Chapter 12
Ember felt the fur along her spine rise. The sound of fighting cats were close…they smelled funny…not like her family. They smelled fierce….determined…and cruel. Ember was never afraid of a fight, she loved them in fact! It was different now…she could hear the shrill wailing of the spotted kit. She didn't care for the kit, but something inside of her burned like fire at the thought of some cats bullying a small kit. Ember raced for the attacking cats, her claws fully extended and her fang gleaming.
It was two toms; their collars were studded with teeth! One was a black tom with white paws…the other was a gray tabby. Ember roared with anger as she raced for them, the toms locked in her sight. The gray tabby looked up, his silver eyes filled with fear when he saw the she-cat hurtling for him.
Ember threw the tabby tom onto the forest floor and sliced her claws across his muzzle. The tom yelped in surprise and fear and ran off on fast paws; the black tom spat in disgust at his partner and prepared to face Ember. The dark ginger she-cat caterwauled and dove for the black tom; he moved away and bit down on Ember tail before she could rake her claws across his face.
"You think you can beat me!" The black tom taunted, his studded collar making Ember's spine crawl. She swallowed hard…
Those are cat's teeth…
Ember lunged forward, grabbing his collar in her jaws and pulling tight. The black tom stumbled forward and fell on top of Ember; the two fell together in a clumsy heap, struggling to regain their paw step. Ember pushed the tom off of her and pinned him down before he could get up again. Pride rose in her chest as she saw a hint of fear beam in the black tom's eyes.
"Nobody beats me!" Ember mewed triumphantly, but was quickly shot down when the tom kicked her hind legs, making Ember fall on her face. The tom sneered and bit Ember's shoulders and shaking his head like a dog. Ember wailed in pain and whipped around feeling sick when her claws scored the tom's open eye.
The tom screeched in blinding pain as his eye bled ferociously onto the forest floor. Ember felt like she was going to puke…never had she seen so much blood….
"You did it!" A small voice mewled. "You won!"
Ember turned to see the black-and-white kit hiding behind a bramble bush, his green eyes looked scared but his voice was so delighted. Ember quickly grabbed the kit by the scruff and began to run from the gruesome scene…the black tom's screams were too much!
"Where are we going?" The kit murmured as he dangled from Ember's jaws.
"Anywhere that isn't here!" She growled under the kit's fur. Ember smelled blood…it was getting stronger…but where was it coming from? Ember felt worried…was their other cats too? She continued to run in the forest until she came upon the gray tabby she had just run off.
"What did you do to him?!" The tabby tom wailed, seeing the blood caked on Ember's paw.
"He deserved it!" Ember growled under the kit's fur. The gray tabby backed away, cowering before Ember and looking at the kit.
"I'm awful sorry…I-Is he yours?" The tabby stumbled, fear in his voice as he spoke.
"No, he's not mine!" Ember hissed placing the kit down. The spotted kit whimpered in fear and hid behind Ember's leg, away from the gray tabby. The tom backed away and looked behind him, the smell of blood…coming closer. Ember looked in the direction as he was and felt her breath hick when she saw more cats with studded collars come forward.
"What are you doing Stone?" The leader of the cats hissed, staring at Ember with icy green eyes. The gray tabby, Stone, flattened his ears as the leader spoke to him. "Kill her…and the kit too."
"You touch me and you'll end up like your little friend!" Ember snarled in Stone's face. The gray tabby back away and bumped into the leaders' leg. The brown-and-white tom snarled and pushed Stone away. Stone coward down onto the forest floor squeezing his eyes shut.
"What did you do to Nightblade?" The leader snarled at Ember. Ember raised her chin defiantly and flicked her tail.
"I clawed his eye out." Ember sneered. "I suppose you'll do something about it?"
The leader looked a bit dumbfounded that another cat was talking to him like that…but his eyes glinted with an unfamiliar emotion. He padded forward; his long fur was unable to hide his awful battle-scars. The black-and-white kit squealed in fear and pressed his face in Ember's tail fur. Ember placed her paw over the kits eyes…so he'd shut up.
"You are strong?" The leader mewed.
"Fight me and find out." Ember snarled. The leader smiled and looked over at the other cats, they looked confused…and a bit surprised. Ember waited for the leader to respond again.
"You have good qualities…maybe you'd consider training with us at moonhigh?" The leader sneered. Ember stepped forward until her whisker's brushed his.
"Count on it!" She snarled. "I'll have you begging for mercy under my claws!"
The other cats gasped in shock, looking over at their leader with wide eyes.
"We'll see about that." The leader snarled, turning and padding to his group of cats, turning back to look at Ember one last time, "Moonhigh…and don't you forget it!"