Chapter 9

  Gloria raced through the forest just to see Sunset, holding silver in his arms disintegrate into the shield, which shrunk and was gone entirely before she reached the hooded figure. It was floating about a cat-tails length above the grass, which was withered and spreading as the hood turned to look at her. This could not be happening. She had done something wrong. It was already too early for the shadow-hearts to enter the light. The war was happening. She had to help, then go to Sunset and take them to cat isle. The machine had to be perfected.

  Using the rising day communication system, she licked a dna pad and her account was revealed.

  Name: Morning Glory

  Age: 26

  Profession(s): undercover spy for the rising day technicians

  Family: Sunfall of the rising day tribe, (unknown) of the (unknown)

  Powers: sunrise/sunfall travel, heat wave, sunpower, sun slash, blue blaze, glory mask, spark mind

  New powers: inferno shield, the sever(results depend on the level of the cat)

  She sighed. Of course he wouldn’t have registered for an application. Her love was always. So. Stubborn. They would be meeting soon. She had to ensure he was alive when they met him because he was a key part in the Time Machine. If they went before, they could leave before their pst selves arrived. However, according to the state they were in now they needed st least a month to prepare. This was going to be a long while.

  Gloria exited her own profile and used her rising day paw print to access the contact helpline. There was a button tailored especially for her, labelled ‘early due date.’ This was for the prophecy. Amber would understand her intentions, after chugging a cup of coffee. With a sigh, she ordered a golden sun latte and opened the day delivery service. The coffee turned into tiny particles that zipped through the air before dissipating into the headquarters of Rising Day. She made sure to leave a note on there, with all the details of what had happened.

  Next it was time to check her adopted son’s. Sunset was a neat and organised freak at times but his room in the rising day HQ was strewn with his belongings whenever he had to go on a mission. It had been exactly 2749 hours and 38 minutes since he had left. 2805 hours and 14 minutes since she had left. He had known about this, of course and thought she was attending a meeting. It was far too late for him to stop her, as the decoy had muddled his brain until a spark had gone off its back. Through the communicator she had watched him tear the HQ down looking for her. He was mad at her.

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  She entered his profile.

  Name: Sunfall/Sunset/Sunningset of the rising day tribe (currently in cooperation with crimson frond)

  Age: 15

  Profession(s): ‘flame of the fire’ in the omen, swore-bonded to Silvester of the (unknown)

  Family: morning glory of the rising day tribe, (unknown) of the (unknown)

  Powers: heat spots, sunrise/sunfall travel, sun slash, white blaze, inferno whip, flaming claws, crossfire

  New powers: circle of the nine fires, foxfire(results depend on the level of the cat)

  No cat had the foxfire and circle of nine fire abilities since the era of raging storm, amber had said, so many long years ago. She still missed them now, her first friends in the burnt down academy. Her memories were returning and she could more often than less-piece a few things together. After all, his power came from her, though it was dormant. They would make a goof pair, Silvester and Sunset were a good pair. Would they realise that they had the dame mother? Only time would tell. She turned back to the communicator and searched up one last name.

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  Loading.. black diamond.. server processing.. account found.

  He was there.

  They had to move fast.

  Silver

  She could vaguely feel her limbs as she struggled to intake air, her eyes rolling. She had to stay awake.. for Gloria and the prophecy.. it was too early to die. She needed more time. A sudden movement and hushed voices directed her attention to the angry meowing somewhere far, far away—she must not slip into the blackness, into the dark who waited for her like an old friend though she did not know it. She had to survive this, though her heart felt so tired from beating even in the worst situations. Would it be nice to fall into oblivion? Suddenly rapid thumping made her body jerk as something heavy pounded on her. She was dead, wasn’t she? If so then why was her mind roaming pure blackness? No light seemed to come from anywhere. Her eyelids still couldn’t be lifted. Then, sad sobs approaching her. Too late, it came as she felt her mind starting to detach from her body, her consciousness levitating to meet two distant figures shadowed by the light that had sprung up from nowhere.

  ‘Am I dead?’ She asked, too awed in the moment to feel anything else. ‘No, and yes.’ One of them said, its figure slowly tilting some sort of head to one side. ‘Fear but welcome them, for those who walk on the path unknown have more and less choice upon them.’ ‘When the colour of blood stains your paws, the nights will grow haunted and days ablaze with light. ‘It said that to me already-it said that! Why are you repeating what has been said?’ Silver asked, suspicion in her eyes. She was not normal, but it had already happened. What use was there to be stating the past? ‘Ah, for the past is the only source of the future. As you know about the first, why not tell the second?’ ‘Wha-?’ Silver gawked as the two’s eyes began to glow in different colours. The one that had been speaking had a fierce red glow around them, while the other had a calming blue shine. ‘O listen, ancient young.’

  When the colour of blood stains your paws, when the devil gazes in awe,

  The nights will grow haunted, withered from light

  and all the days shall shine too bright-

  When the wronged becomes the right

  ‘Tis Astra will be alive, in vain

  Or the world shall know them sanity in pain

  The blue figure looked back at her, one last time and whispered the first words she had spoken, in a millennium she had retained her silence. It would be the last she would say, unbeknownst to Silver who was being dragged back by the hands of heavenly evil.

  ‘Come through, veins of the ashen pact , bind her will to them together, with a breaking act.

  Thou shall be despair, but thou shall be spared

  Light will wield, then shadow, then both

  For from this day I take the oath’

  And to Silver’s last remaining form as she was pulled back;

  ‘Apologies, we cannot go on.’

  And glorious, real light hit her at full blast, the world in front of her eyes sharpening until two emerald green-no.. they were definitely Sunset’s amber eyes staring back at her. Something was off with the way he stood, as if he were adjusting to.. something. Perhaps it was only her newly born vision or maybe her mind was still ringing with the dark omen they had sent. Who were they again? Why did she always have such strange things happening to her? Before, she was a regular cat, happily hunting prey in the forest. What had happened now? It was so distant, so it seemed to her.

  Maple

  She had come back, as she knew she would. Did they speak truly the words of the omen or was she too distracted to notice? They had all watched it before, of course for they were supposed to guide her for her sake. What would happen after? The universe held no answer, and the stars simply stared back at her as she was sitting on a field dappled with red and orange tulips. They had swayed in the breeze, as any ordinary flowers would, but they also told her the stories and secrets of passengers who passed this field. Silver must have come here, maybe a long time ago, far back into the past. They greeted her now, as her memory connected with the scarlet petals she could so clearly see. It was time to go back, now that silver was safe in sunset’s arms. His father was safe as well, for he was still sitting-wait. Where was he?

  Blood, more blood hit her. No. He couldn’t be dead, if he was dead they didn’t have enough time to plan, they had to act now. As soon as he died, she knew that Gloria would slowly perish as well because of the alliance bond. ‘Sycamore, poplar, go and save Sunningset’s father. Sunningset, did you create the bond yet? We’re out of time, get her back on her feet as soon as possible. If you must, temporarily intertwine silver and his soul strings together. They shall be weaker, but stronger.’ ‘So i have found out.’ Sunset didn’t seem surprised at that. ‘He did tell me, though I still do not know his name.’ ‘Good. Work on her internal injuries first, her blood loss will be replenished by his own type which should be honey amber mixed with morning dewdrop. ‘ maple sighed, then attached herself to the paradise she once lived in. ‘Give me the initials, maple- ‘ ‘its HAMD, now GET OUT I am trying to focus!’ Maple yanked on the mind string and her consciousness arrived to the place beyond the hills. As the real world disappeared into swirls of cold mist, she heard one last thing shouted by Sycamore. ‘There’s a hole where the arteries are being split, quick-close that-no, poplar- from the sides!’

  She was back in her new body, the one that had been possessed so long ago. It was a discarded corpse now, its spirit inhabitant long gone. It had finally been purified by the wild to somewhat resemble the cat she once was. A worthy sacrifice for the cat called Maple Scarlett-fallow, once known as Amber Daffodil.