******
Muddy water splashed into Obsidian's paws and stung her eyes. She charged through the rain, thunder ringing in her ears and mud caking her paws. She still held a white, waterproof package tightly in her teeth. This had been a message for the Cats of the Tunnels of No Escape....
No! Don't think about that! Just run! Run to the palace, run to your sister. Run! Fear rose in her chest and painfully bubbled in her stomach as a horrible memory struck her like a bolt of lighting.
Finally, she skidded to a stop on the sodden, slippery grass in front of a hill. She pushed a stick that was to the side of the small hill. A large, heavy door swung open into a cave and a long, windy series of tunnels. Without hesitation, the small messenger entered the tunnel. It went for some time in the complete dark of a single tunnel. Then it forked into two entrances. Obsidian entered the one on the left. It forked again soon after, this time into three tunnels. This time, the little black and orange cat hesitated.
At this time in the night, she should be in the conference room with Fire. Obsidian thought, darting into the tunnel entrance on the right.
Sure enough, there was another small she-cat and a bulky orange tom in a large space where the tunnel opened into a comfortable room. At the moment, though, Obsidian had something else on her mind.
Obsidian spat the message out onto the smooth earthen floor of the cave. "Coal!" Obsidian meowed, slight edge to her voice. "May I speak to you in private?"
"O-okay..." Coal, Obsidian's sister, sounded confused. "Fire, would you mind so much as to leave for the moment? I believe my sister would like to speak to me. I will meet you back at your place."
"All right. Don't rush yourselves. I'm going to go hunting," Fire, the second in command of the Cats of the Majestic Ways, meowed. Then he bounded away into the darkness.
Obsidian waited until the sound of Fire's pawsteps faded away. Then she whipped around to face her sister, still panting from her long run, her eyes wide. "Coal! Oh, Coal, please tell me that I didn't see it! Please tell me that it didn't happen!"
"What? What happened? What did you see?" Coal said, shifting her paws nervously on the floor of the cave.
"Jag! I was bringing the message to the Cats of the Tunnels of No Escape, when I saw Jag k-k-kill Sniper!" Obsidian stammered, wincing as the bloody seen flashed through her mind.
"No! Jag couldn't! He's the second in command! Sniper was the leader... Second in command's are supposed to be trusted!" Coal gasped, the fur on the back of her neck bristling.
"I-I wanted to help him... I did! But, it felt as if my feet w-were stuck to the ground... And Jag, he's stolen the leadership of the Cats of the Tunnels of No Escape! I... I...." Obsidian's mew trailed off.
"No... No... this can't be happening...." Coal was struck with fear, grief, and anger by the terrible news.
No! Don't think about that! Just run! Run to the palace, run to your sister. Run! Fear rose in her chest and painfully bubbled in her stomach as a horrible memory struck her like a bolt of lighting.
Finally, she skidded to a stop on the sodden, slippery grass in front of a hill. She pushed a stick that was to the side of the small hill. A large, heavy door swung open into a cave and a long, windy series of tunnels. Without hesitation, the small messenger entered the tunnel. It went for some time in the complete dark of a single tunnel. Then it forked into two entrances. Obsidian entered the one on the left. It forked again soon after, this time into three tunnels. This time, the little black and orange cat hesitated.
At this time in the night, she should be in the conference room with Fire. Obsidian thought, darting into the tunnel entrance on the right.
Sure enough, there was another small she-cat and a bulky orange tom in a large space where the tunnel opened into a comfortable room. At the moment, though, Obsidian had something else on her mind.
Obsidian spat the message out onto the smooth earthen floor of the cave. "Coal!" Obsidian meowed, slight edge to her voice. "May I speak to you in private?"
"O-okay..." Coal, Obsidian's sister, sounded confused. "Fire, would you mind so much as to leave for the moment? I believe my sister would like to speak to me. I will meet you back at your place."
"All right. Don't rush yourselves. I'm going to go hunting," Fire, the second in command of the Cats of the Majestic Ways, meowed. Then he bounded away into the darkness.
Obsidian waited until the sound of Fire's pawsteps faded away. Then she whipped around to face her sister, still panting from her long run, her eyes wide. "Coal! Oh, Coal, please tell me that I didn't see it! Please tell me that it didn't happen!"
"What? What happened? What did you see?" Coal said, shifting her paws nervously on the floor of the cave.
"Jag! I was bringing the message to the Cats of the Tunnels of No Escape, when I saw Jag k-k-kill Sniper!" Obsidian stammered, wincing as the bloody seen flashed through her mind.
"No! Jag couldn't! He's the second in command! Sniper was the leader... Second in command's are supposed to be trusted!" Coal gasped, the fur on the back of her neck bristling.
"I-I wanted to help him... I did! But, it felt as if my feet w-were stuck to the ground... And Jag, he's stolen the leadership of the Cats of the Tunnels of No Escape! I... I...." Obsidian's mew trailed off.
"No... No... this can't be happening...." Coal was struck with fear, grief, and anger by the terrible news.
******
Phantom lifted her head after some time. She opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze pieced the little black messenger, Obsidian, as she entered the room.
"Phantom, leader of the Cats of the Majestic Ways," Obsidian said formally with great effort to keep her meow even.
At that moment, Phantoms eyes fully opened and her head fully rose. "The Tribes of the majestic Ways will meet great tragedy at the loss of a single cat, with many others following its fate...."
-KittyLover8
© 2012
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