Zari rested on cold, smooth stone. The sound of rushing water could be heard not far away. She could feel heavy claws weighing her feet down as she sat up. The dark grey fur had turned back into vibrant white scales. The only fur she had now was her mane. Her eyes were blue once more. That wasn't all. Right there where they should be, existed two delicate looking wings. She was back!
She happily left the den and took flight, not bothering to wonder where her parents were. Zari glided over the landscape and admired her home. There were no towers of glass or lethal metal things. There were no predators to threaten her. She was the most feared creature in the area, and no one would dare challenge her.
Except Cavvile.
Before she could return to her family's lair, she was distracted by a very faint noise. Then she did something she'd never done before: she decided that grooming could wait. Zari flew in the direction the sound was coming from. Was this... a battle?
"Wake up!"
"Wha...what? What's going on?" she asked.
Mosspaw frantically replied, "we're under attack!"
Before Zari could think of what to say or do, she felt teeth sinking into a hind leg. Mosspaw raked her claws across the orange-furred stray's shoulder. Free of the cat's grasp, Zari stood and looked around. A duo called Fallfur and Leafwhisker were fighting a tall spotted cat. Steelclaw ad Glasspaw were fighting side by side against three others. Another feline-Windfang- came to their aid. Whiteroad's jaws were clamped onto the back of a tabby's neck.
This was not a large area, hardly large enough for the Clan to fit into. And with all this noise, shouldn't at least a few humans have noticed? Mosspaw and Emeraldfire were busy fighting. There was no one around to help if Zari herself was attacked again. She needed to get to safety!
"You! Can you fight?" it was a grey tabby that asked her that.
"No," she said while wondering who this was.
"Follow me!"
She did just that. Being trapped in this form was enough. She didn't want blood in this fur too! She'd just cleaned it! She followed the grey cat through a maze of alleys, both narrow and wide. The noise from the battle faded into the distance. Where were they going?
A sharp metal fence scraped her back as she entered a place full of even more metal. Things like the one that killed the dog she was chased by, were scattered throughout a field. Some were in better condition than others. But they were all broken in some way or another.
"Graveltail! Oneclaw! Where are you? It's Nightpaw and Zari!" the apprentice yelled. No response came. Nightpaw quietly asked, "why aren't they coming out?"
There was an eerie silence. Zari made her pawsteps quiet while she continued to follow the grey tabby cat. Something was wrong. They walked into a sort of clearing in the scrap metal. They were surrounded by piles of debris, with only a tiny pathway out. It was the perfect set up for a trap, and it was a trap they fell right into.
It was just a cat. Nothing more. It was a creature beneath Zari. She was a dragoness and far more powerful than any cat... right? Such a creature should not have frightened her. Yet, her dark fur bristled as much as possible when she heard a familiar voice.
"What a surprise!" said Pharaoh as he jumped onto a piece of rusted metal above them. Two strays blocked the exit. Several more surrounded the clearing, unfazed by the danger of shards of broken glass, or jagged heaps of alloy.
"They live here," Zari whispered so quietly that she was the only one who heard.
"The mighty Clan cats. What brings you to this part of the city?"
"I thought tresspassing was against their 'code'!"
"Maybe they've decided to claim our home."
"This giant pile of Human garbage? Why would we want this?" Nightpaw's light blue eyes were full of rage as he questioned, "where is Snowstripe? Emberfur? Featherkit?"
Their laughter further angered Nightpaw. One cat said, "and your 'camp' isn't garbage?"
"Let's kill them so we can hunt where we choose!"
Several agreed to that idea. They became silent as they waited for Pharaoh's decision. The stray replied, "if you wish to attack, then do. Unlike Darkwood, I will not try to make decisions for others."
Without another word, it was Nightpaw and Zari against a small army. There were no signs of the queens or kits. Backup had not arrived yet and probably wouldn't at all. Zari saw the grey tabby collapse just before seeing claws and teeth coming at her from all angles.
Don't worry, said a telepathic voice, help has arrived.
That wasn't Cavvile's voice.
