Legacy: Timeless (Book 2)

Chapter 38: Drifting

Chapter 38: Drifting

"Is she alright?"

"No, there's something wrong with her."

"Why won't she wake up?"

"I don't know! We should just wait and be patient."

A young tom and a she-kit's voice hovered over Scorch's senses. She felt... nothing. Suspended in temperance and frothing clouds, she couldn't control her body or mind. But a nagging force of chilliness pulled her down and she sank beneath the nonchalant atmosphere to the thickness of reality that pulled and clawed at her ravenously.

A splash of water swept over her, burning as it entered her nose and she sprang up, choking and spluttering. Her eyes opened and blinked the water painfully away. All her memories rushed back in a painful pang; the tunnel, the silhouette, the sunlight... She turned and looked at her two saviors which she assumed were Sonya and Boulderpaw.

Instead, she was greeted by a black she-kit and an orange tom with hard, amber eyes. What? Scorch swayed as she stood, staring at them for a moment. They looked familiar, she knew she'd seen them. When? Where?

"A 'thank you' would be appropriate," the orange tom growled after a few moments of silence.

Scorch blinked, his voice instantly bringing her back to these two cats. They were the cats she'd met at the place Sonya had taken her. But what were they doing here? She hadn't returned to this place, had she? She couldn't have- since she didn't know how. Is this because I was touched by sunlight? No... Sonya said I'd go to StarClan, and this isn't that.

"What happened?" Scorch asked the two cats warily.

"We was hoping that you could tell us!" the black kit squeaked. "I haven't seen you in days, Wing!"

"Its been nearly half-a-moon, to be more precise. I'd thought we'd seen the last of you," the orange tom added.

Half a moon? It hasn't been that long... Scorch frowned deeply. "But it was just-" she broke off. Sonya had warned her not to talk to cats here. She wasn't sure why, but she sensed there was an important reason. At least not to say anything odd.

"We found you collapsed in the snow on the shore, your heart wasn't beating and you were barely breathing, we tried splashing you with water but I didn't think it would work." The orange tom grunted, amber eyes staring at her silently.

"But it did!" the black kit chirped happily, shuffling around in the snow.

"Hey, quit that," the tom scolded the kit as she sprayed them with snow.

"Okay!" the kit sat down obediently, but jumped up a moment later to pounce on some drifting snowflakes.

Scorch watched them in silence, thinking deeply. If I'm here, what does that mean? Am I dead or not? Beyond that, she couldn't get past how real this world felt. The cold wind ruffled her fur and froze her skin, and she could feel the snowflakes falling and melting on her fur as her breath blew chilled clouds into the air.

"Although I'm not really for it, I can't leave you out here again. I'm sure you'd be welcomed at our home until the snow passes," the orange tom's voice snapped her back. He looked resigned as he held the black kit in place by putting a paw over her tail.

"Yay! Wing is coming back home with us!" the kit cheered happily, amber eyes glowing.

Scorch nodded slowly. Whether she was dead or not- she was cold here, and hungry. Her first priority was taking care of her physical needs, then figuring out what was happening to her. "Thank you, I will come with you."