Rowanclaw walked back and forth in the clearing. He looked up, then resumed his pacing.
It wouldn't have mattered if he looked or not. Without the moon, it was very difficult to see anything at night. It was lucky enough they learned how to conjure light without straining themselves. They often used it during patrols or to scare away predators. But Ratscar squashed the idea that if Vegeta and Goku had never come in the first place, the moon would still be here. Rowanclaw couldn't find a decent argument against it, so he had kept quiet.
He was done with his duties. Everyone was either resting or huddled in groups, their whispers carried through the darkness from one ear to the next. This was the time the Clans should be asleep, but many were alert and nervous. ThunderClan moreso because of ShadowClan's uneasiness.
He had other worries. He couldn't sense the patrol anymore. Tawnypelt, Ferretclaw, Redwillow - it was as if they'd disappeared. He almost thought the worst, until he realized he couldn't sense anything beyond the borders either. What did this mean? Was something blocking his senses?
The others were having just as much difficulty. The could sense each other, but nothing further from the forest. Rowanclaw found it hard to believe Blackstar could sleep through this. Did nothing worry that cat?
"They're here!"
There was a clatter, a thud. A small blue light blazed in camp. Olivenose raised her tail higher, squinting at the two figures that landed in the middle of the clearing. The Clan cats shifted and fluffed their pelts, eyes gleaming. Rowanclaw's heart fell. There were only two cats.
Redwillow collapsed first, his body racked in coughs. The other was a stranger. A light brown tabby figure that trembled as he looked about himself.
"Redwillow, who is this?" Rowanclaw demanded, his heart thumping painfully against his chest. "Where are the others?"
Redwillow replied with a cough.
Owlclaw stepped past his Captain."Rowanclaw, let him rest first." The tom with the scar on his forehead helped the ginger warrior to his paws. "Come on, Warriors den with you."
"No! We need to know what happened!" Rowanclaw insisted.
The stranger stepped forward hesitantly. "I can tell you."
Rowanclaw's whiskers twitched. "Who are you?"
"M-my name is Alex."
Rowanclaw couldn't see his face properly. Olivenose was too far away with the light. He was going to ask her to come closer but decided against it. He raised his tail. The end sparked and a brilliant red hue appeared.
Those cats close to Rowanclaw recoiled from the sudden glare. Some disappeared in their dens. Alex visibly flinched.
Rowanclaw lowered his tail and the shadows lengthened. "What happened?"
"How are you doing this?" Alex whispered, his eyes on the ginger tom's long tail.
"That's not important. Just answer the question."
Alex hesitated. "These pink birds attacked us." He lowered himself to the ground. "One of your cats picked me off the tree in Twolegplace. I was stuck there for over days. Ever since the pink things attacked, I just ate what came my way from the tree. Squirrels, mice, other birds. If it was pink or had red eyes, I stayed away. Didn't trust it."
Rowanclaw's gaze faltered. "Where did these pink things come from?"
"I don't know. It was pink animals and Twolegs. They just started attacking the Twolegs in their homes, the cars, even each other. I thought it was next too.
"But after those took me away, I thought I was saved." Alex slowly clawed the dirt. "I should have known it wouldn't be that simple. One of the pink Twolegs saw us and began screaming." He shuddered and closed his eyes, the memories too painful.
"Go on," Rowanclaw urged.
"It was scary. Thousands of pink birds. They followed us. So one of the cats... flew... behind us to fight them. All those things - by himself. It didn't do any good. They kept coming long after they smothered him to death. They surrounded us. The tortoise-shell she-cat that held me let go and fought the things while he - " at this Alex nodded at the Warriors den where Owlclaw took Redwillow " - flew me to saftely.
"I don't know what happened to the other cat. Maybe killed like the others. Or absorbed. But believe me, I didn't want this to happen! Please don't kill me!" he pleaded.
Rowanclaw didn't answer. He hardly realized Alex finished speaking. The minute he mentioned Tawnypelt the tom could hardly breath.
Owlclaw stepped away from the Warriors den, where he had been crouching, listening quietly to Alex's story. "Those pink things are called Buu."
Alex blinked. "Buu?"
"A creature that can absorb and imitate other animals. I'm surprised you didn't become infected like our clan-mate!"
Alex jumped to his paws. "They're here?! Where?"
"Calm down!" Owlclaw mewed. "She won't be bothering us. But in the meantime, tell us everything you know about Buu. It could be important."
"Why bother?" Rowanclaw's voice was seethed in fury. "Goku told us what we needed to know. We should plan an attack now."
Owlclaw shot him a look. "Rowanclaw, I know what you're going through. You just lost your mate." Rowanclaw looked away. "But haven't you noticed this Buu is acting far different then the type Goku mentioned? He said it was shaped like a Twoleg, and it absorbed anything that it considered life-threatening. It's life goal was to cause chaos and play with its prey. But most of all, it was only one creature."
He waved his tail in Alex's direction. "This loner said Buu was in every living thing. Not all the Buu's were violent. Most were not even trying to find new prey. And none of them were shooting ki blasts. Is that correct?" He added, glancing Alex's way.
The loner narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Ki blasts. Bright pink light it generates form its body."
Alex shook his head slowly. "I haven't seen anything like that - except from you."
Owlclaw nodded. "See? This doesn't add up."
"Does it matter?" Rowanclaw snapped. "It's still Buu. We can still kill it the same way Goku did."
"But Goku never killed it."
All heads turned. Blackstar stepped into Rowanclaw's light, his white fur a sickened red. "Remember, it was because of Goku's mistake that Buu is alive."
Rowanclaw flexed his claws. "Then what should we do, Blackstar?"
Blackstar gazed tiredly at his Clan mates. "We rest for now."
"But Blackstar-!"
The tom lashed his tail. "Tomorrow! There's nothing we can do now. We should get some sleep. We'll be refreshed tomorrow to discuss this thoroughly. Until then I want patrols all night, shifted every time the moon - "
He broke off.
The Clan cats gazed solemnly back at him.
"... Rowanclaw, gather a patrol to stand guard. If any of you should feel exhausted, wake the other cat to take your place. I don't want any heroics or stubbornness. It could get us killed."
Without another word he shuffled heavily up the High Ledge to the Leader's den. And with it Rowanclaw's hope of revenge.
[-]
Blackstar gathered the Clans on WindClan grounds yet again. They grumbled and complained as they formed a half-circle around him and his ShadowClan Warriors. He should have prepared prey for them, to keep them in attention, but his thoughts had been elsewhere. Alex left ShadowClan the minute he was allowed to leave. He insisted staying here would not do him good until he put miles between himself and the creatures. Not that Blackstar wanted him in the first place.
He was indignant the tom would just go after the sacrifice his Warriors made to save him.
If it had not been for Redwillow's interruption, the ShadowClan leader would have attacked him on the spot. Instead he had watched with slitted eyes as the loner slid away until the trees hid him from view.
The ShadowClan leader sighed, faced the Clans, and got to the point.
"We must leave the lake."
He was met with protests.
"First the moon's gone, now this? I sense an omen," mumbled an elder.
"We can't leave our homes! We sacrificed so much!"
"I don't want a repeat of our land travels. It was horrible."
"Silence!" Blackstar yowled. "We have no choice! It's either leave, or stay and die."
The Clans regarded him quietly. Blackstar had been expecting more shouting. This doe-eyed behavior from the Clans unnerved him.
"Why would we die?" a ThunderClan tom demanded. "Is this a trick?"
"No, you don't understand. It's - "
But they wouldn't listen. Blackstar tried to council them, make them see reason, but the Clans wouldn't have it. They believed this was a ploy to take over the entire lake for ShadowClan. And they were willing to fight to the death for it.
He could see their pelts bristling, teeth bared. The last thing he wanted was war. If this was going to escalate into a fight, he may have to get rough. He looked to his Clan-mates for help. They were already poised for battle.
Not helping. Then a new voice rang out.
"I'd listen to him. If you don't, Buu will get you."
All heads turned. A ginger and pink she-cat trotted lightly down the hill that faced ThunderClan, muttering, "You can not believe how daunting this is. It's like my head's trying to split open." She paused beside the group and suddenly waved. "Hi Applefur! How's Moonkit?" she shouted.
The she-cat jumped and immediately hid the kit behind her, as if afraid the ex-Deputy would attack. Cats recoiled in disgust. Patches of Russetfur's pelt were missing in many places, and her red eye gleamed at them while her normal one looked calm and detached.
"What happened to her?"
"Is she sick?"
"Is it infectious?"
"Yes, it is," Russetfur mewed before Blackstar could speak. "But not yet. I can't." She looked over her shoulder at the lake. "They're telling me I have to wait until I fully turn, before I can infect you all."
"Who are you talking about?" Fireheart mewed.
She glanced back at the silent group. The pink part of her face wriggled. It stretched and a face formed. The face grinned at the disgusted cats.
Russetfur grinned at their expressions. It was not friendly. "Here. I can hear it all here," she tapped her temple with her tail. "It's like bees buzzing in my head... haha, I do have bees in my head." She frowned an ugly look. "It won't stop. The buzzings. Thousands of voices, screaming to be let out.
"Let me out!" A sickly pink and red light flared from her eyes and nouth. She fell and moaned, convulsing as the light darkened.
"What's wrong with her?" A WindClan she-cat shouted. "Someone help her!"
But no one came near her. Blackstar was as shocked as the others, watching until Russetfur lay breathing heavily on the ground.
"She is infected," whispered a ThunderClan cat as the she-cat got up shakily. "What kind of evil creature would do such a thing?"
Russetfur looked up, surprised. "Don't you get it? Buu's not the monster we all think. It's not evil, or good. It's just... here." She shook herself, winced when she tested her foreleg.
"Buu?"
Jayfeather stepped towards her.
"Get away from her!"
Leafpool pushed herself through the throng of cats and stood baring the way for the tom.
Jayfeather bared his teeth. "Move it."
Leafpool looked determined as her son began to bristle. "You are not going near her. Haven't you heard Blackstar?"
"Yes, it's my eyes that aren't working, not my ears," the tom retorted. "Russetfur said - "
"Oh, you're so naive, Jayfeather," Russetfur sighed. "How do you know I'm telling the truth?"
"I just know," Jayfeather mewed. "What are they saying? This Buu?"
"You believe?"
"I believed Blackstar before you showed up."
"... they are acting as they've always acted. They just want to absorb."
"Is that another term for eat us?" The Medicine cat mewed.
"Oh no, this is worse then death," Russetfur laughed. "When you're absorbed, you're not dead. Your mind and body become one with Buu. You lose who you are, what you were. You won't be in StarClan after you die, you'll forever be a part of Buu."
The Clan cats shuddered. Fear clouded their eyes as they followed Russetfur's gaze to the horizon beyond the lake. "Buu should be coming soon," she sang in a soft voice that carried through the quiet crowd.
[-]
Is there a cure for this?" Kestrelflight mewed as Russetfur stretched and curled herself away from the group, her interst with them done. "I've never heard of a disease like this before."
"As Russetfur told you, this is caused by a creature named Buu. And no, I don't think there is a cure." Blackstar took a deep breath. "You are all aware of our powers. What you did not realize was they were taught to us by Goku and Vegeta."
"We knew," Fireheart mewed, his eyes blazing. "It was not hard. Ever since those loners came, ShadowClan had been much stronger and healthier then ever. And as soon as they leave you take over."
Blackstar cleared his throat. "Yes. Well, Buu came from their Universe - another plane of reality. Do you understand?"
Blank stares.
The ShadowClan leader growled in frustration. How could he explain alternate universes to cats who does not even realize this piece of land is tiny compared to an entire planet?
Even Blackstar had trouble comprehending it as Goku explained it.
"Buu is from another place, beyond the stars," he mewed. "A place like our own, before this creature destroyed it. Goku and Vegeta left their old home and came here. They were guarding our planet since then in case the threat of Buu followed them."
"And it did, so it's their fault it's here now!"
"No! Well... yes, maybe. But it came after they left."
"And doesn't that bother you?" Someone shouted from RiverClan's end. "Buu comes out of hiding right after they leave. Sounds to me like it was here the entire time and waited until they left."
Blackstar's voice died in his throat. Could that be true?
"Either way, it's here now, so we must leave," Rowanclaw mewed after his leader hesitated.
Some of the Clan cats stubbornly looked away. Blackstar sighed.
"Whomever wants to stay, fine. But don't expect us to come back for you after Buu comes. I intend to save only those who want to be saved."
"How far do we have to go?"
"I don't know." Blackstar admitted. "But soon."
"It's all because of you we're in this mess in the first place!" screeched Onewhisker. "Why don't you go out there and face it like a true Warrior? You've got the power we don't!"
"Yeah, shouldn't we stay and fight?"
Blackstar shook his head. "Out of the question. Even I know we won't stand a chance against this monster. It's better if we just leave. Look, I know how you feel," he mewed as the Clans grumbled. "This is our home. It's been our home since our Forest was destroyed. But this is going to be a repeat of what happened last time.
"We can either stay until the threat's right here, or we can leave ahead of time and put as much distance as we can between it and us."
He raised himself to his full height. "You all have a choice to make. It's getting late. By Sunrise tomorrow we will leave. I warn you again, you can do what you want or leave on your own, but your chances are better if you stay with us. To ensure our Clans' survival. Good night."
The ShadowClan leader leaped down from the boulder and stretched himself before he lay on the ground.
With the meeting done, the rest of the cats milled about. Then Fireheart, Mistyfoot and Onewhisker raised their tails, and their Clan-mates respectfully followed them away from ShadowClan's group.
[-]
The sun rose steadily over the rolling hills. Small flowers dotted the empty fields. A swam of pelts trotted as one through WindClan's fields, passing by a farm owned by a couple. One of the cats looked yearnly at the barn with its creaking door before she took a deep breath and looked forward again.
The gesture was lost to Blackstar as he floated above the cats. He glanced back at the lake before he turned his back on it and soared ahead of the group. Some of the Warriors stayed behind. Millie and Briarlight of ThunderClan, along with the cat Graystripe. The Elders of RiverClan and a few Warriosr from WindClan stayed as well.
Blackstar wished them luck, but he doubt they'd make it.
Russetfur, meanwhile, had ignored them completely as the Clans left. The last Blackstar saw of her, she had been talking to the sky and shaking her head. May StarClan light her path where she's going.
He saw many reluctant faces in his Clan-mates as they yet again left Russetfur to her doom. Blackstar would have ordered a Warriors death to the mental torture the she-cat must be going through. But he couldn't take that chance.
The ShadowClan leader descended upon the top of the hill and looked back as the group slowly plodded after him. Rowanclaw was already here, looking out over the expanse of trees and streams.
"Gather a patrol to circle the group every now and then," Blackstar mewed. "In case a creature of Buu appears."
Rowanclaw snorted. "What for? We can sense them. There's no need."
"We didn't sense Russetfur," Blackstar pointed out. It as one of the reasons he was so shocked during her speech. The she-cat just appeared, without any warning. Goku explained the technique to hide their own life signs, but so far no one had mastered it yet.
So how could Russetfur do it? Unless Buu naturally had the ability to mask its own life signs. That seriously put them at a disadvantage. Buu could trail them and they wouldn't even know it.
Rowanclaw nodded moodily and soared back to the group. Blackstar sighed, staring after him.
Onewhisker made it clear he was only following them because Jayfeather convinced the other Clans ShadowClan may be their best protector. But they all still voiced the same doubts Blackstar felt. Sooner or later, they would have to face the threat. And then what?
[-]
"Don't worry, little one. Everything will be fine," Applefur soothed.
Moonkit snuggled closer to his mother. "But Ratscar said - "
"Ratscar's scared," Applefur interrupted. "I'm scared too. But I know we'll make it. So don't you fret."
They were laying beside Owlclaw. He snored and flicked his paws. The she-cat was amazed he could sleep. Despite her words, the she-cat was stressed. She was exhausted. The patrols brought back prey, but it was only so much. Her stomach rumbled. She could hardly sleep, and she knew her kit couldn't rest because he could smell the tension in his mother.
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Do you want to hear the story about your father again?" she mewed.
Moonkit nodded eagerly and leaned forward.
So Applefur told him.
The next day the she-cat padded with the other cats. She chattered with a queen from RiverClan, their kits bouncing ahead and playing. The Clans had been traveling for days. Without the moon, they could not be sure how long they were traveling if it had not been Mothwing's ingenious idea to mark the sunrises on a bark of wood she had been carrying around.
Their only reliance at night were the stars to sooth their worries and bring them comfort their Warrior ancestors still watched over them.
The Medicine Cats had hunted for every herb they could find and kept them in leaf-wraps the Warriors carried for them, in case there was an emergency along the way. The traveling was slow on some places, but it was mostly smooth for the cats.
Applefur flexed her tail. "I hope we find a good home soon."
"Shouldn't be long," Duskfur mewed. "What's the story from the patrols?"
"Rowanclaw mentioned birds heading South. I thought he saw some pink ones between them, but he couldn't be sure. And everything from here to Buu was okay with their sensors."
"They'd better be right," Duskfur muttered. "I don't want us to die from a mistake on their behalf."
Applefur nodded. "Let's hope so."
They tilted their heads back at the mountain. They watched from the base as Blackstar and a few of his Warriors levitated above and landed on top. Duskfur sighed.
"This isn't fair. ShadowClan should be teaching us their powers too. He's being selfish."
Applefur took that moment to snatch Moonkit in her jaws. She shrugged apologetically to the RiverClan she-cat before she floated after the group. Duskfur's scowl deepened. She began to brace herself when Applefur reappeared.
"We're bringing all the kits to the top," she mewed. She reached down for Podkit.
Duskefur shrieked and clawed her face. Applefur leapt back.
"Don't touch them!" she screeched.
"What?" Applefur demanded, hurt and anger in her eyes.
"I'm not letting anyone fly with my kits!"
"We just want to - "
"Get away!"
Stunned, Applefur flew off. Podkit and Curlkit watched their mother with wide eyes as she slowly controlled her breathing. Without a word she nuzzled them until they relaxed and gently pushed them to the base of the mountain.
Applefur was livid.
She took her anger out on Rowanclaw as they waited for the cats to climb after them. Rowanclaw was not in the mood. He snapped at her to behave herself and get going, or he'd give her something more painful to think about then Duskfur.
The she-cat had crawled away and somehow ended up with Olivenose. She was friendly with the Queen as she ranted, albiet gently, about her ordeal with Duskfur.
"I was just trying to help! Did she expect me to steal her kit?" she demanded.
"Look at it from Duskfur's point of view," Olivenose mewed.
"What?"
"We can fly. Shoot light that explodes and sense life without the need to see, hear or smell it. Remember when Goku and Vegeta first came to camp? We were all frightened. It seemed abnormal. It was both frightening and a blessing.
"Duskfur doesn't know what to think about this yet. She almost believed you to be normal like the others. But when you flew, all her doubts returned, and now she doesn't know what to make of you."
"But I'm still the same," Applefur mewed. She glanced at Moonkit as he played with the other kits. "Aren't I?"
Olivenose's eyes blazed. "We've always been the same. But now that our powers are not a secret anymore, the other Clans won't be too lenient. They think it's wrong we have a gift we're not sharing them. As long as we have this, we have control over them, and as much as they refuse to express it, this frightens them a lot. The Warrior Code is useless here."
"..." Applefur glanced back down. She found Duskfur immediately. She could feel the she-cat's life waver as she struggled up the mountain with her kits. The Warriors on either side assisted them, helping the kits up or watching over them as the mother huffed after them.
Even without their powers, the other Warriors were still helping one another. Something ShadowClan should be doing, instead of sit by and do nothing.
But they had to. Applefur's eyes rove the ShadowClan Warriors stationed around the group in a wide circle. ShadowClan had to keep their senses alert for the slightest hints of Buu. Rowanclaw looked to the breaking point as he talked with his Warriors and looked up at the sky or horizon every few seconds.
The she-cat turned her back and began to herd her kit on the other side after Blackstar, whom was already perched on the other side of the mountain, scouting ahead for danger. She just missed the first sight of a pink form descending from the clouds above.
[-]
The wind tugged hard against Rowanclaw's pelt. He looked over his shoulder. The sky was thick with thousands of pink forms. Below him the multitude of pelts rushed over rocks and slithered through grass in an attempt to escape the rapidly approaching horde.
He cursed himself. The birds flew above the clouds too. Buu must've known this would happen! It hid in the clouds!
Rowanclaw flew with the others in a wide arc, shooting a barrage of ki blasts into the mass of pink flesh, trying to distract it. The wriggling army shifted away from the Clans, plunged after his patrol. Rowanclaw's group dipped and dived, pulling up at the last moment and slipping between the trees the Clans had left behind before they climbed the mountain.
They could hear Buu's birds smack against the ground, too slow to pause and crashing against the trees. They pulled up, burst through the trees.
And arrived in the middle of the mass.
Rowanclaw looked about him quickly. Where did this come from?
Ratscar edged closer to his leader, his paws cackling with electricity. "Rowanclaw, they've got us surrounded!"
The Captain glanced up. Pink birds dive-bombed into their small group.
"Scatter!
He twisted away and flew upwards. A sticky blur smacked into his shoulder. It wriggled and cawed loudly in his ear. He snarled and bit into the pink flesh, sending a torrent of electricity from his teeth into the creature.
Buu shrieked and clung harder then ever. Rowanclaw savored the screams, imagining each and every jolt vengence for what happened to his mate. He rolled over a group that tried to intercept him, continuously feeding into the creature until it stopped moving. He pulled it off and spat it away.
Three more stuck to his back. He wriggled madly, trying to pry them off. Another stuck to his leg.
His yowl was cut off as a pink bird shot straight into his mouth.
[-]
Blackstar paced back and forth. The Clan cats were hiding in the tall close cropped grass on the other side of the mountain. During ShadowClan's patrols' attempt to distract Buu, Blackstar had heard the others to hiding places. It worked. The birds had flown completely over their heads. Heading straight for the horizon. But Blackstar kept them hidden just in case.
They were safe, but did not go smoothly.
Many of the cats panicked and ran over the mountain in their haste to escape the birds. Duskfur had been one of them, taking her kits with her. Applefur had no idea she died until Olivenose appeared with a frightened Podkit in her jaws. She didn't learn until much later many of them willingly threw themselves overboard, keen to join their Starry ancestors then lose their own life and very soul to the monster.
The rest of the Clans were mortified. They sat mumbling or looking up every now into the sky. It didn't look like a force with the will to keep living. It was the thought of staying alive that frightened them most if Buu confronted them again.
"I can't believe they surprised us!" Blackstar growled. Above the night sky, thousands of stars shined down on them. Blackstar gazed at his Warrior ancestors. He said and thought some things against StarClan that he now regretted.
He wondered if in some twisted way this was their method of revenge. If so, he hoped they would forgive him. He could just make out his Clan-mates in the little light the Warrior spirits provided. They didn't trust lighting the air with their tails. It'd be like a warning signal for Buu. Then again, it could probably hear them too. He wasn't sure. He was frustrated, tensed, and exhausted to the point he rather run blindly out there then stay cooped up in here with fear scent clogging his nostrils.
The crickets chirped loudly in the quiet darkness. Not even the other Clan cats dared speak out loud. Blackstar sighed loudly. "We should have been better prepared!"
"We were," Applefur mewed. She glanced at Moonkit sleeping beside Podkit in a tight woven nest of ferns. "Buu was just two steps ahead of us."
"Then we'll keep extra patrols on standby. I want you to send a message to every ShadowClan Warrior to meet me here - "
"Blackstar, there is no one else," Applefur mewed quietly. "Everyone's gone."
The ShadowClan Leader glanced at the few ShadowClan Warriors that surrounded him. They huddled together. He could see the fear in their eyes as they tried to keep their legs from shaking. Then he raked his eyes over the other Clans.
He swallowed.
"We'll keep running," he mewed. He was met with tired groans. Mousefur slumped on the ferns.
"That's it, I give up," she groaned. "I'm tired of running."
"We must keep going!" Blackstar insisted. "We'll outrun Buu at some point."
"I doubt that," Onewhisker mewed.
Blackstar was in his face in an instant. "And what will you do without us?"
Onewhisker pushed his face forward until their whiskers touched. "We should never have followed you!" he snarled. "This is a sign from StarClan. The moon's absence did not signify alliance, but an omen. And you're pulling us all with it."
"Silence!" Blackstar growled. "I'm trying to save you all."
Mistyfoot stepped forward. "Let us worry about our own Clans. You've done enough help for us."
"And I suppose you can do better?" Blackstar demanded.
"A lot better then this," Onewhisker shot back. "My Clan runs and hides in tunnels. We should have done that instead of follow your crazy ideals."
"What kind of Warrior are you? Hiding in tunnels," Blackstar taunted. "That's the coward's way out!"
"If I'm not mistaken, this whole travel is the coward's way," Onewhisker gestured angrily. "Look at us! We're not Warriors, we're prey to this thing! And you're doing nothing about it!"
"I know we can still make it," Blackstar "If we just keep going, hide in the ferns - "
"You'll all find it riddled with Buu, and die with no hope."
All heads turned. Standing atop a boulder was a cat. She watched them balefully. But it was not her words that caught their attention. Her pelt shed stars in the dark.
I'd like to thank Song that Sings on its Own for beta-reading for me. Without him/her I wouldn't have had the will to continue this sooner).
And I hope ya'll are enjoying this. I liked the way it turned out. A little more polish, but it's fine this way too =D