Snowflake's Story

Chapter Fourty-Four

Squirrel brushed Stone's side, surprising him. Did Stone not know Squirrel's spirit was there?

Stone looked straight at Snowflake. "She's here!" He yowled.

The tabby twisted around and looked at Snowflake, along with the dark ginger queen. Squirrel's spirit faded.

Snowflake bolted off towards home, tail trailing out behind her. She wasn't sure whether Stone and his parents were behind him, but she wasn't going to pause to find out. She tumbled into the brick building, startling everyone in the clowder.

James ran up to her. "What happened?"

A yowl came from the entrance; the three cats. They all at once lunged at James.

The clowder instinctively leaped forward, ripping the cats off of James easily. Bird was the most vicious, not letting Stone get away with any mercy.

The next time Snowflake got a glance of Stone between all the fur and claws piled onto three cats, the tom was bloody and had deep, claw-mark shaped gashes almost all over his fur. He eventually collapsed, red trailing out of his mouth. Bird standing triumphantly over him made Snowflake shudder, but then she remembered; the clowder's law was, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." This was the one thing Stone deserved for ordering his clowder of cats to attack the brick building and murder Cocoa.

Suddenly, a cat leaped on her, rolling her over onto her back. The tabby had pinned her down, somehow escaping the horde of the clowder.

"Ooohoohoohoohooh, Echo is going to be in much torment," the tabby snarled, lifting a claw.

Snowflake knew what would happen next with sorrow in her heart.

Scarlet.

When Stone's father sliced open her throat it was very painful, but what was a stronger pain was realizing that here, she was dying, because of this cruel cat.

And what was even stronger was to see James running up, and, Ghostcats help him, the sadness in his eyes..

He sort of dragged the tabby to him as he sliced open his neck as the enemy had done to Snowflake, pain still being shown but rather in fury than depression.

It was a peculiar feeling, sensing the blood in your throat spilling out rather swiftly. Snowflake could not talk, could not yowl out in horror. She could only turn, and look at James.

Faces of the cats she had lost in her life appeared before her eyes.

Glass.

Snuggle.

Blizzard.

Mud.

Glow.

River.

Cocoa.

Bird would take this very heavily; her mate died, and now her best friend. James would be completely broken. Echoing Call, Snowy Blizzard and Shimmering Glow would be so confused, and lost.

But there was a sense of knowing in Snowflake's heart. She knew that Bird would grow to be ten times stronger than she already was. James would be able to tell the story of avenging his mate. Echoing Call, Snowy Blizzard and Shimmering Glow would eventually get on without her; they would always know she was watching over them, and feel comforted.

Everything would be just fine.

She gave James what she had left in her; a weak, dreamy smile.

The ground hit her hard as she collapsed.

Snowflake closed her eyes.