Legacy: Timeless (Book 2)

Prologue

Prologue

The wind rushed soundlessly over the clifftop, the salty air wet on the breeze. Down below, waves crashed against the beach that sloped away from the cliffs, the waves roaring in a never-ending rush and recession. The sun beat down on the sandy terrain, heating it to an uncomfortable temperature.

On this rather desolate landscape, moved a flash of burnished red and orange fur belonging to a cat. His green eyes were bright and he moved with the suppleness of a young cat. His fur stuck up in odd angles, a result of living in such a salty air, and a freshly caught rabbit hung from his mouth.

He approached the edge of the cliff, unperturbed by the long drop and treacherous trail as he made his way down a thin, eroding sandy trail, navigating it with practiced ease. He paused on the trail a few tail-lengths above the beach where the waves clawed hungrily not more than twenty tail-lengths away.

The red-orange tom ducked into a small rock cave hollowed out in the side of the cliff. It was a rather large den, enough for four grown cats to stand in comfortably at once. It was hollowed out of the earth, so the ground and walls were soft, but almost as hard as rocks so they didn't have to worry about erosion.

The tom stepped into the cave, the front half illuminated from the light outside, the back half framed in shadows. His eyes brightened even more then before when they fell upon a cat laying on her side in the moss-grass nest in the very back of the den.

"Rainstone," he purred happily, feeling affection and tenderness wash over his already joyful heart. There was nothing he loved more than seeing his beloved safe and sound in the cave. Rainstone was small with a round head, sharply pricked ears, and large, round paws that looked too big in comparison to the rest of her size.

"Needlepine," Rainstone answered with a content sigh. Her dark gray fur was silky smooth, for some reason it wasn't affected by the salty air like his was, and the dark blue tints on her fur had grown stronger around her paws since they had finished their travelling at this spot.

"Were you okay while I was gone?" Needlepine asked, setting down the prey. He was always nervous about leaving his mate alone, especially now.

"Yes, Scorch is fine too," Rainstone purred, eyeing the prey hungrily.

Needlepine felt a surge of excited delight at Scorch's name, the little kitten was only a few days old, but already he knew she was perfect. He gave the prey to Rainstone and peered into the curve of her belly where one, tiny kitten slept.

Scorch was small; he could tell she had the same body as Rainstone, the characteristics of the mountain cats Rainstone had travelled from. But her fur was red-orange like his, except it was a tone darker, as if his fur colors had been put in shadows. The kitten's right ear, paw, and left eye were patched black, giving an even greater shadowed effect. And when Scorch had opened her eyes that morning, they'd been green like his, but so dark they were almost black. Like how Rainstone's eyes were blue, but almost black.

But they were both perfect to Needlepine, and he couldn't suppress his happiness and thankfulness that Rainstone had come into his life. But like always, as he thought about when he met Rainstone, he thought of his Clan, ShadowClan.

He and Rainstone had left the Clans during a revolution started by rogues and Clan-cats. He didn't know how the battle had turned out, but he knew that the fight he had been a part of had been a complete defeat. He would be dead if Rainstone hadn't dragged him off the battlefield.

But that was in the past, he believed the Clans would be alright. Right now, all he had to worry about was protecting his mate and kit and providing food for them all. An easy thing to do when there was only the two of them to eat fresh-kill.

Needlepine shared the rabbit he'd caught with Rainstone, looking at her with glimmering eyes over his meal. Rainstone looked so much different from when he'd first met her. She'd always been running places, doing things, always busy as if she was trying to distract herself while anxiety and worry showed black in her eyes.

But now, she had an air of calm and enjoyment as if she was finally living life and enjoying every bit of it. Her eyes were sparkly blue and although she was never busy, she wasn't idle and wandering. She loved to sit outside their den and stare out into the ocean for a long time, especially at sunset when the sun sank behind the waters.

Needlepine purred lightly, feeling contentment settle down on his shoulders like a soft blanket. Nowhere to go, no threats, not much to do, a family he loved, a home where he felt safe. He had everything he could have hoped for, and so did Rainstone.

But he didn't notice as he settled down to sleep with Rainstone, the wide, wondering stare given by his kit. A dark eyed stare that saw things he couldn't, and saw it all.