Spirit's Journey

CHAPTER 75- Spirit: Into Battle

The mass of bodies on the horizon only grew wider and wider, until it seemed to darken the sky. Bronze stood next to me, stiff. On the other size of my flank, Storm's muzzle wrinkled.

"Wolves."

"No..." Midnight meows in distress, and I hear some cat gasp.

"There's so many of them!"

"Is it really?" I've been looking away, refusing to believe this. Refusing to believe that after traveling so far it had come to this. Refusing to believe my mother was wrong about this place and that wolves could in fact easily reach it like any other determined animal.

"This isn't good. Have they been tracking you here?" By now the wolves scent was strong and carried on the breeze, causing some cheetahs to burst out into nervous chatter.

"Not that we know of. We lost three that captured us in a fire," I mumbled. "And never saw them after we escaped."

"But Ash was already on his way to us then. He's been following all along!" Hannah wails, causing me to grow desperate for some control.

"We're going to die," Fallan yowled, so different than she'd been just ten minutes ago. My breathing picked up as I came to terms with all the turmoil we were about to face.

Wolves were here, and this time it was a whole pack. A huge one.

"What do we do?" I asked, and every cat in my Pride looked at me expectantly. I knew I was the leader, but I needed help this time.

"What Spirit is trying to say is, do we want to run or fight this time?"

Well spoken, Midnight.

"I want to fight," Storm said with a growl. He swiped a large black paw through the air, tainted with black thorn-like claws. Whatever the majority of my Pride wanted, was what I was in for. Secretly I knew it was wiser to run and gave us a better chance of survival. But where else could we run after this, and for how long would it hide us?

"We aren't going to have our Pride-lands taken over," Bronze stated. The dark tan cheetah with yellow eyes had a deep voice compared to his two sons, who stood beside him and spoke their agreement. One whose name I didn't know, probably the second in command, commented further.

"We're going to need help from all the cheetah Prides. I'd say there's about forty minutes before they reach us."

"Good. Then you take Daisy with you, while Leap and Prowl head for the opposite direction. Hurry, so we can share the plan when we get back."

"So it's decided and we're really fighting?" Hannah interrupts their conversation. She looked frantic, digging her claws into the ground. Diamond stared towards the mass off dark bodies and turned her head.

"We have to or we'll just keep running our whole lives. Right?"

Her bright blue eyes sought mine for approval, and I nodded, proud of the now-grown calico cat. She had come farther than a lot of cats I knew, and still didn't know her real mother like so many in our Pride.

"If we have to fight for anything, it needs to be here. For our own territory, and with other cheetahs around us." I hoped my words brought faith to those like Hannah and Fallan, but just then my younger sister let out another whine.

"I can't fight. What do I do?"

Storm moved forward. His gaze was dark and worried.

"Fallan, you should probably go towards the river with Diamond now. It's the safest place to hide, in a tree near the opposite side of the waterline. Roll in something to hide your-"