Mark of the Moon (MAGIC CAT ACADEMY STORY)

Prophecy

A black and white tom crept through the snags, the vast fog disgusting him from sight. His fur stood on end, his tail tip twitching to and fro. Wails of cats and yowling surrounded him, but he couldn't see the source of the sound. Where are you? He tried to scream, but all that came out was a cold, rasp-like mist hanging over a mountain. He broke into a run as he panicked, but a voice cooed in his ear calmly, you are out; why do you run? The tom stopped and looked around. Small oak saplings replaced the dead birch trees, and the fog faded. Flowers dotted the landscape. He took a deep breath and was suddenly aware of the she-cat standing before him, sitting on a pointy rock. He let out a gasp as he recognized the cat.

"Shade... It's you..." He breathed in her sweet, smoky scent, wishing she were with him. "Why did you leave me? I can't take care of this school; it's too chaotic." Shade gave a sad glance at the tom but remained still.

"No cat lives forever, Simon. But I am here to tell you of something that you will need to remember." She sighed. Simon clawed out clumps of the moonlit grass in frustration. His neck fur felt like it was ablaze; the pain was unbearable. His heart seemed to cry as all his memories of Shade flooded back in.

"Tell me then! I don't have time for riddles!" He snapped, curling his lips back in a snarl.

"A prophecy."

Simon's eyes grew wide as he heard the words. He perked his ears to listen. The ivy bushes behind him rustled as if her words moved them.

"The greatest evil will awaken, shaking everything from the academy to beyond it to its roots. The only cat who can stop it is the cat with the Mark of the Moon." Her voice echoed through the trees and far past the hills, where the sky stretched on forever. Simon looked at the sky, seeing the rosy pink break of dawn. The sun began to rise over the owlet fluff-colored clouds, splotches of orange showing from inside them. The far-off mountains turned jet-black against the sky. Simon was amazed at the beauty as the sun broke from a distance and cast warm sunlight over the land.

"Beautiful, isn't it? You seek beauty in the dawn, but look when the sky is not hiding sunlight, yet bringing it away." Shade mewed. But just as soon as the sunrise ended, stars thickened the sky, and blood dripped down the trees. A rush of fear ran through Simon's heart as a colossal tom that looked identical to him pounced on him and bit into his shoulder. As the tom raked his claws down Simon's back, he yowled in pain. Shade's voice loomed over him.

"Wake up! Your dreaming, this is a dream!" But the pain felt real. As Shade's words seeped into his mind, he faded as he woke in his nest. It was only a dream, he purred to himself. Mark of the Moon... Mark of the Moon... Mark. Of. The. Moon...