Cursed Division

Chapter 3

The morning approached slowly. It was early and the sun had barley risen when the day had brought destruction and despair. Ember went out early to hunt but never returned. Ember had told Midnight she was going to hunt. She had waited for Ember to return, keeping watch on the sleeping kittens and Hawk. After waiting some while, Midnight woke Hawk and the kits so they could accompany her to find Ember. Something felt wrong. It felt like something bad had happened to her. But Midnight had brushed off the bad feeling and hoped for the best. All four cats called out to Ember, their voice ringing through the trees. There was no response. Perhaps she had hunted farther away from the den in hope to find better prey. Midnight led the way, keeping the kittens close. Hawk tasted the air and sniffed bushes and brambles in hopes to find Ember's scent. Nothing. Frustrated, Midnight buried her claws in the soil. She couldn't have gone that far.

Everything was quiet until nearby a weak choking sound caused all the cat's to prick their ears and scramble over towards the sound.
"Hello?" Midnight called. They were answered by a weak cough.
Pushing through damp bushes, Midnight, Hawk, and the kittens emerged to where the struggle sounded from. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest as she saw a familiar figure laying limply in the dirt.
"Ember!" Midnight wailed as she bounded over towards her friend. As she got close, she saw that her friend's throat had been torn out.
She felt sick.
Crying mews pierced her ears.
"Mommy!"
"Mama, no!"
Pine and Flare raced to their mother's side.
"Mama, why is your neck red? Did you fall?"
"Why do you look so sleepy?"
"Do you need help?"
Midnight was about to tell the kittens that she was more than injured and that she may not be able to be helped but she couldn't bring herself to speak it aloud. The kits didn't understand death yet. Loud thunder began to rumble above. Great. Soft rain began to plaster down but no one seemed bothered. All attention was focused on Ember who's eyes glazed with pain. Midnight made her way over to Ember, Hawk at her heels.
"Ember, what's happened?"
Ember opened her mouth, blood dripping from her chin.
"Att-attacked... DeathBlood cat... F-fight over.. P-prey."
Everyone stood shocked, feet frozen to the ground.
"She be okay, won't she?" Pine asked, swinging his head towards Midnight.
"Oh my precious kits..." Ember began, sweeping her tail bringing her kittens close.
"Mommy got hurt by a bad guy, okay?" Ember told her children painfully.
"Why would bad guy wanna hurt you?" Flare asked, tilting her head.
"Because he was evil. There are bad cats in this world. That was one of them."
"Why are there evil cats?" Pine asked, his voice shaky.
"I don't know."
"Will the evil cats come after us?" Flare asked, her voice turning into a whimper.
"Of course not my precious ones. You are too good for this world."
Midnight nudged the kittens away softly and crouched beside Ember.
"We can help you, Ember. You aren't going to die, alright? I saved you once, I can save you again."
"Not this time, but thank you for saving me last time. It gave me a chance to give birth. Thank you Midnight."
"Don't talk like that." Midnight croaked.
"Th-this wound won't heal, my throat is ripped open."
Claws seemed to slice Midnight's chest. Paw steps sounded beside her. It was Hawk.
"I may have not known you long and I'm sorry for how we first greeted but know that it's okay. Me and Midnight will take care of your kits. You probably still don't trust me. I don't blame you. I'm a stranger who stumbled into your life so recently, so is Midnight. If this is your fate, then me and Midnight will leave this forest with Pine and Flare. No one deserves to die this way."
Ember's eyes clouded with watery emotion.
"Thank you."
Hawk touched her nose to Ember's.
"Of course."
"You can go now." Midnight whispered.
Ember gave a crooked grin and touched her paw to Midnight's before her eyes slowly closed and her breath becoming more and more shallow until her chest no longer rose of fell. Her body was limp and lifeless, blood pooling her throat.

"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up!" Flare wailed. Flare and Pine shook their mother's limp body.
"Get up! Why won't you wake up?"
"Midnight!" Pine cried. "Why don't mommy get up?"
Midnight couldn't find herself to tell the kittens the truth. Luckily Hawk did it for her.
"She's gone, little ones."
"What do you mean?"
"She is no longer here. She died. She went to heaven."
Pine and Flare finally seemed to understand and their painful cries made Midnight's world slow. But is she in heaven? She lived in DeathBlood, she had the curse. Both of those things result in eternal hell.
The rest of the day was full of misery. Not much words had been exchanged other than a few memoral words at Ember's burial. Her kittens had been wailing for hours and Hawk had swept them close with her tail, comforting them but it had did little to help. Rain was still plastering down and thunder rumbled in the distance. The cats had said their words to Ember's lifeless drenched body then Midnight had dragged the limp cat in her jaws and placed her gently in a hole they had dug for her body. Hawk placed a rose she had found and placed it on Ember's side. The kittens had tear stained eyes and crouched beside the hole, their whimpers nearly drowning out the sound of the soft rain. Hawk had swept the kits back as her and Midnight swept dirt over the body until it was completely covered then they smoothened the muck with their paws. Hawk had grabbed a stick and stuck it in the dirt to mark the burial site. After that they all sat silently, lost in their own thoughts until Midnight couldn't take it anymore and padded into the den without a word.