It was raining.

  It was storming, blue-white lightning cracked overhead, ferocious roars of thunder boomed in the distance, and endless, pebble-sized raindrops fell uncontrollably- splattering, falling, drenching everything in its path, the gray-black sky's tears.

  A russet she-cat was in the midst of it all.

  There were no trace of life, not even the tiniest scurries of mice, not even the shriek of monsters in the distance. No flashing, blinding light screeching in silent rage, no clank of cold, rotting metal bins shaking and groaning. Swaying lights slowly died away, and the street lamps crackled away, its eerie, unnatural orange-red glow that cast endless shadows, that reflected off countless drops of broken rain and rage now gone, quick as the howling wind, until all light disappeared.

  Then the she-cat was drenched in darkness and fear, in the coldest despair.

  Where are you? Spark screamed into the rain. Her words never did cut through the wailing wind. Amber! Fog! Where are you? Where am I?

  The she-cat allowed her eyes to close for a moment, reliving her search for Amber.

  Spark had gone soon after her friends left, and the time seemed so close, yet so far. She had kept her nose onto the ground, parting her jaws and scenting the air, until she caught a trace of her brother.

  He was nowhere near where he should be. The scent trail led away from their home, away from the park, into the darker, stinking alleyways. The alleyways where the rogues roamed.

  Spark, and the other loners, had grew up listening to tales about the rogues in the city. They are the evil of the world, their claws are sharpened on bones and their long fangs drip with more yellow drool than a dog. Yet there had been another tale. It was said that the leader of the rogues was the beauty of the world. She was the love of many, many toms, yet her eyes were frost and her fangs were poison. It was said that she could change any cat, twist their loyalties, alter their minds, until they are no more than her mere puppet, her killing minion.

  Spark never believed in it.

  The rain kept on falling. It kept on drumming, beating, pounding on the rust-tinged trashcans, the raindrops being reflected by the icy glitter of a lone open window in the distance.

  Then the rain stopped.

  The russet she-cat looked up. She haven't expected the rain to quell so soon, she had expected it to storm on and on until all who dare to stand in the rain melts into a pool of mud and misery. Yet the wind slowly died down, and the last spiking rain dropped from the sky and landed on Spark's nose. She flinched.

  The droplet was freezing on her nose, as splattering wet as any other, yet soon after Spark shivered for the last time, no more drops came. Nor had the sun came out of the still dark and stormy clouds, but the drenched wet she-cat could tell it's stopping for the while. And that's when the idea of sheltering dawned on Spark.

  Cursing herself for being so stupid, the russet she-cat slinked into the narrowest, darkest, and rustiest alleyway, attempting to be silent yet the trailing water that fell from her fur like a waterfall clanged noisily against the fallen-apart cobblestones. Perking her ears up, she listened for any sounds, any hints of rat or other creature, before curling clumsily into a ball of wet fur and took shelter beneath the rim of a twoleg structure. It was cold. And wet. The mud had dried up on her paws and her fur was ruffled by the constant, blowing rain breeze. Mist came along with it, hovering around the she-cat like a ghost, lost in the darkness.

  The ground was hard. Spark blinked away the mist endless times, and tried to groom herself under a trickle of light that came from nowhere. She cleaned her mud-caked paw before giving it a rough lick and drawing it over her ear. Grooming her shaggy and drenched pelt, she felt her eyelids flutter, her paws numb to the coldness, and her tail flick one last time before complete darkness fell...

~~~

  There had been no dreams. The entire length of Spark's rest she tumbled around, her mind never piecing together and her thoughts are slacken with tiredness. Short visions flashed in her mind's eye- storm, rain, crackling lightning, then the blood that splattered on the ground and the glistening, bared fangs. Every time she met the eyes of the screeching cat, pain split her head and she felt like she was drowning in scorching blood.

  Nothing had made sense, and when Spark woke up, she was feeling more groggy than she had ever been her entire life. Her head spun and the sky circled around her, and she felt like her pelt was burning. She stumbled along the path that led out of the alley, blackness creeping up to the edge of her vision, yet she refused to give up. The intense heat in her head was over-powering, and she finally collapsed in a heap of fur, eyes squeezed shut and tail curled tightly around her flank.

~~~

  I feel so cold. Spark shivered, curling her tail even closer. Yet I feel so warm. Why are my paws tingling? Why do my eyelids feel so heavy? Why is my head spinning, why am I drowning in fire and ice? I'm so cold... yet so warm. Am I dying?

  She clenched her jaws as another wave of pain hit her head, and her vision blurred even though her eyes are closed. Her pelt felt like it was on fire, she was so warm! Then why does she feel so cold inside? Why are the rocks so sharp around her paws?

  The moon came out.

  It was barely a sliver, half-hidden behind storm-ridden clouds. The edges were sharp, curling into the tiniest blade, like the claw of a cat.

  Like the claw of a cat.

  It was then that it struck her.

  It was a starless night, with a tiny, crescent sliver of the moon hanging in the sky, like the curled claw of a cat, waiting to pounce.

  Spark slowly swiveled her head around, listening to any signs of danger. There was none. Yet that doesn't mean there wasn't danger lurking in the shadows. That doesn't mean the glinting eyes in the corner don't exist...

  She blinked rapidly and stared in the corner again. Whatever the moonlight had reflected off of wasn't there anymore, or were her eyes playing tricks on her? Her heart thundered in her chest, and she felt her neck fur stiffen and bristle in a single motion.

  It's coming. She told herself.  

  Behind her the shadows moved. Hissing silently, Spark edged away, fear clinging to her pelt and her eyes were wide and frantic. The shadows trembled again, and the two glints of light appeared once more. Spark screeched out in fear, however her voice was silent and her words were unheard, carried away by the fog.

  The shadows slinked closer. Spark turned around, fear making her paws nimble and her head feel less heavy. Her gaze raked the alley for an exit, and she bolted with her heart jumping in her throat. She's going to make it! Her spirit rose and her paws slowed down with relief for just the moment.

  Mistake.

  The shadow suddenly lunged, and just seconds later Spark felt a choking weight on her throat. Her paws flailed around mid-air, and rough, scratchy voices sounded behind her. Twolegs! She thought frantically. A crooked, menacing laughed echoed strangely in the night, and hard hands gripped her as she scrabbled around hopelessly, eyes closing once more.

  Spark was falling.

~~~

Okay! Hope you liked it! I actually put a lot of work into this chapter, and I hope I had established the mood well? So, tell me, how much do you love cliffhangers? >:D As an author, I'd give it an 11/10. Anyways, please consider voting and commenting if you liked it, and don't be a silent reader, give me some courage to write more XD! Jk. Thank you for being here!
~River

Edited by Spirit.