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Rapier blinked in the light of Orange-Sky, stretching his body, waking up. Wendigo was still snoozing soundly, and Rapier grumbled in annoyance at the noise. He looked toward Pinwheel’s nest.
His eyes widened, his heart skipped a beat.
Pinwheel was not there.
“Pinwheel?” He tried not to panic, looking around. He peeked outside the overhang of the tree, looking to see if he was just outside, but he was nowhere to be found.
He nudged Wendigo roughly, now panicking. “Wendigo! Get up! Pinwheel is missing!"
At that, Wendigo’s head shot up from his slumber, worry sparking in his eyes. “What do you mean, missing?” He looked at Pinwheel’s empty nest. “Oh, no! Rapier, this is bad!”
Rapier was pacing, claws unsheathed. “What if he’s lost in the Core or something? What if he’s in trouble? What if . . . what if Sleek took him? What if something attacked him? What if he’s hurt? Dead? In trouble? What if he needs help?” His mind racing with dangerous possibilities, the fear for his brother arose.
“It’s alright. We'll find him.” Wendigo rested the tip of his tail on Rapier’s shoulder.
“Well, we’re going to find him now."
The hunger in his stomach suddenly clawed at him like thorns. “But first . . . we need to eat.”
He gasped in the pain of the rumbling his belly was making. He hadn’t eaten since Uraza had been banished.
But what about Pinwheel? The thought raced through his head. Where is he, and what if he’s in a bad, hungrier place than me? What if he walked off into the Core at night? He could be in danger!
He felt sudden guilt. Rapier, the kit that cares for his brother, cares about his hunger more than Pinwheel’s safety? Rapier growled in guilt.
Wendigo seemed to read his thoughts, his face grim as he prodded over to Rapier. “It’s alright. Let’s hunt, and right after, we will find your brother.”
Rapier looked at him out of the corner of his eye and sighed. “I guess. But I don’t know how I’m going to find him. I don’t want to disturb Invincible and his own mission anymore for our needs. Pinwheel could be anywhere. We must-”
There was a rustle in the bushes, and it was a swift pounce that Wendigo did, that his jaws snapped, and a small squeal sounded in Rapier’s ears. Wendigo recovered with a young rabbit clutched in his mouth.
Rapier licked his jaws, looking at the prey in hunger. His stomach had a mind of its own, wandering to the prey. It was impossible to take his eyes off of it. Wendigo set it down, and Rapier stepped forward, about to take a bite, but paused, looking at his friend as Wendigo took a step back.
“Aren't you going to eat?” Rapier asked, his jaws stretching in protest as he stopped to look at Wendigo.
The white cat smiled. “Oh, it’s fine. I had my share before you found me. Eat, Rapier. I’ll find something soon enough.”
At that, Rapier’s stomach drove him forward, and he munched on the delicious prey, savoring every bite. There was still a raw feeling of guilt, making his fur rise, that his brother was out there, starving and getting clawed and bitten by the Core. What could Rapier do? How could he possibly find Pinwheel?
“If only I knew where you were, brother,” he murmured. Despair clawed at him like thorns. It clouded him, loomed over him until Rapier couldn’t stand it anymore.
He pushed away the prey, to his own dismay. “I’m not hungry,” he mumbled, though his stomach grumbled in protest. I can’t eat when my brother’s out there all alone. He padded away from Wendigo silently. He sat down, sighing. Wendigo didn’t follow him; he just stood there in understanding.
Rapier’s ear flicked.
Paws twitched.
Turned his head away from Wendigo.
A faint rustle behind him.
Looked back.
Wendigo was gone.
His heart raced, fur bristling.
Paws gripped him. They were strong. So strong. He couldn’t move.
The paws took him away as he struggled helplessly. One paw clouded his muzzle so he couldn’t speak, though he tried.
He tried so hard, but he couldn’t say or do anything as the paws dragged him away into darkness.
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