Warriors: Sounds of the Forest

Chapter Forty-Six: Riversong

I could hardly believe it as I watched Nettleblossom leave the cave, the sun still a ways from rising yet still dread rose within my chest as realization settled.  

Blackheart was here and had some how regained her voice! Yet... She had lost all memories of what had happened, only known that I was her sister from what the clan had told her, and for some reason she believed I'd killed her kits, who had only gone missing the night before they had all left for the mountains. 

And though Blackheart had not spoken aloud to anyone other than Tigerfang, it was clear to Nettleblossom that I would need to expect an incoming fight.

"Are you ok?" Tash, the she-cat with Blackhearts scars asked as she sat at my side.

"No..." I sighed, still watching the mist at the cave entrance as the water continuously fell. "My sister has come, but not to bring me home." 

I heard more paw steps as Oreo and Tobby approached.

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly.

I turned to meet her gaze, then to the two toms as well. "We will find out soon." 

And with those being my words, I stood and padded to the cave of pointed stones. Longing for advice of any kind.

I sat, paws feeling the soft waves of water as I stood at the center of the pool.  

"Please..." I breathed quietly "what am I supposed to do?" 

Closing my eyes I waited, though it was but mere seconds before a pelt brushed against mine.

Coldness filled my every muscle, the mountain wind cut through my clean pelt as I realized that the water was no longer lapping at my paws.  

I opened my eyes, I stood above a dip in the mountain ground, a group of cats huddled beneath me.  

Kits curled by their mothers at the center of the huddle and the strongest of them at the outer edge.

Suddenly four cats emerged at the edge of the clearing. Two of the four cats paws tumbled slightly from tiredness as they entered the makeshift camp.  

My eyes widened as I recognized their two pelts, a black striped white tom who padded with a scarred black she-cat leaning on his shoulder.

"These two cats come from a distant forest." One of the other two cats said, approaching a large muscular grey tom. "The she-cat seeks revenge on the tribe, the tom is her guide."

The grey tom glanced at the two cats, no emotion showing in his silvery grey eyes. "Do they fight?" He asked, unamused. 

As if in response, a bolt of light struck a stone near the grey Tom out of no-where. Giving it enough heat to warm any cat a fox-length near it.

"Do we fight?" Tigerfang snorted, "we can do far more then that."  

This got the leaders attention, he turned, padding towards the black striped tom, meeting his forest green eyes with his own silvery grey ones.

"And this female?" He asked, his voice sounding as though it could only ever speak with a hiss.

Tigerfang glared triumphantly at the tom, "she controls the weather."

The toms face turned to a grim smile, "then why is it so cold? Can she not warm us?"

"Her heart is iced over with hatred for a cat who resides in the tribe camp, I assure you that with the heat of battle on the rise, it will be warmer sooner than you expect."

With that I felt my eyes blink, and the vision was gone. 

"No..." I gasped jerked into alertness. 

"You have until the next moonrise to prepare." A soft voice murmured in my ear. "The last song arrives soon."