Guardians of this City
By: Bladestar

Prologue

Silence. That was all that was heard as the cruel desert wind kicked up sand devils across the vast wasteland. Its only comfort was the rushing river at the bottom of a 300 foot deep canyon, muddied by the sand constantly being blown into it.

The calm was suddenly cut by a scream full of freedom, fear, and distress. It came from a lone figure that had fallen to her knees in exhaustion and shock due to what had recently occurred. The only witnesses were four Arabian horses that danced in boredom around their own poles, which had been planted deep in the ground to prevent the animals from wandering off.

The wind picked up again, blowing sand across brown, tear stained fur. She simply sat there, breathing hard, trying to comprehend what had happened as her ears moved back and forth taking in every sound. She remained stiff and attentive, as though she were about to be set upon.

After a time she became more aware of her surroundings, and more aware of what had transpired. But what became very evident is what would happen to her if she returned to base where, however long ago it was, four kats had ridden out and only one would come back.

She would be tried and sentenced with no one to stand for her in the council. Put to death for defending herself from being controlled for the rest of her life. No one would have ever known until her three…keepers were in control of the largest criminal organization on the planet. No one would believe her.

Whether it was by some divine plan or plain luck, she had discovered their plans and refused to be used to create a worldwide anarchy. She had rebelled today, and would pay for it. Except, it would not be by their hand, but by her people's choice of a fit punishment.

She slowly stood up, legs shaking from her adrenaline dropping. Picking up her katana, she looked into the shined blade, blood very evident on the edge. What was eerie to her was that the blood was black. Blacker than anything she had ever seen. Tears mixed with the still wet blood as she speculated over what had put her through hell all these years. Nothing normal bled black, right?

She cried. Wept for every scar she had been given, every pain and joy she had been put through; damn it, she even cried for them. They had been cruel to her, beat her, and still she cried for them. She felt a sense of loss and regret; they had been the only thing close to parents she had ever known. Despite all they had done to her, they would always be that, much to her chagrin.

Tearing a piece of cloth from her clothing she wiped the blade clean and retrieved its sheath. After replacing the sword on her back she walked over to the spirited horses. More specifically to the silver appaloosa whose saddle bore her mark; a golden lightning bolt.

Ever since she had been a child she had been fascinated with the lightning storms that would rage across the desert sands. She would miss seeing them. She would miss her friends, too. Her heart ached and she frowned, hating the feeling.

She mounted the Arabian and cut the others loose, silently promising herself to never let anyone, good or otherwise, close to her or her heart again.

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I do not own anything through this whole story that is seen in the cartoon Swat Kats. Anything else is mine and can be used with my permission.

And thus begins a story that has honestly been years in the making. Ask my beta, I am sure she is sick of hearing of it as she is excited to finally see it on paper to read. Speaking of which, I would like to thank everyone, I have honestly lost count or forgotten who exactly, who has pushed me to write this. I would like all those who have read and edited this and upcoming chapters, a special thanks going to Atarah Derek who is my official beta and honestly a lifesaver for listening to my thoughts on the story. I hope you will enjoy this story and all that will be hidden within its, for lack of better term, pages. I also look forward to reading any reviews you may want to drop in, all are welcome, though I ask for no flames. Enjoy.

~Bladestar