Dark Destinies {Book 1}

Chapter 2

LEO

I crept silently through the darkness toward a toppled over hollow log. I made sure my paws made absolutely no sound as I padded forward; I knew all too well how much danger I was in and if I was caught my life would be taken from me swiftly.

The fog spread around me like a blanket; the tendrils of heavy fog giving me a small hope for protection since my grey pelt was easy to mix within the fog yet I knew my enemies could be hiding just as easily amongst the fog as well, making it a fickle ally.

I breathed a low and quiet sigh of relief once my paws passed into the log; I had made it without being caught and I was now somewhat safe.

Inside the fallen log I could see pale lights glittering back at me in the darkness and I could smell the weary fear scent in the air. Out of the darkness near the back of the log emerged a pitch black tom; he moved as if he too were a shadow; silent and mysterious as one of them.

But the darkness did not conceal his age and how thin he was; his bones moved and clicked beneath his visibly straggly pelt and a white rim was growing around his muzzle. But the most striking about the tom was his face. Large pink claw scars were scored across his face; they reached from his left eye to his right leaving both white and milky with blindness. They glowed ghostly in the darkness sending a shiver down my spine.

“Hello Leo, I am glad you could make it” the tom’s voice was hoarse and raspy and it bounced about the log as if there were more of him than one.

I settled into a sitting position though still rather uncomfortable. In an attempt to settle myself I began to lick my grey chest fur. All the while my nose twitched as it picked up several scents I recognized with faces I could not.

“You’re Omen?” I asked nervously after a moment.

“Indeed, I have cause to believe you are here because of your sister?” Omen meowed in the same raspy cool voice, I was a bit taken back and shocked.

I hadn’t mentioned my sister to this cat; I’d only ever talked to Omen once before tonight and that was only briefly, how had he known about her? Had my sister mentioned me to Omen before she passed away…?

"I know a lot of things Leo" Omen whispered, his voice sending shivers down my spine again.

"Then you must have known my sister" I meowed quietly, it was hard for me to speak about her without getting sad or upset.

“Fleur was a very good cat” Omen meowed gentler now, I ducked my head at the mention of her name.

“She truly believed in all of this. She told me it was the true way, the right way.” My voice faltered as I remembered; “She promised it would give us all a safer future… I feel like I need to see this through for her and for me too”

Omen solemnly nodded, blind eyes blinking slowly; “The path to righteousness is paved with good intentions” he then turned to face the shadows again; “Let us begin”

As if from thin air three cats materialized from the shadows silently and fell into line trailing into the darkness behind their blind leader all but one.

A beautiful heavily pregnant she-cat with a pelt the color of gold leaves in Leaf Fall padded towards me; a big smile on her face.

“I am Autumn, your sister and I we’re very close friends” she meowed, her gaze faltered slightly as she turned her eyes to the log floor. “It was a horrible butchery what happened to her…” her voice cracked and my heart felt constricted, I didn’t want to hear anymore; “But she would be happy you’re here”