Sins of The Storm

Chapter Five-Where All Answers Lie

Rain was on a strange clearing, filled by tons of cats, loud noises, and the scent of pine trees.

Or more likely, he wasn't there. He wasn't there physically; he was just watching, invisible to the other cats on the clearing. I'm in a dream, he realized. It was a weird dream for sure. Everything was blurry around him, the cats and the trees melting away into a hazy image. Except one little she-kit in the middle of the clearing. The kit had a sleek, perfectly groomed black pelt with a small white tail-tip that was twitching in excitement and eagerness. Her pair of dark blue eyes darted back and forth between the cats, round with genuine curiosity. Rain felt his heart clench, but he didn't know why. This young kit was...so pure. So innocent. Life just hadn't put its weight on her shoulders yet; she was the perfect example of a naive little optimistic kitten. Suddenly, he felt a rush of need to protect her from the world and its shadows.

Then, the image was plunged into darkness all of a sudden. Desperation washed over Rain for a heartbeat, but it swiftly changed into a burst of excitement threatening to make his heart jump out of his chest. It was like he became a kit again; he felt the same curiosity and eagerness that radiated off of the little she-kit in his dream, and, even if just for a moment, it seemed like everything was perfect. That everything was alright and there wasn't anything to worry about.

"Go away, you little runt!" A sharp voice sliced through the darkness, ringing in his ears painfully.

"Please, just...don't look at me!"

"Poor little things...I heard that their mother..."

"Just leave me alone!"

Instinctively, Rain plastered both of his paws over his ears, trying to get rid of the voices. But they didn't go away, they got into his head, echoing painfully in the depths of his mind.

"You don't understand! I just can't bear to look at them!" This voice was all too familiar to Rain, but he just couldn't place it. This was the final straw; he couldn't take this anymore.

"Enough!" He shrieked, shaking his head like crazy. Right there and then, the floor just slipped away from beneath his feet, sending him falling in the seemingly endless darkness. He flailed his paws desperately, searching for something to grip in the space that was empty. Thousand screams wanted to burst out from his throat, but he just couldn't get a single sound out.

A screech pierced through the dark; a screech that wasn't his own. Then another, and with it came a sharp pain that shot through his head, just as if he had been clawed. Terror made his blood turn into ice as the sour scent of blood enveloped his nostrils. What kind of messed up dream is this? The brief heartbeat of happiness he felt only seconds ago seemed like they were a lifetime away; they were gone. Only pain and darkness remained, drowning out everything else. Rain felt bitter to the bone and cold to the heart.

Suddenly, he felt firm ground underneath his paws again. The darkness cleared up, and Rain found himself in a shady den. Tiny beams of sunlight filtered through the holes of the roof, but the place still felt intimidating. The strong smell of herbs filled the den; so thick that Rain had to stifle a cough. The scent of pine mixed with it, making the air even more suffocating. How could one live in this den? He wondered, wrinkling his nose.

"I'm okay..." The uncertain voice made him jump. Turning around, he saw a figure huddled into one of the shady corners. The voice was so familiar, but so strange at the same time. He heard it before, he was completely sure about it, but he didn't know where.

The whole world around Rain blurred again, including the cat in the corner. Except for one figure...The orange tom's heart clenched when the black she-kit he saw in the previous scene emerged from the shadows. She was much bigger and older now, muscles bulging underneath her sleek black pelt.