Spirit's Journey

CHAPTER 77- Hannah: Leaping

This is for me to do.

I just felt it.

Without putting in a second thought, I leaped forward onto Ash's back and sank my claws in. The old wolf felt scrawny and had thin fur, so it wasn't hard to draw blood. Knocked on the ground, Ash tried to scramble away as I ripped a piece of his ear off with my teeth, dropped it, and pelted.

"Kill her!" He howled, drowning out Daisy's alarm. I'd chose to run in a moment's notice because no other cat had thought to lead the wolves over the cliff. Someone had to do it, and I would so that Diamond wasn't in danger and this fight would be over.

"Stay back!" I said franticly, shoving her aside. Diamond's eyes were watery and full of fear as she tumbled backwards, away from me and the wolves. Spirit must be horrified, I knew, but I had to do this alone. Ash wouldn't hurt any cat every again, after this. And his daughter, I hoped, was not far behind. She hadn't been spotted the whole fight.

There was no way we could of lasted any longer. Already some cheetahs were dead- I'd saw their bodies strewn across the ground like prey. At least most of them had made it to safety, stored in the reeds below the tree where Fallan was hiding. But that was on the other side of the river, farther upland.

I was heading in the opposite direction. The wolves breath was hot on my back legs. One of them got a hold on my tail, but I ripped it free. When I stumbled they almost caught me, but suddenly I could see it- a flash of white against the grass, reflecting the dying light. A gurgling sound could be heard from far below, over the crevice where these wolves would plummit to their deaths.

"Hannah! Stop!" Diamond screamed from behind the bodies of wolves. I looked back, realizing that almost all of them had went after me. Ash was glaring hatred with his head low, one ear ripped and bleeding.

I skidded to a halt right beside the cliff. Below my paws, the ground crumbled away slightly. There was no chance of jumping to the other side- it was several cat-lengths long.

I hadn't thought of this. In our plan, we'd said we were going to push the wolves off the edge- but sooner or later they would realize what was happening and some would escape. From the corner of my vision, I could see Spirit skid to a halt beside Storm. She looked determined and began to shove and claw at the heels of the wolves. Midnight, Aspen and Storm joined in until they were jostling together.

Suddenly a red wolf close to the cliff got shoved by another wolf, and tumbled over the edge. There was a thump before she hit the water and dissapeared underneath it, which was frothing and tossing dangerously at this part of the river. The rocks underneath were making the water move fast.

"Russet!" One of the wolves howled in grief. I wondered if it was her mate, and felt my chest tighten with pity at how this wolf would feel. At least, in the end- he would get to see her again. They would be together, in whatever afterlife that the Howler had created for these wolves.

"You killed her. So now we're going to kill you. Just like your mother," Ash added on, causing my fur to bush out in hatred.

"How much more pain are you going to cost us? There's no reason for this!"

"Yes, there is. Wolves are the natural rulers over all animals, and cats are our enemies. Your whole species deserves to die!" He smirked despite the chunk of ear taken out, despite his one blind eye. I let my hackles fall, knowing that this long grudge against cats was about to be over. His hatred had to be rooted in Spirit's claws, that had scored his eye and made him half-blind long ago. As for Mace, Ash's daughter, he'd turned her into a spitting image to continue on his legacy. I only hoped, after this, she wouldn't bother us anymore.

Without an army, they will be nothing.

Snarling erupted from behind. Wolves were biting and snapping at each other, wriggling to get free. But cheetah's were blocking their way to freedom, and now they were starting to realize what we were doing.

"They're going to push us over the edge!" The dog among their pack lifted it's head and erupted into frantic barks, thrashing his legs. A wolf beside him glared and sunk his fangs into the dogs haunches, causing him to leap away in fear. The black-and-tan dog's claws caught on the edge of the cliff but didn't hold tight enough- he fell over, howls cut off as he hit the water. Where he'd first started slipping the ground was soft and crumbly. I glanced at it and then back at the wolves.

Beyond the wolves bodies, I could see Diamond. She was so young and beautiful, just blossomed from kit-hood into being a full grown cat. I was glad I'd been able to watch her grow up. To foster her, from a tiny kitten with just-opened eyes. She stared at me now, her eyes wide and fearful. They glistened, as if she understood.

"Please don't go," I thought I could hear her say but the wolves were growing more frantic, drowning everything out. They were starting to push against Storm, Spirit, and the rest of the cheetahs. The wounds on my fur stung as I bunched my muscles, crouching down to get a better view of my kit.

"I'll always be watching over you," I let Diamond know before I turned, raked my claws across a wolf's muzzle. I shoved aside a yellow one, then two grey's, slashing my claws through their pelts until they howled. Diamond's eyes were full of water now, her fur bushed out and terrified. But I kept pushing through the bodies until I reached Ash, shoving and kicking. One of the wolves fell off the cliff, and then another and another.

"Wait- stop! Hannah is right there!" Spirit yowled but it was too late. I bared my teeth just as Ash did, stood my ground as chaos erupted.

"What's your little plan, cat? It isn't going to work," he advised as the wolves stilled around him. Spirit was stopping her plan because of me, because she didn't want to push me over the edge.

Well, I wasn't getting pushed.

"This is for my mother," I snarled and lurched forward, digging my claws and teeth into Ash's neck. He fought immediantly, shoving me off. I could hear snarls erupting from farther away, where Spirit was standing. She was fighting a huge, black mound. It was Mace, the leader wolf.

"Pathetic," Ash spat his hatred through bloody fangs. I noticed with satisfaction that his pelt had less wounds than mine. "Kill her now! Once and for all," he barks out an order and two or three wolves don't hesitate. Ash lurches forward with them, his eyes burning with the desire to end my life like he ended my mother's so long ago.

"Hannah!" Was the last thing I heard, combined with a howl of pain from Mace. The huge black wolf must have been struck down, and with the rest of Ash's pack gone no cat would run from them again.

Diamond was close to the edge- she was coming too close. One of the wolves on the side, surrounding me, lurches towards her and she flinched away. Without thinking, I ducked around their legs and sunk my teeth into it's legs. Diamond was backing away, pain and fear in her wide blue eyes.

I'm sorry I had to die right in front of you, like Spirit, Fallan and I endured.

"I'll always love you," I said to her as fangs sunk deep into my haunch and tail. Ripping away from them, feeling blood begin to pour from the bite-wounds, I hurled myself over the edge of the cliff.

The world was a blur for a few seconds. I could make out the rushing water below me, and the brown side of the cliff, and the bodies of wolves falling beside me as the cliff gave way from too much weight. Some wolves like Ash, I knew, had jumped over the edge themselves in the effort to reach me out of pure rage.

The thing I thought about was Diamond, and how I wanted her safe. And the final thought, right before the water hit, was Blaze.