Tales of Raiveirn: Leon

Chapter 7

Leon felt his paws hit the ground, he saw the walls of the forest around him. The air was so fresh, so sweet, and the scent of flowers filled his mind. However, none of that mattered to him. He didn't care about anything anymore. He was just so alone. He walked through the woods, following the path to his home. He wasn't ready to face his sister. He knew that she would kill him if he tried to do anything. As Leon walked forward, he saw something on the ground, a little ways from the path. His eyes widened as he saw a familiar shape, a paw. He rushed over and picked it up, feeling his heart racing. It was the paw of his sister, its fur had fallen off in clumps and bones were visible as if it had decayed. He closed his eyes, feeling tears building up inside him again.
He looked to the other paw, seeing a shadow. He dropped the first one and followed the trail with his eyes. He saw a figure, a cat. He walked over to it, the cat was hidden too well to know what it was.

"Lana..?" Leon said quietly.

The figure got up, and Leon saw his sister. He gasped, but then he noticed something about her. She was decaying, her body frail and weak. Her fur was dirty and patches of it had fallen away, revealing skin and bone underneath.
She walked forward, staring at Leon with a cold glare. "Come here, Leon..."

He stood up, staring at her with fear in his eyes. "Lana, what happened to you?"

She stepped closer, and Leon's eyes widened.

"I died, Leon. You know this... but I'm back, doesn't that matter?" She reached a paw forward to him.

Leon shook his head, stepping back. "You're not Lana... you can't be."

"Come to me, Leon. Embrace your family... it won't hurt as much if you do." She whispered, her voice growing lower as she stepped toward him.

"Stop!" Leon shouted, moving away from her.

"I'll save you, don't worry. I'll make everything better." Lana said, reaching a paw toward his face.

He stepped back again, shaking his head and shouting at her.
She stared into his eyes with a cold glare, then smiled. "I'm sorry, brother... but you need to die." She said, dropping to the ground... she lay lifeless, finally a corpse. Until a figure stepped out from her body. It was an unknown cat, it looked as though it was decaying as Lana had, but its fur was much thicker, its bones less visible. "Hello, Leon." They spoke, grinning at him.

"Wh... who are you? What have you done to her?!" Leon screamed, glaring at the stranger.

"I am what she has become, I am her purpose, her goal. I am the one who killed her."

"What..?" Leon shook his head, backing away.

"I have taken over her mind, her body. I will take over yours as well, if you let me. I can save you, I can make you better, stronger... more powerful." The cat took another step toward him, and Leon felt himself growing weaker by the minute. He took a step back, stumbling. "Why do you want to hurt me?"

"I don't want to hurt you, I want to save you. All I've ever wanted was to save this family..." They stopped, turning to face the entrance to the forest. "If you don't come to me, you will die." They looked back at him. "Choose carefully."
Leon backed away, but his strength was leaving him. He tried to stand up, but he collapsed onto the ground, his vision beginning to blur. He looked up at the stranger, shaking his head.

"I suppose I should tell you who I am..." They said, leaning into Leon's ear. "I'm sure your father has talked about me before..."

"...Ashton..?" Leon whispered.

The cat's eyes widened and they smiled, moving back. "Yes, my name is Ashton... and I'm here to save you."
Leon took a breath, letting out a painful cough. "Ashton... what do you want from me?"