Spirit

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Sister?

"I keep telling you that you've gone soft," Singe sneered mockingly. "And I was right."

Ivory wanted to run towards the leaders and slash their throats. She's so close to killing her, why isn't she fighting?

"Saying 'sister' won't help a thing, either."

Feather pushed down onto her sister's neck, but stopped. "You're going to die, but not from natural causes, and not from me."

"COWARD!" Singe choked. "MINDLESS, CLOUDBREATHING COWARD!"

As soon as Sand and Cloudburst joined her, the leader let the Rogue off.

"Feather." Cloudburst's face was set in a grimace, then rested. "How could you do that? Wasn't loyalty the one thing you thought you had?"

"I—" The leader was cut off by the white she-cat.

"Saying you're loyal isn't enough." Her voice shook as it rose. "At least telling them that you were when you became leader would've helped."

"I was afraid of what would happen if I did," the black and white she-cat responded, amber eyes filled with sorrow. "I would've been dropped from my spot."

"Maybe so," the warrior said, close to shouting. "But if you were still accepted, you would've been a better leader; on top of being honest, you would've shown the world that even evil's kin can be good."

"Cloudburst—"

"And now I'm another victim of your lies," she spat. "I can't believe you would've let me go on with my life knowing that I was kin of the most evil leader, if the Rogues didn't attack."

"Cloudburst, you know I'm still good."

"I don't know what other lies you've told!" Cloudburst shrieked over her, eyes burning with fury. "Because you couldn't even tell your own daughter who you are."

"My blood doesn't have any part of who I am!" Feather retorted, but her daughter had already turned away.

"Your blood. . . when I get my paws on you, that's another thing you won't have." As she pushed between the other two cats, she added, "Along with me, your loyalty, and your place in the Singeless."

~~~

"Cloudburst, are you sure you made the right choice?" Ivory asked. "You seemed to have really hurt Feather."

"What more pain can she feel besides death?" Cloudburst growled. "It hurt me more than it will ever hurt her."

"Did you imply that you were going to kill her?" Sand added. "Because I won't let a single drop of her blood fall onto your pelt."

"She's my mother and I can do whatever I want with her!" She lashed her puffed out tail. "Besides, she's prey to me now."

Prey? Ivory thought.

"Well here is the camp," the golden tom said. "Cloudburst, do you want to stay or leave?"

The fluffy white she-cat grimaced, then said, "Stay. Threatening your leader won't get you that far where I live."

Sand winced, but led her into the Feather-Lifter camp anyways.

"Robin, where is your mark? And where have you been?" Hawthorn greeted them with slight worry and disappointment. "And who. . . is. . . that?"

"That's Cloudburst. I was wondering if she could stay," Sand explained. With reluctance, he added, "And where we've been. . . we've uh—"

". . . Tried to find a new source for the Spirits," the beige and ginger she-cat interrupted.

"What's wrong with Spirit Lake?"

"Nothing, nothing." Ivory backed down.

Sand walked ahead through the camp. "Here's the den I created," he pointed out with a nervous laugh.

"How can you live in this dirt?" Cloudburst asked, wrinkling her snout.

"Not all of us live in areas where things can just snatch us up and force us into their dens," the other she-cat retorted.

"I do not!"

"How about you two stop being kits?" the golden tom snapped, resting his head on his brown paws. "It's almost sunset."

Ivory sighed and did as she was told, trying to ignore the uncomfortable rustling from Cloudburst, and shut her eyes.