Legacy (Book 1)

Chapter 14: Retribution

Chapter 14: Retribution

Rainstone followed Pepper up the slope to the cave. They'd be in trouble, cats were supposed to be back in the cave before sundown, they were late. But that wasn't what was worrying her, those cat ear shadows she'd seen at their sparring match...

She had a bad feeling something was up. It laid like a cold lump in the pit of her belly, making her feel sick. Her paws were numb as well as her nose, but her ears were thawed enough to hear the odd silence coming from the cave. Usually, the chatting of cats could be heard from the bottom of the slope. But all was silent, no shadows moving beyond the ivy curtain.

Pepper was flicking his tail uneasily, and his fur was starting to prickle as he noticed something was out of place. Rainstone pressed by his side, her head resting just above his shoulder as they paused outside the entrance.

It was still silent, though the scent of cat wafted out to them strong and fresh and tinged with anger. She shared a horrified glance with Pepper. "Oh no... they know..." Pepper whispered, his blue eyes staring at her with anguish.

"You have to leave!" Pepper hissed suddenly. "Before they kill you!' he begged.

Rainstone stared at him, wondering how the ground wasn't crumbling beneath her paws. Dizziness made it hard to think as she tried to process what they thought was happening. "Are you made of ice?" a growl made her raise her head to stare at their father, Hawk.

He glared at her furiously and his glare slid coldly to Pepper. "Come in now, or Whisper won't be breathing," Hawk growled.

Rainstone's belly lurched, was her friend at risk because of her? Shivering uncontrollably with fear and shock, she followed Pepper, who had started hissing angry questions at Hawk as soon as Whisper was mentioned.

He was cursing as they padded into the cave, cats lined up on either side, one was Hunter's, the other was Fighter's. Night stood at the very end on the Fighter's side, a spot next to him must be for Hawk. His amber eyes, which had been emotionless a moment before, turned bright with relief and sadness as his gaze rested on her.

Rainstone's mouth became dry and it felt like she was made of stone. She was conscious of the dozens of eyes burning into her pelt and the snickers and sinister glances cats shot each other. They're happy to have some excitement. The thought was almost disgusting. Except her level of disgusting had already been taken to a new level then most cats.

Her eyes swiveled, almost on cue, to Whisper, the silver she-cat's darker flecked pelt was smeared with blood. She was held pinned between Ice and Spider, her eyes glazed with pain as she crouched on the floor, her blood dripping in scarlet drops.

Rainstone swallowed hard as anger pulsed beneath her fur. She innocent! She's done nothing wrong! And neither have I! All of a sudden, she found she could move again and was jerked out of her fearful state.

She stared around defiantly, letting her true face be seen. Her dark eyes sparking with independence and smoldering fire. Pepper was hissing at Ice and Spider, they stood staring at him contemptuously. Hawk pushed Pepper away from his mate with a glare, warning him with a word that if he made any sudden movements Whisper would be killed.

They were herded forward until they stood in front of the two leaders. Pepper's gaze was fixed on Whisper, but Rainstone glared at Hawk and Night angrily. Night's tail flicked, his gaze was guarded again, probably for the cats he was leader for.

He stepped forward, his black fur blending in with the shadows of night. "Pepper, you have been accused of training a she-cat to fight. And, Rainstone, you have been accused of learning to fight, which is punishable by death," Night's voice trembled slightly at the end, but no cat noticed but her.