Guild Wars

~ Guild Wars: Chapter 7 ~

Ioclaw scanned the gathered cats, her eyes fixed on Midnight's Guild. Who is our last cat?

"Cats of all Guilds, the meeting is beginning!" Wire yowled.

Ioclaw bounded forward, getting a seat closer to the Leaders' Log. The log served as a place for the leaders to sit and address the Guilds. All three leaders were sitting on it, their tails neatly wrapped around their paws. Each of them had hooded capes on, adorned with golden bracelets on one paw with gems placed into them.

Wire had a dark blue cape on with emeralds embedded into his bracelet. There was an orange-brown molly who wore a dark green cape and her bracelet had rubies placed into it. A dark blue, brown, and white molly had a purple cape that was almost black and onyx black gems in her bracelet.

"The meeting has begun!" the orange-brown molly announced. "Let us begin with introductions. Midnight, would you like to begin?"

The other molly got to her paws. "My name is Midnight," she meowed. "I'm the leader of my Guild. Holly is my Second-In-Command. Holly, get the new Crystal Searchers."

Two mollys were brought forward by a black molly. A silky white molly stepped forward. "My name is Moon," she announced. "I plan on serving my Guild as a Crystal Searcher."

"So do I," the other molly announced. "My name is Zebra."

"Our Guild has no new Guild Guarders," Midnight meowed. "Tawny, would you like to go next?"

The orange-brown molly got to her paws while Midnight sat down. "My name is Tawny," she mewed. "I'm the leader of my Guild. Sky is my Second-In-Command. Sky, get the new Crystal Searcher."

A small light brown molly was led forward by a white-and-gray molly.

"My name is Nora," the young molly announced. "I want to serve my Guild as a Crystal Searcher, and I plan to for the rest of my life."

"Thank you, Nora," Tawny purred. "We also have no new Guild Guarders. Wire?"

Wire got to his paws and Tawny sat down. Excitement fizzed in Ioclaw's belly. This is so exciting!

"My name is Wire," he mewed. "I lead my Guild with the help of my Second-In-Command, Redwing. Redwing, do you mind bringing up the new Crystal Searchers?"

Ioclaw quickly got to her paws and waited for Redwing at the front of the cats. Moonsight and Wonderfur stood beside her while Leopaw introduced himself.

"My name is Leopaw," he mewed.

As he was about to say the rest, Moonsight spoke. "And mine is Moonsight," she mewed.

Ioclaw caught on to what she was doing and so did Wonderfur.

"My name is Wonderfur," Wonderfur mewed.

"I'm Ioclaw," Ioclaw mewed.

"We plan on serving our Guild as Crystal Searchers," Moonsight meowed.

Wire dipped his head and the four returned to their spots. "Our new Guild Guarders are still waiting to be trained," he told the other cats. "They are under the watchful eyes of our Kit-Watchers."

Tawny raised her head. "Shall we get to the point of this meeting?"

"Yes," Wire mewed. "As most of you have heard, there's a prophecy that states three of our cats will stop a great danger from harming us."

"We already know two," Tawny mewed. "Ioclaw, from Wire's Guild, and Peril, from my Guild."

"Well clearly you have a Prophet Cat among you," Holly mewed with an irritable flick of her tail. "Who's the cat from our Guild?"

"We don't know," Wire mewed.

"Well maybe your prophecy cats do," Holly suggested, looking at Ioclaw. Oh great stars.

"We have no idea," she admitted. "The Prophet Cat never told us."

"Well, ask him!" Holly snarled.

"How are Peril and I supposed to save you if we can't even figure out who the last cat is?" Ioclaw snapped. "This is something we need to figure out on our own. No Prophet Cat can help us right now."

"We also noticed something," Peril mewed. "Ioclaw and I both experienced something. I've been having dreams that feel so real sometimes it's hard to tell it was a dream. Ioclaw's nearly died twice since she became a Crystal Searcher. Midnight, have any of your cats experienced something like that?"

Midnight scanned her cats. "Well?" she mewed.

"I don't know if this counts," a black tomcat with ginger paws mewed, "but Rust constantly feels like someone is watching him. He has for about a week."

A dark red tomcat shifted his paws uncomfortably. A dark brown molly gently nudged him. He turned away from her. "I can't be part of a prophecy," he mewed. "I have something more important going on."

Holly narrowed her eyes. "What could be more important than saving your Guild?" she asked. "Do you have loyalties somewhere else? Somewhere more important?"

Rust blinked, his eyes clouded with worry and confusion. Ioclaw got to her paws.

"Leave him alone," she snarled. "Being a prophecy cat is a lot of pressure. And he might not even be the cat."

Peril padded up to her. "He is," she mewed.

Ioclaw's eyes widened. "How do you know?" she asked.

"I just feel it," Peril meowed. "Trust me, he's the cat we need."

Ioclaw flicked her tail and looked back to see Salmontooth nodding approvingly. He is!

She raised her chin and Peril took her place beside Ioclaw. Rust looked nervous, looking at the cats of his Guild. "You must be mistaken," he mewed, shrinking beneath his pelt. "It can't be me."

"You are," Ioclaw mewed gently.

Rust blinked, only looking more worried and nervous.

"So, you three are the cats destined to save us?" Ioclaw noticed Opalwind getting to her paws and padding over to her. "Hilarious."

"What's so funny about it?" Peril snarled.

"Isn't it obvious?" Opalwind mewed with a small laugh. "You're clearly not fit for saving the Guilds."

"Opalwind," Wire snapped. "Go back to your spot."

Opalwind's pelt bristled. "You seriously believe these three are going to save us?" she growled.

"It's what the prophecy says," Wire told her. "We must trust it."

Opalwind snorted. "We're all gonna die."

She padded away and took her place among the other Guild Guarders of Wire's Guild. Ioclaw watched her go, anger burning inside her like flames. I'll show you!

Peril rested her tail on Ioclaw's reassuringly. Ioclaw gave her a small nod and shifted her gaze to Rust.

"We understand you're scared," Peril mewed. "We were, too. But you're not doing this alone, you have Ioclaw and I to help you."

Rust slowly looked up and gave a small nod. Ioclaw smiled.

We found him! Hope and joy flooded through her. She felt multiple eyes on her, but it only made her more excited. All these cats are counting on me, on us. And we won't let them down! We are The United Three!