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Jyan had a good amount of strength, but Weird’s body was young and surprisingly powerful for a kit’s.
Rapier yelped in horror but stayed in place as they fought.
As Mist dodged the attack and hooked his claws into Jyan’s pelt, he felt muscle harden beneath the fur. But Weird’s body was powerful, and he was able to thrust Jyan backward and aim a hefty blow at his muzzle. As his claws raked Jyan’s jaw, he saw Maple back away. Mist smelled blood, and the scent made his borrowed pelt burn with energy.
He eyed the others, ready for their attack, but Silver seemed to be rooted to the ground, and Maple simply watched, unmoving, curiosity in her gaze.
Jyan shook the blood from his chin and swung around, his eyes black with fury. As he attacked, Mist lunged low and fast. He sank his teeth into the Guard’s foreleg and tugged it from beneath him. Jyan thumped onto his side, and Mist grabbed him by the shoulders and churned his small hind paws against his belly. Satisfaction welled in his chest as Jyan yowled with rage. Blood pulsed in his ears and excitement set his pelt bristling. This was too easy. He loosened his grip and let Jyan wriggle free.
Jyan scrambled to his paws and circled him like a fox. Mist beckoned him to attack with a flick of his tail. “Come on, then.”
Relish and fury gleamed in Jyan’s eyes. He leaped at Mist with a snarl. Mist ducked, but Jyan anticipated him, lashing out low with a forepaw that caught Mist beneath his eye. The shock of it made Mist stumble. He felt thorn-sharp claws sink into his shoulders as Jyan hauled him backward and knocked his hind paws out from under him with a skillful kick.
Rapier screamed.
Panic flared for a moment in Mist’s chest. He fell, and pain seared his leg as rough earth grazed Weird’s wounds. Mist fought back nausea. He couldn’t lose- but Jyan was on him. The cat’s paw slammed into Mist’s muzzle, jerking it sideways. Blood welled in Mist’s eyes and dripped from his nose.
Weird’s nose, he remembered. I must protect Weird.
Summoning every bit of strength, Mist heaved Jyan away, scrambling from beneath him and finding his paws. He turned on the Guard and began slashing at him, hitting out with blow after blow, so fast that Jyan couldn’t find his balance. Backing away, the Guard dropped into a defensive crouch and flung out a desperate paw. Mist knocked it away and leaped on top of Jyan. Digging his claws into the Guard’s shoulders, he pinned him to the earth.
“Give up!” he snarled. “This body may be small and taken by a spirit, but as I said, my claws can still spill your blood, and it already has!”
“I’d rather die than surrender to you.” Jyan’s hiss was sharp with pain and fury.
Mist felt Jyan pushing beneath him, strength wound into every muscle. This cat won’t stop until he’s defeated me. A sickening sense of foreboding flooded his belly. And if I go, so does Weird. There was only one way to end this fight. The thought of it made him shudder. But he would do what he had to do. A true Spirit Guard would protect his living cat over all circumstances. He thrust his jaws close to Jyan’s ear.
“You’ve chosen this,” he hissed. This time he wouldn’t give the Guard a chance. He sank his small canines deep into Jyan’s neck and pressed down until he felt bone snap between them. Jyan’s body fell limp beneath him. Rapier’s ragged breathing sounded in the background.
This cat would never harm the kits again.
He let his jaws loosen, regret tugging in his belly as his battle rage faded. He straightened and stepped back from Jyan’s body.
Mist looked around. The other Guards were gone. Rapier padded up to him, still shocked by the fight. “Now what do we do?” He jerked his head to the outside of the den. Mist followed the kit’s gaze.
Sleek was bounding toward them, Guards at her flanks.
“They’re coming.” He struggled to control his breathing.
“Get those kits!” Sleek’s yowl rang across the clearing.
“We have to go. Rapier, run! Follow me!”
They bolted out of the den, making for the entrance, Sleek and her followers at their heels. “Don’t stop until they’re captured!”
They blundered through the tunnel, slicing through the branches and weaving between trees in their desperate attempt to escape. “Make for the river! Don’t stop!”
Mist, exhausted from the fight, pushed himself forward, Weird’s lungs screaming with the effort.
They kept going, running toward the river, until Rapier yelped.
“Help! My paw’s caught!”
A bramble stem wrapped around his paw, and there was no time to waste. Mist could hear the Guards and Runners steadily moving behind them. Mist grabbed the bramble firmly in his teeth, yanked it free, and ran again.
They both slid down the slope and leaped over bushes. Mist pricked his ears, listening. He heard the sound of rushing water, and pebbles bouncing onto a shore. The sound was to the left, past the next hill and cutting through the undergrowth.
“The river. I hear it! Rapier, give yourself some speed! Let’s go!” Rapier at his heels, Mist raced toward the river, climbing the steep hill. Rapier’s paws scrambled for a grip at one point, skidding down a way, small claws gripping at the crumbling dirt.
“Mist! Help!”
Mist glanced back. He saw moving shapes below the hill, not much of a distance away. Sleek was still hot on their tail. Crouching down, he grasped Rapier’s scruff in his tiny teeth and hauled him up onto a ledge for him to find his balance. He shook himself and then leaped for the next hold.
They were almost at the top when Mist heard claws scratching at the bottom. Twisting his neck to see what was going on, he saw Sleek and her patrol at the ridge, beginning to climb up after them.
Mist fought back panic and yelped to Rapier. “Hurry! They’re gaining on us!”
He made a final desperate leap for the edge of the cliff-like hill, claws scrambling for a grip.
And then he hauled himself up.
Rapier was still struggling, but close enough for Mist to pull him up.
“Grab my paw!” Stretching his foreleg, he reached for the kit, and Rapier grasped the paw desperately. Mist took the chance, and with all his strength, he pulled the kit to the top of the hill.
They turned around and were greeted by a steep slope down. “Great. At least we got the easy part done,” Mist grumbled.
Rapier cast a glance behind him nervously. “What do we do? I can hear them just below.”
He was right. Crumbling dirt sounded as the Guards fought their way up after them. “We’re going to have to jump. See that tree down there? There’s a branch that will support our fall, with a bed of leaves in the middle. We will aim for that branch, hop down, and . . . and there’s the river.”
The sparkling blue stream ran beyond the overcut of trees, in a calm flow, as if expecting them.
“There is no way we can do that. It’s so high!” Rapier protested, his muscles shaking in fear.
“We don’t have a choice if we want to escape Sleek. If you won’t do it, I’ll take you with me,” Mist replied. 345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb722l54qFi
“What do you-” But before he could finish his sentence, Mist grabbed Weird’s brother by the scruff and dangled him off the side, bunching his muscles to jump. Rapier yelped, and Mist took one breath and mumbled through Rapier’s fur.
“Here we go!”
He released his tenseness and leaped into the air, plummeting down.
“I’ll meet you down there,” he said hurriedly, then released his grip from Rapier’s scruff and he fell away from him, into another tree. It was a couple more moments before he felt the impact on his spine as he crashed into the nest of leaves and sticks.
He lay motionless for some time, not wanting to move as the nest materials blew over his body. His back felt a little sore, but it wasn’t bad, thanks to the nest beneath him, cushioning his fall.
But they were still being hunted.
Reminding himself of that, he jerked up from his rest, sliding out of the tree slowly with his claws. “Rapier? Rapier, are you there? Come to me! We made it!” he yowled. There was a moment of silence until the bushes rumbled and Rapier’s black-and-white form appeared. He, too, looked weary, his paw hanging from the leg in a limping form.
“Are you all right?” Mist asked, looking at the paw.
“I’m fine. Just bent it a little.” He placed it back on the ground. They both looked back again, and they were greeted by a surprise. At the top of the high hill, Sleek and her Guards looked down at them.
“You think you can run? That won’t be necessary. I won’t stop until I catch you, and we’ll keep an extra close eye on you this time.” Then her eyes started darting to places possible to jump.
“Come on! The river’s right there!” They raced through the line of trees, frantically scrambling for freedom.
And then they did it.
They reached the shore.
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