Flail, Drown, Wash Away

by Meme333

The Territories are mystic places of wonder, while the Clans struggle to survive with each other. When the four Territories' areas get claimed by vicious wolves, the Territories must work together to find new land... but the Clans are already here.

~Flail...~Drown...~Wash Away...~
"They dropped like flakes, they dropped like stars,
Like petals from a rose…" –The Battle-field, by Emily Dickinson

Prologue
"Apora." The voice was cold. The cat who owned it was supposedly a "nice, kind-hearted Ixen", but she wasn't. At least, not in Apora's eyes.
An entire Phase had passed since Apora had the plan. An entire Phase without getting caught. All the while, he had been thinking, thinking, trying to see if there were any flaws in his little idea.
There were none.
Yet, here he was, staring at Exea, who was on the Gather Rock. Her tabby fur showed that she was calm, collected. Her amber eyes betrayed no warmth. The softly glowing vortex of orange on her chest that spiraled down her legs to her front paws gave proof that she was in control here.
Cats of several different kinds and colors stood behind Apora. Some of them were Selected. Some were Ivories, some Ebonies. A few Old Ones here, a couple of Young Ones there. There were even Ixen among their ranks.
Apora himself was an Ixen. He had stone gray fur and yellow eyes. Flecks of yellow were on his chest. They glowed in the dark. So did a yellow crescent on his right paw. He was well respected when he had been alive. But all that was going to change in a heartbeat.
"I understand that you were fabricating a lie to tell to one of the Casters below us." Exea glared down at Apora with ice in her meow. "Is that true?"
Technically, they weren't lies. But, apparently, they were fibs to a certain female Ixen. Apora had been watching a very large group of very large dogs recently. They had established a sort of camp near one of the Territories. Apora worried that, in time, the dogs would try to take over the Territory of Air, and then move on to the rest. Eventually, they would drive out all of the Territories in 12 Phases time.
Apora opened his mouth to protest, but knew better. "Yes, Exea. I have been lying to one of the Casters."
Exea studied the tom, and then made her decision. "Apora, you are hereby banished to the Territory of the Lost Ones." She nodded to make it final.
Two Selected from the crowd flanked Apora.
"Start walking," one of them said.
So Apora did. They walked, walked, walked for a long time, never lengthening their stride, never slowing their pace. The Selected gave Apora no rest whatsoever.
This gave Apora time to think. If he could watch the dogs from the Territory of the Lost Ones, perhaps all would be well. And if there was a cat smart enough to trust him…
Apora blinked slowly. He knew just the cat. Perhaps his plan would not fail. Perhaps the Territories could be saved.
With that bright thought echoing in his mind, Apora kept walking.

Chapter 1
Three Phases later…

Rinju's heart was racing, running ragged with exhaustion. He breathed in and out, in and out, in and out, his flanks heaving. Was he going to make it? Was he going to make it to his mentor in time?
Moonlight spilled over the ice-encrusted ground. Aspen trees quaked in the cold air. A stream of drinking water weaving through the Territory had frozen; the Territory of Night was going to have to find another way to slake their thirst for now. Boulders of every shape and size littered the area.
The small orange tom leaped into the air to conserve energy. He landed with a thud, scrabbling at the slick ice with pure white claws. Rinju's blue eyes glinted with fury. Why was it so easy for the other Ivories? Somehow, despite his tired state, he managed to arise and continue making a mad dash for his camp.
The Ivory dodged a rabbit hole. Rinju was getting close, he knew that much. With a final effort, he pumped his back legs behind him. He crashed through the entrance made from now crystallized brambles. Rinju felt no pain, for his back and pads had grown numb from the cold.
Did I… Rinju panted, trying to catch his breath. Did I… Did I make it? He tried to skid to a halt, but he failed, going down on the ice and sliding. Rinju looked up, and saw the hints of praise dancing in his mentor's green eyes.
"Well done, Rinju," Sha complimented. His white pelt blended in with the crisp snow; he seemed to shine as bright as the sun. "You made it with eight heartbeats to spare."
Sha was a good cat. Good hunter, good mentor, good sense of humor. Overall, the most-liked tom in the Territory of Night. Other than Echwa, of course. But Echwa was the Ixen of the Territory, plus the fact he already had a mate.
"Th…thanks…" was the best that Rinju could manage. Wearily, he tried to focus on Sha's black claws and dreamed of the day when he himself could travel to Obsidian Rock. Oh, what a glorious day that would be, when Rinju became an Ebony. Not today, though. Certainly not today.
A cat came padding out of the Caster's den. A black cat. What a relief! Black, not white. Black like the night. Black like crows. Black like… What else is black? Rinju tried to scramble to his legs, but they protested. He fell back down, seeing spots around him.
Black… like… death…
He was tired…
So tired…
Rinju passed out just as the Caster reached him.

Chapter 2

When Rinju woke up, he was in the Ivories' den. A nest had been made for him. Bits of feather and moss lay around him. Something wet and sticky was on his back. At first, Rinju thought it was blood, but was relieved when he saw Kalya, the Caster, standing over him.
"Shh," she whispered. Her voice soothed Rinju. He had nothing to fear.
Rinju grunted. "Sha… where is… Sha?" His throat felt dry, his bones felt weak.
Sha padded in, carrying a vole from the prey pile. He gingerly set it down in front of a tired Rinju. Nodding, he flicked his tail towards Rinju as an "okay" to eat.
The orange cat shifted in his nest. Slowly, very slowly, teeth collided with flesh. Warm juice spread out over Rinju's tongue. He thought he'd never taste something so good in his life again.
"Now," Sha began. "Rinju, I am proud to say that you've passed the first part of the trial. And in leaf-bare, too. I've never seen any cat that can do it as fast as you did in leaf-bare! Well done!" Sha looked Rinju in the eyes. "Now, you remember what you have to do now, don't you?"
Oh, no. Rinju had completely forgotten about the second part of the trial. He'd been asked to come up with a Spoken Emotion while he ran in the snow. Would he have to weave one on the spur of the moment?
Kalya's tail swished. "Let's let him sleep first. It'll do him good, and make him remember it with more clarity. Maybe he can fit it in somehow…"
"It"? What's "it"? Rinju's mind was a whirling storm of confusion. He finished the vole. Sha and Kalya exited the den, allowing the Ivory to sleep.
Rinju didn't need to be told to sleep a second time.

Chapter 3

Darkness.
"Zelren!"
Someone screams.
"Zelren!"
Is that… a name?
"ZELREN!"
Suddenly, a flash of light is there. Rinju freezes, not from cold, but from fear.
The body of a cat is there, lying in front of him. Stiff. Dead. A she-cat. Rinju can tell by the scent. A blue-gray she-cat with amber eyes. Her claws are out, but you would have to have sharp eyes to notice them. White on white.
"She was so sweet, so tender when she was alive…"
A tear streaks down Rinju's cheek. Then another. And another. They freeze when they hit the ground.
"Zelren…"
Rinju bends his head, nuzzles the she-cat's cold body.
"I'll miss you."
It only occurs to Rinju now that he is the one speaking.
He turns and mentally tries to block out the dead body of his best friend.
He runs.
Everything fades.
Darkness.

Chapter 4

Rinju woke up to a voice. And the snoring of other Ivories. The voice was more important, though.
"Yes, Apora? Why have you come?" Kalya's voice sliced through the daylight. Silence pursued it like a snake chasing a mouse.
"Are you sure? Dogs? Not the ones from Twolegplace?"
Cautiously, Rinju sneaked around nests, trying not to wake the Ivories other than himself. He poked his head out the entrance, groaning because of the harsh light.
Kalya started, making a noise. She whipped around to face Rinju with blazing violet irises. "We'll finish this later." Her hiss was so quiet, Rinju could hardly make out what Kalya had said.
Slowly, the spark of agitation drained from her eyes. "Should I wake Sha? Or do you want to?" she asked quietly.
Rinju nodded. "I would, please." And with that, he padded out of the den all of the way, squinting. He was busy making a Spoken Emotion for the last part of his trial. He was also wondering who Kalya was talking to.
He was so lost in thought, he unconsciously walked over to the Ebonies' den and went inside, when he trod on some cat's tail.
"Ow! Watch where you're going, Ivory!" It was more of a mumble than an actual yowl, but it snapped Rinju out of his stupor.
"Sorry," he apologized quickly. "Sorry."
After a couple more angry Ebonies being disturbed from their slumbers, Rinju finally found Sha.
"Hey, Sha. I have my Spoken Emotion ready now!" He tried to make his voice sound cheerful, but Rinju was fighting a battle on the inside. Sorrow at Zelren's now remembered death was trying to infiltrate his ranks of happiness at making it home alive.
Slowly, Sha came to life. He yawned, stood up, and stretched out. Blinking green eyes, he followed Rinju outside.
"Are you ready, Sha?" Rinju looked at his mentor, eager to get it over with.
Sha nodded.
To make sure, Rinju let out a yowl.
Sha, now startled, nodded "yes" with much more alertness than he had earlier.
Rinju walked around in a circle, clawing at the ground. Could he make it through this? Yes. Yes. He was strong. He could make it.
Facing the white cat with trembling whiskers, Rinju cleared his throat, and began.

"The ground has turned my paws to ice.
I now walk like the old.
My friend, my friend was taken
By the laughing, whisp'ring cold.

I cannot live another day
Without haunting regret
Following me silently
Like words unformed. No rest

Shall come to me tonight, I'm sure.
Look how the willows weep!
They are like me, for, recently,
My friend was put to sleep.

The ground has turned my paws to ice.
I now walk like the old.
My friend, my friend was taken
By the laughing, whisp'ring cold."

The two cats sat in silence. Rinju awkwardly shifted from paw to paw. After a long, harsh moment, Sha lightly touched Rinju on the shoulder with his tail-tip.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Rinju," he whispered. Tears were in his eyes.
"Did I pass?" Rinju's voice cracked. He silently hated himself for saying that. His mentor was trying to have sympathy, and here was Rinju, acting like all he cared about was to pass the trial of speed.
Sha's meow was quiet. "Yes, Rinju. Yes, you passed."
Without any more words spoken between them, the two cats went to their separate dens.
Rinju curled up in his nest, the scent of herbs and medicines in the air. He yawned, tired.
Suddenly, a voice, soft and light, reached his ears. With all the strength he could muster, Rinju strained to hear it.
"Your Territory will flail..." It was a she-cat's voice. The voice sounded airy and fluffy, like the feathers in Rinju's nest. Some cat touched his injured back with a paw.
"Your Territory will drown..." Now a tom was speaking. Hot breath was blown in his face.
"Your Territory will wash away..." The she-cat was speaking now. Paw steps leaving the den let Rinju know the cats, whoever they were, had left.
However, the Ivory thought he saw the dim outlines of two cats leaving the den. It could have just been the sun playing tricks on him. Or his mind, for that matter.
"Zelren... was that..." Rinju yawned drowsily. "You?"
Tense with anxiety and weakness, Rinju closed his eyes, the she-cat's voice bouncing back and forth in his mind like a ball of moss the Young Ones played with.

Chapter 5

Meanwhile, in the Territory of Air…

A ripping shriek tore its way out of Comet's mouth. The she-cat's face was streaked with tears. A broken stick lay snapped in two beside her.
If only I hadn't been so mouse-brained, so out to fight… The black-furred Selected clenched her jaw. I wouldn't be in the Caster's den!
All that she had wanted to do was spy on the Territory of Claws. Comet had heard rumors about them. Some of the rumors said they were planning to attack. But it wasn't so. What she saw was simply a hunting patrol returning. No battle plans. Growling to herself, she turned to leave, but had slipped on her left paw when she was coming back to the Territory of Air, dislocating her shoulder on the way down.
"Stupid ice," she mumbled just as Syrena, the Caster, meowed, "Well, nothing's broken. That's a good sign."
Comet lay on her side, silently sobbing, when a sudden thought hit her. What if Syrena was lying to her? What if she had broken a bone and she just didn't know it?
But Syrena would tell me these things, right? Comet flexed her blood red claws.
"Stay in this nest," Syrena instructed. Her forest green eyes met Comet's lighter green ones. Silver stripes ran down Syrena's sides as though they were claw marks.
Those stripes had always unnerved Comet. Silver on black… Green eyes staring at something Comet couldn't see… It was possible that Syrena had got in a fight with a cat from the Territory of the Stars, but why they fought was a question Comet couldn't answer.
"Something wrong?"
Syrena snapped Comet out of her thoughts. The latter was back in the real world. Back in the pain.
"Ah…" The Selected lifted her head slightly. "Shouldn't you give me poppy seeds or something? No offense. It's not like I'm-"
A paw suddenly jabbed at her shoulder, sending waves of pain through Comet. Her head dropped back down, thankfully landing on her nest. Above the agony, Comet wondered what mean-spirited cat would do such a thing. Then she heard the purr, and knew it was her brother.
"Get out of here, Cyto," Syrena said playfully.
Comet heard pawsteps behind her. Cyto, a black-and-gray tom, was leaving the den. His green eyes were alight with mischievousness, Comet knew.
Syrena hissed quietly, and then began to gather poppy seeds. When she was finished, she laid them in front of Comet.
Gratefully, Comet lapped up the small black seeds. Instantly, her heartbeat slowed. The pain slowly ebbed away. She closed her eyelids, suddenly heavy with sleep.
Comet was glad that she was a part of the Territory of Air. She had a good life. She had friends. She had food to eat. She was the Selected.
And, at that moment, she decided that she would do just about anything to keep things that way.

Chapter 6

Comet came to with her jaws open.
It happened by chance, actually. In her medicine-induced sleep, she dreamed that it was new-leaf. The prey was running extremely well. Apora, the former Ixen, had arranged to send a hunting patrol near the cluster of oak trees that were a couple of fox-lengths away from the Territory of Air. Comet was chosen to go, as well as some of her friends, one of which was the Selected at the time. Illia, Comet, Verix, and Cryllix were the four cats picked.
After reaching their destination, Cryllix, the Selected, suggested that they try to corner the prey. His plan was that Illia and Comet climb one of the oaks and scare the prey down, sending it "straight into the claws of Yours Truly and his Ivory." The rest of the patrol agreed.
So Comet and Illia bounded up a tree and took their places in the upper branches of the oak. Casting a quick glance towards the tortoiseshell she-cat, Comet locked her eyes on a sparrow that had alighted on a branch heartbeats earlier. Just as she was about to pounce, however, a sharp crack jostled her.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Comet leaped over near the branch her friend had been standing on. She looked down just in time to see Illia flailing her limbs in the air, yellow eyes clearly panicked. But something else was below her. Something whose body was enormous. Something whose fur was long and sleek. Something whose open mouth snapped crazily, asking for meat.
It was a dog.
Not like the dogs the Twolegs kept. Not like those at all. This dog was much more… crazed.
More of the odd-acting dogs emerged from the shadows just as Illia's body hit the ground. Instantly, the dogs leaped upon the cat's body, tearing it, breaking bones and gnawing on what remained.
All that Comet could do was stare in numb horror at the carnage below her. Cryllix and Verix came around the oak tree, and Comet tried to scream, tried to stop them before they made a fatal mistake.
The scream was still stuck in Comet's mouth when she awoke.
Realizing that she was in reality, Comet closed her mouth, but not before an odd scent wafted in the den.
It was the stench of death.
Comet's eyes widened. The fur on her neck prickled. Oh, please not Illia, please not Illia…
Quiet voices came to Comet. They sounded shocked and scared. Helpless.
"Dogs… oak cluster… Illia lost… Nikron injured…" It was Nikron, an orange tom that Comet knew well.
It shocked Comet that Nikron would refer to himself like that instead of saying "I am injured" or "I've been injured". Whatever had happened to him must have been really traumatizing.
"Dogs, Nikron? Are you positive?" Cryllix, the current Ixen, petitioned.
"Dogs… oak cluster… Illia lost…" Nikron repeated himself.
Everything in Comet's life had been perfect. Everything. Now it was gone in two days. Washed away like silt in a stream. Comet dislocating her shoulder one day. Illia dying the next. What's coming tomorrow? The dogs will come here personally?
"I'll take care of him, Cryllix." Now Syrena was there. The she-cat's voice was soft.
Comet's eyes darted around as Syrena led Nikron into the medicine den.
It was all Comet could do not to stare.
He was a mess. That was plain to see. Nikron's left front leg had been slashed open. Dried blood caked his back and face. Part of his ear had been torn off. His eyes, which were yellow like Illia's, looked hollow. He no longer had a tail.
As the Caster set to work on her patient, a cold wind blew through Comet's fur, chilling whatever parts of her that horror hadn't already frozen. She completely forgot about her shoulder.
Comet tried to close her eyes, but they were paralyzed. She couldn't breathe properly. But she could think. And one question came to her again and again:
Has any other cat had the same dream as I did?

Chapter 7

"Good, Comet! Now, slowly stretch your left leg…"
Comet did as Syrena told her to do. It had been two sunrises since Comet had torn her shoulder from its socket. It still smarted some, but not much. But there was better news. No other cats had been as badly injured as Nikron had.
At least… Comet thought with a shiver, …not yet.
The black she-cat winced. The muscles around her shoulder still ached, still cried out for relief. Still, Comet never asked for poppy seeds unless Syrena instructed. Comet had been told tales as a Young One that if you didn't let your wounds heal on their own, you would become ensnared in what was known as a "medicine trap", and you would start sneaking into the Caster's den and stealing herbs for your own twisted mind. Comet thought that she would rather go through the healing process of a broken femur bone instead of falling prey to a medicine trap.
Syrena spoke, jolting the Selected from her thoughts. "Do you think that you can walk on it now, Comet?"
"Uh, yeah, sure." Normally, Comet would never act like this. But the dream she was given put her on edge, and the sight of Nikron frightened the fur off of her. They both were warnings of things to come.
Nikron was still curled up in the corner of the den. The blood had been washed away from his face and back, and the gash on his front leg had been sewed up with fibers of long, dried grass, but he still had that haunted look in his eyes.
Trying not to think about the dogs or about Nikron, Comet slowly eased herself up, lifting her left paw off the hard ground slightly.
"Now, put some of your weight on it," the Caster encouraged.
Comet hesitated. Syrena blinked as a sign that it would turn out all right.
This gave Comet courage. Blinking her light green eyes, she placed her left paw down on the ground. A jagged flash of pain raked across Comet's vision, but that didn't slow her.
She took another step, and another, and then another. All the while, Syrena was giving comments of praise.
Soon, Comet had gotten out of the Caster's den. Her head and ears swiveled, trying to calculate what was different.
Well, for one thing, the prey pile's gotten… larger?
It was true. All that lay there were two mice, one vole, and…
"H-how did they… Wh-when?" Comet's tongue wouldn't work right.
Syrena came padding out behind her, seeing the two large birds on the pile. "Ah, yes. The geese." Syrena blinked again. "Verix caught them all by himself! I wanted you to be surprised."
Comet certainly was surprised. Geese! This kind of meat would last the Territory for a long time. Oh, yes, a very long time.
Comet felt warm despite the frigid air surrounding her on all sides. There would be a feast in the Territory. A feast in leaf-bare. Such a thing was welcomed warmly, but very, very, very rare. The odds of catching and successfully killing a goose were slim, but two? It was unthinkable.
"Where is… Where is everyone?" Comet questioned no cat in particular. "Shouldn't we be celebrating?"
Syrena touched Comet's shoulder lightly with her tail-tip. "I'm afraid…" She hesitated a moment. "I'm afraid the celebration has been postponed until tomorrow."
Fear replaced the good feeling in Comet. "Why? Why?" A feast was never postponed unless…
The realization hit her suddenly, as though another cat had rammed into her side. Comet turned on Syrena, unsheathing her claws. "Where is he? How many lives does he have left?" she demanded.
"Cryllix is in his den. He has four lives left. Now, I would deeply appreciate it if you didn't attack me, Comet," answered Syrena.
Comet started shaking. "No… no…"
"I'm sorry, but it's true."
"NO!" Comet's snarl startled herself. She had never heard herself this angry before. "CRYLLIX DOES NOT HAVE FOUR LIVES LEFT! HE HAS FIVE! HE HAS FIVE!" Her claws glinted in the sun.
Syrena's eyes widened with fear. She turned and bounded away, returning in a few heartbeats. "H-here, Comet. Just e-eat these…"
Comet lashed her tail at Syrena's paw, sending the poppy seeds the Caster held flying. "CRYLLIX HAS FIVE LIVES! FIVE, I SAY!"
The reasons behind Comet's rage were these: Firstly, if the Ixen has five lives or more, the other Territories respect them. Anything less, the Territory was seen as weak. Foolish. Anything but strong, brave, or wise.
Secondly, Cryllix was Comet's mate.
Suddenly, Syrena turned and, with a swift flick of her tail, sent a spray of seeds straight at Comet's mouth. The Selected forgot to close her mouth before it was too late. Angrily, she tried to spit them out, but the time had gone by so quickly…
Too quickly…
Comet fell to the ground, writhing, trying to connect her claws to flesh. Distantly, she heard Syrena meow, "This was for your own good."
Then Comet plunged into a deep, dark, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 8

The next night…

A black she-cat is running, just visible against the darkness. What she is trying to outrun, she does not know. Maybe it is the fact her mate died. Maybe it is the dogs with their long claws and white teeth. Maybe it is her friend's ghost and the fact that she failed to protect her. But she is running, nonetheless.
Her name is Comet, and she streaks through the black night. Her green eyes glint in the starlight. What is she doing out this late? No answers come.
But voices do.
"Here. We must give this message to you before we fade," a she-cat's voice whispers in her ear. "Your Territory will flail fighting the dogs…" Who is it? Comet tries to connect a face or a pelt with the voice, but none come.
"Your Territory will drown… Not all of you will survive the battles that are to come…" Comet recognizes this voice. It is the Ixen that reigned over the Territory of Air before she became the Selected. What does he want?
Before she can ask, the she-cat's voice comes again. "Your Territory will wash away when the dogs come… They will not give up… You must move your Territory soon."
Comet is finally able to speak. "Why me? Why are you two telling this to me?"
"Because your current Ixen will reside with us before the first struggle is over," whispers the she-cat.
Comet can't wrap her mind around it. She can't tell what the she-cat is saying. Cryllix will die? She looks over, seeing a blue-gray she-cat with amber eyes and shimmering white spots in her fur. The she-cat blinks sorrowfully, and then slowly fades.
The black Selected looks over at the tom, but finds empty air. He has already faded.
Comet turns her head down, and sees with shock that she, too, is fading. Her paws are becoming transparent. Her chest fur is now a ghostly, opaque black color.
She feels as light as a feather, and she leaps into the sky, expecting to fall. But she doesn't.
Instead, she lands on air. Giddy with excitement, she leaps again. And again. Higher, higher into the night sky.
Eventually, she fades, giving no trace that she was there in the first place.

Chapter 9

Meanwhile, near the Territory of Night...

Hex pads through a grove of aspen trees. Where is she? Oh, well. That doesn't matter now. What matters is the black cat standing up ahead. It's eyes are closed.
"Hey!" Hex calls as she bounds forwards. "Who are you? What's your name? Where am I?"
Instead of answering, the cat washes her paws as if preparing for something.
"Who are you?" Hex cautiously creeps up to the cat. "What's your—"
"I heard you the first time, Hex," the cat interrupts her mid-sentence and opens her eyes.
The stunning violet color blinds Hex for a moment. The cat continues on, meowing, "My name is Kalya. I'm the Caster for the Territory of Night, which is where you are. Now, before you ask anything else, let me show you something."
Kalya begins to pad away. Hex decides it best to follow her. A thousand questions are bubbling in Hex's mind.

How did you know my name? Why are your eyes that color? Is a Caster like a Medicine cat? But she speaks none of them.
Suddenly, Kalya stops. Hex walks straight into her, knocking Kalya to the ground. With an annoyed growl, the "Caster" gets up.
"I'll get straight to the point, Hex." Kalya turns and stares into Hex's mismatched eyes. Kalya notices this and purrs. "Oh, my. This will be very interesting."
"What will?" asks Hex. Suddenly, she remembers what Kalya said about not questioning her. She lowers her head, fear coursing through her pelt, preparing for the blow.
Hex, formerly Hexflame, had a hard time in EmberClan. Her father used to scratch her if she stepped out of line. When her mother tried to protect her, her father would hurt Hex's mother.
Kalya jolts Hex from her past by saying, "I'm going to make you my Ivory. And don't lower your head, Hex."
Carefully, Hex lifts her head.
"Now, Hex." Kalya's eyes sparkle. "Do you wish to become my Ivory from this moment on?"
Ivory? Doesn't she mean Apprentice? Hex thinks. But she shrugs. Maybe this is a time to change. Maybe this means that she could leave her past behind. She had always wanted to be a Medicine cat, after all…
"I do." Hex's voice is firm. Her eyes, one amber, one blue, glow with happiness.
Kalya bends down and touches Hex's nose. A rush of adrenalin flows from Hex's nose to her tail-tip.
"Hex, from now on, you will be known as Zena," Kalya says firmly. Then she blinks, obviously pleased with herself. "Go look in that ice over there to see your new eye colors."
Eagerly, Hex… Zena now, scrambles over to a frozen pool. She looks in, and she stares.
Her left eye, which used to be blue, is now a stunning light sapphire blue. Her right eye, which used to be amber, is now a gorgeous forest green color with silver flecks in it.
"How is this possible?" she whispers quietly.
She turns around, hoping that Kalya will answer her. Instead, she sees no cat.
She is alone, and she wonders if she was from the start.

Chapter 10

A few sunrises away from the Territory of Night…

Hex awakened slowly. Her fur was fluffed up as a defense against the cold. Her makeshift den made from leaves and fallen sticks protected her even more from the lightly falling snow. She had plenty to eat; she could scent the prey in the hole she dug the night before.
Hex was a silver tabby she-cat with a white muzzle and nearly invisible white tabby stripes. She had one blue eye, and one amber eye. Her mother used to say that having eyes of two different colors brought good luck. Evidently, it didn't bring any sort of luck but the bad kind.
Two days after she got her Warrior name, Hex was accused of murder. Her dad, one the most hated cats in EmberClan, was found dead in EmberClan's own territory. Every cat claimed that they knew what went down. "I saw Hexflame tearing Flamefoot's eyes out!" "I saw Hexflame slashing Flamefoot's belly!" "I noticed that Hexflame and Flamefoot left at around the same time, and when the traitor came back, there was blood on her claws and Flamefoot's body was found near the training hollow! Exile her NOW!"
And what happens to cats that slay their own kin? They get banished. You'd have to be either an elder with memory loss or a total mouse-brain not to know that.
That's exactly what happened to Hex.
So the ritual of exilement was carried out, and that was how Hex ended up where she was now.
But, in a weird way, it was better out here than in EmberClan. No cats teased her or pushed her around. No cats made fun of her. She could catch her own prey for herself, thank you very much. And, best of all, she could forget the past. At least, she tired to.
Back in the present, Hex stretched, yawned, and padded out into the crisp air. She dug up a mouse and ate it until she got to the bones, which she buried. Afterwords, the loner wandered over to a pool of unfrozen water to drink.
She bent her head and drank for a long time. She didn't realize that she was so thirsty. After a long, refreshing drink, she opened her eyes and stopped, suddenly cold like the snow she was standing in.
Her eyes had changed colors.
In place of blue, a much lighter variation of blue had taken dominance. Instead of glowing amber, forest green now reigned over her right eye. Silver flecks were scattered across Hex's right eye like stars.
Suddenly, her dream she had last night came back to her. A few words drifted into her head, "territory", "Kalya", and "night" being the first ones.
Hex blinked, not sure what was happening. No, they were different colors!
So it wasn't a dream, Hex thought, horrified.
Spots danced around Hex's vision. The color of everything started fading away, leaving nothing but black and white and shades of grey. Her breathing slowed. Distantly, Hex was aware of hitting the snow-covered ground.
Then it all turned into oblivion.

Chapter 11

"Wake up. Tell me your name. Now."
The stern, scratchy voice aroused Hex. Who it belonged to, she didn't know.
Hex groaned and shifted on the ground.
The voice came back, this time snarling, "I said, wake up, you filthy Caster. Tell me your name, or you'll meet the same fate Mista did."
Hex blinked open her eyes. Standing above her was a dark gray tabby tom. His brilliant blue eyes stunned Hex…
"Your name, cat!" The tom roared. "Is it really so hard to remember a name?" His eyes were suddenly filled with blue flame.
"Um, er…" The exile couldn't get her tounge working.
Growling, the tom unsheathed his claws. They were black. This startled Hex. All cat's claws were opaque, weren't they?
The tom placed one paw on Hex's neck. His claws slowly dug into her skin.
"All right, all right! It's Hex! Just please… don't hurt me…" Hex took the path that had worked on all of the Clan cats, the silly fools that they were.
Letting out a slow breath, the strange tom extracted his claws. The fire in his eyes died as quickly as it had sparked. "Hex… Do you need something to eat?"
Hex stared at him in shock. One minute, he was threatening her life, but the next, he was offering to catch something for her! It was like he switched personalities.
"…Yes?" Hex's voice was wary. It gave her thoughts away. Suddenly, it dawned on her that she didn't know his name.
Hex stood up as he started to pad away. "Hey!" she called after him. "What's your name?"
The tom turned around and looked at her. In his scratchy voice, he said, "It's Palf."
Palf. What an odd name! Suddenly, Hex remembered something. She had to get moving towards the "Territory of Night", as the she-cat from her dream had said.
"Wait up!"
Again, Palf stopped and looked at her expectantly.
"Do you know how to get to the Territory of Night?"
Hex noticed that Palf's muscles tensed up. His eyes grew cold and dim. But he replied anyways. "From here, turn right and walk until you reach the old oak tree. Then take a sharp left. Continue walking. If you see aspens, you're headed in the right direction. A frozen river marks the beginning of the area. Walk forward, and you're there." Palf turned and padded away like nothing happened.
Hex, feeling mouse-brained, asked about the prey he promised to catch for her.
"I never promised you anything, Caster." Palf hadn't stopped as he spoke this. Then he purred, and Hex watched him until he faded from sight.
For some reason, Hex found Palf fascinating. The way he moved was hypnotizing. The way he suddenly went from cold to kind and back again mesmerized Hex. And his eyes… His eyes were something else.
Hex shook her head to clear her thoughts. She then dug up the squirrel from her prey hole. She wolfed it down in a few quick gulps, consulted herself, and decided to eat something else. Hex would be long gone in a few sunrises. Why waste any prey?
From there, with high hopes, a full belly, and Palf's instructions in her mind, Hex turned to the right and began walking.