Warriors : Rise of the Weather [2] : The Brightest Star (OLD/DISCONTINUED)

Chapter One

Snow had begun swirling down into the woods, prickling at the tips of Miley's fur. Harvey anxiously bushed out his fur, his fur raising and lowering constantly against the chilly wind. Shade pushed ahead of them, his black and white pelt on end and his ears twitching irritably.

A sharp wind whisked through the trees, battering at Miley's flank as she forced her way forward.

"Shade!" The red tabby yowled over the whistling wind, the strength of her voice carried away through screeching blows of the breeze.

The black and white feline stopped in his tracks, turning around and squinting against the flakes of snow that whipped at his face to meet with Miley's desperate gaze. The red tabby had pressed herself against Harvey's side, for the brown tom had begun to stagger weakly.

"Shade, we have to take shelter! Harvey can't make it in this weather — and neither can I! We're not used to this!" Miley yowled, fear prickling at her skin from beneath her thick coat of fur. She could feel Harvey's shivers through his pelt brushing against hers, and his fear scent was strong over the smell of frozen water.

Shade stared disapprovingly into Miley's eyes, and for a moment Miley thought that he would object to her requests and force them to keep moving. She parted her jaws to make a retort, her brow furrowing as she was ready to leave him in the dust to find shelter.

"You're right." Shade hissed back, taking Miley by surprise. He began padding back in Miley's direction, where Harvey was just about sleeping on his feet, ready to collapse if not for Miley allowing him to lean on her for support. The black and white tom snapped his jaws around the brown cat's scruff, and began to haul the tom through the snow, Harvey half walking and half being dragged before collapsing entirely in Shade's grasp.

Miley uncertainly followed behind, feeling harsh currents of snow lash at her face, nearly blinding her. She almost couldn't follow Shade and Harvey through the blinding snow, their scents fading nearly instantaneously.

The red tabby hurried up, her heart skipping a beat as she lost the two cats in the snow.

"Shade! Harvey!" She cried, her voice whipped away like a leaf. Miley squinted as her eyes were cascaded with snowflakes, and she could just barely make out a black figure, trudging through the snow back in her direction.

Shade stomped towards her, clearly struggling to stay on his paws. He clasped his jaws around her scruff, and half dragged her away as he did with Harvey. I'm not helpless! Miley thought sharply, scrabbling for a hold on the ground so she could haul herself to her paws. But with the force of the wind blowing against her and Shade practically dragging her, she couldn't find her footing.

In the midst of her struggles, the blizzard around her dissipated, the wind fading into nothing but distant howls, and the snow ceasing to a slight drift. Shade dropped her scruff, and she crumpled to the ground. Shakily finding her paws, the red tabby rose to her feet, shaking out her fur which was clumped together with snow.

After a few moments of bushing up her fur and flattening herself against the ground, the red tabby finally spoke. "How did you find this?" She meowed, looking around the small tunnel Shade had discovered.

The black and white tom shook out his fur as well, letting out a small huff. "I just stumbled into it when I realized you weren't with us." He growled, not meeting the she-cat's gaze.

His lip curled slightly as he stared at the soil covered floor, and he scraped a paw against it. "I think this was once a rabbit's burrow," he admitted, before continuing onward with his observation. "There's a small stream somewhere further along. I think water may have hollowed this burrow, which is why it can fit us."

Miley tipped her head to the side. "That's cool." She meowed with a swish of her tail. "When do you think the storm will pass?"

Shade shrugged, casting a glance to a bundle of soaked, brown fur. Worry squirmed in the pits of Miley's stomach as she stared at her friend's limp form. "Hopefully that one wakes up by the time it's done." Shade commented, letting out a wry chuckle and giving his head a small shake. "But I honestly don't know. Maybe one or two sunrises?"

The tom puffed out a sigh, casting his gaze towards the ground. "Anyways, you'd better get some rest." After a few moments, he scoffed and lifted his amber eyes. "A kittypet like you and your friend mustn't be used to traveling so much." He said bitterly, swiping his tail.

"He has a name, you know!" Miley snapped irritably, her brown eyes flashing with anger.

Shade rolled his eyes, flopping onto his side, his head resting on his paws. "Whatever." He muttered.

Miley wrinkled her nose in frustration, biting back an angry hiss. With a reluctant roll of her eyes, she too lay down, curling her tail over her paws. The moment she had settled down onto the gritty earth, the red feline realized just how tired she was. With drooping eyes, she felt herself succumb to the dark embrace of sleep, her fur prickling at the cool air whisking around her.