Warriors: Hail In the Wind

Prologue

Monsters screamed and roared past on their long black path, their eyes shining like miniature suns. They made the brown and white cat standing at the edge of his housefolk’s nest flinch. Couldn’t they all be quiet? At least his housefolk weren’t so loud. He could relax on their big nest all day, letting the sound of his ringing collar drift him off to sleep. The cool night air seeped through the opening in the nest, drifting through his soft kit fur.

“Are you going to stand there all night, or are we gonna go explore?” the brown kit next to him mewed.

“What?” he stuttered. “Oh, right. Sorry, Peace. Let’s go!” The brown kit next to him bunched up her muscles, looking down on the hard ground with a bright gleam in her eyes. She leaped out of the nest, her claws scraping the ground. His turn now. He looked tentatively down to his sister. It was so far down!

“Come on, Equality,” Peace mewed. “Just jump!”

“I’m going to get hurt!” Equality yowled.

“No, you won’t. Just close your eyes and jump down!” Equality took a shaky breath. He closed his eyes, letting the sound of the monsters beyond fill his ears. He tensed his muscles and leaped out of the nest. His paws ran through the air, pulling down, down, till thud! He landed on the hard ground. The texture scratched at his tender paws, making him yowl.

“Nice, graceful paws,” Peace mewed. “Nice.” The kit opened his eyes, his sister staring down at him. Her own ginger collar jingled as she talked. “Come on.” Peace started down the path, tail swaying back and forth. Equality skittered down after her. The lights of the monsters bathed their backs every few steps, before scurrying past like a cat after a mouse. Equality had seen some older cats run down his path in a few heartbeats, but the kit’s short legs slowed down every step. How did they manage to do it?

“So what’s Pastor Tom have to tell us tonight?” Equality huffed.

“It’s something new,” Peace meowed. “Something that happened years ago, when our housefolk weren’t even born!”

“Woah, really?” Equality yowled. “But wait, Pastor Tom can't tell a story if he hasn’t seen it.”

“It’s been passed down through his family, mouse brain! His family tells the story to every newborn kit, and now he wants to tell us!” Wow, this story had to be important if Pastor Tom’s family told everyone! “You know, Red’s been telling me all about the taste of rat. I really wanna try and catch one tonight!”

“Rats? But they’re mean, and they bite cats!” Why did Peace have to go meet with Red? The ginger tom always told her about things Equality didn’t like. Rats and Cutters and Bloodclan and all of the mean animals that lived on the street. It’s bad enough Pastor Tom told stories of Bloodclan, he didn't need Red coming by and telling him more about them! The two kits took a turn down an alley that stunk of rats and Twoleg trash. It was barely big enough to fit one of the Twoleg’s big gray things.

“Red!” Peace yowled down the alley. “Red, are you here?”

“Please, let’s just find Pastor Tom without him,” Equality begged. “Peace, please.”

“Red! Come on, Pastor Tom’s telling his half moon story! We gotta go! I know you’re here!” One of the gray things began to shake and clatter, Twoleg objects falling out. Equality crouched behind his sister. From the dim light that hung loosely on the wall of the nest, a large red form was illuminated, rising from the trash. His blue eyes caught the light and gleamed down to the littermates. He leaped from the top of the gray thing and landed in front of Peace with a thud. Equality let out a yowl, but Peace was still and silent. The dark ginger tom gave the kit a smile.