There Is More Than What Meets The Eye

Chapter Ten: Shadow's Resurrection

The minerals were sucked out of the ground. The bones, which had decomposed where now starting to reform. The small bones were first, then the bigger bones came last, such as the skull. The vertebra almost seemed to be cut in half. The skull suddenly reconnected to the rest of the bones, including, but not limited to, the scapula and the rib cage.

Soon, a full skeleton of a feline was on the moist ground, motionless for only a few seconds. With a puppet-like jerk, the skeleton was up. Wet, spongy muscle was stretched onto the chalk-white bones, followed by the nerves. His brain was recreated, and taut, pink skin reached from end to end of muscle and bone, recreating what once was. Lastly, the dark gray fur, which began to grow where it had once disappeared.

In a blink, you would have missed it. It didn't take very long before all the fur was on the cat, and it no longer looked like a skeleton...just a regular everyday cat. His eyes rolled into place.

His light green eyes shone brightly as he began to move them, his pupils looking around.

Finally, the tom took his first breath. He was aware that he had been brought back from the dead and just merely glanced at his surroundings in shock, a chill in the air biting into the newly formed flesh.

His first resurrected words were, "Jarson...Corrie."

All those years his body had stayed buried in the ground, had now been brought back to life by the stone. He hadn't aged since he had died years ago.

The stone flickered over Shadow's head before becoming as solid and real as ever. The gold stone fell and Shadow had to back up and catch it in his paws, in fear that it might break. As he looked at the glossy rock, the tom finally noticed that time was flying past him.

It took him a few seconds to understand what was happening. The stone was taking him back in time. To the past. Showing him what happened to his body, and what happened to Jarson and Corrie after their father's death.

The stone stopped and replayed when Kanoa had murdered him. Shadow shuddered at the sight, and watched as his own head was popped off. Then slowly, over the years his body began decaying. It was even more realistic, since his own body was literally at Shadow's paws, though it was just a hologram.

The grass was still stained with his blood, even after all these years. The stone then showed Jarson and Corrie (in the present). Shadow's face lightened up with a huge smile as he saw his sons, realizing that they were so much more older now. In fact, Shadow noticed, they would almost be as old as him now. If Shadow had aged, then his appearance would have changed (bags under his eyes, paler fur), and he would be more likely to be considered as Jarson and Corrie's father than now.

Shadow was filled with youth. He was old enough to be Jarson and Corrie's brother. But, if Shadow was to find his sons and tell them that he was alive, the two cats would probably believe it, out of pure desperation at thought of their father healthy and well.

The rock then showed Phoenix. When Shadow saw the wolf, his smile turned into a deep frown.

"Who is that?" He asked the stone flat out coldly. He soon shook his head, feeling stupid. The stone couldn't talk! It was a stone after all!

"Then, what are you trying to tell me?"

The stone zoomed out the image, and Shadow saw Jarson, Corrie and Phoenix together. All three of them were laughing, and Shadow gazed as Phoenix washed the two cats' ears with his tongue.

The gray tom's expression switched from an angry frown to a confused frown.

But, at the sight of his sons' happiness, Shadow began smiling again, rather quickly. This wolf was obviously not going to hurt his (Shadow's) sons. They were safe with Phoenix. He treated them like his own.

After some time, Storm walked into the image. "Oh, a she-cat?" Shadow asked out loud.

He looked at the picture and saw Jarson blush as Storm began talking to him.

"Oh, I see. Jarson has a love interest. I'm so proud of him! He's finally talking! I mean, I didn't exactly expect him to stay mute, but this is such a big improvement! Boys...your mother...she would also be proud, to even know that you are still alive! I couldn't be more glad that you boys weren't killed...if you were about to be, I wouldn't have been able to protect you...or attempt to, at least."

His eyes flickered over the entire scene that the rock was revealing to him and identified his sons' surroundings.

"Oh, I know where that is." He told himself quietly, his memory still fresh as the day he had died. "Wait..." Shadow stared at the cave. The longer he stood frozen there, the sadder he got. "That's where...I first met Estelle..." His voice got even softer, which seemed nearly impossible now. Tears began to appear, but he wiped them away with his tail, turning his head to do so.

"No, Shadow. Remember, be strong. Only cry when you have time. I don't have time, I need to find my sons...I just found out that they are alive, after all! Now let's see, if I leave right this instant, I could get there at least by dusk. It's a few miles...no big deal."

He started running, then dashing, his paws hitting the ground in small, quick spurts. It hurt, going that fast in the limited daylight he had left, but he pushed himself. He knew he could do it...he could do anything.

He refused to stop, to give up, even when he felt so tired that his paws were numb. He had to reach them. He couldn't stop now. Soon the sun would set, and the moon would rise. Shadow knew that night was a very dangerous time for small creatures especially cats, as an owl can easily fly down and snatch one.

Some more of his limbs turned numb, and he now had pins and needles in his paws, but he still kept going, his breath transforming into almost pure frost, but it was condensation.

Author's Note

Notice how I said, "first resurrected"? Do you think that this means there will be more times that Shadow is resurrected in the future? I guess you'll have to find out!

I am not done with this chapter yet.