Hey, look at that, I finished chapter 11 on time! :D I'm really proud of this chapter, so I'm going to skip doing a longer author's note this time and get on with the interesting fact and the review replies, then let you read.
Interesting Fact: I figure this is relatively fitting considering some canon elements introduced this chapter. Take Flight begins during the Warriors book A Dangerous Path. Since six moons have passed since then, current events take place during The Darkest Hour.
And now to review replies!
QLK: That is true! You should let Thalia know, she seems to think defense is the best defense. ^^
Lilystripe608: Thank you! :) I'm glad someone liked it! Here's the next one, which is hopefully even better~
Shadow: I agree, I've never been the strongest, though I also don't have much coordination so I'm not sure how well I'd do with speed and agility... Thank you!
Eradrin: Naw, you can still submit, that's fine! ^^ Marc and Treya sound great! I'll be sure to think up something for them to get involved with. I haven't yet seen Civil War, though one of my friends mentioned possibly going to see it, so no spoilers! :) It sounds really good, have you seen it yet/did you like it?
Leopardstar: Okay, sounds good. ^^ Thanks! I'd say Rowankit and Ravenkit would be okay in any Clan, since kits appear to be pretty flexible at adapting to different Clan lifestyles.
"From this moment on until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Rowanpaw and Ravenpaw." Thalia finished the ceremony with a hacking cough, but it was lost in Rowanpaw's and my cheers.
"Rowanpaw! Rowanpaw!" I nosed him playfully.
"Ravenpaw! Ravenpaw!" he chanted, shouting in my ear in retaliation.
"We're apprentices!" I crowed, leaping onto one of the metal cans in one bound, my long limbs aiding in my ascent. Rowanpaw jumped up beside me, his broad chest lending him enough strength to join me with ease. Grinning sideways at him, I inflated my chest and gazed triumphantly around the alley. Finally, complete freedom! No longer did Rowanpaw and I have to follow Thalia's orders; no longer were we required to spend every night in the nest. We were free to do whatever we pleased.
Possibilities flooded my eager mind. We could climb onto the roofs! We could hunt down a rogue or travel to the edge of the city for fresh prey! We could even visit the Enclave—we hadn't done that in moons! I wondered briefly how the Enclave cats were faring. But which should I do first?
"Careful you don't stick to the metal," Thalia rasped. "It's so cold you won't unfreeze for moons."
Perhaps I should protect my paws. I quickly slithered off, landing not entirely gracefully on splayed paws, my fur ruffling from a chilly breeze. Leafbare was beginning, but according to Thalia it was a warm year, as we hadn't seen any snow yet. I'd never seen snow before, and it sounded strange. Nothing else was white and powdery, nothing else emanated cold. Apparently it melted into water, but so did ice, which I'd encountered days before with a completely solid puddle. What was the point of snow if the world already had ice?
A yowl sounded from far away, echoing through our alley. I didn't pay any attention; yowls were common enough in the city. Probably some old cat got his food stolen by a younger kit. We didn't turn around even as a few more cries sounded from the distance, growing slowly closer. Only when we'd counted eight separate yowls did we start paying attention.
"What's happening?" Rowanpaw asked Thalia, padding forward to stand level with my shoulder, his gaze heartbeats behind mine as we scanned the end of the alley. I cast half a glance in his direction and, despite the situation, couldn't help but notice I was still slightly taller than him. Ha.
"I don't know," Thalia replied, ears pricked in the direction of the continuing howls. "In all my seasons in the city, I've never encountered this."
"It sounds like some sort of… gathering," I meowed hesitantly. "Or a rally."
"There are no rallies in the city," Thalia muttered, "and gatherings are rare." She hesitated a moment, then meowed, "Get in the cans."
"What?" Rowanpaw looked horrified. I couldn't blame him—the dry, frigid air allowed the rancid scents to travel farther, as well as smell stronger. It wasn't as bad as it'd been in Greenleaf, but still!
"Now!" Thalia reared up onto her hind legs, shoving the lid halfway off with a loud scraping sound. I winced, flattening my ears at the discordant noise. "Get in!"
I padded closer, mimicking Thalia's position by placing my forepaws on the side. The stench was overpowering; I almost gagged.
"In! In!" Thalia glanced over her shoulder. The yowls had grown in volume, blending into each other as they echoed off the straight-edged city walls. I glanced up at her as she retrieved her gaze from the end of the alley. In her usually expressionless, vaguely bored eyes I caught an unfamiliar sight; a slight spark of fear. Why was she scared? What was happening?
"Quickly!"
Holding my breath, I leaped in, sinking my claws into the topmost shiny object. Tensing my muscles and swiping my tail through the air, I narrowly avoided slicing it open, regaining my balance with difficulty due to the lumpiness of the black objects. As soon as I relaxed, however, a pair of russet striped paws knocked me into the side of the can, unbalancing me again. Tucking my tail close to my body, I pressed myself into the can to give Rowanpaw more room and glanced skyward again.
Through the semi-circular opening I could just make out Thalia's face, nearly colorless eyes narrowed in concentration. "Stay in here," she whispered fiercely, her whiskers twitching. "Don't you dare make a sound! I'm going to see what's going on."
Her muzzle vanished from view, giving me a temporarily unblocked view of the sky—deep blue, scattered with just a few clouds. The perfect weather for our first day of unbridled freedom. There was a strange irony in the air as the can's lid slid shut with a scraping clang. Our first day of unbridled freedom was spent hiding in a smelly can. Wonderful.
"Ravenpaw?" I blinked, trying to make out Rowanpaw's shape in the lightless interior. "How long do we need to stay in here?"
"I dunno," I breathed. "Until the sounds stop?" I tried to hold my breath, listening to the muted yowls still echoing around the city, but I desisted after my head started to spin.
"I feel sick," he muttered. I pressed closer to him, my nostrils, like his, filled with the stink of Human castoffs. "I can't believe this is where we get our food."
"Yeah," I whispered. "Pretty gross, huh?"
Rowanpaw snorted. "Pretty gross barely covers it."
"At least we're hiding in our food source," I reasoned. "We won't get too hungry."
"Unless we have to make dirt in our food source. I don't know about you but I don't really feel like eating my own dirt."
"Goooood point." I wrinkled my nose. "Let's hope—"
A sudden, dangerously loud yowl cut me off. Rowanpaw and I froze, hearts thumping painfully. Thalia's instructions to remain quiet flashed across my memory and my stomach turned over. Had they heard us?
Claws scraped against the ground outside and the faint beats of pawsteps came to a halt. "No one here," a rough, raspy voice said.
"Good," a sneering she-cat responded. "We can regroup here."
A weight suddenly landed on the top of our can. I couldn't restrain a slight gasp as it burst from my jaws, my mind flying to the conclusion that they'd discovered us. But that wouldn't make any sense; one had just observed that the alley appeared deserted. Rowanpaw's tail slapped against my muzzle as we pressed ourselves into the rubbish beneath our paws, its vomit-inducing scent suddenly more bearable. I held my breath, squeezing my eyes shut as claws scraped against the metal overhead.
"Cats of BloodClan," the sneering voice said, "it is almost time to make our move on the forest. But to win against the four Clans, what do we need?"
"Reinforcements!" came a resounding cheer from all around.
"Good." The she-cat (Sneer, I mentally named her) paced back and forth on the can overhead, her scraping claws as loud as fifty dogs barking at once. Rowanpaw winced and pressed closer against me as I flattened my ears against my head, wrapping my tail over his spine. "Now, how will we get these… reinforcements?" Sneer asked.
"Recruitment!" This reply was softer, as though fewer cats had spoken up.
A heartbeat of silence passed. I imagined Sneer pursing her lips in disapproval. "What if recruitment doesn't work?" she challenged. "What if cats refuse to join?"
Some muttering ensued. Instinctively, I found myself searching for the correct answer, but couldn't come up with anything. If the rogues didn't come up with the answer, any answer at all, the punishments would doubtless be severe. But, I reflected, that would probably be a good thing. If they were from BloodClan, I doubted they sat around picking flowers all day.
"Forced recruitment through raids," hissed a lone voice.
I let out my breath in a silent sigh. It seemed these cats wouldn't be crowfood after all. Dog-dung.
"Very good, Ecko," Sneer purred. Raising her voice, she growled, "I'm glad we stopped to have this discussion. The rest of you would do well to learn from Eckolan's example. Yes, we will use forced recruitment and raid the largest settlement of cats in this half of the city!"
"Ravenpaw," Rowanpaw hissed in my ear, so quietly I could barely hear over the renewed yowls of those gathered, "they're going to raid the Enclave!"
I swallowed hard, thinking of Asteria, of Royce and Wasco, of mute Bug and elderly Marmalade. Would they all be recruited to join this bloodthirsty mob?
"It's time to rejoin the rest of the Clan. Move out!" Sneer yowled, letting out an earsplitting shriek. Caterwauls erupted on all sides, resounding inside our metal can. Claws scraped briefly on the lid, then thumping pawsteps pounded away, slowly vanishing out of earshot.
I reared onto my hind legs, pushing against the lid. "We've got to warn them!" I hissed, shoving against the heavy metal. "Help me move this!"
Rowanpaw bit his lip. "I… I dunno," he whispered, pupils dilated from either the darkness or fear. "Maybe we should wait until we're sure they've gone. I don't think it would be a good idea to leap out only to find ourselves surrounded by rogues."
"We heard their pawsteps, what more proof do you want?" I slammed my forepaws against the can's lid. "Move!" I growled through clenched teeth.
Still, Rowanpaw hesitated. I glared at him. "Do you want to let everyone in the Enclave get hurt? Remember Royce? Asteria?" My metal nemesis remained stuck in place, despite my onslaught. How had Thalia moved it so easily? Had Sneer's weight made it stick? Maybe I should try knocking the can over, maybe the force from hitting the ground would knock off the lid. I launched myself sideways into the can's side.
"What're you—"
"Help me!" Rowanpaw shrank away as I backed up, my eyes fixed on the smooth wall. Tensing my powerful hind legs, I launched myself suddenly forward, ramming my shoulder into the metal. It stung, but I barely noticed the pain as the can began to tilt forward. But Rowanpaw's weight, firmly situated on the opposite side, held the can in place and it fell back into place.
"Get on this side," I ordered. Rowanpaw didn't move. "Now!"
"But the rogues—"
"They would've heard me and attacked by now if they were still here. Come on!"
Finally, to my great relief, he got to his paws, sinking his claws in to keep his balance on the lumpy ground. But rather than simply moving to the proper side, he took a deep, steadying breath. When his eyes fixed on me again I saw a determined gleam had entered his gaze. "On three," he meowed.
I blinked. For a heartbeat, my paws appeared to be replaced with merely vibrations. Then, a wash of warmth brushing through my belly, I smiled softly and moved to stand beside him. "On three," I agreed.
"One," Rowanpaw said. "Two."
"Three!" I cried. Together, we hurtled into the opposite wall, bringing the can crashing to the stone ground. As I'd hoped, the lid became dislodged from the force and spun away, clanging against the opposite side of the alley. Rowanpaw and I stumbled out, brought to the ground by the can's momentum.
I shook my head hard, bringing the alley back into focus. Springing to my paws, I hollered, "Come on!" and took off down the alley. As I rounded the far corner, the scents of the BloodClan rogues thick in my nose and mouth, I spotted Rowanpaw haring after me.
Together, we dashed through the city, paws pounding in unison, weaving through alley after alley. Breaths catching in my throat, I became suddenly grateful for the adventures of our kithood. We didn't have time to get lost now, not when lives could be at stake. We'd lost so much time getting out of the can already.
With each pawstep, visions of the Enclave flashed through my mind—of elderly Pixie hissing at the intruders as she defended her mate, of Wasco leaping in front of Rimfaxe to take the claws meant for him, of Royce shouting to Asteria that he loved her one last time…
I shook my head as I lunged over a low fence, scattering the images into the back of my mind. No, they weren't in that much danger. The rogue—Eckolan, was his name?—had suggested forced recruitment, not murder. Though, of course, he hadn't mentioned what the punishment for resistance would be. I pressed on, focusing on my panting breaths to avoid having to think. In, out. In, out. In, out.
The stench of blood hit my nostrils with the force of a car, sending my senses reeling. No… no… I slowed and Rowanpaw rammed into me from behind. "Keep going!" he gasped. I automatically followed his instructions.
We rounded the last bend, coughing on the iron scent, bursting into the Enclave. This time when Rowanpaw slammed into my hindquarters, he didn't urge me onward. Side by side, we stared, horror-stricken, at the scene.
Blood.
It painted the Enclave like fire, splashed up over the sagging Human dens. Bodies lay strewn across the ground, twisted into the remains of death throes. But there seemed to be a surprisingly few number of them for the amount of crimson.
I glanced at Rowanpaw, feeling him shuffle closer to me. What happened here? Had the injured been dragged away? Recruited?
"We're too late," I breathed.
Rowanpaw didn't hear me. His face suddenly contorting, he sprang forward, pelting headlong across the Enclave toward a small group of motionless forms, flinging himself down beside a patchy, silver tabby pelt. My heart stopped as I recognized the fur, my knees giving way. As my chin hit the stone, I heard as if through water Rowanpaw's heartbroken cry.
What had she said? I'm going to see what's going on. Had she joined in the fighting? But she was too old, surely!
Images pressed themselves upon my wide, unwilling eyes. Toby sprawled beside Thalia, the bell on his collar lying pawsteps from his throat; Pixie and Marmalade, both already lifeless, reached out to each other as they lay car-lengths apart; Wasco slumped in a den's entrance, his flank soaked in blood.
A keening wail split the air. Rowanpaw jerked up his tear-drenched face, paralleling his gaze with mine, but I couldn't focus on his face, couldn't focus on anything. My eyes dashed from body to body, from ground to sky, following the spatters of red along the walls.
Thalia's words rang in my ears, impressed into my mind through moons of practice. "No attacking. You run."
Run.
"Ravenpaw! Wait!"
But I couldn't wait, I couldn't stop; I had to run, had to get away. Visions chased me, leaping onto my tail, holding me back. Closing my eyes, I tried to force my way through but they persisted, clinging like cobwebs to my shrieking mind, empty except for that one word, that one order.
Run.
Run.
Get away from them get away I have to get away get away.
I heard Rowanpaw dashing after me, his pawsteps filling the silence left between my own, his voice echoing in my half-deaf ears. "Where are you going? Slow down!" But I couldn't slow down, I couldn't stop, I didn't know where I was going I just needed to get away get away get away—
I looked up to find myself dashing across a bridge with no idea where I was or how I got there. Great, now I'm lost. But maybe lost was good, maybe lost could help me lose the phantom memories chasing after me.
Three heartbeats later I realized where I was. I wasn't lost after all. These endless hills could only be the place Asteria had taken us to eat. But I couldn't eat now; my stomach roiled and I was half convinced I was about to vomit, and not because I'd eaten too much grass.
A blast sounded in the distance, long and low. My throat constricted in a gasp, memories rushing back—of churning wheels, an endless, crushing blur.
I let out a yowl as my paws grew wings. Swooping down the hillside, grass whipping my face, nearly slicing my eyes, I gazed through narrowed eyes at the black snake now visible around the side of a slope. Could I make it in time?
A flash of russet fur blazed in my peripheral vision. Rowanpaw threw himself across my path and I slammed into him, tumbling down the slope, paws and tail tangled in his. We landed sprawled at the bottom, just three tail-lengths from the Train-Path.
Staggering to my paws, away from Rowanpaw, I stared up at the immense, deafening train. It was almost upon me. I needed to act quickly.
But just as I took a step forward, Rowanpaw appeared, blocking my path again. "Don't you dare!" he shouted over the roar of the approaching train, eyes blazing with a mixture of tears and fury. "Don't you dare, Ravenpaw!"
"Get out of my way!" I shrieked, flattening my ears. I blinked, squeezing my eyes shut and feeling tears soak into my fur. How long had I been crying? Forcing them open again, I tried to shoulder my way past my brother.
"Thalia wouldn't want this! She'd want us to stay together!"
"How do you know what she wanted? She's gone! She doesn't want anything anymore!" I made a mad lunge for the path but Rowanpaw knocked me down, pinning me on my side. Memories rushed back, filling my empty mind with bursts of color. I saw Rowankit getting unsteadily to his paws, his fur caked with dust. I saw Thalia pinning Toby, heard the elderly tom's voice in my ear. One paw on the shoulder, the other on the ribcage.
The train bore down upon us, closing the gap between us with immeasurable speed and filling me with a spurt of adrenaline. Shoving hard against the ground, I tried to force Rowanpaw off, but though I was taller he was still heavier.
"No!" I shrieked, "No!"
The train whooshed past us with a great rush of air.
I was too late.
After a heartbeat, Rowanpaw uncertainly released me, backing slowly away and fixing me with eyes filled with concern, but I didn't get up. What was the point? It was over. It was all over.
"R… Raven? Ravenpaw?"
I turned over, watching as the train sped away, my back to him. Link after link raced past, an endless row of black metal. I gave it a name: Life. It was shooting off into the distance, leaving me behind, broken.
Rowanpaw shuffled his paws; I heard them rustling in the short grass. "You're mad at me," he meowed softly. It wasn't a question, so I didn't reply. Then again, even if it had been a question I wouldn't have replied. I felt like an empty snakeskin.
A dark shape passed overhead, its shadow temporarily blocking the setting sun. Glancing upward, I saw the raven. My raven. What are you doing here? I thought. Go away.
The raven let out a mournful cry, then wheeled around, soaring away, following the train. I lifted my head off the dry grass, squinting after it. Where was it going?
When I'd seen the raven last, all those moons before, it had led me to the train. Was it possible it wanted me to follow it again?
Something suddenly clicked in my mind. The raven had saved my life. I'd christened the train "Life." Life was shooting off into the distance, leaving the city far behind.
I had to follow that train. But it was going too fast to trail on foot. Was it possible to board the train?
Scrambling to my paws, I whirled around, inwardly thanking the sky powers this train was long. Scanning each section down toward its back end, my straining eyes found an opening.
"Rowanpaw, would you follow me even if you thought I was crazy?"
His reply was immediate. "Of course, someone needs to look out for you. Why?"
"We need to get on this train."
"What?"
"Come on!" I nosed his haunches, forcing him forward, then sprinted off along the Train-Path, eyes trained over my shoulder at the rapidly approaching open door.
Rowanpaw stared after me for a heartbeat, jaw slack in confusion. But, seeing I was serious, he blinked, glanced over his shoulder, and began running. "Have I ever told you your ideas are crazy?" he muttered.
I watched as the door drew closer and closer, concentrating too hard to answer. When the opening was a car-length behind Rowanpaw's hind paws, I yowled, "Jump!" and dove sideways, lunging onto the train. As I hit the ground I rolled, slamming against the back wall. A heartbeat later, Rowanpaw crashed into me, and I let out a great whoof of air.
"Ugh," Rowanpaw groaned. "What was that about?" He rolled off of me and I sucked in a breath, coughing in a plume of dust, head spinning with stars.
"We need to go with Life," I muttered haphazardly.
Rowanpaw snorted. "Yeah, like that definitely clears things up."
I started laughing, my voice high-pitched and out of control, my mind too fried to do anything else. But it wasn't long before I was interrupted by the scrape of claws on cardboard.
We weren't alone.
Bam, cliffie! XD
There was so much plot tension in this chapter and I loved it. I hope you enjoyed just as much as I did!
A quick note, though. I'll be going to the global finals of Destination Imagination next week (my team made it to Globals and I'm hype about it) so won't be able to upload another chapter until probably Monday at the earliest, as we're leaving Tuesday and getting back Sunday. So I'm sorry, but you'll just have to deal with the cliffie until then. -evil laugh- -actually I struggle with evil laughs so just evil grin-
AOTD: I don't know if I'd be able to really hurt someone else, as in blind them or permanently disable them, and have a general fear of pain, so I'd probably stick with defense.
QOTD: What (or who) do you think is on the train with them?