Well hello again it's me, continuing my habit of having too many projects on the go at once.
So hopefully I'll be working on this alongside Metropolis, though I cannot promise it will be at an even rate or frequent/scheduled uploads. I do have the first chapter complete already, however, which is a new for me.
I will again give trigger warnings at the start of each chapter, though for this book it will mostly be the general stuff of violence, blood and gore, though if it gets heavy there will be a warning at the start of the chapter.
Uh so the cats will probably be a lot more exaggerated in a human-like manner just to convey a bit more emotion and expression, so it might sound a bit goofy but hopefully not too so :P
Without any further ado then, I welcome you to Burn the Sky! Have fun!
:)
A low, lonely howl in the midst of the dark night raised tired green eyes to the sky.
The scent of fresh, raw magic was strong tonight, and the cat that walked alone among the shadows could only guess that someone new had been sent down for their trial. With a sigh, he turned from his familiar track home and began his trek towards a magnificently large ash tree that was speckled with frantic claw marks at its base.
It was eerily quiet tonight, and the weather was cool. A mist was beginning to crawl across the ground, speckling the lone wanderer's pelt with droplets of water and sending a shiver through his bones. It was nights like these he counted as an omen for bad things.
Wordlessly, he pulled himself up the tree, used to the path he took to its topmost branches. From thereon out, he could easily survey the Hallowlands in its dark, gloomy entirety. In his many seasons of living there, he had grown very used to the scenery of the landscape, and he liked to believe he could name every significant part of it from memory alone. Why, just there was Crier's Peak, just past that was Clawtooth Fall, and far off in the distance was StarClan's Rock. This land that he had been forced to call home was far too familiar to him now. At this point, he felt he couldn't leave even if he tried. His soul was bound. His paws were tied.
Another howl came.
Swivelling his ears, he tried to pinpoint the location it was coming from before another sounded, and then another. More and more joined in until a haunting chorus echoed across the whole valley. Finally his eyes managed to pinpoint on the horde.
A pack of dark-furred wolf-like creatures was beginning to amass on the south side of the Hallowlands. They were massive creatures with thick fur and powerful jaws capable of crushing a cat in a single bite. Their four eyes glowed a terrifying red and they had extra, almost spider-like appendages that arched from their spine and could be used as a second set of legs. They were sharp -perfect for piercing through an opponent, though the lone cat had also seen them be used for balance as they used their forepaws for a devastating slash attack. These creatures were not fit to be classed as animals, no. These were monsters.
Their names were Spiritslayers.
His green eyes focused suddenly on another shape close by to them, and he felt a rush of sympathy spread through his body. A small brown cat was clinging to a tree just close by to them, clearly terrified and in fear for his life. Even from this distance away, the lone cat could see how they were shaking. A small sigh escaped his lips and he slouched over as the spiritslayers began to draw closer and closer to them, scenting the ground and moving in mass towards the cat. He watched anxiously as they began to pace beneath the branch that the cat was hiding on, confused as to where the scent was going, but…they didn't look up.
The leader of them moved its feet to carry on.
The lone cat prepared for the feeling of relief.
When
suddenly
The small cat let out a cry of fear and leapt from the branch suddenly.
One spiritslayer lunged up-
He closed his eyes and looked away, but the strangled cry, the snap of bone, and the squelch of blood freed from its container echoed across the Hallowlands.
And then silence returned to the land. The lone cat could hear nothing but his heart hammering in his chest and the blood pumping through his ears. Gradually, he opened his eyes, but the trees of the forest now hid the feasting spiritslayers from view. Relieved, he turned away, only to be startled by a new cat sat just behind and slightly to the left of him. He jumped to his feet, the fur along his spine bristling.
"Moongazer!" he exclaimed, relaxing slightly as he took in the sight of a friend, "You startled me!"
The new cat dipped their head, "My apologies, Leafbringer," they said calmly, "you seemed deep in thought when I arrived. I did not want to disturb you."
He shook his head, "Ah, it was nothing special. And I always need someone to stop me from thinking too deeply in this place."
Moongazer laughed somewhat, and moved closer so they could sit down next to him, "Did you not see it fit to try and help that young fellow?"
Leafbringer sighed, curling his tail over his paws, "I…I wanted to, believe me. I just did not think it would end well at this time of night."
They nodded, staring out into the night, "You would be right."
"And you?"
"There is not a single time string where everyone makes it out alive and well," they replied evenly, "I did not wish to see death nor cause unneeded injuries."
"I see."
For a moment, quiet stretched out between them, then Moongazer slowly added,
"It is…not right for us to interact with the Cats of the Trial unless they seek us out first."
Leafbringer stiffened slightly, but he allowed his companion to continue. This would not be the first nor the last time this conversation topic came up.
"These cats do not need to know we are alive. They do not need to know what we see or hear, nor the knowledge that we were burdened and abandoned with." Moongazer's eyes turned sad, reflecting the starlight from up above, "Trust me when I say that there is nothing we can do to help them."
"But that's not right," Leafbringer hissed back, trying to keep his voice composed, "we are little less than them if we just sit back and spectate like this is some kind of game. We can at least help them- tell them where to go, where to get food or water or herbs or something, there- there has to be something that we can do!"
Their eyes turned to their paws, "We bear the mark of Death, Leafbringer. We bring bad luck and the scent of the hunt to these cats. It is not fair to condemn them."
"But it is not fair!" he insisted, getting to his paws and lashing his tail in frustration, "Why do more and more cats get sent down here to die?! Why don't all of them make it back to their homes, their families, their friends?! Why- why weren't we allowed to come home?!"
Leafbringer's rant broke off into ragged, angry breathing as he turned away and paced slightly along the tree branch. Moongazer, who did not seem to have been fazed throughout the conversation, turned their head up to the sky once more.
"You seem to have given up hope too quickly, Leafbringer."
"I've given up hope?! I'm the only one around here doing any kind of hoping!"
"There is a way out."
Immediately the tom whipped back around, "There- there is?"
"There is a way out and a way to achieve it. But it is not up to us."
"Then…what? H-Have you seen something? Is there help coming?"
Moongazer got to their paws and turned to their companion. The moon cast a silver glow through their fur and for a second they seemed like something holy. They tilted their head slightly, and then calmly began to talk.
"There are two cats coming, sent down from their Clans up above. They will not seem like anything special, but these two together will begin to unravel the lost lore that made this place what it is today. They are unlike any who have come here before; they have not accepted their Trial as their wanted path, nor have they resigned themself to fear and doom. They will fight for their own beliefs and will make it to the end together. However, only one will emerge."
Leafbringer rolled the words over in his head, trying to judge them, "And…and these two cats will find a way to free us? They're gonna change everything?"
"They will."
"So we've got to help them, right?"
Moongazer sighed, "I wish there was something we could do…but no. This is a journey they must make themselves. We are no better than StarClan if we force these cats into a destiny that we say has already been written in the stars."
"So we just have to sit back? What if they die?"
"They won't. They are clever."
"But-"
"Do you trust me, Leafbringer?"
Leafbringer's head startled up, caught off guard, "What?"
"I asked if you trusted me."
"Well…I…" he broke off and sighed, "Yes, Moongazer…I trust you. You are my best friend."
They nodded, "Thank you."
"We'll get out of this and we can go home."
"Of course."
And so Leafbringer dipped his head and leapt out into the night, wandering along his familiar trail back home. Moongazer watched him go and sighed, a sadness lighting up their eyes. They had seen the future, the possible strands of time.
Leafbringer was a cat who would never make it home.