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“Everyone, this is my Streak, that I’ve been telling you about many times,” Invincible said, looking at the familiar surroundings. “I hope you tigers haven’t done anything while I was away, collecting species. I cannot be here for long, as I have not finished finding cats. I’m just here for my cat’s sake. They might as well explore.”
He nodded to the others, and they broke off, eagerly exploring the Streak. The tigers backed away, looking gloomy and resolute.
As he was about to go relax in his den, he felt a sudden chill go down his spine. He pricked his ears as he heard a slight eerie wailing sound, and then covered them with his paw, annoyed at the horrible sound. But it didn’t go away, stuck in his ears, getting louder and louder, until it hit him with a sudden realization.
I’ve been through this before. Someone’s summoning me . . . is it Pinwheel, or Rapier? he thought in surprise.
“Chara,” he murmured to the tiger sitting beside him.
She looked at him in confusion. “Yes, Invincible?” She looked him up and down. “Why do you look like you hear something no one else can’t?” she asked.
“Chara, I don’t have much time,” Invincible explained, rushing his words as the sound got higher-pitched until he couldn’t stand it. “Someone’s summoning me. I’ll be back before you know it. Handle the Streak right now. I won’t be gone for too long.”
The sound exploded in his ears, and in a rush of time, he got pulled away from the Streak and landed in a narrow, hollow bowl, with soft earth under his paws. He gave a silent sigh of relief that the sound was gone, and then looked around.
There were cats, strange cats, encircling him, looking in horror and surprise. Invincible caught a glimpse of Pinwheel’s black-and-white pelt, but not Rapier’s. Fury boiled inside him. These cats were going to harm Pinwheel! he thought. He snarled and roared at them, swiping clawed paws a whisker-length away from their muzzles. They backed away, yelping in shock.
It was less than a moment later when a snarl, not belonging to him, sounded behind Invincible. Pinwheel leaped in front of him, glaring at him in outrage and fear.
“Invincible! Stop at once!” The young cat growled.
Invincible glared at him, pausing in his attack. He hid his confusion and faced the cat.
“Pinwheel,” he grumbled. “You have called me . . . for this, I imagine? Why are you looking at me as if I was your worst enemy?”
Pinwheel let out a great screeching roar. “That’s because my brother is caught by my worst enemy, and we need to go right now!”
Invincible felt his fur rise straight up, about to cuff Pinwheel on the ear, but then realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Sleek!
“You’re telling me that mange-ridden excuse for a cat has taken Rapier? In that case, we do need to go, but who are they?” He lashed his tail at the newcomers.
Pinwheel growled. “They’re nobody you need to worry about right now. All I’m going to say is that they’re my friends, and they have powers too. Now let’s go!”
Invincible nodded, despite the questions in his mind, and turned into his manticore, and they flew out of the bowl toward Sleek’s territory. “We’ll get your brother back, Pinwheel,” he told the young cat.
“Of course, we will,” Pinwheel replied, his voice hushed with worry.
Just as they were about to reach the Sand Rocks, another eerie wailing sounded in Invincible’s ears. What? No! Who’s calling me? Is it Rapier? He looked around frantically and raced to the ground in a flash, his paws thumping on the smooth Sand Rock floor.
Pinwheel hissed in protest. “What are you doing? We aren’t even in Sleek’s forest! Keep going!” he snarled.
“Pinwheel. Listen to me. Go down to that crevice and wait. I will be back,” Invincible said.
Pinwheel pricked his ears. “What are you talking about?” he asked, astonished.
“Listen to me, Pinwheel, this is not a game. Go to that ledge over there and be patient.” He pointed with a claw toward a jutting outledge poking out from the Sand Rocks, a perfect cover for Pinwheel.
“Go!” Invincible ordered as the cat hesitated. Upset, Pinwheel padded over to the crevice and crouched behind it. The wailing got louder and louder until he was sucked into the darkness.
He blinked his eyes open, taking in his surroundings. Chara was standing over him, fear clouding her gaze.
“Invincible! Thank the Great Tiger you’re here! We have trouble.” She flicked his tail toward a familiar shape. Invincible narrowed his eyes and growled as the Streak surrounded him, baring his teeth and unsheathing his claws.
His eyes then hit the leader of the angry Streak.
It was Silver.
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