Waters on the Mountain

Chapter One: New Places New Faces

Rain Splatter's Song of War~

The war still rages on.
I hear cries until the dawn.
Innocent lives are gone.
This is all so wrong...

The animals, no heed they pay.
They don't care if we stay.
The cats are set in their way
Through dark night and cloudy day.

Our hope is slowly dying
Our spirits sadly fading
Our battles are increasing
Our joy and love are leaving.

Is this what we need?
To cry, bruise, and bleed?
We need someone to lead
To plant a hopeful seed.

Rain Splatter's POV~

It has been two cat years since I was kicked out of my old tribe. I have started to travel. I always find some little cave or tree to go to after I visit a tribe. Whenever I visit other tribes, they are suspicious. I can't blame them though, because war is still raging between the tribes. I like to help make people more happy. I go from tribe to tribe, singing songs, or painting pictures of beautiful things I have seen. They always appreciate it, for it is a nice change from the sadness of war. So far, I have gone to 20 different tribes. I spend a mun of the cat year with them, or about half a moon.

I just finished visiting the Swamp Cat's Tribe. For them I taught songs of the animals in the forest and the mighty trees of the jungle. They had been some old songs my tribe had sung. It had been hard teaching the songs to them, but it made them happy.

My next destination is the jungle tribe on the very edge, for I have gone to all the other jungle tribes. I am planning on going to the coastal tribe after. I hear they have some special cats there with wings. Oh how I would love to paint that! I pad merrily away towards the last jungle tribe, hearing the goodbyes of the Swamp Cats behind me.

I trek across the muddy ground, heading toward the jungle that isn't too far away. On the way, I think about all the tribes I have met. The mysterious Bog Cats, the quick and cunning Treetop Cats, the fierce Plain Cats, and the interesting River Cats. All of them were happier when I was done, no matter how different they were. I have been memorizing everything different and same about the tribes I have met, and I hope that I can use that to help end this horrible war.

I reach the edge of the jungle and pull my map out of my pack. It says I should just go strait until I reach the camp. I fold up the map again, and start walking. I am only about halfway there when I hear a groan. I go to investigate it. When I got there, I saw a bluish green furred cat with amazing black wings. He (evident from his eye patch and the fact he was a warrior) was lying on the ground, unconscious. I inspected him for wounds. The only things I saw were some scratches on various places and a medium sized gash on his head. I pulled out my pack and started working on helping him.

Everest's POV~

This war has gone on too long. Too many lives have been lost. I have lost friends and those I look up to. I am now second in command, due to our previous second getting killed. I never thought this war would last so long.

It has been two long cat years. I survey the camp from the second ledge, right under the leader ledge. The war has affected everyone, taken most of their effort, and drained them of happy energy. My eyes water. Why won't we just stop fighting. Is land really worth this?

To make things worse, enemy raids have become more frequent. We have a good defense, but with as many attacks as there have been, it is bound to fail. I never wanted this. I wanted to be the best hunter, and a good mentor for when I got a youngling learner, not a second. I sit sadly remembering what it was like before the war. So happy, and good. But my thought are interrupted, because I then hear the drums. The enemy is coming. I jump up and yell for the mothers and kits to get into the safe cave. All the fighters gather at the front, to face the attacker.

The battle was short, and the enemy won. The second of the other tribe killed our leader, so the territory belonged to them. "MOUNTAIN BREEZE!" I yelled in horror and sadness as I ran to my leader, my only true family after my brother died. She had been the one thing keeping me happy through this, and now she was gone. The enemy second looked away from the sad scene. Everyone hated the war, so why wouldn't they stop? I wasn't focused on that though. I was focused on Mountain Breeze. She looked at me. "You must end this. End the slaughter. End the hatred. End the war." She whispered in my ear. I nodded, and she smiled a little before she died.

I let the tears flow freely. I would end this. It couldn't go on. This horrible war must end.

----------To Be Continued