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It was as if the world stopped spinning . . . slowly, stealthily.
Every pair of eyes turned on Pinwheel, each of them dilating in shock and recognition. Pinwheel chuckled quietly, raising his front paw to wave, and meowed, “Hi.”
Everyone exchanged uneasy, bewildered glances, but they didn’t exactly panic. Instead, a familiar tortoiseshell pelt moved from out of the rocky cave den that Pinwheel remembered as Sleek’s. Sleek’s fur rose, and her claws sunk into the ground. She looked shocked, mad, even, but not as mad as Pinwheel thought she would be. In fact, she even had a slight smirk that started to curl on her lips. 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkNwDyEUBA
Pinwheel grunted. I’ll make sure to change that expression.
“Well . . . look who finally arrived, everyone! If it isn’t Weird, Uraza’s biggest- and weirdest mistake! I’ve been sending out patrols for you everyday, Weird. You’re able to hide well, I’ll give you that. You-,”
Pinwheel’s snarl cut her off. “Do you have the slightest idea who you’re talking to? You don’t even know my name . . . well, I guess that’s my fault, but the name’s Pinwheel, and if you call me Weird again, it’ll be the last word that comes out of your mouth.” His muscles tensed, and Pinwheel was ready to transform at any moment.
Sleek licked her paw and drew it over her ear. “Pinwheel, eh? I see,” she mewed casually. “That is yet another tradition broken. Usually, things like that would result in serious consequences.”
At that, Pinwheel barked out a sharp laugh. “Oh, no, no, no. You will be the one to pay, and I have my reasons. One, you expelled Uraza because she was trying to protect me. She’s my mother, of course, she’ll support me, but you’re too bird-brained to see that. Two, you never lifted a claw to your Sleek when they suggested naming me ‘Weird.’ Instead, you agreed with them! You forced me to stay on the rock and watch what you did to Uraza. That is what I think deserves consequences. Not ‘oh, wow, ‘Weird’ changed his name! How surprising. I totally didn’t expect him to change his name after he left the Streak, who’s full of rotten fleabags who has no respect for cats with unusual coats.’” He flexed his claws, sinking them into the earth.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyYYF8NEGs
“There is a specific reason, though, why I came back,” he said. Sleek narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression unreadable. “I know you’re the one who took my brother. You give him back right now, or else I’ll give you my own consequences,” Pinwheel growled.
Sleek’s lips curled slightly at the beginnings of a smile, and she licked her lips as if Pinwheel was a piece of prey standing in front of her. “You really think it’ll be that easy, huh? Tell me . . . have you ever felt like you were somewhere, but you actually never were? Something like . . . another world, maybe?” she asked, staring at him with slitted eyes.
Pinwheel started to flatten his ears, images of the Core flooding into his mind. “How do you know about the Core? Is that what you’re talking about? Are you connected to whatever that is?” Rage burned like the hottest fire in his veins as he met Sleek’s gaze.
What if she DOES have something to do with that? With Uraza . . . with Mist . . . with Red Eyes . . . even that weird thing in the bushes? Calm down. You can transform into something big enough to take her on. I will leave this place with her wailing for mercy.
“Why don’t you figure it out for yourself?” Sleek’s voice sounded deeper. Scarier. 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq61JbhqC5n
“Why don’t you go back there again?” 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSeT2ujrDh
And then, in the blink of an eye, before Pinwheel could react, he felt dark claws tear at his shoulders, and lancing pain coursed through his body. He shot a glance around and saw the familiar red sky of the Core. Something twisted him around forcefully, and Pinwheel was suddenly face-to-face with Red Eyes.
Quick! Transform! He tried to transform into his huge dragon shape, but somehow his powers were . . . blocked. He screeched in frustration and kicked at Red Eyes’s dark body. He was unfazed, and it looked like he was barely trying, but a moment later he released Pinwheel and fled into the shadows.
Pinwheel blinked in confusion. I doubt he ran because he was scared of me . . . but what was the point of wounding me? His shoulders were dripping with his blood, but his adrenaline blocked most of the pain, along with his fury. I probably look embarrassing in the real world. I have to get out.
“No, Pinwheel. Don’t leave. Please, don’t leave me.”
Pinwheel stiffened as he heard that, coming from behind him.
That’s . . . that voice . . .
Uraza came up beside him and brushed his shoulder with her own. Pinwheel met her gaze, and it was soft and loving, just like when he first opened his eyes and saw her. “This place is like a prison . . . you have to get m- us out of here. Everyone. Please- you’re our only hope, my son,” Uraza said, and then she was gone, shrouded in mist that blew her away. Pinwheel didn’t even get a chance to respond.
And then he heard screaming, and his head snapped up to attention, and he whipped around to see something that he wished he could never see.
Mist was being dragged by . . . were those chains? The dark shadows pushed him across Pinwheel’s field of vision, and Mist suddenly looked up and met his gaze, and even from far away he could see the pure horror in his eyes. He was covered in scratches, and as Mist saw him, hope flashed in his eyes, and Pinwheel tried to run to him, but he couldn’t move except turn his body around where he was standing. It filled him with guilt that he couldn’t do anything to help him, and he wished he could close his eyes, but that would surely pain Mist even more.
He opened his mouth to shout his fury, but before that, he noticed the bushes were moving. It rustled, and he turned his head at it, and then it stopped, and Pinwheel looked back in Mist’s direction to see that he was gone. “NO!” he screeched.
He noticed a pair of abnormally yellow eyes glaring at him from the same bush, and it shook again. Pinwheel hissed, but an unstoppable chill ran down his whole body. The whole Core seemed to freeze, except the thing in the bushes. It started to move, and the bushes parted, and the creature stepped out. Its mouth curled into a malicious smile, and Pinwheel almost gaped.
It was the Sleek.
“Hello, Pinwheel. I heard you wondered if Sleek was behind this. The truth is, I’m her Spirit Guard, and unfortunately for you, I am the leader of this place, so I cannot let you . . . punish my dear Sleek. Your tiger friend took me by surprise, I admit. But I’m sure you don’t know-,” she laughed slightly, “he’s in similar trouble your brother is in. Captured- by his own problematic family. Anyway, we won’t worry about him again. Let’s deal with you, and, yay, no more threats! Doesn’t that sound great?” The Sleek blinked at him as if expecting a cheerful response.
Pinwheel’s mouth was locked, and he was too shocked to speak. Sleek had a Spirit Guard this whole time? And more importantly, she’s the leader of this place? That means she may be . . . a bit more powerful than Mist.
“Here, I’ll let you off with a warning, and then you can peacefully hand yourself over to Sleek. If you do that, either way, I think I’ll keep Mist here for a while, considering what he did last time, helping you escape . . . tsk tsk, not cool, not cool.” The Sleek sat on her haunches and tapped her muzzle with her claws.
“Now for your warning. There’ll be no second chances, I’m warning you.”
The Sleek launched, as seemingly fast as Holo, and suddenly there was a scratch on Pinwheel’s cheek. He hissed and whirled around, ready to fight, but then he was back in the real world, the scar remaining on his cheek.
He was suddenly in a den, a poorly made one at that, and he could hear pawsteps shuffling as if there were cats guarding closely nearby. Pinwheel looked around until he saw someone slunk in the shadows, backed against the wall, his yellow eyes widened in blank horror and surprise.
“Pinwheel…? Is it really you?” The cat stepped out of the shadows of the den, and Pinwheel was suddenly face-to-face with Rapier.
“Rapier…,” he choked out, relief and shock flooding through his body.
Rapier was out of the trance first, and he raced forward and rested his head on Pinwheel’s shoulder. “I missed you so much, brother.”
Pinwheel felt tears welling in his eyes, and he also placed his head on Rapier’s shoulder, breathing in his scent. “Rapier, I’m so happy you’re alive, I- I’m so, so sorry for leaving you. That was the worst decision I’ve ever made, leaving you to deal with Sleek without me. If only I had come more prepared. I was in complete fury, so I burst in here without thinking. But what matters is we’re both alive. In case we ever get separated again, I want you to know that you mean the world to me. I love you, Rapier, my brother.” Pinwheel drew back and smiled.
Rapier was crying now as well, and they twined tails. “Let’s get some rest. You need it, I can tell. You’ll probably be here a little while before we think about escaping.” Rapier tugged him toward the nest beside his, a nest that the Sleek probably stuffed together while Pinwheel was in the Core.
He settled down, licking Rapier’s ear. “Where’s Wendigo at?” Pinwheel asked curiously.
There was a sudden waft of fear from Rapier, and he hesitated. “He’s… separated from us. I don’t exactly know, but I do know he’s getting poorly treated. Saw ‘im yesterday. Very scratched up, and yet they’ve done nothing to me. They might do something to you, though, which I’m worried about. They think we’re toys, but I can’t speak up, or they’ll hurt Wendigo even more. I can’t be responsible for him getting hurt. I’m so sorry, I told them where I last saw you, and they’ve been looking for you. It’s my fault they found you.” Rapier looked down, his fear changing to guilt.
Pinwheel nudged his shoulder comfortingly. “No, no, that was all me. I plummeted into the camp, and I got myself into this mess. Trust me, these cats would never be able to find where I went. I’ll tell you all about it, don’t worry,” he said as Rapier’s eyes sharpened in curiosity. “Good night, brother.”
The word “brother” felt odd on his tongue. Pinwheel rested his head, closing his eyes.
It wasn’t until he was almost asleep that he remembered Invincible.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
