Spirits on the Wind

Chapter 9

Minnowsplash trudged along beside Carly, his paws feeling as heavy as stones. He was hungry and his throat was dry. He blinked and looked up at the gray and white kittypet. "Carly! Can't we go out of Twolegplace to hunt?" He puffed.

"I-I've never been out of Twolegplace." She admitted.

"Oh come on! It'll be fun, trust me." Minnowsplash's ears perked up and he swished his tail. The 'sidewalk' as Carly called it, was starting to hurt his paw pads.

"Okay fine, but I don't want to run into any wild cats." She mumbled and trotted after Minnowsplash.

"Which way out?" He asked, stopping and looking in either direction.

"Let's go this way. It's kind of close to Dagger's den." Carly smiled. She leapt atop the brick wall when they arrives. Minnowsplash scrambled up beside her, his claws scraping in vain. He tottered on the edge, then balanced himself.

"You made that look like the hardest thing in the world." Carly burst with laughter.

"RiverClan cats don't normally climb unless we can jump the height of the tree." Minnowsplash meowed, flashing her a challenging look. "Now let's see how well you can catch prey!" He leapt down lightly.

He felt Carly jump down beside him and she trotted past, her pelt accidentally brushing his. His pelt grew hot with embarrassment, but she didn't seem to notice.

Minnowsplash crept through the short undergrowth and ran straight into a flick of three or four sparrows, sending them flying up. He placed a leap accurately and snagged one of the birds wings on his claw. Luckily, it was a old fat one and he killed it easily.

He watched from behind a tree and saw Carly hunting a mouse. She gently set her paws on the soft ground. He watched in awe as she took a long, flying leap and pounced on the mouse.

"And you said you couldn't hunt." Minnowsplash looked at her, his head tilted.

"Actually, I never said that. You just assumed so." Carly purred and dropped her kill.

Minnowsplash too, settled down and tore into his sparrow, happy he got to eat real fresh kill and not kittypet food.

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Silvermoon sat outside Dagger's den while he tied up the cloth tendril. She rolled her eyes and flipped into her back, sunning herself.

"After I finish, we will walk to the edge of Twolegplace to get a drink from the stream, okay?" Dagger called, still putting up long rope.

"Sure. My throat is parched." Silvermoon meowed and sat up. She shook her fur and rose to her paws.

"Okay I'm ready to go." Dagger nodded and the two walked along some walls and alleys.

They came to a fence and Dagger jumped up neatly. Silvermoon followed, scaling the tall wooden slats with ease. There was a nervous look in Dagger's eyes but she didn't really pay any attention.

He jumped down, his tail swishing constantly. A throaty growl sounded from a nearby bush in the yard. A large gray and white time slinked out, his claws unsheathed. He had broad shoulders and deep amber eyes.

Silvermoon's eyes widened with fear and alarm. Dagger stepped protectively in front of her, though this other tom was a little larger.

"Why are you here?" The tom flicked his tail and flexed his claws on the earth below him.

"We are just passing through, Ty. No harm done." Dagger puffed out his chest and kept his claws sheathed.

"Who's the beauty behind you?" Ty smirked and tried to step around Dagger. Dagger hissed and put his tail up.

"She's my..." He took a deep breath, "friend." He meowed and flashed a smile at Silvermoon.

She relaxed a little and gave a slight smile back.

"Well that means that she's free. Dagger, I would take her as my mate." Ty meowed and looked at Silvermoon up and down. "Let me have her, Dagger."

"No! That's not going to happen. I'm trying to...help her find her mate later." He hissed and flashed a paw out at Ty.

"I said that you need to let me have her." He grumbled and shouldered Dagger away roughly.

Silvermoon backed against a wall as Ty approached her. He leapt and pinned her down, staring down at her.

What is it with toms around here?! Always wanting to have random she cats as mates! She thought.

Silvermoon hissed and tried to get loose but he was strong and he held her firm with his paws. She slipped her back paws under him and gathered as much strength as she could. She shoved her paws upward, forcing him off of her. Then a mass of silver and black fur tackled Ty over. Dagger! He clawed the much larger tom.

"Silvermoon! Go!" Dagger yowled and sank his teeth into Ty's leg.

"I can't leave you h-"

"Go!" Dagger cut her off. She leapt to the top of the fence, looking down on the fighting cats.

A loud yowl came from a Twoleg. Ty scrambled away behind his housefolk and Silvermoon watched as the Twolegs hurled a large, ceramic bowl made of brick at Dagger. "No!" She yowled. There was a deafening thud and Silvermoon flattened her ears to her head. She saw the Twoleg scoop up Dagger, who was bleeding and unconscious, and throw him over to the other side of the fence.

"Dagger? Dagger!" She caught sight of his silver tabby fur. "Why did you have to fight." She stuffed her face into his shoulder.

"Silvermoon....?" Dagger whimpered, his green eyes flickering with pain and a weird sort of peace.

"Yes, Dagger, it's me. Don't die. I can help you. Please." She meowed and started to lick his wound that plastered his skull.

"It's...no use anymore.... I fought for you. To...save you. Even though...you don't love me,....I love you. I said that I'd protect you....and I did..." His eyes fell shut.

"No Dagger, don't you leave me here. Please. You saved me, now I want to save you... Stay with m-" she cut off, seeing his flank go still. A silent silver tear dripped off her whiskers. Spatters of rain thundered from the sky, drenching both their pelts. She sat in silence, her nose touching his nose as it grew cold...