CHAPTER 2
A/N: Welcome to the second chapter of Spirits! Thank you so much to all who reviewed. It means a lot to me that you guys take time to tell me how I'm doing. Now, on with the story!
"Where have you been, Moon? We've been waiting forever for you!" meowed a golden tom with green eyes like miniature grassy suns. They were sitting in a glade of long grass, surrounded by towering oaks. Next to him was a pure white she-cat with unusual gray eyes.
"Sorry, I woke up a little later than usual," responded Moon, "So, anything interesting happening in the living world, Sun?" she asked, taking a seat next to him in the grass. Every time they met, someone asked that question. There was not much to talk about in the spirit realm.
"Just more cats around the world dying and fighting, just the usual," mewed Sun. His vibrant green eyes revealed his boredom.
"Nor have I, all I've been doing is turning dead cats into stars," commented the white cat.
"That's all you ever do, Star," mewed Moon drily, "Seriously, it's so boring here! Nothing ever happens, more of a reason to be a Clan cat," she finished half to herself. But her friends heard and gazed at her sharply.
"Oh great, you're staring that again?" Sun complained, "Just forget them, there's no way to Earth anyway." He glared at Moon. "And even if there was, it's probably not in your domain of power. Not to mention you never age! We may be wise but looks at us! We're the size 6 and 8 moon kits!"
"Yes there is. There's always a way," the white and gray she-cat said stubbornly. She stood and began to pace in the long grass. "Even if I never age, I can find a way to fit in."
Star rose and strode over to Moon and stopping her pacing. "Until then, please forget these fantasies of becoming one of the living," murmmered the white she-cat. "It's getting on everyone's nerves." She draped her white tail over her friend's shoulders, sympathy lighting her gaze.
"Please do," muttered Sun. Star shot the golden tom a look sharp enough to cut bone. "Sorry, not helping, I know," he mewed, ducking his head and breaking eye contact. Sun shuffled his paws, obviously embarassed.
"But I can't! Their life just seems so..." Moon was at a loss for words, her mind slipping momentarily into a world where she was indeed a Clan warrior. Not even a rough nudge of Sun's paw snapped her out of it for a second.
"Hello! Moon, you there?" Star's voice pierced her thoughts and returned her to the conversation at paw. "Please just forget them just for a while; it'll do you some good."
The gray and white she-cat sighed, it just seemed so hard but she submissed. "Fine."
"Thank you!" said Sun. The golden tom had looked up and was watching the two she-cats. He got to his paws and turned to leave, "Look, I'd love to stay but I gotta go make the sun rise and all that important stuff. See you later." With that, he turned and raced through the grass and into the trees.
"Mouse-dung! That means I have to go too." Moon gazed at Star apologetically. Then she spun around and ran out of the glade and into the forest to make sure the moon fell as it was supposed to.
What am I going to do with her? thought Star with a chuckle. The white spirit got up and padded calmly out of the clearing, content with going to her mossy nest by the lake.
The next night, the white and gray she-cat woke earlier than usual. After a luxurious stretch, she exited her warm, cozy den and skipped to the glade where, undoubtedly, her friends waited.
She had gazed into the Watching Pool again the night before after she had finished her job, staring and sighing. She had watched a ShadowClan apprentice receive their warrior name. She watched the Clan cheer for the proud she-cat and saw how proud she was. Her longing had grown stronger with that.
Weaving through bramble thickets, she let her mind wander. She thought of her friends, her mother and father, even her siblings. She rarely thought of them, even though she saw her siblings nearly every day. Moon arrived in the glade before even the ever punctual Star. The gray and white spirit sat and wrapped her tail neatly around her paws and waited.
When her friends finally stepped into the glade, their fur was fluffed up in agitation. Fear and distress shimmered in the depths of their eyes. They sat across from Moon. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked urgently, leaning forward.
"Y-Yes. Something major, frankly I'm surprised a minor spirit wasn't sent to tell you!" mewed Sun. His attitude had not diminished, but rather was amplified by his distress. Star had begun to pace, her fluffed up white fur making her look like a fluffy snowball. Her stormy gray eyes, though, gave her the appearance of an angry stormcloud.
"What happened?" Moon had stood by now, the fur along her spine prickling from the tense air that had by now dominated the atmosphere. Her mind went wild with speculation at what could be this important.
"Flower and Forest were attacked. They were taking a stroll by the Dark Lake and evil spirits ambushed them," Star growled. She had not stopped in her pacing, merely lifted her head and spoke. Moon started in suprise.
"What? But I thought they only stalked the Shadow Realm," Moon meowed in shock, but her head was cocked in confusion. She sat down again in the long grass, "Are they okay?" She realized what may have happened in an instant. And if it did, she had a bone to pick with one of those dark spirits.
Sun answered this time, "We think so. Flower managed to summon some herbs for when someone found them," although he sounded confident, the golden tom's voice cracked with uncertainty. "But they didn't work form what I heard. It had something to do with, what was it? Oh yeah! Poisoned claws. Apparently they covered their claws in dark poison of some kind."
"Time found them. He-He came racing to us, trying to tell us what he had found," Star pitched in. "We were the closest spirits at the time. She had ceased her anxious pacing and stood still, trembling slightly. Moon felt a stab of sympathy for the white she-cat. Forest and Flower were her kits. Moving closer to her friend, Moon pressed comfortingly against her side.
"He was pretty upset. From what we know, they're in critical condition," Sun said. Moon nodded. They were Time's kits too; it was only natural that he'd be worried. It must have been heart-wrenching for them, the gray and white she-cat thought. Her blue eyes sparked with worry and fear. Why would the evil spirits attack now? Spirits rarely attacked each other.
"Oh, I hope they survive," whispered Star. Her gray eyes swam with worry. She rose to her paws and returned to her pacing, wearing a path through the grass. She went on like this for hours, Sun and Moon working together-for once-to calm her down. They tried everything from tackling her to pleading with her to get her to calm down. Nothing seemed to work, though, and soon they gave up.
Then, an idea popped into Moon's head, "I may be able to help them!" This caused her friend to stop in her tracks and gaze at her. The idea was so sudden, Moon wasn't evev sure it was feasible. But she didn't dare tell Star that.
"How?" she croaked, her eyes brimming with emotion.
"Moonlight! It's a trick I picked up living alone. You know, when Space declared we were not to meet for the first years of Earth. You may be able to do the same with sunlight and starlight!" The gray and white spirit began hopping up and down, excited now. "Meet at my den with Forest and Flower at moonhigh."
Practically radiating hope, Star nodded, "We'll be there!" she wheeled around and raced out of the clearing, undoubtedly to check on her kits and inform them of the good news.
"Meet you there then," meowed Sun. His green eyes brimmed with hope as he rose and ran out of the glade. Moon hurried through the dense woods to her den to prepare for the ritual.
Nothing lay on the floor of her den. Sun stared in confusion around the oak root den, "Where's all the herbs?"
"We don't need them," meowed Moon cheerfully, "Moonlight is all we need," she sat in the moss, staring at the golden tom with a carefree expression. But deep inside, her guts churned like a hurricane. The starry spirit was not completely sure she could do this on other cats; she had only had need to use it on herself.
"Well then how does this so-called medicine work?" questioned Sun. His green eyes were still clouded with confusion and his mind was racing.
"Magic," was the simple reply. Moon stood and strode to the entrance, peering out to see if Star and Time had arrived with their wounded kits yet. No cat was in sight. Then, as she turned to slip back into the den, a shadow flitted at the edge of her vision.
"Who's there?" she asked, whipping around to stare into the forest. A broad tom stepped out of the shadows. He had a pelt of the blackest black. His eyes were endless golden pits, broken only by the darkness of his pupils. Time had arrived, "Where's Star?"
"Bringing Flower and Forest, they're barely concious," murmured the tom. His eyes filled with fear for his two kits. "They regained a little conciousness by the time Star came to help me with them."
A rustling in the bushes distracted them from the task at paw. Out came Star, two cats supported on her shoulders. One was a dark brown mottled tom. His fur reminded Moon of tree bark. His eyes remained closed as he groaned in pain.
The other was a cream colored she-cat with pale brown markings. Her eyes too were closed and she too whimpered with pain. Both spirits' pelts were torn and lacerated with scratches and bites. Instead of crimson blood, the wounds leaked a silver star-like liquid. Moon gasped in surprise at the sight of her mangled comrades.
"They must have been very persistent to injure them this bad," muttered Moon. Her blue eyes shined with sympathy as she gave orders to the other cats, "Star, set them right here. Time, go sit in my den and tell Sun to stay put," She flicked her tail to an open space in front of her. It was doused in moonlight.
With a grunt, the white she-cat laid her kits on the ground. "Can I stay?" she asked. Moon noticed her friend was looking anxious. She probably just wanted to make sure her kits were healed properly. But, alas she couldn't watch.
"I'm sorry but no. This ritual cannot be watched, or there may be dire consequences," meowed the gray and white spirit. Her gray-eyed friend nodded sadly and joined her mate and Sun in the den. She remembered when a spirit, she didn't know who, had watched her heal herself. A tree had exploded and bark had lodged itself into both of them. Why this happened, she did not know.
Turning away from her den, Moon took a deep breath and began to chant, "Moonlight so bright, moonlight so brave, pierce the shadows that are these wounds, heal them like you soothe."
The she-cat began to glow. The moonlight in the clearing seemed to gather around her, Just have to concentrate on them now, she thought. She focused and concentrated hard, her moonlight blanket smothering the injured spirits. Then, things went awry.
A/N: Oooh! What happened? Will they survive? Only one way to find out, review! The more I get, the faster the next chapter will come.
-Creeky out!