Mark of the Moon (MAGIC CAT ACADEMY STORY)

Battle

Dusk sat in an empty library; the only sound was the whistling of the wind. She was alert for anything else, from books falling to attacking ghosts. She heard a yowl and was about to strike her wand, but a golden cat emerged from the shelves, limping in pain. Dusk lowered her wand as the newcomer glanced at Dusk with eyes as deep as the ocean that clouded with fear as she saw her staff. Dusk felt sympathetic when the cat struggled to look more substantial.

"My name is Stripes. I have come to find my friend, Shade, but by the looks of it, she's not here." Stripes croaked. Dusk gazed at Stripes, feeling like she'd seen this cat before. "I was caught "trespassing." Do you know anything about this?" Dusk shook her head, unprepared to tell a spirit about the prophecy. Her golden fur stood on end as she eyed Dusk's wand, so Dusk hid it behind her.

"It's that mangy lion cub! Get her!" A command rang through the air, and Stripes was covered in ghosts in seconds, trying to throw them off. Dusk stroked her wand in a triangle, clouding the air with poison. Coughing was added to the bout, but it didn't do much. Finally, Dusk sent out a flying wave of fire, lighting up the room. Stripes screeched and thrashed wildly under the ghosts. Horror overwhelmed Dusk as she saw that Stripes was disappearing. "That's right! Burn!" One of them shouted. The flames roared over everything, ripping across the bookshelves and creating ash as the books exploded. Embers brushed Dusk's ears, and she cast a water spell to extinguish the fire, smoke drifting up from the torched ground. The ghosts stood staring at Dusk with sly eyes. "Now for this mage. Are you ready?" The leader turned to address his subjects. They all gave excited mews. "Go!" He shouted. They all, at his order, leaped high over the shelves and unsheathed their claws. Swiftly, Dusk drew a line and created a flood, rippling across the floor. Two of them slipped on the waves and sank under, paddling until they had joined the aqua. The leader sloshed determinedly, smirking at Dusk. Dusk was surprised at the strength in his paws as he bore down on her. Dusk kicked violently, but he sank his jaws into Dusk's ear. Dusk could barely draw another shape, and the leader backed away, hacking. He was coughing so roughly that he fell to the blackened floor, gasping for air, but he declined. Soon he disappeared. Dusk sneezed from the smog but was half-focused on the approaching ghosts. Dusk cast a spell of power and rushed to claw a ragged one's belly. It howled and tried to run, but Dusk brutally slashed his nose. It vanished. Dusk twisted to glare at the last ones. They crouched together, ears back.

"Please don't hurt us! We just listen to the boss!" The smaller one chirped.

"Yeah! He is so weird!" The other ghost growled, sticking out his tongue.  "He wanted us too-"

"You were atrocious when you were alive, so now you will suffer what you should have long ago." Dusk hissed, her ginger markings glowing in the moonlight. Dusk slowly drew a line with her wand, a fury of rain tipping over the ghouls. They shrieked under the rainstorm as they evaporated, forming a mist.  Dusk held her head high, her cloak pressing against her slim body. But part of her flooded with grief for Stripes, her memory returning when she saved her from a nightmare. "I could have saved her..." Dusk whispered. Dusk kept a moment of silence for Stripes, feeling a presence next to her. It was Heart.

"She was brave, leaving her home to protect Shade. But she died in vain. Shade is training with the ghosts. What a traitor."

"What?!"

"I said, Shade is training with the ghosts. A ghost named Honey and... Ivy." Her voice shook at the last word. Dusk stared into Heart's eyes and dived deep into her past. She was running across a gloomy forest, followed by a tom. Heart turned to the tom and hissed something in his ear. The tom gave a sad nod, left, and then Heart disappeared into the bushes. For a moment, Dusk could hear Heart's thoughts. You didn't betray me, Ivy... You kept my secret even if it hurts to lie... Finally, Heart snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face Dusk. "You did good, just remember speed is key here." 

"Who is Ivy?" Dusk asked, purring in harmony. Heart seemed shocked.

"Ivy is just another ghost." Heart snapped, fading out to stop talking to Dusk. She has love. It must hurt to leave him. Maybe she'll see him again, or I'll see him.