Endless Sky ~New Beginning~

Chapter Twentythree

A sudden yowl cracked the air, but it wasn't Mila. Someone else had shown up, just in time.
OStar felt the yellow cat shift to look up before the weight was suddenly removed.
She took no time to get back to her paws and shake off her pelt, freed from the claws of death.
OStar turned toward the ball of fur of the fighting cats. Grey and yellow for Mila, purple for...
"Mystic?!" OStar gasped, recognizing the unique shade of purple from the prophet.
Mystic sprang away from Mila, back arched and fur bristled as she hissed.
The cyborg hissed back, furious.
"I knew someone else was here!" she snarled.
"You leave OStar alone. She's not worth your time," Mystic growled. "Don't take out your anger on innocent people. She did nothing to you."
Mila only scoffed. "Doesn't matter, she was the one in my way," she replied with an eye roll.
"Or maybe you were in her way. This is her universe, not yours," the prophet answered back, holding her ground. Mila blinked in surprise, having had no idea this wreckage was actually OStar's old home.
OStar stayed quiet during the standoff, having no idea what to do, or what to say.
"It doesn't matter," Mila finally hissed, "This place has been destroyed for years, why did she suddenly decide to come back now?"
"Why did you decide to suddenly go back to OCTown?" Mystic shot back.
That didn't sit well with the cyborg.
She snarled before letting out a screech of fury, leaping at Mystic.
The prophet tried to nimbly dodge to the side, but Mila was quick to lash out with a wing.
A normal wing would do nothing except maybe knock one off balance, but these were metal. OStar watched it slice through Mystic's fur as if it were nothing more than wrapping paper.
Mystic shrieked in pain at the new gash as Mila spun around and tackled her to the ground. They grappled once more, scattering blood and fur.
OStar stepped back, her breath quickening as she tried to figure out what she should do. Maybe she should help fight or leave to get Roxxan and the others. She couldn't let Mystic get killed by this psychotic cat!
OStar opened her mouth to call out to her purple friend, but nothing came out, she was too afraid.
Mystic managed to break free, bearing new wounds as she staggered back. "Charlotte is already coming with the others, if you don't want a repeat of last time, you should go," she snarled, panting.
Mila, having fewer wounds, only growled back. Her side where Charlotte had stabbed her looked fine, but as OStar squinted she was able to see some parted fur showing the location of the still-healing wound.
"Go," Mystic tried again, baring her teeth.
The silence dragged on as Mila still didn't move, nor say anything. The tension kept OStar glued to the spot. She waited for something to happen, someone to move.
Was it true that Charlotte and the others were coming? Or was Mystic bluffing when she said that, to make it seem like backup was going to arrive.
It was impossible to see the prophet's expression though her battle-ready face.
"Your lies can't get through me," Mila hissed finally, shaking her head. "You could've brought them with you when you arrived, why didn't you?" she continued.
Mystic stayed silent, OStar spotted the flash of fear in her eyes, but so did Mila.
The cyborg cracked out in laughter, having called out Mystic's bluff.
"Did you really think it was that easy? How would your so-called 'backup' even know how to get here? HA, I can see through you like a ghost," she sneered, crouching down and preparing another attack.
OStar began to panic, she needed to do something now, before something horrible happened.
She wanted to keep her friends out of her problems. Even though she only knew the prophet for a day and didn't fully trust her, she was still a friend. Friend of her own friends. Mystic was only trying to protect OStar, after all.
"She could have been much clearer with her warning though," a small part of her pointed out.
A yowl cut through her thoughts as Mila launched another attack at Mystic, resulting in another tussle.
OStar knew this wouldn't last long.
"Mystic!" she finally managed to call out, shaking in fear and realizing she had no idea how to fight.
Mystic seemed not to have heard OStar as she tried to shove Mila down, ultimately failing as the stronger cat managed to kick her legs out from under her.
The prophet fell back, wincing in pain from her many cuts and gashes, Mila quickly pinned her down.
Things started to slow down.
OStar felt herself lose the ability to breathe as the enemy raised a paw, silver claws outstretched.
Every second lasted longer than it should have, each expression clear as day, each emotion powerful.
Mystic was wide-eyed and horrified, even her third eye, which had been closed the entire time, had opened in fear. Mila was full of triumph, a malicious grin on her face as her claws almost gleamed, even without any sunlight or light in general.
OStar could only watch, helpless, as her claws struck down, making their mark.
Even at a distance, the blood was visible and red, spewing out of Mystic's throat.
Mila quickly hopped off the dying body, but stayed nearby to watch.
Gasping for breath, the purple cat lay there, flopping onto her side. There was nothing anyone could do. Even if OStar tried to run back to OCTown to call for help and bring the others, by the time she had returned, Mystic would be dead, and Mila most likely gone.
"This is all my fault, I should've done something," OStar thought, watching in horror as Mystic looked at her with pleading, tear-filled eyes.
Everything was quite except for the shallow gasps from the dying cat. Nobody moved. Nobody said anything. Everything was silent as Mystic's life slowly left her body, each breath weakening before finally stopping.
It felt like a blanket of curses and misfortune was cast onto OStar. It was the start of a long and arduous journey that not only followed her, but all her friends back in OCTown.
OStar had come alone hoping to keep them out of trouble, but now it felt like she had doomed them all.
Mila turned to the white cat with cold narrowed eyes, blood still splattered over her, either her own, or Mystic's.
OStar's hackles raised as she stepped back with a hiss, feeling the silver box move under one of her hind paws. She glanced back, alerted and remembering what she had found here.
Taking her chance, Mila hissed and charged at her opponent quickly, her claws scraping the oddly solid ground.
OStar felt something grab her body, forcing her to move and jump to the side, only just barely managing to keep her pelt from being shredded.
Whatever this odd force was, it kept its grip as OStar leaped at Mila's side, reaching for the folded metal wings.
She had only a few seconds to work before Mila flared open her wings.
If OStar jumped back too early, she'd done no damage, too soon, she might end up minus her paws. Or worse. Headless.
Black smoke quickly sprouted and started eating away the wings upon contact, just like some paper on fire.
Mila didn't feel anything, but she knew something was wrong as she tried to open her wings to knock OStar off.
Now.
OStar pulled her forepaws back. For a moment, she hung there, unbalanced, as instincts told her to twist and land on her paws. But that wasn't her plan.
Risking it all, OStar lifted her hind legs and put all her force into kicking the cyborg's side.
Mila yelped as her body was suddenly shoved away, thudding down on her side. OStar fell off onto her back with no time to land on her paws.
With Mila on the ground, possibly winded and startled, OStar twisted to her paws and sprinted for the box.
The attack had lasted only a few seconds, the odd force still guiding her, or possibly controlling her. Maybe it was her fight or flight reflexes that kicked in, or just instincts. OStar didn't care. All that mattered now, was to escape.
She swiftly scooped the box into her jaws, holding on tightly as she glanced back at Mila.
The cat had finally come back to her senses and arose, snarling with rage as she whipped her head around to face OStar.
OStar felt her fur rise along her spine. "Run," Cat's voice demanded, the force vanishing as OStar suddenly sprinted away, her wings partially opening as she planned a takeoff.
She heard Mila yowl behind her, guessing the psychotic cat had put up a chase based on her heavy paw steps.
If everything had gone according to plan...
OStar jumped and opened her wings, flapping them to keep off the ground. It was hard with nothing but dead air, but manageable with the adrenaline rush she felt.
Mila tried the same, but the smoke had eaten away nearly half of one of her wings. The thin, feather-like but solid blades on her left wing looked lacey, many blades missing or pitted with holes. Her take off was unbalanced as she wobbled and collapsed on the ground, yelping once again.
OStar watched as she flew off, startled at what she had managed to do. She had practically forgotten all about her magic.
It was pleasing, watching the cat struggle and look confusedly at her wing.
Saying Mila was pissed was an understatement when all she was able to do was watch OStar fly away.
She felt like laughing, more out of nervousness, but still a laugh.
She had almost died.
Someone did die.
Everything that had just happened was something about which she'd had no suspicion, not even the slightest, nor did Cat or Pargenti. At least she thought so.
It would be ironic for Cat to lead OStar here to die only to tell her to run afterward.
She shook her head slightly to clear it, focusing on opening a large distance between her and Mila.
Even when the land seemed flat and clear, OStar realized that after a certain distance, anyone or anything vanishes. That could explain how she hadn't seen Mila as she was exploring.
Maybe now was a safe time to land.
The adrenaline was wearing off and each flap was an effort as OStar slowed down and made a rough landing.
Dropping the box, she took a chance to take a few deep breaths. For a second, OStar felt like passing out. She staggered as the world spun around her.
"No, not now, she'll catch up if I sleep!" she thought, forcefully pulling herself together.
"OStar?" a sudden familiar voice spoke.
OStar nearly jumped with joy as she turned to see practically all her friends, Avaro, Lucerne, Roxxan, Estella, Rual, and Charlotte, the one who spoke.
She took a step toward them, but stopped and waited instead, not wanting to leave the box behind. Whatever it was, she knew it was important. It's why she'd come here, why she'd risked her life and gotten someone killed.
That didn't help OStar's mood.
"OStar, what the HELL is going on?!" Roxxan demanded as the group met up with the white cat.
"I-It's a long story," OStar started, trying to not think too much about the recent events. There would be other times to cry and mourn for Mystic, just not now.
"We have to leave, now," she said, fiddling with the locket around her neck.
"Why? What is this place??" Roxxan continued, wanting answers.
"I'll explain. Later," OStar said again with a slight growl.
The robot frowned, but finally stayed silent.
As OStar was taking off her necklace, Charlotte picked up the small silver box. "What's this?" she asked.
"How many times do I have to say this? I will explain. Late-,"
Thud.
Everyone froze.
"What was that?" Lucerne squeaked.
Thud.
"Something big..." Rual murmured.
Thud.
OStar looked behind her, the direction everyone else was looking, and felt her blood run cold.
In the distance, with glowing eyes, something massive materialized and was quickly making its way toward them.