Chapter Twenty-One: Before
The fresh-kill pile was just outside the willow leaves tucked under a bit of rock that jutted out from the basin wall. It was close enough to be reached if one was brave enough to step foot outside of Tornheart's shield, which no one was. Growling stomachs were ignored. Prey could not be pulled from thin air. Nor was it worth an icy death. That thought was quickly fading away. The apprentices had become unusually quiet, their smaller bodies demanding prey with awful pangs. The queens were beginning to suffer as well. Their milk was running dry. Soon it would become a life or death situation for the kits. Something had to be done. The wind outside screamed.
"I've already told you that I can't protect anyone if they leave the shield," Tornheart repeated for the thousandth time. "It's too much power, and it could bring down the shield around us. You already know that blizzard isn't normal. If Wind and Ice are mixing their powers walking out there could mean an icicle through your skull."
"We can't just sit around here and wait for it to stop. The kits are getting weaker. They need something, so do the apprentices. I don't want to watch them die slowly," Blizzardfang said quietly with a meaningful look to where the queens lay with their weakening kits. His gaze lingered on Eaglestrike curled up around Shiverlight face pulled into an anguished expression. "Our Code demands we do everything we can to ensure the safety of kits."
Thistletail released a heavy sigh and reached up with a hind-leg to scratch absently at her ear. "I do agree with you, Blizzardfang, but we still have to figure out how to get to the pile without dying first. Tornheart says she can't do it without endangering everyone. That's fair and I believe her. Does anyone else have any other ideas?"
"Well it's not as if anyone else has the power to create shields," Stormwhisker scoffed.
"Actually," Amory spoke up, "there might be. Say, Willowclaw, how much do you know about Sunrise's abilities?"
"Not as much as everyone keeps assuming. I found out about it when you all did, okay? I know absolutely nothing about her powers," he answered, levelling Amory with an irritated look. He was sick and tired of them expecting so much of Sunrise. So sure she had some cool power now. That didn't suddenly make her an adult cat. She was till an apprentice. She was still young and inexperienced. He refused to see her used as a pawn.
"I can try to shield someone."
Six senior warriors, a Chosen, and their leader had somehow managed to not spot Sunrise sidling closer to them until she was sitting practically on their paws. Her head was cocked to one side, eyes wide and bright with what Willowclaw assumed was naive hope. He opened his mouth to tell her she couldn't when something snagged his attention. Her blue eye was lit up with a dull light that flickered and wavered. It was so similar to the way Tornheart's eyes appeared when she was wielding her magic. He shifted his paws, uncomfortably glancing around, watching the shadows as they gravitated towards the little she-cat. Did she know she was using her power? Did she know she was dragging every speck of darkness towards her?
"No," Tornheart's voice was cold. "No you can't. You might kill them, Sunrise. Power that is new is volatile, even more so when the one using it is untrained. It is dangerous for me to shield them. It is even more dangerous for you to do it."
Sunrise's face fell. The light in her eye did not go away. "But I know I can do it."
"The consequences are too great. Look above you, Sunrise." Above their heads the darkness was gathering into a thick puddle, clinging to the branches, dripping down towards Sunrise in slimy looking droplets that never made it to her before vanishing. "Do you see what raw, untrained power can do if left unchecked? You didn't even know you were tapping into it. Do you understand why I can't have you trying to use your power on anyone until you've learnt to control it?" Willowclaw pretends he doesn't see the darkness grow sharp and lean towards Tornheart with malicious intent.
"Perhaps it would be worth a try," Amory hummed thoughtfully.
Willowclaw's jaw dropped. "You actually want Sunrise to try shielding someone?"
"It's been three days since the blizzard started. This is our last option. If we do not try it because you refuse to believe in the ability of the kit you brought back with you then are you willing the shoulder the deaths that will come because of it?" Amory said. He had the kind of look that said he knew he would win. Willowclaw grit his teeth. This was his leader, and the leader's word was law.
"Okay. Fine. If you want to try it then let's try it. But I am not going to be the one going out there," he muttered.
"Amory you can't do this. It's too dangerous. You could be sending someone to their death," Tornheart pleaded.
"If I don't then I will be sentencing everyone in here to a slow death," Amory growled. "I am making the decision to trust in Sunrise's power."
Sunrise grinned. "You don't be disappointed. I promise you that I can do this."
"Their death will be on your shoulders if you fail," Amory shrugged. "Now, who do we pick to go out there?"
"Arrow," Tornheart said. "Arrow will go out there."
"You want to send your mate out there!?" Emberstorm exclaimed.
Tornheart stared at Sunrise, "if you believe in yourself so much then I entrust the life of my mate to you. Bring him back safely."
"He won't even get a scratch," Sunrise met her stare evenly.
"Fine, if you want Arrow to go out there then he will. Arrow! Come here, I have something for you to do," Amory shouted.
It was clear by the ex-city cats startled reaction to being ordered around that he still wasn't really used having a leader that actively called on him. "What can I do for you?"
"Sunrise is going to use her power to keep you safe while you fetch the prey from the pile for us." At Arrow's dumbfounded expression Amory added slyly, "you can thank your mate for your part in this."
"How exactly am I going to be kept safe?" Arrow enquired. The look he gave Tornheart was annoyed, like he was used to being the puppet in her experiments. "Not that I don't trust Sunrise."
"I'll wrap us up in some shadows. They'll keep the blizzard out. We'll be safe," Sunrise chirped in response. Her grin was far too excited and far too confident.
Tornheart crouched down to Sunrise's height. "Who said anything about you going out there with him?"
"I kind of need to," she answered slowly like she was explaining something to a kit, "otherwise the shadows will get thinner the further away he gets. They are stronger around me. Plus I don't really want to die either so Arrow will definitely make it back alive."
"If she wants to go out there with him then let her," Amory said dismissively. "Off you go then we don't have all day to sit around here discussing it."
The senior warriors gave Sunrise and Arrow a wide berth, scurrying backwards with expressions that did not speak of faith. Even Tornheart stepped away, Amory by her side. Arrow looked a little sick, glancing at the willow leaves hiding the basin from them. He took a deep breath and pretended his legs weren't quivering.
Sunrise didn't miss it though. "You don't believe I can do it, do you?" she whispered sadly. Above them the shadows surged a bit stronger feeding off her unstable mindset.
"It's not that I don't believe you, Sunrise, it's just that we have no idea what the blizzard is like," he said.
"Only one way to find out, I guess." Arrow didn't get any warning before shadow flooded over him and his vision faded to darkness. Blinking rapidly he tried to pick apart shapes in the black but he couldn't see a thing. A harsh breath got caught in his throat, turning into a choked whimper at the feeling of being trapped. Fur brushed against his side and his eyes found a pale glow: the blue of Sunrise's eye. His heart slowed its frantic pace.
"Sorry, I don't want to risk opening up a hole to see through. We'll just have to feel our way there," she reassured.
It was easy to tell when they'd passed through Tornheart's shield. Sunrise felt the full force of the blizzard batter against her shadows. They whined under the pressure, the bubble surrounding them shrinking as the wind gusted strongly outside. The temperature dropped to icy levels. If they could have been able to see Sunrise knew their breaths would have been visible, little puffs of white cloud. Moving was difficult. Thick snow dragged at their legs. It was nearly up to her stomach, the damp seeping into her fur. Keeping the bubble around them was even harder. Everything in the blizzard sought to tear it down. She closed her eyes and she could feel shards of ice slicing into her shield. With a grunt she made the bubble bigger, gave Arrow more room to shift around. His tiny exhale sounded grateful.
Her paw scuffed against something hard and solid. Bending down she felt feathers stiff with the cold brush her nose. She grinned, "We found it, Arrow. The pile is just by our paws."
"Brilliant. Let's get as much as we can and get it back to Amory. He can decide what to do with frozen prey." His teeth were chattering so much that he stumbled over a few of his words. Strangely enough Sunrise hardly felt the cold. She was aware of it but it was only a dull ache in her bones, nothing big enough to set her teeth chattering. "You pick some up too, Sunrise, I can't carry all of it. My mouth isn't that big regardless of what Tornheart says."
His voice sounded faraway. The darkness around her pulsated and then it fell. Sunrise braced herself for the onslaught of shards with a quiet mewl but felt nothing. Peeking out from around her paws all she saw was white. In the distance a smudge of green was spread across the horizon. Glancing up she found the sky to be white as well. A heavy weight slammed into her side just as sharp claws bit into the skin on her shoulder. Her body moved for her, flipping her assailant over her head, spinning to meet them head on. Eyes half green half blue stared back at her – they were strange, the green bleeding away into the blue like it no longer belonged there. Again she moved without meaning to, rearing up and swiping at their face with claws that drew lines of red. They shouted their pain.
"Sheara! Stop this! We don't need to do this, we can work this out together!" they cried. Sunrise realised that the stranger was talking to her but the voice that came out of her throat was not her own.
"Don't be stupid, Atsiya! You and I can't do anything together. Our purposes don't mix. I was born to save and you were born to destroy. There is nothing to discuss anymore. Now die!" She fell atop Atsiya with a feral snarl, long claws seeking her throat. Atsiya's white fur was turning scarlet in places. She fought back just as viciously teeth catching Sheara's scruff, shaking the other she-cat roughly. Sheara kicked her in the jaw, striking out at her strange eyes. Twisting her head out of the way the blow fell on her cheek cutting to the bone. She scrabbled for purchase on the loose ground kicking Sheara in the stomach in her mad panic to rise back to her paws. The blue in her eyes stretched further now, the green receding in defeat. Sheara struck out with a gold paw only to have Atsiya catch it in her teeth.
"I don't want to kill you." Her plea was muffled. Sheara ripped her paw free whipping the other one around to smack Atisya hard sending the white she-cat tumbling back into the snow. Her flanks heaved. Blood spilled from the cut on her cheek. Shakily she shifted into a sitting position, head hanging down and eyes unfocused. Sunrise felt a shift in the air, an electric charge crackling between them. She tried to shift Sheara's body but it refused to acknowledge her movements. It was not her body. She was merely a guest.
"You don't have to worry about that," Sheara laughed hoarsely. "I'm going to kill you instead. Isn't that how this thing works? When I catch you I kill you? I never really understood the significance of our fate but now I kind of do. We're both abominations but I'm the one this world wants to live. We are destined to fight, Atsiya, and I am destined to kill you."
"Does being my sister mean nothing to you!? Don't you remember how close we were before we discovered who we really were? We had such a wonderful family. Mother and father loved each other so much, and they loved us even more. Rosa and Lan and their kits loved us too. Do you remember the days we spent playing with each other? The mornings we woke up early just to see the sunrise!? Does that not mean anything to you now!?" Atsiya jerked as the full force of Sheara's blow hit her head.
Another shift crackled. "We are not siblings anymore."
The last bit of green in Atsiya's eyes bled away.
"Sunrise! Sunrise, can you hear me?"
From the snow on Sheara's right rose a wall of blue ice, faces rough and jagged. With her attention focused solely on Atsiya the gold she-cat didn't see it until it smashed into her, shattering as it made impact. Her howl was lost in the sound of breaking ice. Atsiya stared at her sister darkly. "I didn't want it to come to this. I didn't want to have to use this. I hate using this. But if you refuse to call a truce then I have no choice. I am sorry, Sheara, that it had to come to this." As she spoke a long, sharp icicle formed above her head, vicious tip pointed towards Sheara's skull.
"Sunrise snap out of it! You're going to kill us both!"
There was a brief moment before the icicle fell in which Sheara sucked in a deep breath, her eyes flickering a burnt gold. When it fell it did not spear her. Instead it passed into the thickness of a dark mass of shadows, one that resembled a cat, which snarled at Atsiya. Her shock gave Sheara the chance to launch herself through the shadow, latching onto her sister, ripping into the side of her neck with bloodied teeth. Breathing out a cloud of cold Atsiya dropped her body temperature to near freezing levels so that her skin became painful to touch. Sheara's grip loosened and Atsiya threw her off. The ground where she landed became pitch black her shadows spilling from her body like blood. Solidifying and sharpening they lashed out at Atsiya, slicing through her skin. The walls of ice that sprung up kept most at bay but still some managed to slither past.
"Just give up!" Sheara roared. "This is not your world, it's mine! I was sent to watch over it, to protect it from the likes of you!"
"How can you call yourself a protector when the darkness is your ally!? That is a power reserved for villains in stories!" Atsiya screamed back, pushing at one of her walls so that it toppled towards Sheara. The she-cat leapt out of the way only to have another thrown at her. The shadows took a little of the impact away but it still left her gasping for breath and bleeding. An icicle flew through her ear puncturing the thin flesh. Her howl sent her shadows flying at Atsiya, wrapping around her legs, flowing up her body like water. They stuck fast trapping her in place.
"Please, Sunrise, I'm begging you to come back! The blizzard is getting worse and your shield isn't working! Sunrise, you promised!"
Sheara meandered over to her at a leisurely pace – she favoured her left side as she walked, right side bruised and battered. "The power of villains you claim? Tell me, sister, how many have you killed with your power, hmm? I haven't harmed a soul with mine. But I know you've killed with yours. So, tell me, who have you killed? Mother and father weren't enough? Lan didn't put up enough of a fight for you? Did the terrified squeals of our younger siblings not sate your bloodlust? I am not the monster here, Atsiya. You are."
Her next words were interrupted by a mouthful of blood and a harsh cry. She spat red over Atsiya's face, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she stumbled and fell. Her shadows quivered, and then disappeared in bursts of ash. Atsiya slumped into a crouch beside her shaking sister. She eyed the curved icicle protruding from the scarlet of Sheara's stomach. Her body convulsed around it trying to force it out but it wouldn't budge. She heaved in a weak breath that rattled in her lungs. The gold of her fur was rapidly fading to black.
Leaning over Atsiya whispered in Sheara's ear. "If anything you turned me into a monster."
"SUNRISE!"
The white world collapsed, returning to the pitch blackness of her shadow bubble. Arrow was pushing against her frantically, nipping and pinching at her skin with his teeth. He sounded hysterical, breaths coming in short gasps, his pulse thundering. She felt her bubble shudder as the blizzard pressed harder against it. Sunrise didn't need to see to know that the Elementals were watching. She could feel their almighty presence weighing down on her. There wasn't much of that vision that she understood but to her it seemed that Shadowstalkers and Elementals had been mortal enemies for a very long time; it was an age old battle she had found herself in the middle of. She pushed at her bubble to make it larger, then let it flair however it liked, giving the shadows permission to slither up the basin sides towards the ones responsible for the blizzard.
"I'm fine, Arrow, I'm fine. Let's go," she nudged the city cat with her nose, urging him back the way they had come. Already she could feel the strength behind the blizzard waning. The feeling of power the Elementals gave off was lessening as well: they were retreating. Whatever they had come to get they had gotten it. Maybe it was just to test my power. Did they see the vision too? Was that why they were here?
Sunrise let the bubble fall away once they had made it back into the safety of the willow leaves. The shadows lingered for a heartbeat poking and prodding gently at her before they vanished. Arrow fell onto his side with a dramatic sigh. "I am never agreeing to anymore of your whacky plans, Tornheart!"
"But it worked," Tornheart smiled, leaning down to nuzzle him. "You did fine. Just stay down there till your heart beat returns to a normal pace." She turned to Sunrise with a less pleased expression. "I know you managed to do it but something happened out there. The others might not have felt it but I did. What happened?"
Before she could answer Willowclaw wrapped his big paw around her and pulled her towards him, smothering her in his thick fur. "Never do anything like that again. It's awful having to sit here and watch you do things like that knowing I can't help."
"He's right," Icepetal pressed her cold nose into Sunrise's stomach making her squeal. "I hate sitting here not being able to help you."
"With a power like that you can't expect me to let her sit around doing nothing," Amory interrupted. He had a slight smile that was directed completely at Sunrise. "Well done. You've saved the kits, and a few of the apprentices. Thank you. Did you see anything out there?"
"The Elementals were out there. I could feel them. But they're gone now, and I think the blizzard might stop soon too," Sunrise replied, grinning widely. It felt amazing to have done something so important. Saving lives was such a rewarding feeling.
While the others were discussing how to ration the prey Sunrise snuck back over to Tornheart, meeting the wielder's guarded stare with a big smile. "I want you to train me. I want to know how to use my power properly."
"What happened out there, Sunrise?" Tornheart demanded.
"Nothing, I just felt the Elemental's presence. I swear," she added at the other's sceptical look. "Please teach me."
Tornheart sighed. "Fine. But you have to promise to do exactly what I say at all times. Your power is different than mine so I'm not exactly sure how to deal with it. Okay?"
"Okay!" The vision was a mystery, something Tornheart didn't need to know about. It probably didn't even mean anything. She'd ask her dark friend. But for now she was going to throw everything she had into learning how to use her power to its fullest. A taste of victory had given her a vicious yearning for it. The Elemental's wouldn't stand a chance against her once she'd learned how to use the shadows properly. She would push and push and push until she had nothing left to give, and then give some more.
She was a Shadowstalker and her destiny was to destroy the Elemental's.