||THE WAY OF THE WIND||

CHAPTER 13 - TORNADO

From the corner of her eye, Breeze spied a giant tornado coming their way. It plucked trees from the ground and threw them away as if they were as light as feathers.

"Tornado!" she yelled.

Ember's eyes widened in surprise and the two travelled up faster. Breeze unhooked Cranberry and Dove from her back and dumped them next to their siblings. Ember let out an 'oof' but flapped harder to their bedroom.

Breeze launched into the sky gracefully and nimbly without the mass of her kits on her back. Suddenly she saw Star, the dragoncat who went with Elder Moon to consult Torrent. A tree was hurling towards her.

"Star!" she shrieked. "Star look out!"

It was too late. The tree crashed down on Star. A sickening bone-crunching sound, before Star's wings grew limp and she plummeted to the ground. Breeze dived to catch her. Hooking her claws into Star's soft fur, Breeze brought her to the bedroom where Ember was sheltering, whispering to Cranberry while Dove, Ivory and Phoenix played with Celestial and Starfall, who had been bought by Wing. Thankfully, Star was unconscious, and not dead.

Zodiac and Orbit were whispering with their old friend, anxious frowns lining their faces. Breeze dropped Star without a word, then flew off to warn her kingdom.

Outside, leaves, branches and rain pounded Breeze's wings. Drenched, cold and battered, she flew on. Dragoncats were hovering in the air, uncertain and fearful.

Idiots! Breeze thought. Didn't they know to hide in a tornado? Only a stupid Lady wouldn't allow them to do so.

"Get inside! Find shelter!" she roared.

Scrambling from their enraged lady, dragoncats fled from the harsh weather. Breeze spotted a mother desperately trying to herd her three kittlings inside, who looked about five years old. They kept on getting carried away by the harsh wind. Turbulence suddenly appeared from next to her.

"You're supposed to be inside!"

"Danger is my middle name. Now stop talking and help Altitude."

Breeze recalled a memory of Turbulence bossing her around when she was little. Those were the times Turbulence pretended to be Lady Turbulence and Breeze was her General. How fun those times were.

Breeze found an air current which would lead her to Altitude. Tilting her wings, Breeze rode the wind, and before the tornado could sweep off one of Altitude's panicking kittlings, Breeze grabbed the scruff and flew out of the current.

Turbulence grabbed a small kittling and flew to the closest building: the Sky Hall of Forgiveness. Landing inside, Turbulence shook rainwater from her fur and awaited for Breeze and Altitude.

Altitude had grabbed the last kit and was reaching the Sky Hall. Thunder crackled, and Breeze could see a huge branch was whipping towards the anxious mother.

"Look out!" Breeze yelled the best she could, her mouth muffled by the bundle of fur. Altitude was so focused on reaching safety that she didn't take notice of the branch.

Breeze lunged on top of Altitude, crashing them down, not a moment too late. The branch brushed past Breeze's pelt, splitting into smithereens as it crashed into a tree.

Rain battered Breeze's wings as she finally collapsed next to her best friend. She moaned, the kittling wriggling from Breeze, eyes wide with shock. The kittling stumbled around before tripping over her brother, which Turbulence had brought to safety.

Altitude dropped her last kittling, eyes brimming with gratefulness.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I thank you and so do Raindrop, Comet and Galaxy."

Breeze guessed that she'd carried Comet. Turbulence had saved Raindrop, who had a small, raindrop-shaped darker piece of fur on his flank, preferably where he'd gotten his name.

Galaxy had spots on her fur, which represented the planets in the galaxy. Altitude nuzzled her kittlings, who mewed with fear and hunger.

"I'll get Gale," Turbulence offered. "He always has backup food for disasters like this." Turbulence launched into the sky, winging powerfully to the Sky Hotel, where Gale's kitchen is located.

Altitude lay down and curled herself around her kittlings. Breeze sighed and lay down. The only way to pass time was to sleep. Ebony darkness wrapped their wings around Breeze, and she drifted off to slumber, lulled by the drizzling rain.