Sorry for the lateness boys (and babes), but this chapter should be decent. Thanks!
NESpirit
Ch.9-Six Spirits
"Silver cat, this is your chance to live. You come with me and your friends go free. If not, you learn where I got my name." The huge tom snarled, and revealed very sharp teeth.
"Never!" jumped in the other cats, even Blazeslash to Moonstorm's surprise.
"Very well. Then prepare to die!"
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Getting chased by a tom four times your size was not as menacing as you might expect. Moonstorm closed his eyes, and, like before, let the time seem to slow around him. He felt the humid air around him, then focused it into a jet of water at the big cat. The tom's eyes got wide as the stream of water hit him straight in the belly. It took focus to keep the stream constant, and the tom was temporarily pinned against a large stone column. Quickly, Blazeslash summoned a wall of flames with his right paw, and created a second layer for Bllodcrusher to go through. Good thing he did, as Moonstorm's jet of water faded right then.
Enraged, the tom got up and charged the nearest cat, and in this case, that was Otterclaw. The dark cat was ready, and quickly got up and drove his front paws into the ground. His body seemed charged with lightning, and he launched himself at the huge cat. The speed of which they connected was massive, and Bloodcrusher was launched straight backwards.
"My turn!" said Skyflower, and she summoned a swirling wind that snared the big cat. He was hoisted into the air, and was suspended there for a while.
Blazeslash quickly shot a wave of flames at the swirling vortex, and the tom howled in pain. "Take that!"
Frostcloud added some frost to the vortex, simultaneously freezing and burning the tom. "Enough!" rang out Moonstorm's voice, and the tom was dropped onto the ground. Surprisingly, the tom's injuries didn't seem too bad, aside from black fur, white fur, and some cuts.
Ungracefully, the tom got up to his paws and said, "I've had enough. My master never mentioned you would fight back. But I will go for now."
And with that ominous warning, the tom slipped into the shadows, and never came out. "Let's go home," said Skyflower.
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"What do you mean, leave now?" Moonstorm couldn't hide the disbelief in his voice as Stoneclaw talked to him.
The tom shook his head sympathetically. "The wind is telling me what must be done. You have a long quest ahead of you, and your enemy is strongest on the shortest day. He will attack then. That gives you six only two moons to stop him. The other clans haven't mentioned it, but some apprentices have been disappearing. Forces of great evil are building as we speak. There is no time to waste!"
Moonstorm was jolted back into reality, and woke up panting hard. Rain and winds howled against the warriors' den. It had been three moons since the six had escaped the cave, and life was seemingly normal. But the weather had gotten ominous recently. Snow in leaf-fall was extremely rare, and it had happened twice already. There had been four thunderstorms, and insane winds were constantly brewing over the warriors' lands.
"Fire!" yelled Waterwhisker. "There's a fire in camp!" All the warriors, young and old, big and small, rushed down the path.
Falconstar led them down. "Mountainclan, to me!"
Rain was pouring hard now, and the cats were muddied. As they raced towards the entrance, a tree collapsed in front of them, set ablaze by the lightning.
The apprentices wailed in terror, and the entire clan was trapped. "Oh, will and entire clan die tonight? Starclan, help us!" wailed an elder.
Skyflower shot him a glance, and, knowingly, he nodded. Moonstorm walked to the front of the clan, and felt the gaze of the entire clan rest onto him. He willed the water around him to form, and waved his paws and tail through the air. The water formed a stream, and quickly put out the fire. The rest of the clan looked at him, and he quickly looked at Skyflower.
"Goodbye Mountainclan!" And with those words, Skyflower and Moonstorm dashed towards the canyon.
"Why did we have to leave them so quickly? Was that the right time?" asked Skyflower as the two of them ran from the rest of the clan.
"There would never be a right time to leave them. We are doing this to save them." He turned toward her, and licked her cheek. "We have to believe that this is the right thing to do."
The two cats approached the canyon, and luckily, all the other four were there.
"We had a thunderstorm the past moon! And I didn't cause it!" said Otterclaw.
Blazeslash, who had become more approachable over their meetings, but still short-tempered, nodded. "The deserts has been snowing recently too."
He cast a suspicious glance at Frostcloud, who responded, "What? It wasn't me!"
Suddenly, Briarleaf flipped her ears up. "Our clan is coming for us! They thought me and Blazeslash have been causing the weather, or at least, that's what our medicine cat interpreted! We have to run!" she said in a panicky voice.
Nothing else needed to be said as the cats ran up toward the Northern territory of Desertclan.
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Moonstorm had though Mountainclan was big, but Desertclan was massive. They had been running for as long as they could before they collapsed. Blazeslash got up, and sniffed around. "Briarleaf? You thinking what I am?"
The pretty tortoiseshell nodded. "Sandstorm. We are going to have to make it to the oasis."
The six cats were very thirsty, and all of their voices were strained, except for the two Desertclan cats, who were used to the dryness.
"Guys, there is a sandstorm headed our way. That's why our clan didn't follow us. They think that we can't make it. But we have to if we want to save them." said Briarleaf sympathetically. "Luckily, there is an oasis. We can reach it by nightfall if we travel at a brisk pace. We may have to trek through the storm though. We won't last the night if we can't make it."
Moonstorm got to his paws, followed by the other three, and the six cats trudged on through the midday sun.
The first sign that things were going to be rough was the first dune. "Fox-dung!" spat Blazeslash when he saw the mountain of sand rise in front of them. To make matters worse, the winds were picking up drastically.
Skyflower shook her head sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I should be able to control these winds, but I cannot."
He licked the side of her head. "This is not your fault at all."
The wind was blowing straight into their faces as they pushed on into the dune. Occasionally, one of them would slip, and the others would quickly rush down to help them up. Right near the top of the dune, Blazeslash said, "It's just beyond here! We have to push harder!"
Frostcloud collapsed the moment he said that. Briarleaf ran over to her, and gave a quick sniff. "She needs water! Can you try, Moonstorm?"
Moonstorm focused, but felt no sign of water in the dry desert air. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."
"So close…" whispered Skyflower.
Otterclaw stepped forward bravely. "You guys go on ahead. I'll wait next to her. You guys have to bring back some wet moss for her."
Blazeslash looked ready to argue, but Briarleaf interrupted and said, "Good idea! Come on, let's get some moss!"
Night was falling, but the stars were so blurred by the storm that Moonstorm wondered if their ancestors could see them toiling. I hope this is what you wanted, he thought bitterly.
"We've made it!" said Blazeslash. Trees and water were a very welcome sight, and the four cats all bent down to drink the liquid of life, even the Desertclan cats.
Blazeslash turned to Moonstorm after they had drank their share. "I think that we should go and bring water to our friends. Your mate and Briarleaf can make the den."
"She's not my mate! Why do you all say that? We're just… friends in love."
"Ok, whatever. Got your moss?"
Moonstorm nodded, and the two of them headed back into the storm.
If Otterclaw hadn't been charging himself with lightning, they never would have seen him. A bright yellow glow had been seen by Blazeslash, and the two of them followed it to where Otterclaw was hunched protectively over Frostcloud's limp body.
"About time, guys! Pass the moss!"
The two toms handed the moss to Otterclaw, and he poured the water into Frostcloud's mouth. After what seemed like a lifetime, she got up, and blinked twice. "What happened?"
Moonstorm pointed his tail at Otterclaw. "We went to fetch water for you after you collapsed. If it hadn't been for this guy, you would have been wolf-food!"
She went up to Otterclaw, somewhat unsteadily, and whispered, "Thank you," and licked his cheek.
He blushed quickly, and said, "Oh, it's nothing. Anything for a friend."
And with that, the four of them headed back towards the oasis.
Review please! And to clear up any confusion over the last chapter, they fell into a pitfall trap, NOT a trapdoor. Thanks!^^ The big question is, will Moonstorm and Skyflower ever be mates? You'll all just have to wait. But in reviews, tell me about how the other four's relationships should be.
Northeasty
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