Amulet Warriors!

Chapter 2: Dreams

~Emily walked along the edge of the fence that separated the Twoleg house and the forest. She didn't feel like entering the forest yet.

But why? Didn't she yearn to walk into the woods before? Why was she waiting?

It was evening, and the shadows around her were darting, ever changing. But she felt like she was being followed...

Emily kept in walking until she hit a dead end. Strange, because her mother always told her that the row of houses continued until it reached the Thunderpath. She turned to leave.

But the was nothing but trees behind her.

Emily's small heart began to beat faster, not knowing what to. The woods suddenly seemed so scary, so dark and condemned, she realized her mom might have been right after all.

And the shadows. They were circling her, hissing and whirling. Emily backed up, until she was surrounded on all sides. The wisps of black swirled up together, forming a slightly humanoid figure. Emily shrunk, eyes wide and terrified.

With all her willpower, she managed, "Who... who are y-you?"

"I would be your guide, Emily."

Emily jumped. "You.. you know my name!"

"Of course, dear girl. I am inside you, aren't I."

"Then... leave me alone!! I just want to live a normal life, like other cats!"

The black wispy figure swirled slightly, then hissed slyly, "Oh, but that's what you think of a normal life. In reality, there are other lives too, Emily."

The small cat was at loss for words.

The figure smiled. "And I believe you are going to meet these other cats very soon."

The dark being's face glowed in the shape of... Wait, that was the exact same design as the mark on her chest!

The figure started to decimate away, and the world went black. ~

Emily's head snapped up, fazed by the terrifying dream last night. Meet the other cats soon? What does that mean?

Her mother was by her side, the pale yellow cat washing herself in licks. When she saw that Emily was awake, she motioned for her daughter to follow her.

"The housefolk left for the morning, but they left the door to the backyard open," her mom meowed.

Emily a tiny leap. "That means we get to play outside!"

Navin was already there, the brown little cat jumping at a butterfly.

There was a playful banter between the two siblings as they leapt around the backyard. Emily's mom watched at the side.

Emily was having lots of fun as she ran around the yard. But hey... wasn't it Sunday, when she always saw the Twoleg beside their house release his dog in the back yard too?

Then that meant...

A huge slobbering black lab burst through the gate of the back yard, snarling and growling. Navin and Emily ran behind their mother, who growled and hissed at the huge dog.

The dog circled them, eyeing all of them with a threatening stare. And then...

It attacked!!

The siblings immediately split, running off in different directions. Emily's mom snarled and slashed at the dog, causing a pink mark to appear on it's cheek.

As protective as a mother was to her kits, the dog was too strong and grabbed her mother by the scruff. The pale yellow cat gave a yowl of pain, and Emily had enough.

"Let her go, you beast!!" Emily yowled.

The lab turned to her and snarled. But the monster had no interest in the small red cat.

The dog went on Navin instead. It swiped a massive paw on the little kit, knocking him to the ground. The dog grabbed him in it's jaws, the cat struggling wildly.

Emily felt the rage building inside her, and the mark on her chest glowing like crazy, and she gave a caterwaul,

"LET THEM GO!!!"

The fur around the mark stirred, and it glowed a violent pink, and then--

SZZZAK!!!

A blast of power blazed out of the mark, hitting the dog and making it help and release Navin, but not her mom.

Emily got up, dazed, and she looked at the mark on her chest. It was sizzling slightly, but she felt no pain, just tiredness.

The dog got up, singed, and ran out of the backyard. Without thinking, Emily nudged her brother up and ran towards the dog.

"C'mon, we've got to catch that dog!"

The dog was running into the woods, faster than anything Emily had seen before. The she-cat followed, not caring if her life was in danger.

The dog clamber up a small slope, and onto a clearing. And darn, it was raining now.

The beast came to an abrupt stop, helping, but it didn't let go of her mother.

And that was because there was another cat facing the dog.