Shattered Roots #2: Fallen Stars (DISCONTINUED)

Prologue

With the rising of the moon, darkness filled the forest. Everything turned upside down without sunlight. In the shadows, branches and vines turned into long claws. The brilliant, blue sky turned into a cold void. Even the innocent sound of rustling leaves turned into a sign of a threat.

Only one cat dared to tread the night. Taking faint, calculated steps, he skulked between the trees expertly. His white, striped fur stood on its end when he caught the scent of a hare. He followed it with his amber eyes wide open, leading him to a small opening in the ground which he concluded was the hare's den.

Realizing that it was too narrow to crawl into, he leaped into the air and landed with unsheathed claws. He dug through the soil until he could feel soft fur. As he was about to pin the hare down, it kicked him in the chin and darted away.

The cat chased after it, knowing that his empty stomach needed to be filled. Soon, he caught up to the hare's pace, only to get distracted by a sudden ray of blinding light in the distance. Before he could continue his chase, he lost sight of the prey. Frustrated, he buried his claws into the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the light came from the spirit of a red and brown tortoiseshell tom. His body glowed and shimmered unlike any living cat.

"Couldn't you have come sometime else?!" the cat hissed once he recognized the spirit.

The spirit merely frowned. "I thought you'd be more pleased to see me, Swiftstrike."

"Seeing you isn't going to fill my stomach like that hare would have."

"Alright, alright, I must admit that wasn't very polite of me to do." Sighing, the spirit disappeared momentarily and returned with a large squirrel in his mouth. Without hesitation, Swiftstrike gobbled down on the fresh prey.

"Thank you," Swiftstrike muttered reluctantly.

"How ravenous! When's the last time you've eaten?"

"Two days ago."

"Oh, poor you. No wonder you look so thin." The spirit teasingly lifted Swiftstrike's chin with his tail. A growl rumbled in Swiftstrike's throat as he recoiled his head.

"Why are you still bothering me? I took care of your little rat."

"What do you mean by 'took care'?"

"Convincing a mouse to fly would be easier than convincing a cat like Leafpaw to join us. She's more stubborn pile of boulders."

"So that's it? You killed her afterwards?"

"What else could I have done? I either let her loose and she gets in our way or I kill her and we have one less obstacle."

"Have you got bees in your brain?! She was our only chance of actually succeeding!"

"That's a shame. Let's just hope she survives by some divine miracle then," Swiftstrike sneered sarcastically. "Why don't you just leave me be now? I don't see you doing anything of use."

"Excuse me? I set up everything and all you had to do was not get caught! Everything was on the right track!"

"Oh, as if that's as easy as it sounds."

Ignoring Swiftstrike's last words, the spirit let out a huff. "This is your last warning, Swiftstrike. You've already gotten yourself exiled and now this? If I weren't so patient I would have slit your throat by now."

"You'd be a fool to do that. I'm the only option you've got."

"What boldness! Who's to say I needed you in the first place?" the spirit chuckled darkly. He faded away in an instant, leaving Swiftstrike in the dark again.

He couldn't help but shudder at what the spirit last said. A cat like him, with his skills and strategies, couldn't possibly be replaceable, right? Carrying the rest of the squirrel in his mouth, he left with an uneasy feeling tugging at his chest.

(A/N: SWIFTSTRIKE'S SURPRISINGLY BAD AT HIS JOB LMAO)