Mira had still been shaking by the time the ear-splitting headache had died down. An earlier explosion had been so powerful it had knocked her from her paws and had left her pinned, like a beast with her head in its vice grip. Her fur had still been covered in pine needles shaken loose from once-sturdy trees. Others had been tossed clear into the air and came down with a crash that had rocked the forest floor as much as the explosion.
"We should be approaching the impact zone." Proxima was following her with a disc-shaped drone colored bright pink to clash with the greens and browns of the coniferous forest.
"Should I be getting so close?" Mira mewed, still fighting her headache.
"A kinetic dart appears to be the culprit. Their minimal levels of radiation will not harm you."
Mira was hesitant for another reason. She scented death near the blast site. Since reaching the forest that morning, a series of blasts from beyond the hazel sky had eroded her sense of safety. As evening came, she saw everything from deer to foxes scatter to the point where she felt she was the only living thing left in the forest. None had been as close as the last, though, and the last thing she wanted to do was get even closer.
The crater it left was littered with fallen trees and split rocks. Leaping onto one for a better view, Mira took in the destruction for herself. The centers of the trees were hollowed or reeked of charred wood, their roots still attached. Those tossed above the forest canopy had fallen into the crater and splintered to pieces. The crater itself was as deep and wide as the trees were tall, sloping down sharply. Her senses were dulled by her headache, but she knew the burning smell was off in a way she couldn't describe. Proxima's drone hovered into the crater to scan the black, needle-like projectile towering over the forest.
"Rest while I figure out which ship fired this," Proxima said.
Mira wandered out of earshot of the drone's scanning, its high-pitched blue light only aggravating her head. She opened her mouth to attempt to find the dead animals she scented earlier, but got nothing. So, she put her nose down and laboriously sniffed until she caught a few drops of blood on a broken tree trunk. It was so dried out from the explosion she could've thought it was old, but she knew it was fresh because she found a path leading to the other side of the crater. The scent of death now overpowered the smoke. To Mira's dismay, she knew it was another cat.
Easily clearing more fallen trees, she saw three cats lying close. They had died huddling in suspense of the piercing scream that always rattled the sky before the blasts. Mira knew if she was ever caught in a blast's path, Proxima would grab her with the drone and hover as fast as possible away. The three in front of her, shredded by wood splinters, didn't stand a chance.
But the trail of blood didn't end with them. Mira followed it to a pair of cats she couldn't linger on long. Both were young and had been torn messily apart, blood and entrails evaporated by the initial blast. They had died in pain. She leapt over another fallen tree and moved between a dozen more bodies in various states of injury. Suddenly, her headache didn't feel so bad.
A soft coo caught her ear. It was so gentle that, at first, Mira thought it was just the wind. But when it called out again, she was certain it was a cat and rushed towards it. Pushing apart branches under the trunk of a fallen tree, she found a molly about her age struggling to breathe, each exhale willing air through battered lungs. Before she could call for Proxima, claws gripped Mira's forepaw. The molly's green eyes were gentle, despite her body shaking and her grip uncontrolled. She was barely whispering and pulled Mira closer.
"My father's dreams… were right." The dying molly's last breath helped her point in a direction, past the crater and slightly off the general direction she was travelling.
"Who is your father?" Mira frantically mewed.
The brown molly was already gone, though, eyes pinned wide open. Mira gently closed them and pulled the molly's sharp claws from her own paw. She said a quiet prayer for her safe journey to StarClan—as she'd done with any dead cat she'd met—until a rustle erected her ears.
"Proxima?" The bushes rustled again, the creature inside wanting to make its presence known. Mira extended her claws and braced herself. "Who's there?" she growled.
A brown tabby tom lunged from his hiding spot and flipped her on her back. He quickly rested his claws on her neck and loosed a snarling hiss. "You are coming with me. This is no place for loners."
Mira quickly got over her initial shock. The young tom was strong, but smaller and lighter than her. With how gently he rested his paw on her, she guessed he was trying to scare her into submission. But she decided not to risk it by yelling for Proxima's help. With a swift kick to his belly, she rolled to her paws and took off in the direction the dying molly had pointed.
The tabby was faster than she thought. He tackled her again, this time raking her shoulders and biting below her scruff. She rolled over, crushing him under her weight, and slashed his muzzle as she got up. He hissed and tackled her a third time. Mira kicked him off again but knew this wouldn't work forever. She paused when she saw the three parallel scars on his right thigh.
"You're Star Covenant?" Mira said. The tom didn't respond. He leapt, but Mira dodged and fled again. This time she leapt over the trunks of several fallen trees, hoping her powerful legs would make up for his speed. The attacking tom managed to keep up for a while, leaping with her through the trees and around the perimeter of the crater. When Mira felt she had gained some distance, she left the crater and took off.
He was still chasing her, and gaining. Mira put every ounce of power she could behind her stride. Her long legs helped her traverse the dense forest floor better than the tom. His speed, though, was making up for it. Mira knew it was only a matter of time before she was pounced on again.
When she glanced over her shoulder to see how far he was, she swore she saw a pair of orange eyes staring back. But this cat wasn't chasing her. It didn't even seem to be there, just a gray and black tabby shadow with glowing, white dots in its pelt. Mira wanted to stop and stare, but she dared not to. When she blinked, however, the mystery cat was gone. It suddenly reappeared in her path, its glowing eyes seemingly staring through her instead of at her. Mira tried darting out the way, phasing through the cat's body instead.
Mira stopped and turned around fully. The mystery cat was gone. She shook it all off and kept running until she tripped in a patch of ferns and tumbled through bushes into a clearing. She seemed to have finally lost her pursuer. She was glad, and surprised, the tom hadn't hurt her, not even with the bite. A cat's paw print was right where she had fallen, a faint voice taking her from the ordeal.
Shaking pine needles from her fur, Mira walked deeper into the clearing. The lone paw print was just one in dozens of sets of all sizes, replacing her distress with curiosity. It had been a long time since she stumbled on a group of cats so large. Her headache was all but forgotten as she quietly followed the paw prints, the blended scents of many cats, and the muffled sound of a voice.
Mira used the sway of the trees to cover her movements. There were hollows burrowed into the ground and within the thick roots of large bushes. Two of the dens were far more sheltered than the rest, being dug under the crevice of a pair of large boulders. One of the crevices was lined with extra fern padding and smelled of fresh milk. The other boulder den held a slight tinge of blood. It was marked with the tri-claw pattern of the Star Covenant. Most were arranged in a line, but some were on the other side of the boulders. There were two squirrels and a rabbit in a pile, not nearly enough for how large the group seemed.
When Mira rounded a corner of dense ferns and flowers, she finally saw them. A massive group of dozens and dozens were gathered around the tallest boulder in the camp, a pair of cats sitting atop it. What little breeze there was she was downwind of. She caught the tinges of blood like earlier, along with the faint scents of fresh milk and the remains of a recently eaten meal on some cat's muzzle. Collectively, they smelled of pine needles and turned soil.
"Those blasts have kept my fur on end too long." The somewhat raspy voice came from the old, cream-colored tabby tom with one of his prominent fangs missing. He was hunched over, unlike the young, all-white molly next to him. "But I think it's important we finish this before the other tribes' cats arrive. Hosta."
She poked her head out just a little more to get a better view of a juvenile, dark-brown molly walking through the parted mass. She had a pretty face filled with quiet anxiety. Most of the cats, mostly the elder ones, were murmuring things as she passed while the youngest of them, vocal but blocked from view, were cheering her name. Hosta leapt up the path of rocks to the top of the large boulder, standing next to the old tom.
"Hosta has reached the proper age of six rotations and demonstrated her ability to hunt," the old tom said. "We take this time to recognize her efforts and give her new responsibilities."
The juvenile's dark brown fur looked just like the dying cat she had met earlier, only with amber eyes instead of green. Mira's heart sank with a certainty she couldn't deny. Hosta was anxious for her mother, the same molly she had just watched die.
"Hosta, are you ready?"
She gave a nervous nod. "Yes."
"Then, as the oldest of your peers, I appoint you to guard their curiosity and encourage their growth. Just don't let that power go to your head," he mocked affectionately. "I'm proud of you. Really."
He affectionately rubbed the top of her head while the crowd of cats cheered, her youth peers still the loudest. Another glowing cat, this one much smaller than the last with brown fur, stubby legs, and a missing ear appeared next to Hosta. Mira blinked in confusion, the mystery cat disappearing as she did. She hadn't realized she'd left her hiding spot and noticed several cats staring at her. Before she could get a word out, they pounced. She was dragged to the base of the boulder by three strong cats, all of which were gentle like her Star Covenant attacker, while the others whispered.
"Who is she?"
"She must be one of theirs."
"They got here this morning. None were her."
"We only saw two and they've always come in threes. Check her thighs."
One of the cats parted the fur on Mira's right thigh, then flipped her and did the same to her left.
"She's not with them, but look at her eyes."
"No color? That's impossible, unless—"
"No, a chimera!"
"Wait! She looks harmless enough."
The cats who pinned her eased up as more encircled her. Mira stood and brushed her fur clean of pine needles. The three strong cats stayed within snapping distance, ready to pounce if she made any moves against the cream-colored old tom. Hosta and the all-white molly stayed on the rock.
"I am sorry for that," the old cream-colored tom said, sitting in front of her. "Since those mysterious blasts—" Loud cracks and pops scattered many of the cats. Forceful but local wind scattered the dirt around Mira and drove the strong cats away. "Now what!?"
Mira looked up at the pink drone hovering above her, intentionally blowing loose pine needles at the other cats. Red and blue lights strobed in a pattern that forced them to look away. Shiny probes stuck out from all sides, blue sparks arcing between them and drilling a static hiss through her head. The all-white molly folded an ear back and hissed, ready to pounce from her higher position.
"Stop!" Mira shouted to the drone. "They're not going to kill me."
"Kill you?" the old tom shouted above the noise. "Chimera or not, we'd never do such a thing! The Yonder tribes are peaceful."
After a few moments, the drone approached the ground. The lightning arcing between the probes kept even Mira away. "Proxima, I'm fine," Mira assured again. The pink drone finally returned to normal, the tribe now more intrigued by it than their strange visitor.
"What did you just call that?" The old tom said.
"Proxima," Mira said. "She isn't actually here, but she controls twoleg mechanisms."
"It's been a long time since I've heard that name." He paused to muse about that time, presumably, before continuing. "The twoleg-thing, yes. That's it. The one who addressed the entire ringworld long ago. So, what do we call you?"
"Mira," Mira said, dipping her head respectfully. "I assume you're this branch's leader?"
He raised a brow. "Oh, no. We aren't part of the Star Covenant. My name's Hydran. I'm in charge here, sometimes." He chuckled while waving over the all-white molly. "Are you thirsty? Hungry, perhaps?"
"You're offering her food!?" The all-white molly seethed her words and narrowed her bright, blue eyes at Mira. Even a swollen belly and milky scent didn't make her powerful physique any less threatening.
"This is Leea," Hydran said, shooting a glare at her. "She's also in charge."
"I don't have much of an appetite, anyway, but thanks," Mira said, dipping her head awkwardly to the young leader.
"Oh, is something the matter? We still have a lot to learn about medicine, but the Star Covenant's envoys should be returning soon."
"The Star Covenant only shows up when they want us to do something," Leea growled. After another glare from Hydran, the young leader sighed and dipped her head apologetically towards Mira. "Anyway, I don't think they'll return with what's been happening."
"They're already around," Mira said. "One of them tried to capture me."
"Are you sure?" Leea raised her good ear towards Mira.
"He had brown tabby fur and three identical claw marks on his right thigh." Mira held back a lump in her throat and nervously glanced at Hosta, who was still near Leea. The rest of the tribe had gathered around, but kept their distance.
"Did you meet anyone else out there?"
Hydran noticed Hosta's anxious stares between Leea and Mira's faces. He waved his paw at the rest of the tribe. "Now, now, she's our guest, not our messenger. She might not be used to being around such a crowd. Let's give her space to settle in."
The tribe took the hint, but not without concerned murmuring. Older cats ushered Hosta's peers, none younger than four rotations, away and either crowded around the drone or talked amongst themselves. Enough had dispersed to give Mira a better view of the clearing. The natural elements seemed perfectly organized, like logs at twoleg seating height and flat boulders on level ground. There were far more dens than she thought, most empty with fresh bedding. A hollowed tree trunk held more than enough rainwater, in contrast to their measly fresh-kill pile. Hydran and Leea led Mira past it so she could drink; Proxima already had the drone stick a probe into it. After a few moments of silence, Mira greedily lapped the water and only just realized how thirsty she was.
"This was a recreational camp site," Proxima said. "Lot five of five of the Ninki Nanka Citizen's Preservation Forest, East Border. It was closed indefinitely for classified construction."
"We just call it camp," Hydran chuckled, Leea confused by the true name. "The Star Covenant calls us the Yonder tribes. We're Yonder Five, the largest and last contacted tribe."
"Hmph," Leea growled. "They name us, they teach us, but they don't help us when we need it."
Proxima was no longer paying attention to the conversation, instead wandering off to scan the rest of the clearing and enticing some curious cats to follow. Hydran led them back to the tall boulder, where the three of them sat to hear Mira summarize her journey and her reason for it. Hydran hung on every word while Leea looked skeptical. Hosta was enthralled but, ultimately, only momentarily distracted."
"All the way from the Alicorn District," Hydran breathed. "Now that must be a journey."
"It'd normally be impossible, given the ringworld's size, but Proxima helps greatly," Mira nodded towards the drone.
"I'd imagine so." Hydran's ears shot up, seemingly just noticing Hosta was still with them. "Oh, I'm sorry. Mira, this is Hosta. You wandered in on her ceremony to receive new responsibilities."
Leea's good ear swiveled towards Mira. "Speaking of, the twoleg-thing surely must know something about these blasts? I fear for the safety of those I sent out this morning to the other Yonder tribes."
A lump formed in Mira's chest she hoped Hosta couldn't notice. Proxima's drone, which had been hovering below, floated to their level when she was mentioned. "The bombardment is coming from an armada in orbit, but I do not know from which ships. I can predict their trajectory early enough to save Mira, if need be."
"I, um, don't believe I speak enough twoleg to understand?" Hydran said.
"Sorry," Mira said. "She's referring to twoleg weapons called star-monsters. She said they're attacking from beyond the sky, from silverpelt to be exact."
"Can't say I've ever seen beyond the sky," Hydran said, "but it may finally answer a question I've debated discussing with the Star Covenant since this started."
"I really think we should keep that matter to ourselves," Leea whispered to the old leader.
"No, no, I feel like I might be onto something here." Leea gently nudged Hydran, but he ignored it. "The Star Covenant worships a group of cats called StarClan, but we've never thought much of it. They tell us StarClan is capable of walking in dreams and observing the living. Within some of my dreams were warnings of this very event. Could all this even be possible?"
Mira paused, debating on whether to bring up the ghostly cats from the forest chase and Hosta's ceremony, especially with Proxima nearby. But, when she tapped the drone, it just kept hovering dormant. Mira sighed in relief, for once, that Proxima had no interest in the business of cats. "Yes," Mira whispered. "I believe so, at least."
Leea glanced around and, when she was sure they had no eavesdroppers, folded her good ear down. "At least send Hosta away. She doesn't need—"
"Hosta is the only one of her peers with authority, and you know I like to have the opinions of all ages. If she wants to listen." After Leea reluctantly nodded and Hosta leaned closer, Hydran continued with confidence. "In my dream, I saw an all-white molly with blue eyes. But she was a huge cat, certainly a different type, and her fur was full of glowing dots. We were perched on a… a twoleg something. Tall enough to see the surrounding mountains. The forest was burning and fire rained from the sky, but I was safe on the perch. I was sure of it."
Mira's eyes widened. It was the first time someone had shared her weird visions and dreams. A wave of relief washed over many rotations of her encounters with these shadowy cats that she wasn't just crazy. She never thought she was, but it was hard to justify when Proxima had waved it off so many times and other cats she'd encountered were more interested in her travels than her beliefs.
"I saw a strong cat while being chased and a stubby-looking one standing behind Hosta at her ceremony," Mira said. Hosta glanced behind her, looking just as surprised as her leaders.
"Did they say anything to you?" Hydran said. "The wildcat never speaks in my dreams." Mira shook her head. "I think she's trying to tell me to go somewhere—"
"They're coming!" An older tom shouted, emerging from the forest. "It's Firepine and a pair of warrior-rah."
The tribe gathered around the tall boulder again. Mira had pieced together where the wildcat wanted Hydran to go, but awaited the Star Covenant to see what they'd have to say about all this. Hosta joined her peers below, keeping her brave but fake face. Mira regretted making her wait on the terrible news she might soon hear.
Two strong toms emerged from the bushes first, leaping onto the boulder without a second thought. Mira recognized her brown tabby attacker, and he gave little more than a bitter glance. She felt bad she barely had a scratch while the cuts on his muzzle had needed to be treated. The other warrior-rah was larger and sporting all-black fur with yellow-tinted eyes. The third tom, presumably Firepine, emerged only after his warrior-rah did so and climbed onto the boulder. The evening hazel light glowed sinisterly off his rust-colored fur and his serious gaze didn't fool anyone into thinking he was here to teach them about herbs. Hydran, Leea, and Mira made space on the now-crowded boulder, the young leader glaring at Firepine and met with an irritated glance back.
"I'll be brief," Firepine shouted, barely hiding his exhaustion. "We were supposed to teach you about uses for your groundcover plants. But I'm sure you all know of the blasts. This morning, Yonder One's camp was directly hit by one. We have no word on survivors—"
The crowd collectively gasped.
"I have a littermate in that tribe!"
"What can we do about them?"
"What about your camp?"
"Quiet! Quiet please." Firepine raised his paw and the crowd's energy quickly tempered. "I have no news on Yonder One. But the affect the blasts are having on prey in such a short time will certainly cause a…. What's that twoleg mechanism? And how have you come to possess it?"
The rust-colored envoy pointed at the bright pink drone that somewhat blended with the fading light. Proxima, knowing she'd been singled out, turned on a pair of lights to get the crowd's attention. It somewhat scared the audience into parting for her.
"It's a drone," Mira said, "I'm with her."
"Her?" Firepine exaggerated. "The twoleg-thing chimera is the only being on the ringworld who possesses that power…. There had been rumors of star-monsters being responsible for these attacks. Unless the twolegs have returned, I'm sure she knows what I am getting at."
"I have not been doing this," Proxima said, her accent flaring with rare irritation. "And Skhul Terra is still abandoned. I have been trying to determine what is—"
"My Stars!" Firepine breathed. "The twoleg-thing, here? The last time you made your presence known was when you released those wicked chimeras." One of the warrior-rah whispered something impossibly quiet to him. The rust-colored envoy brushed past Hydran and sniffed Mira. She unsheathed her claws, but Hydran urged her to let him inspect. He poked, stared, and sniffed until he was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt and scrambled back. "Colorless eyes, deeply-rooted twoleg scent… you're a chimera!"
"You will not be allowed to harm Mira. Do not involve us in whatever this is. We are just passing through."
"Passing through?"
"There is a spire five days' travel from here. It is the center of an incomplete government campus."
"Spire? You mean the location of our new camp. You will not be granted entrance to—"
"I was not asking. We will enter, and you will not inhibit our travel."
"No, no travel." Firepine shook his head. "Not for the chimera, or any of you. All Yonder tribes are to stay put until further notice."
The tribe began their outcry again. Mira knew the Star Covenant couldn't stop Proxima, which is why she stayed quiet, but she felt the sadness and fear of the tribe coming to the surface. Hydran glanced at Leea. She folded her good ear down and nodded, conceding her desire to keep her equal's secret any longer.
"That's just the thing," Hydran said, the tribe quieting immediately. "Something has been troubling my dreams for a whole rotation, now."
"Your dreams?" Firepine's full attention was on the old tom.
"Yes," he turned to address his tribe, too. "Dreams of a charred forest, fire raining from the sky, and dead cats. But I was safe atop a perch looking over it all, joined by a large molly of some other kind. She had glowing, white dots in her fur, too."
"Stars in her pelt?!" One of the warrior-rah exclaimed.
"This is all so much," Firepine whispered. "The twoleg-thing, a chimera, an omen…. No, that omen is impossible for a tribe of nonbelievers. Even more reasons to keep the tribes put. Especially yours."
"Excuse me?" Mira finally said. "You just heard him. They might not have that time. These tribes need to move. Now."
"And who are you to interpret dreams?" Firepine spat, his fur bristling like he was personally insulted. "Chimeras are twoleg creations. Demons who have killed countless cats."
"I've had these dreams and visions myself," Mira growled.
"Lies."
"They have stars in their pelt and smell of everything pleasant. They leave paw prints of light where they step, and come in all shapes and sizes. One of your branches in the Alicorn District taught me everything about StarClan."
"The Alicorn District has lacked a Star Covenant presence since the twoleg-thing first unleashed the chimeras. Whoever you spoke to was not—"
A crackle of thunder echoed through the forest, folding every cat's ears flat. They all looked up at the darkening sky. Some caught a faint flash of light. Clouds had rolled in but the sound was too short to be real thunder.
"Take cover!" Mira shouted. "It's a blast!"
She leapt from the boulder and pushed Hosta, standing near its edge, between a crack she couldn't fit through that Hydran blocked with his body. The rest of the tribe scattered to the edges of the forest or hid in their nests. Leea, another queen, and three newborn kits were hurried into one of the rocky dens, several cats blocking the entrance. The Star Covenant cats stayed on the rock and braced themselves.
A sharp hiss slashed through everyone's ears, deafening them as the blast struck further north. The sky erupted red as bright as daylight. A shockwave tore through the clearing, sloshing the rainwater from the hollow tree trunk and blowing away the scant pile of fresh-kill. They waited for an all-clear from Mira, getting her cue from Proxima, and regathered nervously around the boulder. The wailing newborns made the only noise for a while.
"That was near the Yonder Four camp," Firepine coughed. "We must check on them."
"We already sent cats out this morning," Leea said, keeping her single kit on her back and calming him. "They should be back at any moment."
Firepine's mood turned from sharp to somber, his ears folding flat. The two warrior-rah shared his sentiment. Hosta's eyes widened as she shook her head. Her worst fears were coming true. "Your group did not survive an earlier blast."
The tribe collectively gasped. Hosta's brave face started to break. "What do you mean?" she mewed.
"Aside from reporting the presence of a loner," he glanced at Mira, "one of my warrior-rah reported at least eight dead near a blast site. We investigated and confirmed his findings. There were cats from all five tribes present, including your daughter, Hydran. I'm deeply sorry for your loss. Coupled with the impending prey shortages in and around the forests, you must stay put. We'll check on Yonder Four. We won't return."
Hosta kept shaking her head while her young peers comforted her. She pushed them all away and ran off to the other side of camp, followed by a tom only slightly younger than her. The rest of the tribe, still rattled by the blast, mumbled between themselves. They were scared, tired, and now they had lost friends. Hydran seemed just as upset as Hosta, but he shook it off and climbed to the top of the boulder, joined by Leea.
"My poor kit," Hydran sighed. He raised his paw for his tribe's attention. "I know what I said sounds strange, but I meant every word of it. We must leave. And soon."
Discussions were louder, but short. Everyone seemed more afraid of the blasts and their leader's strange dreams than the prospect of abandoning their home. The only skeptic was Leea, who didn't let it show to the crowd and turned towards the forest the Star Covenant cats had departed to. Mira was surprised to see she was forcing the same brave face Hosta had just lost.
"Leea," Hydran whispered, resting a paw on her back, "I know what she meant to you, too."
"This can't be true," Leea mewed. "It can't be! Strange dreams? And now… Did you see her? Did you see it for yourself?"
Mira gave a somber nod. "Her last words were 'my father's dreams were right.' I believe Hydran's dreams."
Hydran moved in front of Leea and looked into her eyes. "You wouldn't have let me talk about my dreams if you didn't believe them, even a little. But you're just as much a leader as me and I deeply respect your opinion. We only move if we both agree to it."
Leea sat as the squirming kit on her shoulders wanted down. She curled up and let him nestle into her belly. He looked as if he had only recently opened his eyes. She sighed while she started licking the dust from his fur and lulling him into a slumber. "You're right. We should leave."
"Mira," Hydran turned to Mira, keeping his voice low, "I want you to act as a third leader for our tribe as we move."
"What?" Leea's sharp tone returned, which made Mira a little glad.
"We've never been far beyond the forest. The tribe is surely impressed with you holding your own against the Star Covenant like that, and you're even more experienced than them with travelling. I don't even know what the spire in my vision is?"
"The spire is what the twolegs called a command center," Mira said. "They used them to control the ringworld. It's where I'm going. And I'll be happy to have you with me."
Hydran nodded, looking at Leea for approval. After a few moments of scowling, her gaze softened again. She reluctantly nodded and dipped her head to Mira. Hydran stood and ruffled his fur, letting exhaustion finally wash over him like the rest of the tribe. He waved over several cats who were near the base of the tall boulder and carefully climbed down himself. "Then we'll leave first thing in the morning. Can you take care of things here, Leea? I must… retrieve my daughter."
Leea nodded, facing herself towards the rest of camp and staying put. She still didn't seem to agree with everything, but she couldn't deny the danger they were in. Mira felt the newborn kit helped her final decision, and was excited when his narrow eyes made their way towards her.
"What's his name?" Mira purred.
"Aza," Leea whispered, brushing back his ears.
Mira didn't quite know how she'd felt when she first met the nursing leader. Leea was possessive and skeptical the entire time, but grew on her. Mira wanted to apologize for her thoughts, even if Leea would've never known, because she was just being protective. To her, Aza perfectly explained the behavior. And the way she looked at her kit was the same way she looked at the rest of her tribe when she wasn't glaring at Mira. It was likely the reason Hydran shared leadership with her.
Leea had motioned over the other queen to take Aza while she had stood, shaken her fur, and had begun commanding the tribe below. Some had been ordered to take herbs while many had been told to hunt. She had not let a hint of her own sadness through when giving orders. It had reflected on the rest of the tribe, who had followed them eagerly. Mira had left her to it and leapt from the rock, surprised she had not been immediately approached by an objecting Proxima. But she had been approached by Hosta. The adolescent molly had snuck back towards her and had plopped herself in Mira's path.
"Tell me everything you know about this StarClan. Please."
O O O
"Twolegs? Here?!" Mira nearly fell back on her haunches.
"Correct," Proxima said through her sleeve box's chatter holes. "A manned scout ship jumped in a week ago and has just now appeared on sensors. It is likely they are here to assess Skhul Terra more closely."
Mira was standing right outside the imposing red door, twice the height of a twoleg and parted by the smallest seam in the middle. Twoleg scribblings extended down both halves, illuminated by a reflective sheen amidst the air of deep, crimson light.
"Why don't they just send a message back?" Mira said. "You said twolegs could communicate across the stars."
"Intergalactic scouting missions take years to report back, and that is without the stress of navigating a black hole. In Ajax's sphere of influence, extraterrestrial messages are useless due to time dilation. If Dombaystar attacks, they might not know it for hours and be destroyed days later. To us, it will appear instantaneous."
A chill ran down Mira's spine. She had never seen a twoleg in the flesh before, but now several would die without her intervention. Her general curiosity ceased as her black fur puffed twice its size. If the twolegs completed their mission, the ringworld, StarClan, and Proxima could be saved without delay.
"Tell me what I have to do."
"Dombaystar should be connected to the Eliot Turner as literally as I am connected to my own ship. Sever enough cables and he may lose precise control. Enough for me to take it."
"Right. Now make me stronger, like you said earlier."
"Mira, there is no recovery from this. You will be permanently crippled if—"
"You gave them to me for a reason, right? If it came to this, I'd need them."
Proxima hesitated for as long as she dared. "Very well. Please float and brace yourself. This will be a bit painful."
Mira pushed up until she floated just off the ground. She glanced to her right and breathed a sigh of relief Littlestar had stayed. The young StarClan leader, still holding back the light in her pelt, had shown her a few techniques while sprinting to her destination. Since she would fight without weight against a static opponent, she didn't know how much they would help. It still made her feel better knowing she would fight with an ancestral clan leader and her guardian at her side. But she was still nervous.
A shock ran through her leg sleeves, soft at first but quickly harshening. She cried out in pain as it felt like impossibly long needles were being shoved through the center of her bones. And then it all stopped, her weightlessness returning with a cold chill in her paw pads. Mira brushed her braces and slammed into the ground with weight she never had before. Glowing red rings encircled each of their top seams. Power surged through her legs like she hadn't felt since she was young. She felt invincible! Mira pushed off the ground at half her usual strength and barely twisted in time to avoid slamming into the ceiling. But her head throbbed like she had.
"My Stars," Littlestar whispered.
"I wish I had more time to practice," Mira said, now facing the red door upside-down.
"I do, too," Proxima said. "Are you ready?"
Mira nodded. The doors parted and revealed a long hallway with the smallest light at the end. She felt nothing in her legs but a slight tingle and absurd strength. She tried not to think about how much damage her first jump did to them. Crouching in a hunter's pose and not knowing what to expect, Mira crept down the hallway's ceiling, Littlestar stalking along the floor.
"Wait." Proxima's words weren't stern, but upset.
Mira slowed her pace. "Yes," she whispered as quiet as she could.
There was a long silence, longer than Mira hoped now that she knew of an unknown time limit. Eventually she stopped and stared at her leg braces, expecting her companion to say something.
"Never mind," Proxima said, regaining her composure. "I will tell you after."
Mira had psyched herself into her task as much as she could, taking all the anger she felt towards and for Blackleaf and mixing it with the surprising amount of courage she'd gained with Littlestar, even though the latter hadn't been very hopeful herself. Ethereal flakes of ash persisted, but weren't numerous enough to affect her vision like before. The task was sealed in her mind: she would either kill Dombaystar or befall to his twisted whims.
The end of the hall felt narrower than the entrance with its shape changing to a hexagon. Mira really felt her extra strength kick in, now. Her heart pounded against her chest so hard it gave her a light headache. But the way blood coursed through her was like no other exhilaration she'd experienced. How could such a wonderful and powerful feeling maim her?
The walls of the large den were covered in the same hexagonal pattern it was shaped in. They displayed an unbroken image of the ringworld and the turbulent sun she had floated past. It made the center of the star-monster appear see-through. There were twoleg mechanisms and consoles on the ceiling where she rested, as well as the floors and walls, each with seats and restraints. The whole place seemed designed for twolegs to operate in the same weightlessness she was under. And she'd already mapped out places she could jump between.
"Felis Catus-Panthera-sapiens zero-nine-eight." Dombaystar's voice was even sicker in person. "Mira ninety-eight. You did not come alone."
Dombaystar was perched near an important-looking console and a thick chair—one Proxima had told her the leaders of the star-monsters sat. Mira cringed at the sight of cables and wires extending from all surfaces towards the old tomcat. The way he struggled between them to orient himself made him look like a spider caught in its own web. Dombaystar's calico fur was bald where little nodes connected him to the wires. It was more elegant a solution than Proxima's improvised one, but somehow far messier. He was bald between his legs and thighs, clearly showing the tri-claw markings of the Star Covenant. The perfect scar running from his nose to the back of his head was suddenly the most normal thing about him.
"I've never seen anything like this," Littlestar growled from the floor.
"The StarClan one is surprised but determined." Dombaystar made a bubbly growl. "She is not the one from my nightmares—visions. She was warm and selfish. This one is foul."
Mira was surprised how easily he felt the StarClan molly's presence, but now he was distracted. She crept along the ceiling and past the cables. Littlestar's eyes were wide and her tail curled, but she held firm and seemed to know what Mira was going to do. She already had her first move figured out.
"These twolegs," Dombaystar continued, "they interfere with us. An atrocity—hinderance to the presence of StarClan. Their hubris created this mess. They must be punished for it."
Part of the wall of screens zoomed in on an empty portion of space to reveal a small, white star-monster. It had no wings or fins, but it did bear twoleg scribblings on its side. It looked like it was faced away from the black hole. A separate screen displayed a long thunderstick, like the one Dombaystar used previously, lurching to life.
"At last, Mira." Mira froze when he said her name. "I see you up there. I do not need just my eyes to see. Come down from there. We have so much to do together…"
Mira continued to stalk along the ceiling. Littlestar had his eyes' attention, she was in his thoughts, but it wasn't enough. The thunderstick still aimed towards the white twoleg craft. There was no time to learn more, no time to get into Dombaystar's head or understand his motives.
As the delirious chimera continued his incoherent speech, Mira pushed off the wall with all her strength and slashed at the closest three wires in Dombaystar's "web." They shredded like dead leaves in her powerful claws. She twisted and slammed onto the console in front of where he sat. Her legs were burning and she felt like she'd just crushed a stone, but Dombaystar hadn't been ready for what hit him. He bundled the broken wires close and cried a watery scream while Mira's sleeves vibrated hotly and painfully. She weaved between wires to strike again.
An instinctive jump left Mira stranded midair. A needle-tipped cable stopped short of gouging her eye; Littlestar had pounced on Dombaystar and phased through him. It frightened him enough for Mira to magnetically snap herself back to the ceiling. Right when she touched it, she pushed towards the floor and again through Dombaystar's wires, severing only one and landing right in front of him. His muzzle felt like it was made of silverwood when she slashed through it
"Fine!" Dombaystar gargled. "You must be taught."
A wire wrapped around Mira's leg before she could leap to safety and tossed her down the hall. She slammed into the now-closed red door, her nose cracking sharply. She held back a cry, knowing it was broken and one of her legs felt twisted wrong. Littlestar's ethereal form was barely visible between the dark hallway and the mass of wires stretching towards her. Using her new speed, Mira darted from door to ceiling to floor out of the hall and towards Dombaystar.
Mira dashed with breakneck speed over Dombaystar's back and raked it, spraying blood on her face when she stopped herself behind him. She used two thick cables as leverage to hook his furless hind legs and cut deep enough to leave flesh in her claws. She felt a wire try and fail to wrap around her stumpy tail and bit into a hollow cable encompassing his. Mira slashed it, too, and darted off to the ceiling behind her. Droplets of blood began floating through the air.
The sound of her own heart pounding behind her ears and her chest heaving made Mira hope she wasn't already at her limit. The sleeves were hot enough to hurt. Her claws, more powerful than she'd ever muster naturally, were throbbing worse than her burning legs felt. She could feel just how badly she was destroying herself. Dombaystar was hurting, too, the back of his legs still leaking drops of weightless blood as a few of the wires attempted first aid. But, looking at the screen, she noticed the thunderstick had stopped moving. He was occupied.
"Keep severing wires." Proxima's patchy voice finally came through the chatter holes of the den. "He can repair them with great effort."
"You again!" Dombaystar shouted with more certainty than Mira thought possible. "You choked me—stopped me last time. Stopped my tests, locked me away. Never again!"
A pair of wires stopped tending to Dombaystar's legs and began smashing every console and mechanism except the ones near him. His control was precise, breaking every individual light and button. Littlestar looked up at Mira and crouched, the stars in her pelt glowing bright, waiting for the senior molly's lead.
Mira leapt to the floor at normal speed, then dashed for several cables extending towards Dombaystar. Before his wires could reach her, she slid away and tore them from wherever their housing was and darted back to the ceiling. Littlestar had leapt onto Dombaystar and raked his back, most of her hits landing. Whenever her claws phased through, she would cuff his ears. Mira pushed from the ceiling and through the "web" to land in front of Dombaystar. She slashed his still bleeding muzzle over and over, crunched his nose, and cut so deep and fast through his foreleg the tendon that controlled its claws flailed out.
"Enough!" Dombaystar shouted without an ounce of pain. "One of you must—"
His nose still being crushed by her jaws, wires shot straight through Dombaystar's belly and impaled Littlestar. The StarClan leader cried out, glancing at Mira apologetically before falling from his back. Before she could reach her, Littlestar was consumed in a mess of squeezing wires. The StarClan cat's presence and the specs of ghostly ash were gone.
"Littlestar!" Mira yelled, barely leaping away from a counterattack.
"Littlestar?" Proxima's voice said. "There is no one else there—"
"Quiet, twoleg freak!" Dombaystar's voice rose above hers through the chatter holes despite his closed mouth. "You are beneath StarClan. You are beneath my new branch."
Mira wanted to believe that wasn't the end for Littlestar. The wires Dombaystar used to impale her had gone through small channels in his belly she hadn't noticed before. No blood leaked from them and no flesh was exposed at their end points; He had somehow had those channels run through him for some twisted purpose.
Several doors opened across the ceiling. From three, spherical security drones emerged. Each was painted deep black and barely visible over the droplets of blood and dim lights of the den. Despite the red lights shining from their fronts, Mira knew they weren't under Proxima's control.
"Proxima," Mira panted.
"I will attempt to deactivate them." Proxima said through her leg sleeves. "Do not get caught."
The security drones had little trouble navigating without gravity, spitting puffs of air opposite of where they wanted to go. One extended rigid arms to grab Mira, but she darted from its path and straight into another one. She knew they were designed to withstand twoleg weapons, but hoped her unnatural strength could at least clear a path. The drone didn't even budge.
She darted to the next, but the drones didn't move fast enough to destroy each other. All it was doing was draining her energy. Between them and Dombaystar's wires, Mira was jumping once every couple of heartbeats. It was exhilarating to move so fast, euphoric even when her head grew so light she lost any sense of direction. But she was just sane enough to make one big leap through an opening and out of their path entirely, soaring across the den and back to the hall. The drones followed but fell dormant one by one. Mira's intuition was fuzzy between her rushing blood and burning legs, but she believed those were his final trick.
"The visions told me to do this," Dombaystar said, sickness returning to his voice. "Told me, one day, I would need the holes to save myself. Now I must do it to the twoleg-thing's brainwashed pet!"
The chimera tom's eyes soullessly focused on her. More of his blood filled the den than hers, but there wasn't a hint of pain or exhaustion in his voice. In fact, he didn't seem to care about any of it. Despite her own agony, Mira's welling anger overflowed and gave her the second wind her body desperately craved. Her fur bristled until she looked twice her size and she bore her large fangs. Mira was going to let loose, regardless of what happened to her.
Dombaystar sent the bundle of wires that consumed Littlestar towards her. Mira easily dodged them and slashed along his flank, dashing away just as fast as she came before he could even grunt. She pivoted around and aimed above him, cutting several cables attaching him to the ceiling. She cringed but nodded as more blood leaked from the old tom's side. Droplets of it had filled every corner of the den and overpowered every other scent.
Mira dashed through the wire web again and jammed her claws into the tom's back just like Littlestar. Her grip was so unnaturally strong she ripped up his skin by accident and almost glanced off him. Dombaystar didn't thrash, but he began untangling his own wires to arc around and consume her. Before that, she wrapped her jaws around his neck and bit as hard as she could. Her fangs scraped his spine and punched through his throat. The quiet ambience of the den disappeared, the static across the chatter holes as Proxima fought for control, her own heartbeat, all quiet.
But where Mira expected to hear choked hisses, she heard a steady breath and no heartbeat. Her belly was against his back, pinning the tom where he already floated, but there was nothing beneath it. No blood leaked from his neck. The only place she felt warmth was his lower back. Everything else seemed to have been stripped away from the inside out. She leapt off before wires grabbed her, dashing towards the hall and planting herself to the ceiling.
"Impossible!" Mira's eyes were wide. "There's nothing inside of you?"
"That is how the others see us," Dombaystar said, his voice still coming through the den's chatter holes. "Here, we are free to rule—to live! You and I will become the bedrock for a new clan. One that usurps StarClan!"
It was the first thing he said that made sense to Mira. The cat floating in a web of wires before her was no longer a Star Covenant herald, a chimera, or even a cat. "Whatever you are and whatever you want…." Mira's words were slurred as badly as she felt. She couldn't keep up with her unnatural power any longer. Her heart felt like it was about to explode. "Proxima, where do I aim?"
A static pop solidified her companion's control over the chatter holes. "Aim directly for his brain. It is the only way to stop him for good."
Mira could barely process the idea of what that'd look like through the muck her mind was becoming. But she knew she only had to latch on and let her enhanced strength take care of the rest. She crouched and waited as long as she dared to rest, waiting for Dombaystar to make the first move. Eventually, he sent more wires forward.
She hissed and dodged them all, sliding along the floor with impossibly quick precision before dashing to the tom's chest and latching onto a cable. Mira grabbed both sides of his head and squeezed as hard as she could. She could hear the pain in Dombaystar's scream before her ears began failing her. She needed him on the ground and had an idea on how to do it.
Mira swung around to his back and pushed off it, tapping one of her sleeves three times. She slammed against his back as the sleeves' powerful magnets dragged both from the seat and to the floor, pinning him under her. The cables and wires attached to him couldn't keep him up but stayed connected, tangling both in the mess. Mira braced herself to be stabbed or consumed, but it never happened. She reached up a paw, only for a single wire to wrap it up.
"Get out of my head!" Dombaystar hissed. "Leave us alone, twoleg freak!"
Proxima had infiltrated his consoles and kept him distracted. Mira just needed to free her paw. The more she pulled against it, the more she felt the wire dig through her skin. Blood poured from her sliced paw, a shock of pain forcing her to give up on it. She lifted her other foreleg, no longer needing it for balance, and slammed against Dombaystar's head. She pushed with all her strength, cringing and trying to crush his head underfoot. Another cable snagged it, though, and pulled, suspending both her forelegs.
She leaned down and kicked the back of his neck with her hind legs, sending her into a weightless somersault and letting her cut her forelegs free with them. But her sliced paw refused to suffer her fighting anymore. Enough floating blood droplets had filled the room to block her vision. Mira fixed straight on the back of Dombaystar's head. He was still on his belly, as if his legs didn't work at all. She tapped her sleeve three times and landed standing over him.
Mira pushed as hard as she could. She let all her anger loose, all the unnatural strength she was given, the promise she'd made to her mate, and to Proxima. She loosed a hiss she couldn't hear for Littlestar. Dozens of bites and gnashes for the suffering he brought to the Yonder tribes and to Rush. She pushed until she felt his jaw break. Then she hooked her claws into his head and tore.
His fur and ears went first, then his skin and muscles. With just two swipes, she cleared a hole to his red-bleached skull. Blood stung her eyes and clogged her nose, but she kept slashing, and slashing. She raked and slammed and bit, tasting his bitter gore, but nothing came of it. His skull stayed firm. She knew he was still alive.
"No," Mira panted. "Not yet."
She stretched her hind leg under her belly and tried for his back, but nothing happened. She guessed this wouldn't kill a tom who could impale himself and live. But Mira no longer had the unnatural strength. She had no strength at all! Mira's legs quit and left her on top of him, desperately trying to bite away more of his head. Mira's chest was being suffocated from the inside out and her head was so light she couldn't feel the tom underneath her. Her jaw tingled and ached at the same time.
"What's…" Mira barely panted out the words, "what's happening to me?"
"Cardiac arrest." Dombaystar's voice sounded over the chatter holes. His clear voice gave no hints Proxima was still fighting for control. "Your fight is lost—over."
A wire gently wrapped around Mira's torso and slid her in front of Dombaystar. She had nothing to look at but the hallway, barely able to arch her head to the left to see outside. The manned star-monster was still there, but the thunderstick she so desperately tried to stop was moving again. Mira pushed herself up and stretched her hind leg as far back as it could, feeling it latch onto Dombaystar's cheek. Mira used the grip to pull herself towards him, twist around, and aim for his exposed skull. But a thick cable caught her and squeezed her already failing chest. Her groan was silenced by wires shoved into her mouth.
"Foolish—ignorant molly!" Dombaystar's voice growled. "Corrupted by the twoleg-thing. Corrupted by StarClan!"
The cable tossed Mira against the wall, cracking one of the screen's views of space. Blood shot from her nose, its shattered bone catching up to her. A wire slapped across her cheek, breaking her jaw and hurling her into another wall. She could only feel her burning chest, smell blood mingling around the room, taste bile she didn't have the strength to vomit. Lashes sliced her face red and tender. Her heartbeat was erratic enough to drive her crazy if she wasn't half unconscious.
No matter how many times she was thrown, crushed, or smacked, Mira fought unconsciousness. Dombaystar managed to break her sliced forepaw, several ribs, and her tail. He had fractured enough screens with her to take her view of everything but the thunderstick and the white star-monster. He inadvertently kept her steady enough to watch it be lanced by the same red beam of destruction he had previously used.
Her heart, which she could no longer feel beating, shattered. And she allowed it to. And all the pain her unnatural strength let her defer flooded back to her. She was on fire and cold as ice at the same time, bruised and broken. Mira slammed into the floor in front of Dombaystar. For the first time, he seemed to move under his own strength and turned her away from him.
"It is a shame I must resort to pain—restraint to keep you here," Dombaystar said. "I have made you as ugly on the outside as the twoleg-thing has made your mind."
Mira's ears swiveled towards the dull hum of the security drones' approach. One floated overhead and extended four bendy arms, grabbing one leg each and using a tool to cut away her sleeves. Then they stuck needles through her knees and took what Proxima had injected into them. Mira's ugly scream was muffled by her broken jaw and her blood-logged throat. The droplets floating about had broken down to a red mist. She wasn't able to tell how much of the blood was Dombaystar's or her own. But he was still standing and she wasn't. Wires wrapped around her muzzle to silence her, one running gently along the top of her head.
"Together, we will sow—create a real clan," Dombaystar seethed. "One free of StarClan's corruption, just like the pretty mask cat said I would. Now to remove that microchip from your head so she can never find you again." Mira shook and mumbled something incoherent. Dombaystar unwrapped her muzzle. "But I do not steal. I will exchange. I will give you your pain—a gift. One she took from you. You had a kit and lost him in the Shattered District. The dangerous freak took your memories, just like the lynx. To keep you enslaved—her pet."
Both had swollen over, but Mira opened her eyes as wide as she could manage. The shock of the revelation was just enough to flood her throbbing head with answers that seemed obvious and obscure. Only Proxima could confirm it. She didn't want to trust the monster before her, but she believed he meant everything he ever said.
The chatter holes popped static to signal Proxima's control. "You have a mate and a home," Proxima's accent and heartbreak were loud and clear. "You remember those things, but I took the memory of your son from you."
Mira let out a tiny eek between her broken jaw and watery eyes. "Why?"
"You were on the brink of death, but you cursed the name of that StarClan you made your life's goal. You hated me for leaving his body and convincing you to take him in the first place. You were inconsolable. I feared you would succumb to your injuries if you were allowed to hold this angst. That was what I told myself, at least…. The real reason was I feared you would end your journey and, therefore, mine. I am sorry, Mira."
"Altering memories," Dombaystar mumbled, almost sympathetically. "A truly wicked power. One for only StarClan. How long did it take you to learn it? How long did you spend learning to be a twoleg instead of what you are?"
The security drone's arms gently pet Mira's tender back, signaling to her Proxima was in control. "Beating her unrecognizable, 'sowing' your own generation of subordinates? You are a monster!" Mira had never heard Proxima so unhinged, her deep accent breaking as she spoke. "Proxima-Dombay you are beneath every evil, even beneath my actions! I would do to you tenfold what you have done to her, if I could harm you. But I will ensure Mira never sees either of us again."
Dombaystar's eyes darted suspiciously around his domain. The screens exploded and revealed several partitions creating a channel towards open space. The blood was instantly sucked away in a violent wind. Dombaystar reached for Mira, but was held back by his own "web" shielding him from being sucked outside. The hole immediately repaired itself with heavy, red doors closing behind them as they floated away. The security drone wrapped Mira in a mess of arms and let the powerful gust carry her all the way outside, into silence and cold where she could finally be weak.
But Mira didn't know if she was safe in her guardian's protection anymore. And could she mourn for the twolegs Dombaystar killed if twolegs were the source of all her problems? She didn't know if she missed the kit she never remembered. The heartbreak and inconsolable grief were as foreign to her as knowledge of the lost memory. She didn't know if she should be angry, dejected, resentful, humiliated, or thankful. She didn't know if she just lost her last chance to save StarClan, or if she would survive her injuries. In that moment, Mira knew nothing but pain and treachery.