Guild Wars

~ Guild Wars: Chapter 13 ~

Ioclaw yawned and stretched. Rust stirred beside her. It felt odd, being so far from Moonsight and Wonderfur. She missed Peril, too. Her heart still felt heavy. Ioclaw and Rust had spent all day searching for the group of cats living in the Valley. In the end, they had to stop and rest for a while. It'd gotten too dark to see, even for two cats' eyes working together.

Ioclaw looked up. The sun was just rising. She shook out her fur and sat beside her friend's sleeping body.

The mountains look purplish-blue with white tips. Thin clouds walked together through the sky, which was painted pink, orange, yellow, and purple.

"Peril, wherever you are up there, I hope you're watching us," she whispered. "I hope you're happy."

Water threatened to pour from her eyes. Ioclaw forced it back. She gently nudged Rust, who looked up at her sleepily. "Hm?"

"It's light enough to keep going," she told him. "You said we need to look every chance we get, it's what Peril would want. I don't think the sabertooths are up yet."

Rust yawned and sat up. His posture was slouched and he was clearly struggling to keep his eyes open. Ioclaw put a paw on his. "I'm sorry I had to wake you up, I would have gladly let you sleep in, but there's three Guilds we have to save. We have to do more work now that Peril's gone."

Rust weakly smiled. "It's fine," he mewed. "I needed to get up anyway."

Ioclaw moved her paw and stood up, shaking out her fur. A chilly wind ran through their fur as Rust stood beside her.

"Where do we go now?" Ioclaw asked.

Rust scanned the area. He signaled toward the mountains. "That way."

Ioclaw nodded in agreement and followed him as he took the lead. She could tell why Rust was so tired, she, too, was exhausted. She wished she'd stayed asleep.

"Do you think Peril is watching us right now?" Rust asked, looking up at the sky.

Ioclaw looked up, too. "I don't know," she admitted. "All we can do is hope."

"Then I hope she is," Rust meowed, looking ahead. "I hope CC is, too."

"CC?" Ioclaw asked, confused. Rust's gaze clouded over.

"CC was a kit a friend of mine watched over. Her and her sister, Olive, along with Lynx, Winter, Snowflake, Cloud, and Soda. Oh, little Soda, she's such a good kit. Lynx has the sweetest accent I've ever heard. Cloud has a little too much energy for her own good. Winter and Snowflake don't talk much. Poor Olive, I have no known kin so I have no clue what it's like to lose a family member. I know what it's like to lose a friend, though. I imagine it's a little similar?" A small smile spread across Rust's face. "Oh, and Koi. Young, overprotective Koi. She loves those kits with all her heart, she's like a mother to them. She was heartbroken by her death. I promised Carter I'd return to see him again after I fulfill the prophecy, but I wouldn't have made that promise if I knew we were coming to Sabertooth Valley."

Ioclaw listened with great interest. "Where did you meet them?"

"The Safe Spot," Rust said. "It's a mostly hidden place in the woods."

"So, a kit you knew . . . died?"

Rust nodded.

"That's awful! You should have brought her to your healers, they would know what to do. And Midnight's Guild has more healers than any Guild."

"That's what I said!" Rust protested. "Koi didn't want to!"

"Why wouldn't she want to save one of her kits?" Ioclaw asked.