The Rising Storm

Chapter 15: Tied Blood

        Storm's eyes stretched wide in horror and disbelief as he saw Shadow lunge towards him. He began trying to back up but his paws were frozen to the spot, frozen with fear he flattened his ears and closed his eyes. No... not Shadow, I thought I could trust him! "Get down!" Storm's eyes instantly flashed open and he stiffened as scents began to circle around him, how had he missed it! Instantly he crouched down as Shadow sailed over him. Storm then got up and spun around, relief washing over him when he noticed that Shadow wasn't aiming at him at all, but at an enormous black tom with silver eyes. So he didn't betray me! With that thought coursing through him, he whipped around and lashed out at a gray-black she-cat that was darting towards him at full pelt. When she collided with him he felt himself begin to topple over as her claws dug themselves into his side. His gaze caught the gleaming eyes that were full of malice and lust and shuddered, I know this cat! He thought as a chill went down his spine. Snarling in pain he lashed out at her face trying to get her to dislodge him, when she didn't he spat into her face and began to rake his claws down the she-cats belly. Satisfaction pricked inside him when he heard her gasp as her grip loosened and he quickly seized his chance and kicked her off of him as hard at he could. He could hear the breath being driven out of her as she flew across the clearing and landed with a thud, winded by shock. Curling his lip at her in warning he began to turn to see if Shadow needed any help. His heart sank with fear when he saw the black tom cornered by 3 cats, the enormous tom from before was in the center and he was flanked by a dark tortoishell she-cat and a dark grey tom. He felt anger well up inside him when he saw the battered-looking tom  pressed up against the wall with no escape while the three cats that held him prisoner smirked at him. Hissing, he darted towards the largest of the three cats and dug his claws into the cats back. Below him he heard the cry of outrage from the tom as he felt Storm's claws dig into him. Fear gripped him when he felt the enormous tom begin to roll over, i'll be crushed! He thought, heart racing he quickly tried to dislodge his claws from the tom but he was not fast enough. As soon as he hit the ground he felt a terrible weight start to crush him, driving the breath from his body. Darkness began to creep into the edge of his vision as he was unable to take in any breath, weakly he began trying claw the tom but nothing changed.

        The world around him suddenly began to change to a blurriness that caused him unease, the hissing cats seemed to mysteriously drown away as a beautiful she-cat appeared before him. "Who are you?" He meowed, staring at the mysterious she-cat with a desperate gaze. This she-cat always seemed to appear in his dreams, even at the oddest of times. Yet not matter what Storm did he could never get close or speak with her. As though the she-cat could hear his thoughts she slowly began to walk towards him and purr, her purr soothed him and for a moment he forgot he was in the middle of a fight. When she spoke it made a chill go down his spine.

        "Hello Storm, I have waited long to be able to speak with you again, I am so proud of the cat you are now becoming." Storm just blinked at her, incapable of uttering a word as the she-cat stroked his side with her tail. "I am sorry I have not been able to speak with you these past moons but the time was not right and you were not ready too recieve such knowledge that I have."

        "A-am I ready now?" He asked, his voice sounded strained with tension.

        "Hush now," the she-cat meowed soothingly. "And listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. Your life is about to change, for you to be able to survive you must find those who will fight by your side even to the death if need be." Survive? He just blinked in confusion, what is she trying to tell me... Opening his mouth he was about to try and ask her but she silenced him by covering his mouth with her tail. "Tell Shadow it is time," he blinked at her when a strange emotion entered her voice when she spoke of the black tom. She then touched noses with him before she began to fade into the background leaving Storm to ponder what she just told him. He felt panic well up inside him, I don't know anyone that would be loyal to me like that! Does that mean that I am really going to die...? Curling his tail around himself he closed his eyes and began to let darkness consume him.

        "Storm!" Storm blinked his eyes open when he heard a voice call his name, blinking he sat up and looked around. The fight! His eyes widened in alarm and he instantly jumped to his paws, ready for any hostile cat that would leap at him. Something lightly touched his shoulder and he turned around snarling, expecting a snarling enemy but to his shock he just saw Shadow looking at him with worry in his eyes. 

        "T-the fight! What happened, where are the cats that attacked us?!" There was no way that they could have won that fight, they had been terribly out numbered and obviously overpowered. When Shadow just shook his head Storm's fur began to bristle, "are they holding us prisoner!"

        "No Storm, their long gone... After you blacked out there was a breach and they had to flee."

        Storm just blinked at him in confusion, "a breach? What are you talking about?"

        "Just don't worry about it for now, the important thing right now is that we get as far away as possible before they follow us." Meowed Shadow as he glanced towards unfamiliar forest in the distance "are you able to move?"

        Storm just narrowed his eyes at Shadow then growled as he remembered what Shadow said just before the fight, "what did you mean when I was suppose to be dead!" Anger began to spark inside him and he hissed in outrage, "tell me!"

        "I cannot tell you, the time is not right," murmured Shadow, avoiding Storm's gaze.

        "Not the right time huh..." He echoed with annoyance then began to pace, only to instantly halt when he remembered his dream with the beautiful she-cat. Looking over to Shadow he growled, "by any chance do you know a beautiful slender black she-cat with leaf green eyes?" Suspicion and curiosity began to gnaw at him when he noticed Shadow instantly stiffen, "if you do then I have a message for you from her."

        "Very well then, what is it?" Shadow's voiced almost seemed to sound choked as though he was trying to hide something that was almost too much for him to contain.

        "She told me to tell you that it is time," he replied, keeping his voice steady and his gaze unwavering as Shadow slowly turned to look at him.

        "Alright then..." he meowed shaking his head as though trying to think of how to start explaining. "I suppose if the time has come I have no other option but to tell you." Storm's ears instantly pricked and he sat up straight, eagerness and anxiety spread throughout him, finally! "I suppose the most likely place to start is how you ended up living separate from us..." Shadow took a deep sigh as though he were preparing himself then looked Storm straight in the eyes, Storm almost flinched and looked away when he saw the powerful emotions that were swimming through Shadow's eyes. "Storm, the night you and your littermates were born there was a terrible storm that had destroyed our territory, this storm was a omen for a coming disaster. Many cats lost their lives and those who survived changed... They turned into something that was the thing they hated the most and they still have yet to recover to the way they were before. After the storm, every cat wanted someone to blame so that they could put their grief to rest with the knowledge that they had avenged the unfair death of their kin. A sacrifice was chosen..." Shadow's voice suddenly trembled and his whole body began to tremble as well. To Storm's surprise he had began to instantly feel sympathy for Shadow and had gone over to press up against him for reasurrance.

        "Who was the sacrifice?" He asked gently, trying to shrug aside the thought that he already knew who they were.

        Pain flashed in Shadow's eyes and he instantly closed them before continuing, "the sacrifice was my mate... and our kits...." 

        Storm gasped in shock as a chill ran down his spine "they killed kits!"

        Shadow shook his head, "no, Lilly, that was her name found out in time and managed get two of our kits to safety."

        Suddenly feeling uncormfortable Storm mewed, "what happened to the rest and to her?"

        Shadow suddenly opened his eyes and looked up to Storm, there was a protectiveness in his gaze as well as something else. "Storm, you should know the answer to that, after all, you are our third kit."