Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Tamora Pierce characters. The rest are mine, and please get MY permission before you use them!
A/N: I hope u liked the last chapter!
Thanks 4 reviewing! PLEASE review again!
Jewelclaw's Wrath
Kitten stared at Jewelclaw. He must be mad, she thought to herself. The beautiful golden yellow stone sat in front of her. She looked at it curiously. What was she supposed to do?
-MAKE IT WORK FOR ME NOW!- Jewelclaw's voice rang in her ears.
-But I don't know how!-
-JUST DO IT!- Kitten sighed. She looked at the stone again, puzzled. Tentatively, she reached out her foot and touched it. Nothing happened. She picked it up. It felt heavy, but it was sharp like glass. She looked in and the shimmering surfaces reflected her image. She smelled it, only to find that there was nothing to smell. What was she supposed to do? She tapped it with a long claw. Nothing. She clicked her tongue. Again, there was no result. Jewelclaw was growling impatiently.
Frustrated, she let out a high pitched whistle. At first, nothing happened. Kitten was about to replace the stone, when it began glow. Faintly at first, then it burst into a golden light that illuminated the hall. Jewelclaw smiled as he watched Kitten stare in fascination at the stone. The Stone of the Kings.
-Give it to me!- he growled excitedly. Kitten frowned. All of the sudden, she felt a sort of longing for the stone. She stared deeply at it. She saw herself and sighed. There were streaks of dirt across her face, and her wings were creased unhealthily. She wished now, more than anything, she could be with Daine.
Before she knew what was happening, she felt a tingling come over her.
-NO!- Jewelclaw was galloping towards her angrily. Then he was gone. She felt herself falling into blackness. Terrified, she flapped her wings hard, but as weak as they were, they would not obey her bidding. She shut her eyes tightly as she careened into the obscurity.
Kitten hit the ground with a thud. She groaned. Her head was spinning, and it took her a minute to become accustomed to the bright light. When her vision was in focus, she rose and inspected the few cuts and bruises she had received. Her wings were a ghastly state: creased and torn in some places. She winced when she touched them. When she finally stood up, they hung weakly at her sides. She grunted. This was going to be interesting.
After walking for some time under the hot sun, wondering where she was, Kitten collapsed under the shade of a tree. With her tail, she splashed water from a pond onto herself. It felt good. Her scales were hot, and seemed to get heavier. As she was about to close her eyes, she saw a badger approaching her.
-Hello Skysong.- His voice spoke in her mind. Kitten realized this was Daine's guardian!
-Badger! Where's Daine?-
-I'll show you.- The young dragon eagerly followed Badger. He peered over his shoulder at her.
-You look like you've had it rough.-
-Wait 'till we find Daine, I'll tell you everything.- Until that moment, Kitten had forgotten about the stone. She opened her paw and the stone materialized. She gasped. The badger stopped. Seeing the stone, he ran over to his dragon friend.
-Is that the…-
-Yes. The stone of the kings.-
-Can you fly?- asked the badger urgently. Kitten spread her wings and flapped. Nothing.
-No.-
-What happened to you?-
-Well…-
-Wait, let's get to Daine first, then we can sort this out.- Kitten nodded in agreement.
Badger and dragon finally burst into the small hut that was Daine's. Numair was sitting at the table, his head in his hands.
-Where is my kit?- the badger asked nervously.
-Gone.-
Oohh! ANOTHER cliffie. This chapter wasn't so great, and I'm sorry, but something had to happen in between! Srry this took me sooo long to get out. PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! I…