~The Shadow's Omen~ My story please read :)

[water1997]

Awesome! Can you pleaseeeeee post the next chapter!

 

[OwlLover]

I'm working on it! It'll be up in 1-2 hours, promise!

 

[OwlLover]

Chapter 3

Sorrelfur found herself beside Foxshadow in the lush green valley. She took in its crisp scent, but it suddenly didn't feel so welcoming anymore. She saw Rocky a few feet away, his chest heaving and eyes wide. "What just happened...?" She breathed, taking in what had happened seemingly just minutes before.

Rocky staggered to his feet, looking up at the sky. "Kate..." he breathed, his eyes distant and sad, "how..."

Sorrelfur's ears swiveled as she realized Foxshadow was padding away, ears and tail drooped. "Foxshadow?"

Almost instantly his ears perked up, and he turned around. "Sorrelfur! I thought we got separated." He brushed up against his sister's fur.

Sorrelfur purred, but suddenly remembering he was there, she turned her head to look for Rocky. "Rocky?" She called. He wasn't there. She blinked, "Rocky?" She called again.

The somber arctic fox looked up, his eyes full of sadness and grief that were impossible to understand. "You two... find your parents or stay somewhere safe. I need to find my mate and save her. Or die trying." He turned and began to walk away, his tail dragging in the dirt and staining the white fur a muddy brown.

"Wait!" Foxshadow called, pelting after him. Rocky turned to look at him. "Let us go with you. Kate was our friend." His expression was dead serious, and he almost looked like an adult cat.

Rocky sighed, "No. You're too young; you'll probably just get yourself killed."

"We don't care," Sorrelfur said bravely, padding beside Foxshadow. "Thunder hurt Nakota as well as Kate. We want to save her."

Touched by the kittens' determination and bravery, Rocky nodded slowly. "Alright, you may join me. But if I think for a minute that your lives are in danger, I won't let you. Understood?"

Foxshadow scoffed, "Danger? Danger's my middle name!" Sorrelfur gave him a look that was a mix between "Really?" and "knock it off". "What?" Foxshadow asked, not understanding. Sorrelfur exhaled with a whoosh. Her brother could be so irritating at the worst times.

"First things first, we need to try and find the other guardians," Rocky said. "Then, we-"

"Then we fight?" Foxshadow said excitedly.

"No. Then if they've all been captured, which I suspect that they have, we'll need to collect allies. I-"

"After that do we fight?"

"No," Rocky replied, his voice stiff with irritation, "I know a few who will help us. General North, the general of the Rainean Army, and a cat called Bluestar. She's distrustful but her team is a force to be reckoned with; together they are nearly unstoppable."

"And then we fight?"

"No!" Rocky snapped, his ears flat. "When we fight, I'll tell you! Alright?"

Foxshadow shrunk back, his ears falling and he gave a small nod. Sorrelfur frowned; he looked pitiful submitting like that, but she did have to admit, he was egging Rocky on. She listened intently as Rocky explained his plan, and a new determination flared in her eyes. I will save Nakota and Kate and help take Thunder down.

***

Later on, Sorrelfur, Foxshadow, and Rocky made a small camp nearby, in the thick of tall evergreens and pines. Rocky had his own den in a nearby large rock, while Sorrelfur and Foxshadow stayed in a den between two boulders. It was small, but comfortable. Sorrelfur awoke to the sound of a bat fluttering by the entrance noisily, and she tried to go back to sleep, but it was futile. The day's events just would not permit her to.

She sat up towards the entrance, looking around. Against the midnight sky, the trees appeared as merely shadows. In the distance, she could see the mountains, reaching for the stars. From here, they appeared so small, and the valley so big. A shiver ran down her spine, making her neck fur bristle as she thought of what would happen if it fell to Thunder's control. Gazing up at the stars and Silverpelt, her thoughts wandered. Father... are you up there? Watching me? She felt grief strike her all over again as she remembered her father, the large dark gray tom with a white chest, tail tip, and front paw. He had fallen down the seemingly bottomless gorge of the valley of shadows.

"Y-you're up early," Foxshadow stammered behind her, his voice snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned her head to look at her brother, who was standing now.

"I guess you could say that," she meowed, turning to look back at the sky, which had begun to pale ever so slightly.

"I was hoping I could, uh, bring back some fresh-kill for you," he stammered again, coming up with an excuse on the fly for trying to sneak out.

Sorrelfur purred with amusement, "Oh, sure you were."

"I was!" He insisted indignantly.

"I know you well enough, Foxshadow," Sorrelfur meowed, her whiskers twitching with amusement. Foxshadow looked at his paws, his ears falling in shame.

"What harm could it do?" He asked, lifting his head.

"Well, for one, you would have probably freaked us out," she meowed.

"Alright, alright," he grumbled, "sheesh. You sound like our mom." Sorrelfur burst out laughing and purring, and Foxshadow hid a smile.

"Well, what do you say we go hunt?" Sorrelfur suggested, meeting her brother's gaze.

"Sure!" He smiled, trotting out of the den. "I'll go towards the west side, you go check out the mountains."

"Alright," Sorrelfur smiled, turning tail and pelting towards the mountains. A mischievious smile curled up around her muzzle as she ran, "I'll catch more fresh-kill than you!" She called to her brother.

"Oh no you won't!" Foxshadow called back over his shoulder, but he was too far for her to hear him.

***

Sorrelfur padded through a forest in the mountains, her tail low. She hadn't managed to find hardly anything, and what she had found, she had only succeeded in scaring away. I guess I didn't get more fresh-kill than my brother after all... In fact, not even a single scrap. The sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon, its stunning orange glow stretching across the forest. As the trees cast their shadows, they striped the forest floor like a tiger's pelt.

Her paws aching, Sorrelfur glanced around for a place where she could temporarily rest. She had hardly gotten any sleep during the night, and she had been walking for at least an hour. Her heart lifted when she saw a cave nearby; feeling a small burst of energy, she pelted towards it, welcoming a chilly breeze that ruffled her fur and carried the wonderful scent of the pine trees.

Her sore paws relished the chilly stone on the ground of the cave. It was very large, and many tunnels hooked off it, going this way and that. Towards the far end, there was pure darkness, and Sorrelfur not only was too tired to care, she didn't want to know if there was something else living there. Stretching, she curled up into a ball between a large stone and the entrance. But she had only lie there for a few minutes when a voice echoed off the walls, and Sorrelfur's head shot up.

"HEY!"

Sorrelfur's paws quivered uneasily. What if she had intruded into someone else's cave?

A pair of yellow eyes appeared in the darkness. "Who are you?" The voice demanded.

"S-sorrelfur," she stammered, her heart hammering.

"Well, Sorrelfur," the voice spat her name, "what are you doing in my cave? You reek of Thunder!"

"I'm just resting. I'm sorry I intruded," Sorrelfur replied calmly, feeling her senses come back to her.

"Well, get out," the voice demanded, with the faintest hint of a snarl.

Sorrelfur almost got to her paws to leave, but suddenly felt a new fire within her. She was not a helpless kitten anymore who needed to be protected; she would not be bullied by this creature who didn't even have the courage to show herself. "No," she said firmly.

"Wrong choice," the voice replied simply. Suddenly, an icy blast of wind, full of hailstones and sleet, slammed into Sorrelfur's side. She let out a yelp as it forced the air out of her lungs, and she was sent flying out of the cave, skidding against the ground. Trying to catch her breath, she had the wind knocked out of her again as she was thrown against a tree. Raising a paw to shield herself from a few remaining hailstones, she heard a voice mutter inside the cave, "that'll teach her."

Sorrelfur felt fury inside her and heard her blood begin to roar in her ears. Now she was mad. That's IT! Instinctually, she unsheathed her claws as she ran back into the cave. "I'll stay in any cave I want to!" She snarled into the darkness.

"I'm afraid you're wrong," the voice replied calmly. Another gust of wind, this one much stronger, sent her flying out of the cave again. She flew by the trees and landed with a grunt in the clearing, having the wind knocked out of her once again.

"That mouse-brain probably fractured my ribs," she muttered, rising to her feet and beginning to make her way back to the cave, but froze when she saw a gryphon, a wolf, and a mountain lion making her way towards her. Paling, she turned tail and ran the other way, not daring to look back. She felt the ground thunder below her; the other creatures were in hot pursuit. She felt her heart sink as she saw a cliff up ahead, oh no, I don't have wings! She quickly looked over her shoulder at the creatures, feeling her heart fall to her paws as she saw them only about 6 feet behind. "Aaaah!" She screamed as her forepaws came out from under her. She flew off the cliff, feeling adrenaline pump through her veins as the ground came closer and closer.

Somebody help me!

She tried to scream a plead for help, but her words died in the wind. Turning her head back towards the sky, she saw the wolf and mountain lion looking down over the cliff, and the gryphon diving down towards her. This is the end... I'm sorry, Nakota, Foxshadow, Kate, mother..!

 

[OwlLover]

The Gryphon-

The Mountain Lion-

The Wolf-

 

[OwlLover]

thump

 

[Chickenfan4life]

As epic as ever! Keep it up! (P.S, I LOOOOOOOVE the characters!

 

[water1997]

Awesome again! Can you PLEASE post the next chapter????

 

[OwlLover]

Chapter 4

Sorrelfur closed her eyes tightly, preparing to feel the impact of the ground or the gryphon's talons shredding her skin. But all she felt was sudden softness; she had stopped falling! Hesitantly opening her eyes, she saw what had caught her. It was a gryphon, but not white like the previous one had been. This one had the front of a barred owl and had brown plumage; the back was that of a small size long haired cat. But this one was just as big, if not bigger, than the one who had been chasing her. "W-who are you?" Sorrelfur asked, her voice shaking from adrenaline, "And why did you save me?"

"My name is of no concern to you," the brown gryphon said simply. "I saved you because I couldn't just stand by and let them maul a helpless kitten to death. That is cowardice, both on their part for attacking someone who can't fight back and on my part for not standing up to them."

"Thank you..." Sorrelfur mewed, feeling grateful.

"It's not a problem." The gryphon landed and extended a wing so that she could get off. "Now run along."

Sorrelfur began to walk down her wing, when she remembered something. "Wait!"

"What?" The gryphon's jet black orbs for eyes met Sorrelfur's.

"What about that other gryphon? Won't she do the same thing to you?"

"Oh, she won't. If she picks a fight with me, I'll fling her halfway across Rainea." The gryphon wiggled her wing to urge Sorrelfur off. "But don't be worrying about me."

"Yes," Sorrelfur said quietly. A bit louder, she added, "thank you!" before bounding off.

***

After Sorrelfur got back, she explained to Rocky and Foxshadow what had happened back in the mountains. Rocky's fur was bristling angrily, and Foxshadow's claws sheathed and unsheathed.

"Did you get hurt?" Foxshadow asked his sister when she was finished, concerned for her.

"Not really, just had the wind knocked out of me a few times."

"I know that it's rude to go inside someone's den without permission, but trying to kill them? Really? That's a bit overboard," Rocky muttered to himself as he helped himself to a dove that Foxshadow had caught.

"Mouse-brains," Foxshadow growled darkly, "they lay a claw on my sister and I'll rip them to shreds."

After Sorrelfur ate, she curled up in a patch of grass to sunbathe. "We'll need to find General North as soon as possible. After that, we'll need to find Faina, Skylar, and Lana. I don't know them very well, but they're friends of Gen. North and if they see us with him, they'll come." Foxshadow and Sorrelfur nodded in agreement.

***

Sorrelfur was galloping through one of the many forests of the valley; how she got here she would never know. She came upon a wolf, and she almost instantly recognized it as Thunder. She gasped in surprise, instinctually unsheathing her claws. There seemed to be some kind of invisible barrier between Sorrelfur and Thunder; whenever she ran into it she would just bounce backwards. Upon closer inspection, she saw that Thunder was going through a book, muttering to himself.

"Not you... too slow... too weak... not fast enough... not as cunning as I'd have liked... aha! You're perfect," Thunder smirked. He began to chant an ancient spell, as purple mist began to form. Sorrelfur watched with wide eyes. The mist took on the shape of a large black horse; it had scars laced down its neck.

"What can I do for you, master?" The horse asked Thunder, bowing humbly.

"Sorrelfur! Wake up!"

Sorrelfur awoke with a start, finding Foxshadow standing over her. "You okay?" He asked her quickly, worry clouding his emerald green eyes, "You were yowling so loudly you could probably have been heard from the dark forest!"

Sorrelfur got to her feet groggily, "yeah, I'm fine... just weird dream."

Foxshadow breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay. I'm going to go hunting, I'll be back soon!" He turned tail and pelted through the entrance, heading for a clearing in the valley.

Sorrelfur smiled as she watched her brother go, then lay back down. She blinked, What did that dream mean? Stretching, she decided that she would continue napping until Foxshadow came back.

***

After they had eaten, Sorrelfur, Foxshadow, and Rocky headed to Gen. North's base in the mountains. Many times Sorrelfur was tempted to break away from Rocky to hunt a mouse, but stayed behind Rocky.

"Here we are," Rocky said as they reached a massive cave. He motioned with his tail for the two kittens to stop, "be careful." He padded into the cave, searching for Gen. North.

"Hello!" Said a voice behind them. The kittens spun around to see who it was; behind them was a large black hippogryph.

"Are you Gen. North?" Foxshadow mewed.

The hippogryph nodded. "Yes, I am. What brings you to my cave?"

Rocky explained what had happened with Thunder, Nakota, and Kate. North nodded gravely, "I received a message from Nakota a few days ago," he said, "I believe that the other guardians are in danger as well. This Thunder must be very powerful to have captured the guardians."

Rocky nodded solemnly, "will you help us?"

"Of course!" North said. He closed his eyes and began chanting some words under his breath. "My friends, the time for war has come again." Two shapes faded out of the rocks; one was a blue pegasus and the other was a golden tabby tom cat.

Rocky couldn't help feeling disappointed. "Is that all?"

North sighed, "yes. Everyone except these three have all left; they retired. Or perhaps some joined Thunder."

Rocky frowned, but decided that it was better than nothing. "Well, what are your names?"

"I'm Storm," the pegasus said.

"Sunfire," the tabby tom said.

Rocky dipped his head. "We appreciate your help," he said. "Now," he said briskly, "we need to find Faina, Skylar and Lana. They're in these mountains somewhere."

"We should split up," North said, "Sunfire and I will look west. Storm will go south."

"I'll look north," Rocky added.

"Sorrelfur and I will look east," Foxshadow said. Sorrelfur shifted her paws uneasily; she did not want to run into that gryphon again.

North nodded. "Alright. If you don't find them by sunset, meet back here by moonhigh." He then turned tail and left with Sunfire.

***

"You didn't find them?" Rocky couldn't hide the disappointment on his face as Sorrelfur and Foxshadow came back empty handed.

"Nope," Foxshadow sighed.

"We'll resume our search in the morning," North said encouragingly. Foxshadow curled up beside a rock, and Sorrelfur followed him, feeling reassured by his scent.

***

Sorrelfur was awoken by a ray of sunlight shining into her face. She looked around for Foxshadow, but saw that he was gone. Must be out hunting, she thought to herself. With a purr of amusement she added, or maybe sneaked out in the night. She swiveled her ears as she heard Rocky awakening. She stretched before she plopped back down onto the ground, still exhausted from searching yesterday. She watched Rocky with one eye open, swiveling her ears as she heard voices outside, along with the sound of pounding footsteps.

"This isn't good," one voice said, "if Thunder managed to capture Nakota, we're in big trouble."

"I know. They seem to know who her allies are, too, what with that thing that tried to eavesdrop on our conversation the other day."

"We need to find Gen. North," a third voice said, "but first we need to find Suzie and Nyght."

She heard Rocky cut them off as they pounded by the entrance to the cave, "are you, by chance, Skylar, Faina, and Lana?"

"Yes," the third voice said, "why do you want to speak with us?"

"We've been looking for you," Rocky said, "Gen. North wants you to help us. Nakota got captured by someone called Thunder."

"Yes, we know," the third voice replied.

Unable to resist, Sorrelfur peeked above the rock to steal a glance at who the three voices were. She stifled a gasp of surprise as she felt her fur bristle in fear, The same three creatures who chased me yesterday!

 

[OwlLover]

Bump

 

[Chickenfan4life]

And, awesome, again! LOVE. THIS. STORY! Keep it up; I would have a writer's cramp by now, so you're clearly a better writer than me!