Spirit

CHAPTER FIVE

"So you have a mate. So what?" Rage burned under Ivory's pelt. Who does Fire think he is? She doesn't want to see some dopey she-cat who says she loves him every hour of the day.

"I don't have a mate," the ginger tom's voice broke with anger. "Just stop babbling like a kit and see."

He nodded towards a pair of small trees. Ivory could glimpse a beige tail tipped with white as the she-cat stepped out. Her dull yellow eyes were filled with love and worry. She suddenly lit up when she found the tabby she-cat.

"Ivory," she breathed. Ivory felt a twinge of pity for her mother's weak voice. Then she noticed one of her back legs had no pressure on it, and it was heavily scarred.

"Mother, what happened?"

Fire answered before Rosemary had a chance to speak. "When the Rogues attacked the Claw-Bearer camp. But of course you were too busy dying to notice."

The beige and ginger tabby was about to snap back, but she stopped herself. Fighting was not the answer, especially when her mother was here.

She suddenly heard a snap coming from the lake. Both she and Rosemary snapped their heads to look. On the surface of the lake, a forest shown and Ivory saw Dusk standing in the center of the lake. The snap was him stepping over a branch. He was terribly wounded and blood traced his pawsteps.

A pair of green eyes were watching him from the dense leaves.

"Behind you!" Ivory practically shrieked. Dusk didn't move. The tabby she-cat waited to see if her voice were to trace back to him anyways. It had to.

After a long while of anticipating movement, the dark ginger tom collapsed.

Not thinking, the beige and ginger she-cat darted towards Dusk. Her paws sank into the dirt, as if it was not dirt at all. It was water. This was still the lake, and she had made the mistake of putting a Spirit's life in front of her own. But it was too late.

Similar sounding pawsteps trailed behind her, and she noticed Rosemary was running after her.

"What were you thinking?" she tried to sound fierce, but her voice didn't allow that. "You could've died!"

As she followed her mother out of the lake, she cried, "Father was there, there was a forest and he was dying. I just wanted to save him."

Rosemary paused. "You saw Dusk." She stood in silence before adding, "I saw him too."

"What?" Ivory asked. "Can't we all see the Spirits of our loved ones?"

"Only the moment after they die," the beige and white she-cat answered. "Or sometimes not at all. This is long after Dusk died. I should've been the only one who'd seen the vision." She hobbled out of the water, followed by her daughter.

"Did you send me a vision?" the younger she-cat asked. "I dreamed that I was you."

Rosemary smiled. "I thought that would work."

~~~

Robin was waiting for her at the camp. "Where were you?" he asked. "Why are you all wet?" His nose wrinkled in the retaliation of disgust.

"I'd ask the same for you," Ivory replied. "You weren't there when I found Fire."

"Fire?" the golden tom asked.

"My brother," she almost hissed. "I was at Spirit Lake with him, and all was fine until I got curious." She rolled her eyes. "What were you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Robin cried. "I was looking for you! Hawthorn said it is time for you to take the test."

Ivory lashed her tail. "I've only trained once and I'm doing the activity that changes my whole life? Nobody has even seen me hunt!"

"I saw you fight me. Is that enough?" Her friend sighed. "Moon says that the first snowfall is going to happen earlier than usual. She keeps having dreams about being under snow, and sometimes even battles, turning the pure white ground red. Tests aren't supposed to happen during Snow-Season."

The she-cat replied, "Well are we going to do it now?"

Robin nodded silently, and Ivory followed him through the forest, until they reached a clearing—a circle of nothing surrounded by trees, moss, and flowers.

"Glad you could make it, Ivory," Hawthorn greeted. He sat around the edge with his fur barely touching the trunks of one of the huge oaks. Beside him were the leaders of the other groups—Rapid of the Claw-Bearers, Bright of the Blossom-Keepers, Shadow of the Spirit-Wanderers, and Singe.

"What is Singe doing here? Don't you hate her?" Ivory blurted.

"Singe is the leader of the Rogues, it only makes sense she'd come," Rapid said calmly, her blue-gray pelt rising slightly. "Besides, the day of the test is a peaceful time for the groups, to watch what you choose."

"I guess I can keep myself from trying to kill her," the beige and ginger she-cat murmured.

Singe ignored her. "Are you going to choose, or not?"