Let's just pretend this was on time.
You have Viking metal and cross country to thank for this chapter. Just saying.
Enjoy!
Casper had been quite pleased to learn they'd picked up two members- Bubbles, who was Owl's brother, and Venus, who seemed very loyal- in his absence. With Skyfur and Ashtail, that made 17 cats. It was hard to believe that this was the same Rebellion that had started with just him and Amber.
He'd been back for about 2 weeks when it came to him. The cats had launched about 5 attacks so far, the most recent of which had been, in Casper's opinion, a success. In a dream of his, he saw his cats and many more fighting against dogs. And, from what Casper could see, they were winning. It was bigger than any battle Casper's Rebellion had ever fought in, that much was certain.
When he woke, he knew he had dreamt that for a reason. He knew that something was coming. He knew that he had to be the one to bring it, too.
"Ashtail, Skyfur, Owl, Amber, Jack and Storm, please come here!" He called, wriggling out of his 'den'.
Soon enough, the selected warriors had gathered around him, looking on intently.
"As you know, we won our most recent battle," He said. "And as you know, the dogs are not going to stand for that. Shard will do something to try and stop us- something big. And chances are, we'll all die when he does. Unless we do it first."
"What are you suggesting?" Amber asked, her eyes shining fiercely.
"I'm suggesting an all-out attack," Casper said. "An ultimate attack to end Shard's reign and restore freedom."
Jack frowned. "We're not ready. Not even close."
"Yeah," Ashtail agreed. "You've only scratched the surface of your potential."
"It's like trying to fight a battle as an apprentice," Skyfur added.
"Listen, I don't want to do it so soon, either," Casper said. "But we've no choice. Shard won't stand for us doing this for much longer."
"He never stood for it," Storm hissed. "We just evaded him."
"Well, we can't do it any longer! I know it- I can feel it."
"Say we believe you and Shard is planning to kill us," Jack said slowly. "When would we do this? And where?"
"We'd need to do it soon," The white tom said. "In a week at most. We'd attack the Main Base- I've never seen it, but that's where Shard and the majority of his army is."
"A week?" Ashtail and Skyfur asked simultaneously.
"Yeah, I know it's short notice, but-"
"No," Skyfur laughed. "It's plenty of time!"
"We'll have y'all in war-shape in 3 days, tops!" Ashtail promised.
Casper grinned. "Good to know I have some support."
"Well..." Storm looked at the ground. "You get mine, too."
"You know you'll always have mine," Jack assured.
Amber sighed, rolling her eyes. "Begrudgingly, you have mine."
The tom turned to Owl, who hadn't said a word.
"Casper," She whispered. "Cats will die. Our cats."
Hesitantly, Casper nodded. "I know."
"Then you can't do it!" She cried.
"Owl, all these cats have sworn to give their lives to our cause," He said. "I know it's terrible, but it's a sacrifice that must be made."
"But..." The small feline gave a sigh. "Alright. I trust you."
"Good," Casper said, grinning. "Because we're going to need some more support."
oOoOoOo
Perky had been quite down since they'd left Spark in The Outerlands, and, though he tried to hide it, Sam saw this. And it hurt him.
"At least she's happy," The dog said.
"Whatever," Perky muttered. He'd lost a lot in his life, so, really, he thought he would be used to it by now. But he wasn't.
"We can still look for that other cat, Venus," Sam offered, forcing his voice to be positive.
The mottled cat mumbled an answer, most likely an affirmative, but Sam couldn't understand it.
So they just kept walking. They walked for 3 days before they came across a small forest in what Perky called a park.
"Interesting," Sam mused. "I thought the only forests were in The Outerlands..."
He trailed off when he realized Perky probably didn't want to talk about The Outerlands.
Wordlessly, the tom went into the forest, the canine following. He wished he knew how to help his friend.
They had been walking for a little while when Perky abruptly stopped.
"What?" Sam asked, his voice seeming absurdly loud to the cat.
"Shut up!" He hissed. "There are cats around here."
"Oh," The Border Collie whispered. "Sorry. Should we try and find them?"
"No, bird-brain! You're a dog, and in case you forgot, most cats around here will attack any dog they see!"
"Hey! Who's there?!" An angry voice suddenly yelled, startling the duo.
Perky immediately leaped around into a fighting stance, his fur bristling.
"Who're you?!" He hissed, his eyes trained on the white and orange tom in front of him.
"I should ask the same thing," He snarled. "For it is you who is in our territory!"
The light brown and white cat drew back a bit. "We're just passing through, looking f-"
"And why is there a dog with you?!" He yelled. "You're with Shard's army, aren't you?!"
"No!"
"Then why is it with you?!"
"Hey, watch your mouth," Perky warned. "I don't take kindly to cats insulting my friends, clod."
"Well, I don't take kindly to intruders!" The tom shouted. "Now answer me: Who are you?!"
"My name's Perky," The mottled feline growled. "And that's Sam. Who're you?"
"I'm Torch," The tom replied. "Now, get out of our territory before we make you."
"And what's this 'we' business all about?" Perky demanded.
"That's none of your business," Torch growled. "Now go!"
At that point, the mottled tom probably would've left if not for what happened next.
"Torch! Torch, come quickly!" A female voice called.
The black-pawed tom whipped his head towards the direction of the voice.
"Frost! What is it?"
"Just come!"
Looking back at the intruders, Torch made his decision quickly.
"I'm coming!" He yelled. Then, to Perky and Sam, he added, "If I ever see you again, you're dead."
Then he ran off into the woods.
Perky was a curious cat, however, and, for some reason unbeknownst to him, he ran after him, Sam following.
Eeeeee sorry that was so bad and so late!
Please review, have a great day/night, and come back on Wednesday for the next chapter!
Sayonora,
~KitKatTheCrazyFangirl