really creeped out by that smirk.
Then they howled. It was a quiet howl, Tide could just about hear it. But it did something.
'Cause it started the screaming. Everywhere, from every direction. Tide trembled. It was cats which were screaming. Every gender, every age. Every cat in the MoonKin was screaming. He gasped in terror, he couldn't block it. He wanted to curl up into a tight little ball and hide from the screaming. It was too much, too much for a small kit.
Big Brother snarled in anger at the Shadow Monsters. 'You pieces of crap!' And then turned to Tide who was trying his best not to hear the tortured screaming of those around him.
'Tide!' Big Brother snapped at him. 'This is no time to cower like a mouse, you need to open that tunnel and get in it!'
Tide looked at his Big Brother, he was on the verge of crying out and throwing himself into Big Brother's fur. Wimp! You need to do what he said! You can't be a coward all your life!
It was back, that tiny voice at the back of his mind, and it always says the right things. Tide nodded, gulping down the wail he felt coming. He needed to do this, this tunnel will lead him and his Big Brother to safety. He went back to digging, listening out for the two Shadow Monsters.
Big Brother turned to the two shadows and their eyes. Bristles making him twice his size, and his eyes lit up with fury, fuelled by the agonised screams from outside.
The pale eyed monster laughed huskily. 'Each of our Pack was outside each one of your dens, and when we gave the order...' He left the sentence unfinished, letting it hang in the air as both of the monsters laughed manically. Even as they laughed, the screams outside were getting cut off. A scream started then a sound of ripping then silence. Then another scream took its place and so on.
Big Brother's eyes narrowed with hatred. 'Bastards.' He whispered, his voice full of venom. He crouched down low in a battle stance, claws ready and his tail lashing.
The dark eyed monster laughed as Big Brother got ready for battle. 'You really don't want to do that.'
The pale eyed one crouched, copying the battle stance. 'You really don't.' It grinned. Tide glanced at it, the grin, that meant no good. His heart was beating rapidly against his chest. Stay focused Tide, you need to open this tunnel. Then you and Big Brother can escape to safety.
'Try me.' Big Brother snarled. No don't do it Big Brother!
No one moved. Everything was silent save for Tide scrabbling against the wall. Even the screams of the tortured cats fell quiet. Then a breeze blew into the CaveDen, bringing a single small leaf, no bigger than Tide's paw, to the top of the cave. The breeze died down then, and because nothing held the small leaf up anymore, it floated down, swaying gently, rocking softly back and forth.
That was when the pale eyed one flexed his claws.
That was when Big Brother stepped forward, ready to begin the fight.
That was when the dark eyed one, eyes glinted with bloodlust.
That was when the pale eyed one moved with the speed of lightning.
That was when the earth and rocks gave way underneath Tide's paws, opening up a tunnel just big enough for a fully grown cat to go through. Tide gave a cry of joy, he did it!
'Big Brother! Big Brother! Look! I did it Big Brother! I di-.'
That was when Tide turned around and saw,
There was no battle.
Just one merciless kill.
The small leaf fell gently onto a growing pool of sour red liquid, sending tiny ripples against the source's body, a slumped form of black fur. The blood was leaking from a torn stump where the head had once been. The detachment had landed someplace else. It landed right in front of a small dark grey tom kit with dark green eyes. Tide.
The blank deep green eyes of his Big Brother stared right at him, surprise and horror masked at his last emotions. It was telling him Big Brother would not come with him to safety.
Tide felt numb. He couldn't feel the ground underneath his paws. Something was echoing in his ears, something from his dream only a short time ago.
'Even a leader must stare death right in the eye, and even a leader will lose the ones he calls dear.'
He didn't have to wait to find out what it meant then. It was right in front of him. The Moon did hear him, it sent the pain of losing his only living family quickly to him.
He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
He let out a wail, but it ended up as a strangled choking sound. He felt the blood from his brothers torn head pool around his paws. No... No... No...
He was breathing fast rapid breaths, he couldn't believe it. Not Big Brother. Not him. He looked up, and saw the killer. The pale eyed monster, his brother's blood stained bright red on its claws. Tide's blood ran cold. It was staring right at him, like it did before, when he first saw it at the entrance. He would never forget those cold, merciless pale blue eyes. Never in his lifetime would he forget his brother's killer.
It smiled. It smiled. It enjoyed killing his brother. He looked at it, hatred and horror mixed in with his emotions.
'At least he didn't feel anything, kit.' Growled the dark eyed one, eyes enjoying the sight of blood.
'Yeah,' sneered the killer, the pale eyed one. 'If it was my partner-in-arms here, he would have gone under a lot more pain.'
'And now,' the dark one snarled.
'It's your turn.' The pale one finished, taking a step towards him, claws glistening with blood.
And with that, Tide ran. He ran into the tunnel, into the darkness, and didn't look back. He was leaving Big Brother, and yet he didn't look back.
A low howl echoed through the small walls of the tunnel.
'Run, and we'll hunt you, hide, and we'll find you, fight, and we'll kill you. Kit, be ready for a death that you won't forget when you enter the afterlife.'
That was when Tide sprinted, knowing no one will protect, knowing no one will care if he died, knowing no will know if he died.
That was when his hope shattered.