Legacy: Timeless (Book 2)

Chapter 35: Red Snow

Chapter 35: Red Snow

The rush of the wind rose into a crescendo, cold and brisk as it rolled off the ice. Gray light made its way through closed eyelids as Boulderpaw foggily came through. He sat up- unsteady- and blinked in confusion at the dark gray light.

The wind shook the pine branches above him with noisy rustling and flashes of gray sky came through in the dimly lit forest. Shivering, he looked around at the silent forest. Churned snow, broken ferns, blood splatters. Everything rushed back to him upon these sights and Boulderpaw felt nauseous as he recalled the event.

He'd been following Scorch and this strange cat when it'd happened. A blur of black had shot down and slammed Scorch into the ground before he could gather a breath. The strange cat had disappeared as soon as it happened and Boulderpaw had wasted no time in throwing himself at the attacker the who he quickly realized was Crowpelt.

All his mistrust that he had supposed was unfounded had hardened. But he knew he was no match for the warrior, all his struggled were in vain and it was sheer luck that Crowpelt ended up tangled in a briar bush and allowed him time to grab Scorch and go in vain escape.

After that he'd headed for the lake, hoping to either lose or catch the attention of others in the immense openness of the lake. But he'd been injured and exhausted by then; Scorch even more so. Crowpelt had caught up and Boulderpaw gave the last of his strength to the fight.

He didn't know what had happened after that. Now he was here, all lone. Where was Scorch? Where was Crowpelt? What had happened? These questions weren't going to be answered by the age-old pines and he pushed himself to his paws, wincing slightly at the painful wounds on his chest and sides that burned like a hornet's sting.

Panting heavily, he started dragging his heavy paws toward camp. With any luck Scorch had made it there, she always seemed to be able to take care of himself. If they were even lucky, Crowpelt would be captured. That would be nice...

His legs wobbled and his breath came short as he floundered around in the drifts of snow. He continued on, he needed to get to camp. That was all. The dark light was slowly lightening and he realized it must be morning, though the gray cover kept things shrouded in dimness.

As he walked, absentminded, he became aware of a strange sound. More specifically, the strange lack of sound. Even the wind had died down and not a thing stirred but him. By now the sun must have cleared the horizon and his blue eyes scanned the area around him suspiciously. He had caught the faint scent of another cat.

"Come out, I know you're here," he rasped, surprised by how dry his mouth was and licking his muzzle.

Out stepped the cat, white and ginger paws brilliant against the gray snow and bright green eyes that could have almost been stars. "You," Boulderpaw growled, laying back his ears. She was the one that had disappeared when he and Scorch had needed help- besides that, he instinctively didn't like the way she looked, too much like Scorch.

"Boulderpaw," the voice was solemn, the bright eyes heavy but glowing with earnest. She had been all smiles when Scorch had introduced him, radiating with confidence and joy. But now she looked like a different cat with a serious expression that resulted from a dark conscience.

"I need you to listen to me," the cat continued, stepping forward.

Boulderpaw growled and in a flash of anger leaped at her, easily pinning the small cat down on her back beneath him. "You need to listen to me. You ran away when Scorch needed you, right after she told me she trusted you! How could you do that to a sweet cat like Scorch, she's too innocent to see the bad sides of cats- I know- but you're too young to fail at such a simple test of character!"