Legends of the Warriors: Winds of Change

Chapter 4

The Stupid Fortress of Stupidness

(Link)

My left forepaw was warming up again.

I looked down at my faint birthmark. Three golden triangle, two on the bottom and one on the top, arranged to look like a larger triangle. The top and the bottom right triangles were almost non-existant, while the bottom left triangle was the easiest to see. But still, it was very faint, and most would overlook it.

"Hey," Tetra said suddenly, grabbing both Joan's and my attention. "Look, we're gonna be really busy up here, and we can't have you guys running around on deck. Go below deck and find a spotted tabby tom named Niko, 'kay?"

I shot Joan a glance, and she nodded ever so slightly, though her eyes betrayed her displeasure. I know how she feels. Tetra mentioned Niko was six moons old, and Tetra was making it sound like he would be in charge of watching us. A warrior, queen, or even an older apprentice I understand, but I wasn't looking forward to being supervised by someone my age.

Nevertheless, we were merely guests on this ship. It's common courtesy. I nodded and quickly went below deck, with Joan right behind me. We padded down the stairs and into the room at the bottom of the ship. It was large and for the most part, empty. There was a high ledge on the far side with an entrance to a smaller storage room, though it was high enough that I couldn't see what was inside. A sandy spotted tabby tom was waiting for us.

"Hey, are you guys the new swabbies?" He asked eagerly, in a slightly nasally voice. "My name's Niko, and today, I am your master!"

...Whoever is in charge of fate, are you serious? We're going to be ordered around by someone my age with the maturity of a three-moon-old kit? Siret and Meadow are more mature, for StarClan's sake!

"Okay, almighty Niko," I muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm as I mock-bowed. Unfortunately, I don't think the guy knows anything about sarcasm, because he beamed.

Just because I thought it was funny, I decided to keep up the act of an underling.

"Alright! Now you swabbie, are gonna teach me a game!" He commanded.

"Oh, we know just the game!" Joan exclaimed. I think I know what game she's thinking of. I shot Joan a look, and her excited green eyes mirrored mine.

Dodgepaw.

"It's called Dodgepaw," Joan continued. "It's a really popular game in our Clan. All of the kits play it, and the apprentices play to practice their skills. If you want, we can show you how to play."

"Oh, yes!" Niko pleaded.

I smirked at Joan and shouted, "I call dodger!"

"No fair!" Joan whined. "You were the dodger last time!"

"No, that was you. We played this just two days ago."

"Oh..." Joan crouched down. "Then prepared to be beaten to a pulp."

"We'll see," I replied, my smirk only growing wider. Joan lunged forward, and I jumped back, easily dodging. Joan swung at me quick and fast, and it took all of my stamina and agility to dodge every rapid swing. I felt wood behind me. Dang, she cornered me! I turned just in time to swing my head to the side and Joan's paw almost hit me. Worried she would try again, I jumped up onto her back and used that to power myself across the room.

"Wow!" Niko's eyes were bright with anticipation and awe. "I've never seen any cat move so fast!" I felt a rush of pride. "Can I try?"

"Sure!" I crouched. "You be dodger."

We played Dodgepaw for hours on end, yet it felt like mere minutes. Niko was always crushed, and Joan often won more than I did. I wasn't too bumed though. She's been training longer than I have. Admittedly, Joan and I formed a bit of a bond with the sandy tom.

Mako then interrupted our game. "Stop fooling around, kits," He sneered. "Miss Tetra wants to see you two immediately."

"I thought I said I was older than you," Joan replied calmly.

"But we are all above you as long as you are on our ship," Mako grinned.

"Shut up, you arrogant wannabe," I muttered under my breath. It was quiet enough so Niko and Mako couldn't hear, but that didn't mean it evaded Joan's sensitive ears. I saw a small smirk cross her face as triumph and mischief sparkled in her green eyes.

"Well, if you move your tail outta our way, we'll gladly go see Tetra," I stated, trying to make my tone seem cool and calm and at the same time antagonize Mako.

It worked. His lavender eyes narrowed dangerously before he turned and trotted up the stairs, eyes closed and head high in his arrogance.

"You better go," Niko muttered. "Miss Tetra hates waiting."

I climbed up from the ladder's final rung into the crow's nest of the ship. The sky had gone dark with night about an hour ago. Joan was up there already with Tetra, both of them reared up on their hindlegs with their forepaws draped over the edge of the crow's nest, their eyes gazing over the sea.

"We're here, Link," Tetra murmured.

"You're gonna wanna see this," Joan added. I reared up and placed my forepaws on the wooden sides. In front of me, the sea expanded for miles, with the exception of one thing...

"Holy shining StarClan, what the heck is that?" I hissed, eyes wide. A giant black fort rose out of the ocean surface, with its large spotlights criss-crossing over both the dark seas and the fort itself. It was large and terrifying, and unlike anything I've ever seen.

"The Forsaken Fortress," Tetra muttered. "This used to be the hideout of some rival pirates of ours, but I guess they're chopped salmon now. Their security seems pretty tight. There's no way we're gonna get a large ship like this through there without being seen."

"A smaller raft, maybe?" I suggested.

I felt a twinge of anxiety as a smirk grew on Tetra's face. "I have a better idea. Gonzo!"

The large crewmate's brown fur flashed across my eyes and Joan's cry of protest filled my ears before pain erupted in the back of my head, and black consumed my vision.

Groggily, I woke to the confinements of a brown barrel. Still not entirely awake, I assumed I was just being an idiot again and climbed into a barrel before falling asleep. I pulled myself out and looked down. The sight of my barrel on a catapult jolted me awake.

"What the crud?" I shouted.

"Relax!" Tetra muttered. "Geez, could you Clan cats be any more panicky? We're just going to shoot you over to the Forsaken Fortress!" I had to bite my tongue to keep from shouting, 'oh, that's reassuring!'. "Don't worry," Tetra continued, "We're pirates; we do this all the time! We're pros!

"Link!" I looked up slightly to meet Joan's worried green gaze. "There'll be a lot of guards, okay? Don't try to fight them unless you're sure you can handle them!" I opened my mouth to argue, but closed it before slowly nodding. While I was becoming suspicious about Tetra, I'd obey my best friend without question, even if she was younger than me.

Tetra flicked her tail at Gonzo, and the brown tom pressed a large button, and I was sent flying with a startled scream. At first, it seemed like I would sail through a window circled by seagulls. Aryll always liked seagulls. But gravity decided to be a jerk and pulled me down at the last moment. Wonderful.

I ducked inside the barrel as it slammed into the wall, only a tail-length below the window. The fragile wooden barrel shattered on impact, and I plunged downward through the shards into a pool of water below. I stiffened as the freezing water slammed into my back, sending a jolt of pain and cold up my spine. The force knocked away some of my breath, and entire mouthfuls of black water replaced the air. The dark water stung my eyes and stole my breath, forcing me to fight for air if I didn't want to drown. I threw my head upwards as I broke through the surface of the water, gulping down precious air. I swam to the edge of the pool, to a stairway leading up to a platform lit by searchlights. Whoever controlled them were complete morons. They moved in the same pattern, and left quite a lot of room to move around without getting caught. The cruel, bright yellow lights didn't even come near the staircase, so even if I was to stay here all night, I would have never been caught. What idiot hired these morons?

I panted heavily, still recovering from my fall. My soggy fur clung to my body and drooped down, giving my face a downer appearance. Drops of water ran down my legs and dripped off of my underbelly, creating large puddles. My panting was frequently interrupted by coughs that shook my whole body. As I hacked, water poured out of my mouth through my throat. I was already exhausted and unfit, and I haven't even started traversing this stronghold. Things were not working in my favor. When I could breath without hacking my my own lungs, I felt my claws unsheath as rage flowed through my blood. I am going to kill Tetra...

"How'd you end up all the way down there?! Dangit! I guess my aim was off...by a little bit." Tetra cried, her voice sounding muffled and quiet. I almost jumped. Speak of the devil... "Hah! The look on your face! Priceless!" This time, when Tetra spoke, I tried to locate her using the sound of her voice. I looked down into my pouch and found a pale blue stone, pulsing with light.

"Tetra?"

"I can see and speak to you through this stone. I have one, you have the other, they make the perfect pair, blah blah blah."

"When did you slip this stone into my pouch?"

"While you were knocked out."

"...Any other surprises?"

"None that I can think of at the moment. Just give me my second stone back when you get the chance. I am not in the mood to lose the first."

"Okay then," I murmured, though my thoughts said, 'Good for you and your glowing rocks. Meanwhile, no one else cares.' "Just let me know if the bird's coming up behind me or something." And with that, I was off.

I trotted up the stairway and onto the platform, dodging the two circling spotlights to avoid being seen. I noticed a ramp to the side spiralling up a small spire with one of the two spotlights at the top. I weaved my way between the harsh yellow glares and slaked up the ramp.

"Watch yourself," Tetra whispered through the stone. "There's a beast up there who controls the spotlight. If you want to disable it, you're gonna hafta take 'im out. He doesn't look that smart, but he has a weapon handy."

"Thanks," I breathed. I pressed onward, feeling a bit reassured now that I knew what I was going to face and that someone was watching my back. I crouched at the very end of the ramp, at the flattened tip of the spire. One of the pig-faced creatures that I'd seen on my own Clan's territory was directing two spotlights, moving them around with a metal stick tipped with a red sphere*. I slowly inched closer to the blue-gray monstrosity, who still remained oblivious. It wasn't until I suddenly pounced that it began to squeal and fumble for its weapon. I barely managed to dodge a large, thick branch-like stick. I crouched in a battle stance, waiting for Pig-Face's next move.

It screeched in its disgusting, pig-like way and charged forward, swinging its stick around like its life depended on it. Which it did, actually. I darted behind the creature and leapt onto its back, hissing as it managed to hit my leg with its desperate flailing. Avanging my stinging left hindleg, I sunk my claws underneath the skin of the Pig-Face and slid down before jumping off, leaving the creature to dissolve into the very smoke that came from the long slices I left on its back. With the danger lessened at the moment, I noticed that the Pig-Face had aimed the spotlights at the skies. That was good - less chances of getting caught, thank Emeraldstar.

Well, I had taken care of things up here, so I stalked down the ramp and back into the fortress, wondering where to go next. I decided to go right, and reared up to push the door open gently before slipping into the room. There were two wooden ledges that acted as walkways along the walls (one of which I stood on), with a lower floor beneath. A single lantern hung between the two walkways. Looking down below, I realized that if I fell, I wouldn't be able to get back up - the jump was too high, and I assume my claws weren't strong enough to climb the stone wall without breaking on me. What's worse - I heard the snorting of Pig-Faces, but they sounded...different. Like they were much bigger.

Aw, carp.

I carefully jumped onto the lantern, sinking my claws into the tough cable that kept the lantern up. My momentum caused both the lantern and me to swing forward. I decided to take my chances and I let go of the cable. I had to bite my lower lip to stifle my surprised yowl of pain when my back slammed against the other wooden walkway. Thinking words too vulgar to slip past my tongue, I hualed myself to my paws and spat out the disgusting coppery blood that I'd drawn when I bit my lip. "For the love of Emeraldstar, Sapphirestar, and Rubystar..." I grumbled as I went on through the door.

The cool night air soothed my stinging back and lower lip. I sighed, only to gag as I inhaled. What the carp was that disgusting smell? Carp? No...something more...porky... It must be a Pig-Face! I opened my mouth to inhale the scent as I followed it to a cliff-side with a ladder. I hastily climbed it to find another Pig-Face operating the controls of two spotlights. I hissed loudly, trying to lure it away. Sure enough, it pointed the spotlights skyward and grabbed its giant stick before stumbling in my direction. I slowly approached, never breaking eye contact or leaving my battle stance. As he took a swing at me, I lashed out and batted the stick away before launching myself at the creature and raking my claws across its stomach. It became nothing but that purple-black smoke. I shrugged and moved on, eager to get out of this StarClan-forsaken fortress.

Heh. That's not even funny.

The next room in the circle was (again) another room with two walkways. I used the lantern to cross again and when I passed through the door, I was greeted once more by the night breeze. I'm starting to see a pattern here. So again, I looked around for a Pig-Face and - wouldn't you know it! - there was one nearby. I killed it too, making sure it positioned the skylights upward before assaulting it. So I continued into the next room (another walkway-and-lantern room) and out again there was a box on the edge of the ledge as well as an incomplete ladder, so I took the time to push the box down and set it against the wall under the ladder. This connected the ledge I was on to the area where I started, meaning I no longer had to take the long way around. Yay for shortcuts!

I climbed back up and continued onto the next room. Instead of another walkway-and-lantern room like I expected, there was an impossibly large room crisscrossed with various ramps and walkways. The one I was standing on had two giant Pig-Faces patrolling the walkway. Grumbing to myself, I began to stalk forward, sticking to the edges of the walkway and avoiding the range of light the lanterns the Pig-Faces held gave off. I managed to squeeze past the first and darted over to the doorway before the second could take notice. I pushed through and was greeted by the night wind for the umpteeth time. I opened my mouth to pick up any scents, and sure enough, I could smell the larger Pig-Faces, just up ahead. I trotted up the flights of stairs ahead of me, until I saw the maroon skin of the larger Pig-Faces, along with the light of its lantern. I stalked up the last flight of stairs and snuck around the wall as the Pig-Face walked past. I then darted up the ramp around the corner and dashed up until I saw an extremely narrow ledge. I thanked the three Leaders that I was a cat before stepping onto the ledge. I slowly walked along the ledge, with my left side smushed against the wall and my tail straightened for balance. I padded across one more narrow ledge and up one more flight of stairs before passing a section of flooring with large holes in it. As soon as I did, large spikes slightly taller than me suddenly rose up from behind me with a sharp shing, making me jump in shock, fur bristling. Teeth bared, I looked to see who I was trapped with. It was a green Pig-Face (yeah, really appealing) with a long, flat claw in its hand. It squealed its battle cry and charged forward.

I hissed as it swung its claw at me. I stared as I saw the sharp edge of the claw come down less than a mouse-length from the tip of my tail. That thing could slice my head off with a single swing! I knew I had to end this battle before the Pig-Face had a chance to do so. I sunk my teeth into its arm and ripped the skin away, releasing the purple-black smoke under its skin. It howled in pain and toppled over. I took the opportunity to rake my claws down the repulsive creature's back. It dissovled into smoke with one last pained cry. The lock on the door it had been guarding opened, and I stepped inside.

The room was huge, about as big (if not bigger) then the last huge room. It had a wooden walkway spiralling up the side and out into the open ceiling. I looked around, never dropping my guard. I heard a familiar voice call out, "Link!" I whipped around to see a small jail cell with three she-kits, one of them being my sister.

"Aryll!" I cried, racing toward the jail cell to greet her. Through the bars, we touched noses. "Don't worry - I'll getcha outta here!" I whispered reassuringly. A shrill screech then battered my ears. I faintly heard Tetra's shocked cry through the stone as the giant bird swooped in and landed right in the center of the room. I was frozen in fear, fur bristling madly on my back as the bird bent down and scooped me up in its beak. As soon as it did, I was snapped out of my brief trance and started struggling, clawing the bird's beak and yowling my protest. It flew up and soared out of the room, flying toward the top of the tower. There was a broken ship on the top, and what stood there was a black classic tabby tom with red markings, glaring up at me. The bird was waiting - waiting for the tom's order, I realized. The tom's eyes narrowed and he twitched his ear. The bird nodded before suddenly tossing its head and launching me out to sea. I began to yowl loudly and shut my eyes, spinning in midair so many times I became only aware of the sound of my own screams. A sudden pain slammed my back, the impact causing my eyes to shoot open as I let out a pained cry before my world became black.

(Joan)

I could only stare in horror as the speck that was Link vanished into the night sky. Grief swelled up inside me as I cried out, "LINK!"

Tetra and the others stared at me in sympathy before Tetra left to her room, her eyes blank, as if nothing ever happened.

That made me angry.

With a hiss of rage, I lunged forward and pinned her, baring my teeth as I growled. The crew members stumbled about, trying to recover from their shock to counterattack, but I glared death at them. "DON'T YOU DARE MOVE!" I yowled. "YOU ALL KNOW THAT I COULD TAKE YOU ALL ON, AND SO HELP ME STARCLAN, I WILL!" I then directed my attention at a shocked Tetra. "This is all your fault..." I growled.

"How is it my fault?" She spat. "He got his own tail captured - I don't see how it was my fault!"

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WARN HIM!" I screeched. "YOU COULD'VE SEEN THE BIRD! YOU COULD'VE BEEN PAYING MORE ATTENTION!" I seethed for a few moments before raising my paw from her chest and letting her go. When she sent me a questioning look, I answered, "I can't kill you. I won't go as low as killing you. But you are responsible for Link's death, and now you owe me."

"What do you want, exactly?" Tetra asked with narrowed eyes.

"To let me stay."

"WHAT?" She hissed. "You attack me and you expect me to let you stay on my boat?"

"I can't go back to BreezeClan!" I retorted. "I've lost both Link and Aryll, and going back would not help me in the slightest. Plus, letting me stay for a while would count as paying off your debt. You owe it to me, after all."

Tetra paused, considering my offer. "Fine," She finally hissed. "You can stay with Niko. For now, welcome to the crew."

Oh carp. Joan's gone mad. And now she's a temporary pirate.

Link: *starts singing You Are a Pirate*

...I was thinking the exact same thing...

Link: So leave a review, it would be most kind, and maybe I'll give you an apple pie!

Really?

Link: Nope!

...just...please leave a review if you liked it...

*The metal sticks tipped with red spheres are joysticks.

NOTE: Pig-Faces are Bokoblins. The larger Pig-Faces are Moblins. Don't worry, Link won't use these little made-up names forever, just for now, since he doesn't know the monsters' real names