Chapter 6: Spotted Owl
A blast of air flattened Spotted Owl's whiskers against her face as Yellow Sky's paw grazed her head. It would have been a powerful blow to her muzzle, enough to send her reeling—if she was in the same spot she'd been a fraction of a heartbeat ago. She ducked her head and curled her body to roll to her left. The terse grass scraped against her back. She sprang to her paws, bouncing lightly on her toes. A pant escaped her lips, though she grinned, giddy with adrenaline.
Unfortunately, Yellow Sky was just as fast as her. The senior fighter swung around, her jaw set, moving with the power of a thunderstorm. She surged forward, lashing out a paw.
Spotted Owl leaped backward, dancing out of reach just in time. She ducked her head as another strike swept over her head, catching the tip of her ears. She collapsed onto her side, rolling again, this time to the right. She grunted as she pushed herself to her feet, but she smiled at the feeling of the strength flowing through her muscles.
Yellow Sky whirled toward her, narrowing her blazing yellow eyes. "Don't forget your offense." She swept her leg at Spotted Owl's paws, tripping her up.
"Right." The young she-cat frowned as she steadied herself. She had barely regained her balance before a cuff to the side of her head sent her flying through the air. As she felt herself lose momentum, she twisted her spine, so she landed with her legs underneath her. She stood, her flanks heaving, but pain-free. Thank the stars.
She looked up just in time to see her instructor barreling toward her. She fought off her urge to evade again. I can't keep fleeing; I'll eventually run out of energy without even having dealt any blows. Yellow Sky's right; I need to practice my offense, so I have to stand my ground.
Spotted Owl swallowed as she planted her feet, sinking into her battle stance. She stared her instructor down as the giant she-cat charged toward her, six tail-lengths away, then two tail-lengths, then one.
At the last heartbeat, she sidestepped, letting Yellow Sky fly past her, and then lunged, catching her instructor's long tail in her mouth. Yellow Sky yelped in surprise. Her momentum yanked Spotted Owl forward, twisting her neck painfully, but she clung on. She let go as the older she-cat skidded to a stop and spun around, leaping at her, and then rolled onto her back so she could batter her instructor's belly before she rolled again and sprang upright.
Spotted Owl ignored her strained breaths that condensated in the frosty air and the ache in her muscles. She didn't waste a heartbeat as she jumped, aiming for Yellow Sky's back—only to soar over it like a wobbly eaglet learning to fly as the smoky gray she-cat ducked.
Spotted Owl sunk her claws into the frozen earth to wrench herself to a halt. She wheeled around and aimed a blow at her instructor's muzzle.
"Be careful where you look. Don't let your eyes give you away," Yellow Sky instructed, retaliating with a strike to the shoulder.
The dappled she-cat grunted in reply as she stumbled.
"Protect your shoulder. That's your weak spot."
"Mmhmm."
"And don't forget to breathe."
"I know," Spotted Owl exclaimed as she reared up on her hindlegs, preparing to bring her paws crashing down on her instructor. Yellow Sky dove forward, driving her head into her trainee's stomach. Spotted Owl gasped for air as she toppled backward, her back crashing into the rough bark of a hemlock tree. She collapsed with a grimace, her legs feeling as flimsy as twigs. Ow. That hurt. I'm bruised and tired. How much longer are we going to spar for?
But Yellow Sky wasn't done yet. She surged forward, coming after Spotted Owl. The young she-cat's gaze flitted like a fly around herself, but there was nowhere to run with her back against the tree. Her gaze alighted on the trunk, a grin spreading across her face as an idea came to her. She got to her paws just as Yellow Sky had almost reached her. She jumped into the air, pushing off of the solid trunk with her hind legs to soar over her instructor's head.
Yellow Sky launched herself onto her hindlegs, her forelegs outstretched. She wrapped them around Spotted Owl's middle, plucking her out of the air and slamming her into the ground. Placing her powerful forepaws on the trainee's chest and flank, she pinned her.
Spotted Owl's throat wheezed as she drew in rapid breaths. She raised her gaze to look at Yellow Sky, who bent over her, her lips curved into the tiniest of smiles. Then her face disappeared from her view as the weight pinning her vanished. She groaned and let her body go limp. Oh, my stars. Every single part of my body hurts. I lost. Defeat tasted like bitter herbs in the back of her throat, and failure was present in every ache in her body. But...I didn't lose quite as quickly as last time. And my leg doesn't hurt for once.
After several long heartbeats, Spotted Owl mustered up the will to hoist herself to her paws. She shook out her pelt, feeling battered and bruised. She turned to see Yellow Sky waiting patiently a few tail-lengths away, her fur smooth and expression serene. Her smile had vanished like early morning mist.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess." Spotted Owl scuffed her paws on the weathered stone beneath her pads. "I know that we've been working hard, and I feel stronger, I do, but I feel like I should already be better. Stronger. Faster. At this point, I'm afraid that I'll never be as good as I was, let alone improve—"
"Spotted Owl."
"What?" The young she-cat's head snapped up.
Yellow Sky rose to her paws. Her unreadable gaze stayed connected to her trainee's as she strolled over to her, taking her time. "Spotted Owl, you have almost caught up."
"What?" She blinked.
The senior fighter smiled. "I said, you have almost reached the level you were at before you got injured. You've nearly caught up to your sister. You are becoming stronger every day. And not just that, you have improved your skill at dodging and evasion, your strikes have become much more precise, and you were very clever to use your surroundings to your advantage. I've done my best to help you, but you're only improved so much because of your hard work and dedication. Don't start to doubt yourself now."
A smile stretched across Spotted Owl's face as her instructor's words sank in. Warmth like a little flame tingled throughout her entire body. Without giving herself time to hesitate, she surged forward and buried her head in Yellow Sky's thick chest fur. A lump coalesced in her throat. "Thank you."
Spotted Owl felt the smokey gray she-cat stiffen under her touch, but then she relaxed with a slow exhale. A weight settled on her back as the older she-cat wrapped her tail around her. A cold nose pressed against the top of her head. They remained that way for a little while, locked in a warm embrace to keep out the cold.
Eventually, Yellow Sky shifted her weight, beginning to stand, so Spotted Owl detached herself. She tossed her head in the general direction of the Clan of the Morning Sun's camp. "I think that's enough training for today."
The fighter trainee hurried after her instructor as she began to move. "But, it's not even sunhigh."
Yellow Sky glanced at her from out of the corner of her eye. "We've been training hard all morning. You're getting stronger, but I don't want you to overdo it and hurt yourself."
"I wouldn't be overdoing it," Spotted Owl insisted. She planted herself in front of her instructor, forcing her to stop. She bounced on her toes. "I'm not that tired from training, and my leg doesn't hurt at all. I'm feeling strong, and I have a lot of energy left." At the large she-cat's skeptical gaze, she hurriedly added, "we don't necessarily have to continue battle training. Maybe we could go for a run, or join that patrol." She angled her ears toward where Sharp Wind, Dappled Fur, and Jagged Path were toiling up the slope toward them.
Yellow Sky glanced over her shoulder at the patrol, her whiskers twitching. "Very well," she said after a few heartbeats. "We can join the patrol. But let me know if your leg starts to hurt."
"Okay." Spotted Owl grinned as they headed over to the patrol. After exchanging greetings, Yellow Sky explained that they had finished training and asked if they might join the patrol. Sharp Wind agreed, so they fell into step at the rear, behind Jagged Path and Dappled Fur, who walked side by side.
Spotted Owl fluffed up her pelt as a bitter wind that cut through her fur like a thorn. It had grown a lot colder in the last half-moon since the spy patrol had returned home, especially at the highest points in the Valley of Hidden Stars. She could smell frost on the wind. The bare stone chilled her pads, and the sparse clumps of grass crunched under her paws, though it wouldn't be long before a frost killed them. As they crested a rise, she glanced over her shoulder at the valley below her. Rich evergreens and rugged rock on the higher slopes gave way to a sea of vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows like the setting sun that carpeted the valley floor. Streaks of blue cut through the colors like a claw where the Blue River wound its way through the Water Mountain's rolling foothills to the Lake of Shining Waters. In the distance, the Wind Mountain loomed like a frosty giant, its summit glistening white, a promise of what was soon to come.
"Great stars, it's cold," she remarked, quickening her pace to catch up with Yellow Sky.
Yellow Sky let out a noncommittal grunt. "This is cold for the Time of Freezing Earth. But it's going to get much colder when the Time of Frozen Earth comes."
Spotted Owl nodded, her brow wrinkling as she tried to remember her last Time of Frozen Earth. She vaguely remembered snowdrifts so deep that they almost buried her and slick ice and bitter cold that froze her little body to the bone, but her memories were faded as she had been very young. But she did remember clearly the worried faces and whispers of the older cats, which, she learned later, was because of the wave of greencough that had swept her Clan. It had infected many cats from the strongest fighters to Blossom Dust, who had been a weak newborn kit and taken the lives of two elders and the former healer who had been tending to them. I hope my Clanmates will stay strong and healthy this season. She glanced at Yellow Sky, her ears laid back. "Do you think we'll be okay?"
The senior fighter met her gaze. "I hope so. It is worrisome since this Time of Freezing Earth is unusually cold, like the last, which signaled an even colder Time of Frozen Earth and sickness and hunger for our Clan."
Spotted Owl nodded. "And we have the imminent threat of the Bands on top of all of this."
Yellow Sky pursed her lips. "Yes, we do. And this threat will be worse than a hard Time of the Freezing Earth if the Clans cannot unite to stop it."
"I agree," Spotted Owl said. "I cannot believe Gray Moon can't understand that. We need to work together to attack the Bands now. We are strong, we have the advantage, we have allies we trust, and we risked our lives to get intel. We will lose if we wait for them to come to us. We will only get weaker as it gets colder. Gray Moon needs to get his head out of his tail."
Sharp Wind chuckled at the head of the patrol, but Yellow Sky threw the dappled she-cat a stern glance. "Spotted Owl, you cannot talk about chieftains like that. We may not like Gray Moon's choices, but he deserves your respect." She flicked an ear as she lowered her voice. "Though I agree with you."
Spotted Owl grinned despite her instructor's admonishment.
Yellow Sky focused her gaze ahead of her as she kept walking. "I think Gray Moon is not making smart choices by refusing to fight alongside the other Clans and rescinding the alliance with our Clan. But he is the chieftain of the Clan of the Flowing Waters, and he is going to decide what his Clan does or doesn't do. For now, we should focus on keeping our Clan safe."
"That's exactly why we're checking the borders," Sharp Wind called from the front of the patrol, and Jagged Path murmured in agreement.
Spotted Owl and Yellow Sky broke off their conversation as they reached scent markers that signaled they were at the border. The patrol dispersed as they got to work, renewing the scent markers and checking to ensure there were no suspicious scents. Once they had covered one area, they continued along the border, heading the highest part of the Dawn Mountain.
As Spotted Owl rounded the side of a twisted pine tree clinging to a rutted rock, a shadow fell over her. She looked up, her eyes rounding in wonder, at the immense shadow cast by the two summits of the Dawn Mountain—the Twin Peaks. Although she was already high in the air, they rose countless tail-lengths above her head, kissed with golden rays from the sun. Between them, she could just catch a glimpse of a sliver of light—the Dawn Pass. A shiver ran through her along with a pang of longing. Out there lies the outside world. And my father. But also danger.
As the thought flickered through her mind, here one heartbeat and gone the next like a leaf in a torrential stream, a scent wafted into her nose. An achingly familiar one, but not in a good way. Danger. It sent tremors through her limbs and thoughts racing through her head. Without thinking, her paws began to move faster and faster, propelling her forward, following the scent trail.
Spotted Owl did not hear Yellow Sky call after her or pounding pawsteps as the patrol gave chase. She could not feel the breaths shuddering through her body or the rough grass and stone beneath her pads. She was not aware of the trees and rocky outcrops flying past her. All she could sense was the scent.
That scent.
The smell that sent thoughts and emotions swirling through her: shock, confusion, fear, alarm. Hope. Anger. But most of all, the complete absurdity of it. Am I going as crazy as a fox in a fit? How can I smell this? I can't be. She felt as though her composure, her sanity was unraveling, and she was descending into dark chaos. This is impossible. How can he be here?
But then, she stopped dead in her tracks.
Because there he was.
A skinny ginger tabby tom was seated just over the border at the foot of the Dawn Pass. The post-sunhigh sunlight made his pelt glow like a flame. He sat with his tail wrapped around his paws, waiting calmly.
All at once, everything came rushing back; her rapid heartbeat, labored breathing, the chill of the breeze, and the creak of evergreen branches. The look in his leaf-green eyes as he turned them on her, reflecting everything she was feeling like a pond. And then it all came crashing down.
Spotted Owl's legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed to the ground, hitting it hard. Her body convulsed, shaking like a frightened kit. Her breath came in short gasps, unable to suck in enough air. She squeezed her eyes shut as if it could rid her mind of the memories flashing before her eyes. Memories of glinting claws and growled demands and scarlet blood and unrelenting pain. Memories that haunted her nightmares. Memories she had carefully stacked away like Red Maples herbs but came tumbling down at the sight of Sharp.
"Spotted Owl? Are you okay?" Breath nuzzled her ear as Yellow Sky's scent wreathed around her nose. She focused on her instructor's scent, clinging to it like a tree branch as she hauled herself back to consciousness. She calmed enough to crack open an eyelid just in time to see her instructor straighten up, going stiff with alarm.
"Yellow Sky—" she began, pushing herself to a seated position, but she didn't get the chance to finish as the senior fighter launched at Sharp. Wait.
The dark gray she-cat crashed into Sharp, slamming him into the ground. She pinned him there with a rock-strong grip, one paw on his chest, the other grinding his face into the dust. Her ears flattened against her head as her entire body seemed to vibrate with fury, a growl like a brewing thunderstorm rumbling in her throat. She shoved her face into his, her fangs glinting. "How dare you show your face here, you mangy foxheart. You had better tell me why you're here right now."
Sharp wheezed, unable to get a word out with Yellow Sky's paw on his face. Reluctantly, she retracted her foot. He spat out a mouthful of dirt and then raised his head, murmuring something to her.
What is he saying? Spotted Owl started forward, straining her ears to hear, but Yellow Sky flicked her tail at her warningly. She halted, though her tail lashed in frustration. I want to hear. Why is he here? How is he here? This is impossible. But he's right in front of me. Did he come alone? Or are there others hiding, like last time? Does he have a legitimate reason for coming? Or is this some sort of trick? Did the Bands send him to get revenge on us? Did Thunderclap send him to hurt me?
The young she-cat closed her eyes as her emotions rose again, churning like a stream swollen with melted ice. Her memories blared across her mind despite her attempts to quell them and lock them away. "No. Go away." She doubled over, moaning with pain and hissing in frustration.
"Spotted Owl." A gentle voice broke through her stupor. The black and white she-cat raised her head, opening her eyes. Dappled Fur bent over her, her warm amber eyes rounded. "Are you okay?"
Spotted Owl glanced from Dappled Fur to Jagged Path, who hovered a fox-length away, his brow furrowed. Her gaze dropped to a fallen clump of pine needles, a tail-length away, focusing on it as she took a deep breath, trying to settle her emotions. Once she felt calmer and had regained control of her memories, she looked up again. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Dappled Fur asked as she helped the fighter trainee to her paws. "You don't look fine. No one expects you to be. Seeing him here is a shock to all of us."
That's an understatement, Spotted Owl thought, casting a glance to where Sharp Wind had joined Yellow Sky as she spoke with Sharp. But she set her jaw, refusing to show weakness in front of Jagged Path. "I'm fine, seriously," she said, shrugging Dappled Fur's tail off.
Dappled Fur opened her mouth to respond, but Spotted Owl was saved from any further conversation as Yellow Sky hurried over to them, leaving Sharp Wind to guard Sharp.
"Yellow Sky," the young she-cat stepped forward, urgency flaring inside her. Her ears pricked. "What did Sharp say to you? Why is he here?"
The smokey gray she-cat let out a growl, sinking her unsheathed claws into the earth. "He refuses to tell us anything. All he told us is that he won't tell us anything unless we bring him to camp to speak to Mossy Moon. While that is the last thing I would like to do, it seems to be the only way to find out why he's here. I would much rather force him to leave our territory, but then we can't ensure that he won't sneak back into the Valley. At least this way, we can have control of the situation."
"I'd rather claw that traitorous dung-pelt's face off for what he did to us than let him back in our territory," Jagged Path muttered, picking at a tuft of grass with his claw.
"I agree, Jagged Path," Yellow Sky said. "But we need to find out why he's here to make sure this isn't another ploy of the Bands' in retaliation for attacking their camp and freeing their prisoners." She took a step toward them, and continued, lowering her voice. "But even once he tells us, we cannot be certain he's telling the truth. That's why I want Jagged Path and Sharp Wind to stay behind and watch the Dawn Pass. Spotted Owl, Dappled Fur, and I will escort Sharp to camp."
Jagged Path nodded and followed Yellow Sky as she headed over to collect Sharp from Sharp Wind. The two fighters slipped into a ticket of evergreens to hide as they kept watch while the other cats began the trek back to the Clan of the Morning Sun's camp.
Spotted Owl plodded along at the rear of the patrol. Dappled Fur led the way with Sharp behind her, and Yellow Sky following closely behind him, watching his every move. Why in the stars is he here? She wondered, for what seemed like the thousandth time. Her shock had worn off, but her emotions were still a befuddled mess. She didn't know how to feel. He likely came as a part of the Bands' plan to get revenge on the Clans, she thought as dread settled in her stomach. We attacked their camp and freed the prisoners. They're bound to be even more relentless in their quest for revenge. But if he came alone, what if there's a chance he came here for a different reason? She gritted her teeth. I just wish I knew why he's why now!
Spotted Owl picked up her pace, spurred on by her burning desire to have her query answered. If I ask him, maybe he'll tell me. But as she drew closer, Yellow Sky looked over her shoulder, fixing her with a stern, but protective gaze. The dappled she-cat sighed, knowing what it meant, and slowed her pace again, dropping back.
Spotted Owl stared at the back of Sharp's ginger head, frustration and confusion churning inside her. Why in the stars have you come?
Wow, things are really getting interesting! I loved writing that fight scene between Yellow Sky and Spotted Owl. Spotted Owl is recovering (yay!), and Yellow Sky is such a good and protective instructor. I love their dynamic. Annnnd then, Sharp shows up! So, any theories on why he's here? That's the question! I'll see you next time to find out!
Fun Fact: Spotted Owl has great respect and admiration for Yellow Sky, sees her as a role model, and almost a mother figure in place of her absent one. Although she tries to keep her emotions in check to be a good instructor, Yellow Sky has begun to think of Spotted Owl like the daughter she never had.
- A Warrior At Heart