Legacy (Book 1)

Chapter 20: Thorns For Thorns

Chapter 20: Thorns For Thorns

At daybreak the next day, Rainstone set off again, Hopper escorted her back to the river, and said goodbye, his yellow eyes bright and cheerful. "Maybe we'll see another again, someday," Hopper purred, though she could tell he didn't mean it.

Rainstone shrugged, "Never say never, but I feel I won't be coming this way again," she mewed. Then she set off, picking a trot as her pace. The day passed in silence, she stopped to rest around sun-high, but got restless and continued on her way until gray shadows announced twilight had come.

Yawning, she lapped some of the cool water from the stream, the ground under-paw was mossy and the surrounding area was covered with soaked peat that bubbled with water when she stepped on it. She shook moisture from her paws, great, now I'm going to have to sleep in a marsh!

She carefully cut through it as the stream, moving sluggishly, twisted around the area. The water began to pick up pace, and she hoped that the ground would slope up, away from the boggy ground. She saw the dark shadow of a rise, quickening her pace until she was bounding through the long grass. She emerged from the top and stopped stiff.

The stream raced down besides her, but now she had come to its source, a scum-topped pond. It wasn't terribly big, and the greening trees cast their shadows on the unmoving surface. She'd guess it was no longer or wider the length of the cave back in the mountain. But now she'd be without a guide.

I followed the stream from its end to its beginning! The thought tingled through her paws with satisfaction, chasing away the fear that she may end up wandering aimlessly through the forest. I can still follow the sun west, right? She could see the glowing aqua blue where the sun had disappeared, leaving for the moon to rise in the sky, white with dappled gray.

A few clouds whipped across the sky, so thin it seemed the next breeze would blow them away. She stretched, the grass was short and dry beneath her paws, the bog of peat had not followed her up. She tiredly scraped together a nest of dry grass and pieces of moss. She'd hunt in the morning.

...

The following day was gray and dreary, mist hung heavy in the air and a cough racked her body as she drew in a deep breath. Sleeping out in the open isn't particularly healthy... But she found some coltsfoot, probably the first of the season, and ate the herbs along with a warm mouse to ease her scratchy throat.

She shook out her fur as she struck out again, heading in the direction where the sun had set the day before. But before long worry nagged at her. with the gray covering, she couldn't be sure she was heading in the right direction.

Hour after hour she padded, no sound but the whisper of her paws on the damp forest floor and the occasional cry of a bird in the trees overhead. She soon found herself in a forest of cedars and pines, the dark trees blocking her view from the sky completely and the carpeted floor beneath her paws muffled sound. She didn't like it, she felt trapped and anxious.

She nearly jumped out of her fur at the startling cry of a black crow as it swooped overhead. She shivered at the cold breeze and the icy drizzle. She felt tired, wet, and miserable. And on top of all that, she kept getting fresh whiffs of fox, badger, and even a bit of wolf. But no prey.

She glanced anxiously over her shoulder every few steps, wondering if something was stalking her in the silent world. She swallowed nervously as she imagined a wolf's sharp jaws and growled barks emerging from the mist like a shadow. She strained her eyes, but couldn't see more then a few tail-lengths around her.

She flicked her ears back as she thought she heard a thudding paw-step. The faint sound put her heart in her throat. She quickened her pace as the sound happened again, not the even tread of paw-steps, but the thump of a heavy creature that only became mortal for half a moment.