x
Pinwheel sighed with relief, still terrified, when he woke up from that horrible nightmare. Or the real nightmare. Mist and Uraza were trapped somewhere. . . with monsters guarding them. Pinwheel had to find them.
Mist freed him before. Now it was his turn to free Mist. Who knows what he is going through? Both Mist and Uraza looked dull and miserable when they were being dragged to the No-Escape Squares.
He looked around, and there were shredded bits of his nest everywhere. The chunky grass he’d been desperately clawing at in his dream must have been the moss and sticks in real life. It was dead night, and Rapier and Wendigo were still sleeping, paws twitching in their dreams.
I need to go . . . go find help. More cats. Wendigo is the most unique cat apart from me and Rapier! There has to be more of them out there. Cats like me. Cats that I belong to. Cats that should be on my side. I’m sorry, you two, but I’m going out. I’ll find you later.
He padded silently out from under the tree, peering around for signs. He crossed a small stream and then came face-to-face with the Sand Rocks.
It was a large, massive land of Rock, all tan-colored. Pinwheel blinked at the sight, unsheathing his claws and preparing to climb. He leaped for holds and gripped at the ledges he could find, jutting out of the smooth, pale Sand Rocks. As he fought his way up, he saw a large amount of rock pieces tumbling down beside him. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, looking up to the top. But whatever caused it was out of sight from where Pinwheel was climbing.
He growled and clawed and jumped faster. When he finally hauled himself up, he saw a cat-like shape bounding away from him.
“Wait! I want to talk to you!” Pinwheel ran after it, his heart already pounding from the climb.
They ran for what seemed like ages when Pinwheel finally caught up, leaped at the strange cat, and bowled it over. It yowled in shock, struggling, but Pinwheel pinned it, firmly but gently.
“It’s alright. I’m not an enemy. I have some questions and requests.” He released her, and the cat relaxed, fur flattening.
“You’re not?” she asked.
“Of course not. What’s your name? I’m Pinwheel," he said. The newcomer looked him up and down. 270Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRYlB0GWtg
“My name is Spot, but . . . you look awesome!" she exclaimed, eyeing his pelt.
Pinwheel laughed at Spot. “I guess I do look pretty cool, huh? A lot of cats think the opposite. I’m being hunted because of how I look. How crazy is that? They want me to cower before them, want to keep a kit locked up. If that isn’t absurd, I don’t know what is. But I’m stronger than them. I have allies, and I’ll keep building my army. They are making the wrong choice to come after me. I tried to warn them, I did, my Spirit Guard killed one! All they have to do is leave me alone. They don’t like differences. At least, not a lot of them. They’re just goody four-paws whose pelts look as lame as if they've been dipped in plain mud and dried. Their pelts aren’t cool! They’re so jealous, they try to keep me as a prisoner! Funny, they thought they could keep me in the Kit Den forever. Poor mice.” He looked at Spot.
“That sounds awful. Well, your pelt is very unique!” Spot smiled shyly.
“Thank you! Yours, too.” She was a light gray color, with black spots and amber eyes.
Pinwheel and Spot made small talk with each other, the Sun-Cat slowly rising over the Sand Rocks.270Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd24YEQytjG
“What I really love, though, is the river. It’s so calm and peaceful sometimes, inviting the birds to sing. It brings life to the forest!” Silver said.
Pinwheel laughed. “I believe you. It saved me from Sleek, that’s one thing. Oh, how do I pay it back? Give it a bunch of sticks to swallow up?” Spot recognized the sarcastic glint in his eyes and laughed too. “I think it would appreciate that,” she giggled.
“Yes. But it was mainly Invincible who helped me. He’s the best leader ever!"
Spot tilted her head. “Invincible? Who's that?” she asked.
Pinwheel smiled. “Well, he’s a tiger. He’s different from regular tigers, way different. He has powers, for one thing. And a black-and-white pelt, unlike other tigers. He could defeat anything! Well, almost anything, at the moment. It seems the Core is only reachable to me, Mist, and Uraza. But I swear, if those brutes try to mess with my leader, they’ll be dead before they can unsheathe their claws.”
Spot kept looking at him in confusion. “And . . . what’s the Core?” She cocked her head at him.
Pinwheel sighed. “Oh, you’ll get to understand. That is if you decide to join me. I am making an army of cats like me. You could be one of them.”
Spot looked at herself and laughed. “Me? You’re joking. I’m nowhere near like you. I’m just a plain gray cat with spots. Can’t beat something that common.”
Pinwheel growled encouragingly. “I don’t care. I found you. I need help. I think you’re unique, Spot. Do not blame yourself for your look. That is the top rule if you’re under me. Do you think I haven’t blamed myself? I have, multiple times already. Speaking of being my ally, I can give you the Mark and Mask ceremony, if you’d like. It’s only a shallow scratch and cool gear, with an oath, too, and you’ll get my protection. Invincible’s too. You really want to be with us. So, Spot, what do you say? Would you like to help me go on this mission, gather more cats like us, and gain power over your biggest enemies?” He held out a paw expectantly.
Spot hesitated, thinking. Then she shook her head as if to clear her mind and put her paw on his. “I agree.”
Pinwheel smiled. “Lift your throat,” he ordered. Spot did, and Pinwheel drew the shallow scratch that came with it. Spot did the same when he lifted his, and before he gave Spot her new gear, it was time for the Oath.
He grasped her paw again and looked directly into her eyes.
“Repeat after me,” he whispered.
“I vow to follow your new leader, Pinwheel. I will follow his rules and give my life for him. I am now officially Pinwheel’s ally, and if I fail to follow these rules, I will face the consequences. I am now forever part of Pinwheel’s army.”
Spot repeated him.
They bounded into the Sand Rocks, continuing their search for new cats. Pinwheel imagined how Rapier and the others would feel waking up with him gone, and it pained his heart. They were probably out searching for him right now. But he had to do this. He had to find cats that looked as unique as him and build his own army to fight all the evil creatures to come.
He suddenly felt claws shake his shoulder, and as it did, a bolt of panic jolted through him, and in the blink of an eye, he was in the Core.
He couldn’t move, grasped by claws, more still clinging to his shoulder. Red Eyes, boring into him. A blur of black-and-white pelt. Mist, dragged roughly by dark figures into black water, pulling him back out when he was out of breath. And Uraza, turning to look at him with hurt in her eyes.
Then the hurt turned to anger.
The Shadows let her go and she leaped in fury at her son, and Pinwheel could barely feel the pain over the shock and hurt at her attack. He saw the helpless blank fury in her eyes.
This isn’t her. This isn’t Uraza! She would never do this!
He sobbed, invisible claws still raking his shoulder as Uraza tore and bit.
“Uraza! Please! Fight it! It’s me, Weird! Your kit! Don’t . . . you can fight . . .” Blackness washed over him and he saw the mysterious shape watching in the dark land.
“Pinwheel. Pinwheel. PINWHEEL!”
Startled, he woke, greeted by Spot’s horrified face.
“What happened?! You weren’t answering, even when I clawed your shoulder! I couldn’t think of what else I could do . . . I’m sorry I gave you that wound, I . . .” She took a breath.
“Ah. The Core. Like you said. You were in there, weren’t you?” she asked.
Pinwheel nodded. So that’s why there were invisible claws on my shoulder.
“Yes, I was there. It was . . . horrifying.” He closed his eyes and pictured Mist and Uraza still suffering in that place and clawed at the earth impatiently.
“Well, let’s go! No time to waste!” He started forward, but Spot grasped his tail, stopping him. He turned indignantly.
“I almost forgot to tell you,” Spot meowed. “Look.”
She flicked her tail in the direction of a wide clearing away from the Sand Rocks, with shapes moving about in the bowl. Pinwheel growled in confusion, then signaled for Spot to follow as he ran toward the land.
It wasn’t long before they found the entrance, a rock tunnel carved into the earth. Pinwheel and Spot walked in, prepared to reveal themselves, and the tunnel ended into an amazing camp, paths leading up to dens and a perfect rock that Pinwheel could use to make announcements. But it only took a second for the cats to notice them.
Their pelts bushed as they slowly proceeded toward the two newcomers, and Pinwheel met them.
“What are you doing in our camp?”
270Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXo11twVeC
