Chapter 18: Explode

The waves of heat from the dying sun, the long black shadows that crossed her eyes, the taste of blood in her mouth. Jay forgot it all as she stared at the smirking face before her. Her claws were unsheathed and curled tight, she felt her loose, supple body tighten in ready for battle.

The cold rage she kept in her chest was fizzling, starting a burning sensation throughout her. But she held it back, keeping her veins full of ice and her gaze unnervingly sharp. Ash watched her with a lofty expression, but she could see in his eyes that he was carefully analyzing her. She noticed his head tucked into his chin, signaling he was taking this fight seriously.

Good, I'd hate for him to roll over and die. The pain of helplessness will be sweeter to give when he's trying. They stared at each other, waiting for who would make the first move. The coarse caw of a crow broke the intense staring match and Jay sprung forward.

In the few fleeting seconds it took for her to cover the ground between Ash and herself, Jay recalled every moment of training she'd ever done, every blow she'd ever received, every wound she'd ever dealt. She had it all in her, she would win this fight.

Jay kept her eyes centered on Ash, not betraying where she would strike and as she got closer and still hadn't made her target clear, she saw a faint flicker of panic. It disappeared swiftly as he charged her, forcing her to avoid him since he was the bigger cat.

It was easy to see he was trying to get behind her, but that didn't bother her, she used the sound of his paw steps to find where he was before launching herself into the air, spinning around by use of her tail. Had he not pulled back in time she would have landed on his head and crushed his skull.

Still, he was so shocked that while he spent half a second recovering she raked her claws across her muzzle, sending drops of blood flying. She followed up on the blow by spinning around and balancing on her forepaws, using the strength of her back paws and the momentum of her spin to hit him in the side of the head hard enough that he fell sideways to the ground.

Jay turned to face him again but he had quickly rolled away and stood as far away as he had at the start of the fight. Jay scowled, "Fight for real, this is no fun!" she hissed.

Ash calmly used a paw to swipe away the blood on his face and rubbed his head where he had hit the ground. "I've never seen that move before," he commented quietly, looking at her again with arrogance.

Jay felt cold rage build up in her once more, but she didn't let it turn hot yet. His impudence would be thrown right back in his face if he didn't act. Ash seemed to realize this, for he made the first move this time, running toward her with startling speed. However, compared to a WindClan cat, he was slow as a turtle.

Jay saw him lean in one direction while his eyes were on the other. That made it difficult to decide which way he was aiming, so she watched his paws and waiting for him to strike out in one direction or the other. When he was two steps in front of her his paws drew close together and she saw he was going to leap.

When his forepaws had lifted off the ground Jay bowled into him, using her head against his stomach to send him tumbling backwards. Seizing her chance, she leaped on him while he was on the ground and raked her claws down his sides. She felt vaguely disappointed, he was neither putting up a very good fight nor screaming in pain.

Jay felt her heart thump in her throat as he surged up with a feat of strength and sent her flying, hitting the ground on her side and skidding on the grass for a good three tail-lengths. Now Ash was upon her, ripping and tearing at her skin and fur with vicious blows.

The pain scorched across her skin and Jay glared at nothing as Ash's claws pulled and tore at seemingly every place. Just like he did with the eagle, she saw the picture in her head of him swarming over the eagle, tearing and plucking and she had a vision of him doing the same to her.

In an incredibly risky move, she flipped onto her back and as his claws dug into her belly she gave a hearty shriek and pushed him off with her back paws, making sure her claws were sheathed so as not to get caught in his fur. He grunted as he was thrown clean of her and she flipped herself back onto her paws, settling into a crouch.

Her breathing was ragged and she could feel blood trickling from her wounds, none of them were terribly deep, but they smarted terribly. Ash had suffered damage too and seemed to be panting same as her, his own fur started to mat in places where the blood was soaking into his pelt. He stared at her and shook himself vigorously, "Ready to give up?" he called.

"Bite me," Jay retorted, "And stop running away! If we were in a real battle you'd be torn to shreds! Or trampled on, frankly, either would be fine with me,"

"This has been going on for awhile, hasn't it?" Ash mused.

Jay's pelt itched, she wasn't here to talk to him. She charged for him again, "Just die already," she scowled, seeming him turn to leap away. The second he leaped so did she, landing beside him and batting at his face with a flurry of blows.

Ash used his forepaws to block most of the damage to his face but when Jay took a step back she saw his forepaws were all cut up. The easiest way to defeat a cat is to go for their paws, if they can't use their paws they can't fight. It was one of the first things any apprentice learned and Jay hadn't forgotten about it.

Lunging for him, she felt his claws slice over her skin, but she hit her mark, grabbing both of his back legs at the joint and hitting them hard so that he fell flat on his belly. The fight was half won as Jay pounced on his back, forcing out an "Ooof!" And flattening him to the ground. Burying her teeth in his neck and raking her claws over his spine she finally tore from him a pain-wrenched screech.

And now her cap was off. The cold rage in her belly was ignited by his pain and she was filled with fire. Her vision blurred red as she tore, scratched, slice, hit, pulled, bit, and pummeled the piece of flesh beneath her. The scent of blood washed over her, sweet and sour like an ocean breeze and the metallic taste in her mouth made her drool.

Her conscious gently poked at her to let up her attack and eventually she tore herself away, remembering she was here to get her kits. Stepping back she felt grim satisfaction to see the orange tom torn at almost part, his fur drenched in blood as a trail of the red liquid ran down the hill. Ash didn't move or make a sound so she wondered if he were still alive.

Moving close enough she put her muzzle down close to his muzzle. His eyes were closed, his face twisted in pain, but a gurgling breath stirred her whiskers. He was still alive, for now, but he was far from consciousness. Turning her back in the bloody body, she marched onward toward the cave.

Her body was weighed with tiredness and the sun was disappearing behind the mountains, leaving the valley in cool shade. The refreshing night air chased the heated rage from her and even the burning desire for blood had diminished. She was going to march right into the cave, take her kits, and leave. Any cat that got in her way would pay with their own blood.

The fresh breeze that flowed down the mountain relieved the pain of her scratches and she felt fresh strength enter her at the thought of seeing her kits again. It had been less than one day, but it felt like moons since she'd seen their sweet little faces.

Jay looked up at the cave with a rush of joy, she'd never imagined she could feel such happiness looking up at the cave with its ivy covering and little waterfall streaming down its side. She caught the flash of fur at the entrance and knew she'd been spotted, but that was of no consequence. The she-cats couldn't stop her and neither could a pair of old hunters.

She could do whatever she wanted, Jay flexed her claws, thinking of a particular cat who would be curled in a soft mossy nest, eyes looking sightlessly around. She wondered if it would be satisfying in the slightest to snuff out that life? No,it was probably more trouble than it was worth, a life of blind loneliness was a fine punishment anyways.

The gray she-cat marched up the mountainside, finding it much easier now that she wasn't heavy with kits. She reached the cave and turned for a moment to look out over the valley. The battle, if it hadn't been concluded yet, was out of sight and earshot, but she fancied she could hear the far off shrieks echoing off the mountain. The valley itself looked gray as evening crept between the trees and over the hills, filling the ditches and fattening the shadows.

The curtain was falling across the mountains, so also upon the Ivy Cats. Jay purred and stepped boldly into the cave, her hollow shadow cast across the familiar dappled stone and the deathly silent cats.

Jay looked around with a pleased expression. She felt a gross satisfaction to see the cats looking at her in horror. She was sure her reappearance was unexpected, and her outward appearance- fur splattered with blood, red stained teeth and paws- was probably less then comforting.

She could see all the cats pressed up against the walls; Flower, Swoop, Vale, Cascade, Tinge, Silk, Feather, Tallow, and even Rainfall. Jay allowed her pleasant expression and smoldering eyes to rest on the rebellious looking she-cat a moment longer.

Turning, she spotted Pepper and Tangle standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the herb den- probably protecting Thunderstorm. Little Eagle lay between them, curled upon the ground and fast asleep. No cat spoke to her as her paw steps echoed through the cave.

That didn't concern her though, so long as no cat didn't confront her, they could do what they liked. At first she started for the kit den where she had left her kits but after a step or two halted, drawing in the scents. She spun around and marched straight for the hunters kit den.

Again, no cat lifted a paw to stop her, they only watched her with quiet, confused eyes. She entered the kit den, finding it larger and more round than the fighters. The ceiling was domed and there was a hole in the cave high along the wall where a bit of ivy grew but where the cool night air came in along with a bit of twilight.

Not that she much noticed this, her eyes being irresistibly drawn to her kits. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until she felt the deep sigh escape her and relief fill her with weak-relief. Her kits looked unscathed, all three of them were curled around each other.

Jay purred and wrapped herself around them, pulling them to her belly where they quickly latched on to nurse. That was another relief, for she had been feeling uncomfortable for a while. She purred and groomed her kits, washing away the faint scent of Swoop, who must have been acting as a foster-mother for the day.

Their tiny purrs showed that they had recognized her as their real mother and she felt tender delight fill her as they nuzzled their little noses into her fur. Jay lay with them, not sleeping, but watching them with her head resting on her paws till the stars came out and the hoot of an owl played delicately on the soft breeze. All thoughts of leaving had floated away.

Eagle had at this time the misfortune of coming into the den, unaware that she had returned. Upon seeing her he gave a screech and hurled himself at her back which was turned toward the entrance. He was screaming curses that Jay had seldom heard come from so squeaky a voice.

She would have batted him away with a gentle hiss, but one of his flailing paws hit Hail over the head and the little tom-kit let out a wail. Jay's head shot up, ears pricked and her body tense with alertness. After seeing that it was no more than a bump she turned on Eagle who was still batting at her.

Jay imagined that with the shadows and faint beam of starlight she looked rather terrifying, looming over the kit with her blood stained teeth and ferocious growl. The little tom kit ran from the den with a terrified wail as Jay glared after him.

But now she looked around and felt a bit perturbed. It was late, the sun had now fully set, and she'd been listening the whole time. No cat had returned. The battle couldn't still be going on, surely? Her stomach twisted as she thought of Ash, he was dead by now, he had to be. And yet, she remembered his smirk when he faced her, as if everything were going his way.

She didn't know what his plan had been or if it had been stopped. But she realized one thing; staying here any longer would not only be pointless, but dangerous. She had to leave immediately. She looked at her three kits and purred gently, as they were disturbed by her tensing up. "Come on, sweet ones, we're going to go home," she cooed, taking them by the scruff as she had last night and rising, padded out of the cave.

Most of the cats had fallen asleep in silent anxiety. Even Tangle had curled up on the ground in front of the herb den. As Jay walked by she met Pepper's eyes, those blue eyes stared back at her, those old tired eyes that looked at her with deep sadness. They had seen so much, but they wouldn't see much more.

Jay felt a strange prick of guilt that she so closely resembled Rainstone. She was sure her appearance itself had brought up painful memories, but there was nothing anyone could do about the past. She looked down at her kits, swaying gently from her grip, she could only protect the future.

She stepped out of the silent cave into the night air, eyes lifted merrily to the twinkling stars. This was it! She was going home! Eyes fixed on the ground, she left the cave and padded down the mountainside, looking for one moment in the direction where the battle had occurred.

Jay turned her back on it, striding determinately forward. She had waited for this moment for over a moon, the moment she would take her kits home and start a new life. Yes, she was shedding her old life and taking on a new one much like how the forest shed its richness during leaf-bare and then sprouted in fresh glory in new-leaf.

... Amelia's POV...

The black she-cat watched with narrowed eyes as the gray she-cat in front of her sprang away, moving swiftly in a route that would cut off the path of a few Ivy Cats that were creeping up on the battle. Amelia sighed, this battle was too chaotic to be interesting.

She turned away as she saw Jay fall into battle with the distant patrol and leaped to the ground with the boulder between her and the battle. These cats were so noisy, at least in the Clans cats didn't shriek at every scratch. Walking through the forest the din of the battle didn't seem to fade and the black she-cat scowled, climbing onto a patch of moss and curling down. She'd go check on the battle later.

Closing her eyes, she wondered how much of this battle had been a surprise for Jay. She, of course, had known exactly what was going on. She even knew that Ash had another plan in mind, but even though she'd once known, it'd vanished from her memory. It would be curious to see what happened.

Rolling on her back she looked up through the leaves at the sky which was turning a rusty orange. Was Jay fighting Ash right now? She'd seen the tom sitting as sentry on the pathway to the cave, when Jay finished with that patrol she'd head straight for him. She's probably so furious about him taking her kits that she won't think twice about killing him.

And she had little doubt that Jay was capable, she'd seen the gray she-cat fight up close and had she been any less skilled she would have felt threatened by the younger she-cat. Amelia had also seen Ash fight and although he may be a match for a normal young warrior back in the Clans, Jay wasn't the usual young warrior. And she probably had more to fight for than most cats.

Yep, by the end of the day Python will win. Of course, Ash must know this, so what is his plan? She didn't particularity care, she could avoid it easily and Jay was better at getting into his head than she was anyways.

She flattened her ears and groaned up at the sky, the cats were so noisy! Rolling onto her paws the sleek black she-cat stood up and glared at a patch of ferns in the distance. Leaping up into the small elm tree above her head she crossed the distance in silence until she stood directly above the fern patch.

Two pairs of ears were poked out of the bush and they were murmuring too\ each other. It was easy for Amelia to recognize the cats. It was Dusty and Whirl, the two youngest members of the cats in Brie's group. They were about seven moons old and they could only put up a mediocre fight at best.

But Amelia found them spying on her in poor taste. They must have been sent to round up any cats that ran away from the battle, but it was irksome that they didn't even know her scent as different from Python's cats who smelt of sand and sun.

Dropping down behind them she saw the brown and black cats start and spin around to face her, finding her glowering over them. They shook and stared at her for some moments before turning and running away. Amelia glared after them, uninterested in fighting them.

Something else had caught her attention. Pricking her ears she heard an incoherent babbling as if she were listening to speech from under water. Shaking her head she stood up on her hind legs as if that would help her hear better. It sounded eerily haunting, as if she had heard it before. It struck a chill down her spine, but she wasn't scared... yet.

Frowning, she started padding back toward the battle since that seemed to be where the chatter was coming from. Her ears pricked and a frown on her face she slipped between the shadows of the forest, silent as a weightless shadow.

The chatter grew louder and she felt like she ought to know these words, these sounds seemed so familiar. Amelia halted. She remembered where she had heard this before. The memory was broken, like a half-forgotten dream that slipped through the awakened conscious like sunbeams through fog.

This was the sound she'd heard when she was heading up into the eastern mountain, the noise that had led to the crescent arch. The path where memories were stolen from you. Amelia felt a powerful urge to turn back; to leave and avoid this whole episode.

But curiosity drove her on. This was her chance to see what it was that had lain behind the stone arch, and possibly find out what had taken her memories, and more importantly, why. She dropped to a crouch as the light at the edge of the forest- orange and slanted with huge gashes of shadow scored through it- appeared.

She stopped, her breath still as the noise of the battle stopped abruptly and even the babble ceased, becoming one incoherent voice speaking across the silence. Quickening her pace, Amelia slunk behind the boulder that was at the edge of the woods and which blocked her view of the battlefield.

She could now clearly hear a voice and its words, it held a kind of authority and grave power, like that of a mentor over an apprentice. "We have left you to your own devices for too long. You've grown greedy, self-serving, viscous, and in every way you've degraded the nobility of cats," the grave voice was saying, it sounded almost familiar to Amelia but she didn't have a face to go with the voice.

"We have been fighting for just that purpose! To restore peace and prosperity," a voice dissented, it was a strong, low voice and Amelia guessed it was Python.

"No," a different voice returned coldly, "You've been fighting for your own delusional ideals. You want power and you want every cat to accept your own standards of what you perceive is right and wrong."

"And what's wrong with that? Some cat has to show others what is good and what is bad!" That was Glade, Amelia knew the gray she-cat was usually cool-voiced, but she seemed fired up now.

"As the victors, we now have the right to do whatever we want with you," the cold voice mewed, it was feminine but there was a shade in the tongue that struck Amelia as ruthless. It was not a tone many cats had or many cats could detect. She herself sometimes used it, and Jay often used it, unconsciously of course.

"We haven't lost!" A voice mewed defiantly and several cats mewed their agreement- Amelia felt it was curious that both Ivy Cats and Python's cats were in agreement for the moment when they had been locked in furious battle heartbeats before.

"No, but you would, " the first voice mewed again, in the same grave matter. "You are all exhausted and torn to shreds as a result of your own violence. Barely a pawful of you would be able to give any resistance, and against us, any resistance would be futile."

Amelia's curiosity was peaked, but so was her weariness. She took a deep breath and could smell only the stench of blood and cold fear as the working of war took a drastically different turn. The wind was blowing off the mountain toward her, so it was unlikely she'd been discovered.

She dared a peak around the great gray boulder. The clearing was covered in cats and spotted with blood. The shadows cast by the rocks covered most cats with darkness, but two cats stood on the boulder opposite of Amelia in full light. They both had white pelts that glowed despite the fading light. The one that stood higher had white eyes that stared sightlessly around her, and yet, they were simply overflowing with intelligence and wisdom as if the full moon had grown a twin and settled itself in her eyes, it was breathtaking.

The other cat, a she-cat with violet eyes that looked very pale stood with an air of detached superiority and looked down upon the cats. This was the cat with the ruthless edge in her otherwise pretty voice. Around them stood well over a dozen cats with scratch-free pelts and eyes brimming with strength.

It was true that at the moment the battle-weary cats before them would hardly prove difficult to defeat. Most cats seemed to have resigned themselves to that fact though they by no means looked like they were ready to submit. The smart thing to do would be to buy your time until you are strong enough to resist, either Python's cats or the Ivy Cats could beat them at full strength...

"Of course, we don't expect you all to readily submit to our authority. There will need to be an incentive," the pale eyed white she-cat continued, starting off on a rant of how they were the 'enlightened' and were led by the light of the stars. It was hardly going to convince these cats to submit, but they listened with interest and especially the cats that had held the mountain pass seemed swayed by the stirring ideas.

The older white she-cat lifted her head again, "We do not wish to be your enemies, but your friends. Not your rulers, but your fellows; however, you must accept a few things and for the moment we will start with three rules."

The younger white cat spoke again, "One, rebellion is intolerable. Two, my mother, Blanche," the white she-cat glanced up at the blind she-cat, "Is the supreme judge. Third, we will live together in one common home and we will either gather together all the cats in the valley or drive them all out."

Growls rippled through the cats, they were getting tired of this nonsense. One cat rose out of the crowd, his dark shoulders gleaming though they were ruffled from the brawl. It was Python and he stared dead straight at the two white she-cats. "You want us to give ourselves to you? That will never happen, we've fought long and hard, our work will not bring us to being rules by strange cats with stranger rules!"

The violet eyed she-cat leaped to the ground and moved through the crowd of cats that parted around her, stopping in front of Python, her held tilted up to look at the tom who made her seem small and frail by comparison. But it was an illusion, Amelia knew, and Python knew as well for he stood defensibly, watching the she-cat warily.

Amelia saw it happen, but she couldn't hardly believe it. The white she-cat did nothing but stare silently at Python, and yet... and yet! The massive tom gave a chocking a cough and without another word collapsed; Amelia could just see blood trickling out of his mouth and his eyes staring wide-open at nothing. A ripple of horror went through the cats and they all took a step away from the white she-cat- some cat gave an ear-splitting screech at the sight of Python on the ground.

"I hate resorting to violence, but we have a duty and we will not rest until it is complete," the white she-cat mewed, her eyes contained a gleam of madness in their depths and Amelia shrank back behind the rock.

The cats in the clearing had become frightened, their stank fear scent masked even the smell of blood on the battlefield. "Now come with us, we will make a home where all can be happy and free," a new voice invited and a chorus of friendly voices pulled the frightened cats toward them. Amelia didn't see what happened next but the cats were trooping off, heading in the direction of the Ivy Cats cave.

Amelia watched them, the strange cats leading the way with bright eyes and raised tails. The other cats watched with suspicion and fear, some had sadness as they looked back at Python's immobile body. Theirs was an overall atmosphere of rebellion, but they were too frightened of what had happened to Python to do anything at this moment.

The last cats to leave were the two white she-cats, the younger one leading the blind cat after the others had gone. Their pelts glowed luminescent in the shadows. As they were disappearing from view, the blind cat turned and looked at Amelia as if she had really seen her.

The black she-cat was trapped in the white gaze. It seemed to turn over every inch of her and dig into her heart with unbridled scrutiny. A memory flashed, she had seen this gaze before; this feeling was familiar. Cold certainty filled her belly with a sickening weight as the cats disappeared for good.

She knew she had seen this cat before. She knew this wasn't as surprising as it seemed, but she didn't know why. Turning, Amelia went into the abandoned battlefield and approached Python's limp body. Gaulish curiosity pulled at her to see the corpse, to find what had killed him. Had the she-cat moved so quickly that she hadn't seen her strike? That was the most reasonable explanation.

But she could see from a distance that the only blood that flowed came from his mouth and all of the wounds he'd suffered during the battle were shallow. Amelia's ears pricked as he gave a single wheezing cough, he wasn't dead yet?

She hurried to his side, putting her muzzle down near his so that she could check his breathing and he could see her. His blue eyes were tight with pain and the dimness of fading light was glazed over them. "It is all over," he whispered, staring at her with a sort of shocked hopelessness.

Amelia didn't answer, feeling awkward that she would be the last cat he saw when she'd never seen him closer than at a distance. "The cats will live on," she offered soothingly, frowning at the blood that trickled from his mouth, had he bit his tongue?

"But they are not free!" Python argued pitifully, trying and failing to move his head, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Redcough? No, he isn't sick. Amelia continued looking for the source of his impending death. "The Ivy Cats have not been destroyed, and these new cats, they will be no good either! My dream is dead."

"And soon you will be too," Amelia mewed, "What is it that hurts?" she asked.

Python closed his eyes, "My chest hurts... it hurts so much."

Amelia put her ear to his chest, only a faint breath stirred it to life and even that was fading quickly. "When has destruction ever brought freedom? It only brings chaos, death, and pain," she mewed. There was nothing wrong with his chest, expect the lack of breath.

The tom was laboring and more blood trickled from his mouth, "It hurts," he sighed.

Amelia looked at the pain construed face and took pity on him, "The pain will be gone soon, close your eyes and count to three," she told him gently.

The tom obeyed, closing his eyes and relaxing his body against the ground, "One," he began, "Two," he took a breath.

But it was unnecessary. The breath was silenced as Amelia snapped his neck with a clean bite as if he had been a fragile bit of prey. Looking at the now dead tom, Amelia felt perturbed. She didn't know what had caused his injury, and that meant she couldn't prevent it from happening. Which meant every cat in the valley was in danger.

Amelia whirled around; she needed to share this information with Jay and they needed to make some plan before they were backed into a corner where they had no choice but to submit of die.

The storms of change had now crashed upon the tranquil valley, but the fight had only just begun.