(Little warning of a bloody scene here.)
Cherry and her groups had walked into a human village two days after they had left the meadows. They slipped through yards and over fences, dodged a whole lot of dogs and fooled about a dozen of human kits.
Luna had laughed at Ocean when a human kit had almost taken him home, saying that he was kittypet material. This of course issued another fight between the two and a hit to the muzzle for both of them by Cherry, which of course ended which a laughing Sakura.
They had spent the whole days none stop to get out of the village and into another woodland area. Ocean flopped down on a bed of leaves and groaned loudly. "My paws are sooooore!"
Luna sat beside him and sighed. "How long until we get there?"
Cherry sniffed around the area then looked at them. "I forgot that you aren't use to traveling so far. We will rest."
Sakura snorts and looks around. "I will hunt. You kits stay laid down the way you are."
Ocean snorts at her and closes his eyes as Sakura runs into the forest. Cherry starts making nests and Luna falls asleep.
As soon as Sakura returns they eat and Cherry purrs waving her tail. "Come kits, let me tell you a story."
Ocean, Luna and Sakura go to her and lie down around her ears perked. Cherry smiles at them lovingly. Ocean smiles excitedly. "Tell us about when you were a kit!"
Luna growls at him. "We heard that already!" She then looks at Cherry. "Tells about one of your battles!"
Cherry chuckled and shook her head. "Ok, I will tell you about one of my battles. Hmm let's see. Ah, yes. There was one battle with Sunclan, the battle we won with a bet on a piece of land. I have told you before that Moonclan and Sunclan are natural enemies yes? Well some Sunclan warriors had crossed over our borders and hunted our prey. They are slick, uncatchable thieves, but this time we finally had proof, all the way from the scent of their sun dried fur to the patches of fur in our bushes. The leader back then was a tan tom named Thistlerīdā and my father, Brighteyes, was the deputy. Moonclan's leader then was Flowerrīdā and the deputy was Spottedfur. Thistlerīdā had declined that his warriors had stolen any of our prey and was prepared to wage an all out war for it. Flowerrīdā, being the cunning she cat she was, made a bet with him. 'We will have a battle. First leader to lose one of their lives.' she said. 'If you win you can hunt in our territory for five whole moons, but you will stay away from our camp and our warriors and apprentices. However, if we win we get a piece of you land and keep it forever.' Of course, that stupid Sunclan cat agreed to the deal. Him and his warriors were so sure they would win. The only warning our leader gave was that if Thistlerīdā were to not keep his part of the deal we would attack his camp and kill his kits."
Sakura smiled, her tail waving excitedly. "So it is safe to assume that Moonclan won right?"
Cherry purred. "Of course Moonclan won! We are the smartest and most cunning clan of all clans, not to mention the strongest since your father had already struck fear in the hearts of some of the cats in each clan, including our own. We met on the battle field and of course, fought. By that time me and your father had already decided to be mates, so we fought beside each other. His strength and my quickness and cunning was together unbeatable. We had-"
Ocean raised his tail, a curious look on his face. "Why did Flowerrīdā base the win on whoever loses a life first?"
Cherry smirked. "Because she knew that Thistlerīdā was on his last life obviously. If he was to lose this battle, not only would he die but it would give us a chance to take more of his territory and leave his clan at a moment of weakness. Now hush kit. Let me finish the story."
Ocean nodded and wrapped his tail tightly around his self.
Cherry continued. "Anyway, we fought off any cat trying to get to our leader and end her life. Though they were protecting Thistlerīdā, they were doing a poor job at it and I had managed to slip though them and surprise attack him by jumping on his back and sinking my fangs and claws into his shoulder and sides, and began ripping away at him. His surprised yowl had alerted his warriors and they were upon me before I could blink!"
Cherry paused and watched their reactions. Ocean was clawing the ground and growling lowly. Luna and Sakura looked as though they were under attack, their fur bristled and eyes wide and glaring. Cherry purred in satisfaction and continued her tale. "Lucky enough, Whitethunder had knocked of some of them and the other Moonclan warriors had came to my rescue, so I continued to mercilessly attack Thistlerīdā with everything I had." She almost laughed at the sudden relax composure they put on. Really, they get into every story they hear. "I was just about to sink my fangs into his throat, only a fur breath away before he so shamelessly surrendered. It caught me by surprises as much as I had been disappointed. Flowerrīdā had told him that he was to die, not surrender, even though he was on his last life. Thistlerīdā had pleaded and offered more of his land if she had let him survive, in which our leader had said yes. She announced our victory an we had turned and left for home,"
Ocean, Luna and Sakura yipped happily, but quieted down at the distant murderous look Cherry had taken on, "but Thistlerīdā was forever a liar, and attacked Flowerrīdā while her back was turned, clawing away at her sides and biting her neck. I tackled him to the ground and again tore away at him. I was told that I had such a murderous look and aura that my own clan members had been afraid of me, even Whitethunder. Thistlerīdā had obviously been afraid of me because I did live up to my given name, Rīdākirā. I had bit his throat and ripped it out, watched in immense satisfaction as he choked and bled away on his own blood. I had only come to know my surroundings once he had twitched and gave his last breath. Of course I was covered in his blood so it wasn't a surprise, but the Sunclan cats did wail and mourn his loss, some bringing a great distance between themselves and I, but out of all the Sunclan warriors, Brighteyes was the one who gave me a look of deep love and admiration. I saw the way his chest puffed out and his eyes glittered with pride, and I could've swore I heard him purring, though it could've been my imagination. Whitethunder was obviously proud of me, if his nuzzles and licks of approve was to tell by. In the end, we got our promised piece of their land and I got more respect than I could've asked for, since I 'saved my leader.' It was a glorious battle, one that is still told to this day I know."
The three sat and stared in awe at Cherry, then hit her with a surprising amount of purrs and cuddles. Sakura's eyes sparkled as she looked at her mother. "That was an amazing story! What I want to know I why Brighteyes looked at you like that? Was he some clan cat who was in love with you?"
Cherry shook her head. "No, Brighteyes is my father."
Ocean, Luna and Sakura's eyes widened. "But mating outside of the clan is against clan law!"
Cherry nodded. "True, it is. But then again, father didn't care. Neither did mother actually, despite both of them being marked as the moth loyal cat of all clans. It kinda embarrassed Sunclan and Moonclan when my mother, Silverclaw, was having his kits."
Luna frowned. "How did they know they were Brighteyes's kits?"
Cherry smiled. "Well, Brighteyes was the only orange cat with brown spots in his clan, and no cat in our clan had green eyes. It was either blue eyes, yellow eyes or brown eyes. We came out with either orange or red fur and I was the only kit out of the litter of five that didn't have spots. It was plenty obvious. Yes, Brighteyes and Silverclaw got in trouble and yes my mother got marked by the whole clan, but they still held respect for her, all the way down to her end. She still cared for me and my brothers and sister, even though she gave two of them over to Sunclan."
Luna sat and thought while Ocean asked another question. "Cherry, do you miss Moonclan?"
Cherry stared quietly at her paws, not noticing the killer glares Sakura and Luna were giving Ocean.
She sighed and nodded. "Yes, I do miss Moonclan. But I did what was right and I am not turning back."
Sakura opened her mouth to ask why Cherry had left Moonclan, but Cherry cut her off. "That is enough questions. So eager to learn you all are." She stood and licked each of their heads. "Goodnight kits. We have another day ahead of us, so we need to rest up and save our energy." She walked over to her moss bed and lied down, closing her eyes and sleeping. Sakura, Ocean and Luna did the same and slept.
Sakura had yet again dreamed of those two kits. They were older now, bigger, like they had grew as she had grew. The red tom had ran over to her, his yellow eyes welcoming. "Sister! You came back!"
The she cat that looked just like her, only with white fur tackled her. "We missed you soooo much! You are going to play with us now right?"
The she cat's yellowish green eyes sparkled with much happiness and Sakura just couldn't say no. They were her dream siblings after all. She played with them for a long time, running with them in a strange forest that she has been to so many times in her dreams, but can't remember ever going to it while she was away.
When they had stopped playing, Sakura knew she was about to wake up. They had walked into a grassy field and sat there, between two cliffs. The red tom curled his fluffy tail neatly over his paws and his sister did the same.
The white she cat spoke. "Beware of an attack at this place. They will try to kill you, sister."
The red tom looked up at the edges of each cliff. "A cat will be watching you. He is a blind cat, yet his isn't. He knows you and mother's every move."
They both started fading and Sakura called out to them. "What do you mean a attack?! What cat is watching us?! "
Before they faded away, they both mewed, "Watch the movements of the grass, listen to the whispers of nature. She will tell you."
Sakura woke up to Ocean prodding her in the sides. She jumped up in alarm and looked around wildly. Ocean looked at her, then around at the trees, then back at her. "Come on scaredy puss. We are moving. It your thrush and let's go."
Sakura nodded and ate, then they began travelling again. They ran through the woods, some times through the trees. Sakura had a feeling they were being watched, but she kept moving. They came out unto a grass field and Sakura froze. Wasn't this the field her dream sibling had warned her about? She looked around frantically at the tall grass, but they only waved to the wind.
Cherry watched her with a frown. "What's wrong with you? Expecting an ambush?" Sakura looked at her mother and Cherry frowned more. "Sakura? What wrong?"
Ocean and Luna began looking around now, fur bristled.
Sakura shook her head and whispered to them all. "Keep your eyes on the grass. Watch for weird movements..."
They nodded and moved on. Ocean looked at Cherry. "I will watch the sides."
Cherry nodded. "Luna watch our flanks." Luna nodded.
They were only a few fox lengths away from under the ledges when Sakura spotted the first movement, or rather, heard it. It was behind her. The second was to the right of her. When she heard the third and fourth she gave a low growl, alerting her mother and the others. She pricked her ears.
'Listen to nature.'
'They surround you.'
'She will tell you.'
'They will kill you.'
'Watch the grass!'
"They will kill you!" Sakura yowled an alarm and four cats pounced onto them. They were large cats, larger than two of them combined and very strong. They were grey and brown with stripes and had scars everywhere, from claw marks over their shoulders, to missing patches of skin, down to a blind eye. One had pinned Ocean to the ground and clawed at his belly. Another had been sent tumbling with Luna and the blind eye one had knocked Cherry a few feet away. The largest one, a tom, had tripped Sakura over and brought his paw down to her head, but missed as she rolled out the way at the last second. Sakura jumped on his back and started shredding his ears and clawing his back. He had reared back and fell, trying to squash her, but she jumped off at the last moment. She then pounced on him and clawed his belly, but he knocked her aside by sending his paw towards her head and she flew away from him, landing with a sickening thud. She was still down by the time she had started see, unfortunatly her sight was still blurry and he had pinned her to the ground. She squirmed and twisted but wouldn't budge under his large paw. He bared his fangs went for her neck. Sakura's eyes widened in fear and she looked up. She had thought the last thing she would see was the strange, faded pair of light blue eyes, but it wasn't. They had disappeared just as they came, and she snapped back to reality when she heard a loud and earsplitting yowl.
Sakura looked around and saw through blurry eyes Cherry tearing and biting at the tom that was suppose to kill her. She rose on shake legs and looked at her mother more clearly. She shrunk and literally whimpered at the sight.
Cherry was covered in claw marks and blood, but most of it wasn't her blood. Her eyes had such a murderous look in them and her aura and posture was so dark and deadly that for a moment, she didn't look like Cherry. She didn't look like Sakura's mother at all. She looked like a murderous cat who's every intent is to viciously maim and kill the cat before her, to kill her target and relish in it's blood.
The tom whined and yelped for her to stop, and she did. He didn't look that big anymore. He looked small, too small, and afraid. "Please don't kill me! I'm sorry!" the tom pleaded.
Ocean had gone over and checked on Sakura. Once he was sure she was ok, he stalked over to the tom with Luna, both snarling at him viciously.
Sakura stood and joined them. For every step she took, she got angry and the feeling of bloodlust suddenly appeared and grew. The tom had almost killed her, and he pleads for his life? He and his group attacked her mother and friends, and he begs for mercy? He didn't show them mercy! He didn't let them pass through peacefully! They didn't do anything to him and his group, and yet he attacked them! And he begs! BEGS! And now that his friends are dead, and Sakura is pretty sure they are, (if that strong, suffocating smell of blood is anything to go by) he wants to live?! Sakura began snarling herself and baring her long fangs. The bloodlust was unbearable now.
Cherry glared down at him and sneered. "You attack my kits. You die." They were upon him, clawing, biting, tearing at anything they could. By the time they were done and had walked away, the cat was shredded and torn apart, surrounded by a large pool of blood. The foggy lust for blood slowly disappeared from Sakura's mind and she looked up. She saw those same eyes again, but only for a millisecond. She wrinkled her nose and looked down at her self. She needed a bath... Desperately. Luna seemed to have read her mind, because she complained and asked Cherry if there was a pond around. Cherry mewed her response and they tiredly trudged into some bushes to a nearby stream.
As they finished washing, Ocean looked at Cherry. "I see why you earned you Rīdākirā title. How you were back there was scary!"
Cherry smiled lightly. "Well of course, I only get like that if it is a goal or if my kit are in danger. When I had looked up, you and Luna had handled your cats but Sakura had taken on the biggest one, one too big even for me. I saw what he was going to do and I...I lost it. Because what I saw was my kit being killed. I couldn't let that happen. Not my only kit. I couldn't..."
Sakura ran over to her mother and nuzzled her. "I am fine now mother. You saved me, thank you."
Ocean and Luna also began nuzzling and purring against Cherry. Cherry smiled at them, then sent Sakura a curious look. "How did you know about the attack?"
Sakura looked away, feeling uncomfortable. "I...I had a dream about it."
Cherry smiled. "Cats who receive dreams from Skyclan are special. Please keep us alert on any danger we may face, Sakura."
Sakura nodded and Cherry walked out of the stream, shaking off her fur. "We will rest and then we will move on. We will all hunt together, just so we have no more surprise attacks."
They nodded and left. Sakura walked behind them and closed her eyes, sending a silent prayer up to her dream siblings. 'Thank you.' Whether she actually heard their reply or it was just the wind she wasn't sure, but she felt happier now. After they had hunted, healed their wounds, and rested they continued their journey.
(Plz review! X3)