Author's Note: I did not realize that this story was much shorter then the others! Wow!
The Lost Protector
This story is dedicated to Chichirui for she is the reason for most of my inspiration and without her these stories wouldn't be half as fun! So this one is for you my hyper active friend! Keep the hyperness alive!
Chapter 8: Chase Me; Don't Catch MeKat watched as Willow approached her like a predator readying for an attack. She moved silently and swiftly even though the space between them was vast. It was like watching a panther in the wild.
She knew that now there was nothing she could do to help her friend now… unless she killed her. But Kat knew she couldn't bring herself to kill her best friend. There was a bond that prevented the thought from ever crossing her mind even though she knew it was apparent. You don't kill blood. Willow was like her sister. So all she could do right that second was run.
Kat turned from the black-eyed Willow and ran into the forest. Pumping her legs like wild she propelled herself through the underbrush of the darkened forest. She had to get away-to tell the others. But Willow had been expecting this.
She followed Kat into the forest and was easily upon her in barely a minute. Willow had more experience in this forest and she knew every part of it so there was no where Kat could run that she wouldn't be able to get to. "You'll die, Protector!" She yelled at Kat.
With sudden energy, Willow leapt for Kat's back. As she flew through the air, her hands outstretched and fingers silently begging for the feel of Kat's skin beneath them, Kat made a sharp turn and ran to the right. She had sensed the jump and had barely made it out of Willow's death grasp. Once you fall into that you can't get out.
Willow tumbled to the ground, rolling in the dirt and growing as she quickly recovered and got to her feet, running after Kat. They ran like that for about two hours, twisting and turning, Kat getting more and more tired as Willow seemed to not be even phased by this activity. As every second passed Kat was becoming more and more aware to how close midnight was approaching… could she stop Willow?
I don't have much time. I have to get to the Slayers! She thought as she dodged another attempt from Willow to bring her to the ground. Knowing that she'd never outrun Willow on the ground, Kat stopped and turned around, watching as Willow picked herself up from the ground and charged Kat again. There was a sturdy branch just above Kat-if she could just time it right…
Willow jumped and flew through the air towards Kat. This time she would not miss! Kat waited and waited until the last second when she could almost feel the fingertips of Willow's fingers then she jumped straight up and grabbed the branch. She swung herself forward and hit Willow in the face with a kick. She watched as Willow fell to the ground and moaned.
Knowing that she only had a few seconds before Willow recovered Kat swung her up into the tree. Working fast, she used her momentum to jump to another branch and began working the intertwining branches like monkey bars. I've got to get to the Slayers… she thought as she worked.
A couple minutes later Willow fully recovered from the shock of missing and ramming into the ground. As she stood up and dusted herself off, she smiled to herself. She had seen Kat's retreating form in the distance. "Never mind, kitty. We'll met in a couple hours anyway," she said.
With that she raised her hands to the sky. Electricity shot through her body and a bright blue light emerged from her palms, shooting straight up into the sky. "The time has come, my followers," she whispered to the sky as she slowly disappeared.
Time was passing too fast… where was she? Had she failed? No, she was too strong to fail. Then where was she? "Time…" he growled. Dilandau stood in the middle of a small clearing towards the thinning of the forest into the fields of Fanellia. The Dragon Slayers stood around him, all waiting for the arrival of Kat.
He knew that his wife should've been back at least an hour ago. But she hadn't and now he was starting to doubt this plan. They were so close to Fanellia… horrible images flashed through his head as the city's name resounded inside his head. He should've just burned it to the ground, be over with it, stopping whatever plan Willow had and killing Van in the process. Two birds with one stone, he thought.
Suddenly he heard a cracking of a tree branch overhead. Looking up, he saw the form of Kat falling out of a tree just feet from him. She hit the ground hard, her body shaking from the force of the fall, but got up and ran the rest of the way to him just as he was starting towards her. Silently he admired her strength, the way she kept pushing herself in the face of danger and pain-a true warrior.
"Willow is fully controlled now. She's going to get her followers and start the war… she also has Van under he control," Kat said, breathing heavily as she stumbled and collapsed into his waiting arms.
Dilandau nodded and motioned for his troops to get ready with one hand while he held Kat steady as she got to her feet. Alex and Nicole ran over to Kat and helped her into a chair. "Dilandau, you went off with Van at the party, remember? Why was that?" Alex asked. She had seen what Kat had seen and was very curious.
"Van came to me to tell me that a pillar of light had come down from the heavens-well more like he wanted to know if I knew anything of it. He simply came to me thinking that I had somehow made the light come. He wanted it to be that Hitomi bitch. I told him I knew nothing of it and that if he didn't leave within five seconds then I would kill him. He left," Dilandau replied.
Nicole and Alex snorted with laughter while Kat smirked. It was so Dilandau.
"Look, we don't have very much time. I suggest we don't go riding into Fanellia; Willow's bound to have her troops ready and waiting for us. Plus we wouldn't be fighting on fair ground," Kat said.
"True. So we do what?" Nicole asked, giving Kat some water from a flask she had.
"That's my area of expertise-so you go and get rest. You have about three hours; use the time. Now go," Dilandau said.
Kat nodded and stood up, giving him a quick hug as Alex and Nicole walked into a nearby tent. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head into his neck, inhaling his scent. Her nerves were racked and right then she wished they didn't have to do this. "I don't want to do this," she whispered as she pulled away.
Dilandau took her hand and gently kissed it. "I know," he said gently before letting her go. Kat walked into the small tent in which Nicole and Alex had disappeared into. They were all sitting on cots. "You guys know what we have to do, right?" Kat asked quietly once the flap had been closed.
Both nodded solemnly.
"Then you'll follow my orders when give them? No hesitation?"
Again they nodded. Kat gave a grim smile. "I know this is a lot, but if we can just get it right, then Willow won't have to die."
"Then let's pray that we get it right," Alex said sadly and Nicole simply nodded. They all knew the risks they would be taking.
Author's Note: That was a short chapter. Sorry peeps. So, what's the risk? Looks like the battle tension is building, not to mention this risk! Review! If you review the new chapter comes up!
~The Shadow That Takes Form as a Kat~
~~ShadowKat~~