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*** Reading Issue #15, Pinwheel's Demand, of Invincible the Tiger is recommended to understand what is happening in this chapter. ***
233Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhx15yodLn
Pinwheel crouched behind the jutting rock, bored out of his mind. His tail lashed impatiently and furiously, and his flank and haunches ached from leaning on the cold, hard rock. Why did Invincible just vanish? Where did he go? he thought, his mind blank of ideas. Did Rapier call for him? If so, why didn’t he bring me with him? It’s probably not that reason.
He sighed and melted onto the uncomfortable stone. What am I even hiding from? I’m not scared. I’ve been through the Core itself. I should get out of this lousy hiding spot and continue looking for Rapier.
He got to his paws and poked his head out of the tiny shelter, looking around. The surroundings seem clear, he thought. He padded out, cautious. After checking what was around him once more, he finally shrugged and cantered toward the edge of the Sand Rocks.
He then suddenly caught some movement in the corner of his eye. A gerbil was scurrying along the tan rocks, not paying attention to the young cat just whisker-lengths away.
Stupid gerbil. He pounced and landed easily on the creature, snapping its neck mid-squeal. I might as well eat this before I go hungry. He gobbled down the few great mouthfuls that the gerbil had for him.
As he finished, he licked his lips and yawned. He stopped himself before he could even think about sleep. No, Pinwheel. It’s not even black-sky yet, and you have a brother to rescue. His hunger somewhat satisfied, he looked over the edge of the rocks, searching for a way to safely climb down.
As he did, a sudden shadow fell over him. It was huge, blocking the sun, and making it too dark for Pinwheel to inspect the ledges. He pricked his ears as a low growl sounded behind him.
His fur bristled, but before he could whip around, huge talons grasped his side. He screeched in shock, clawing at the legs that held him. It was no use. The huge animal didn’t even flinch as his tiny claws raked at the vicious talons. They dug into his fur, and he winced as pain lanced in his sides and belly.
“I summon the Black-and-White Tiger! I summon the Black-and-White Tiger!” he howled, but nobody came.
What is Invincible doing?
The creature lifted him above the canopy, flying higher and higher, up the sheer end of a huge cliff that went above the clouds.
Invincible, where are you?
He was carried above the forest until the thing that held him soared even higher into the sky, and the height made Pinwheel feel sick.
What he saw then made his eyes widen. A large platform was floating- in the sky- just hanging there like a hovering bird. The creature dropped him at the edge and he scurried away from the large drop, but two more of the strange animals grabbed him roughly and hauled him into a room.
He pinned his ears back as he looked at what was in front of him. A row of strange cats was forced into a line, where at the front, another one of the creatures was snatching them up and putting something on their necks.
The two creatures that carried him pushed him to the back of the line and left.
The cat in front of him seemed to be reading his thoughts. “No, you can’t escape this line.” She nodded to more of the creatures very closely guarding the exit and entrance. “And even if you did, you can’t just jump out of this building and expect to land on your paws alive.”
The cat spoke sense. “So . . .” Pinwheel didn’t know where to start. “So what exactly are these creatures? What do they want to do with us? What happens at the front of this line?”
The cat sighed. “I think they are called dragons. I don’t know much else, though. I got here shortly before you.” She narrowed her one eye.
She was a white cat with a weird band around one eye and ear, a faint red splotch tainted in the middle of it.
“Uh, your eye . . .” Pinwheel stammered, regretting the words out of his mouth. “I hate to put it out, but . . .”
The cat interrupted him. “Yes, I know. A rabbit scratched it out, as well as my ear, and then the No-Furs caught me and put this wrap on my eye. After that, they set me free again,” she explained.
Pinwheel stared at her in bewilderment. “A rabbit did that?” he gasped.
The cat giggled slightly. “Their claws are sharper than you think. It turned so suddenly . . . and then it was over.”
Pinwheel’s fur stood on end as they inched closer to the front. “I’m so sorry. My name’s Pinwheel. I should have an all-powerful tiger to protect me, but he’s . . . doing something. I can’t summon him. I think something’s happened to him, but I don’t know what. He was . . . called by something, and I’m unable to make him return. If only I get could my own army to go and help him.” His ears perked up. “That gives me an idea.”
He stood higher, his head raised. “I have a plan. Maybe I can get us all out of here . . . and make peace with these dragons. I can get them to take me to the Dewdrop Tribe, and we can find Invincible, and then . . .” he shut his eyes as grief suddenly threatened to engulf him. "And then save my brother.”
The cat listened closely, her eyes clouded with sorrow.
“It’s alright. I don’t need your pity,” Pinwheel murmured.
“I’m so sorry. My name is Lichen. I-” She was suddenly grabbed by a dragon and pulled forward. Pinwheel’s fur raised even higher when he realized when they were at the front of the line.
Already? he wondered.
The dragon at the front forced something around her neck- a collar- and wrote something on it. The dragon also inspected Lichen for a moment and then carved something on Lichen’s ear, and she gave a muffled scream, the soldiers clamping her mouth shut. Then they let her go, grabbed her again, and flew her out of the room.
Then they turned to him.
He lashed his tail. His back arched. He hissed a warning; that did nothing. The dragons seized him and hauled him to the dragon waiting at the front. He flailed, but they were too powerful.
Invincible, please, what are you doing? You said to wait behind the rock! How did I ever end up here?
The dragon pulled out a collar and clipped it on his neck. With vicious, serrated claws, the dragon drew #087 on the collar. It then lifted its talons and sliced the inner tip of Pinwheel's ear, carving something on his ear as it did with Lichen. More talons clamped around his mouth as he yowled, agony searing from his ear. Then, the talons were removed from his mouth, and the dragon who gave him the marking and collar touched the top of his head with the tip of a talon. Before he could react, it then mumbled something very quietly.
“I enchant this collar to never leave this cat, no matter what he or anyone does to it. This collar can never leave his neck.”
The collar suddenly tingled, and his neck fur ruffled under it. Never leave? Pfft. Invincible will get it off in no time. These dragons don’t know what they’re up against. But- I know something has happened to him. Maybe- just maybe- I can get these dragons to help?
Pinwheel shook his head. No. That won’t work.
A soldier suddenly carried him out of the room and flew off the palace.
Then it dropped him.
Pinwheel shrieked, struggling in the air as he plummeted closer to the ground.
This is it. This is the end of me.
He yowled as he landed, expecting to be crushed immediately. But he wasn’t. It was like landing on an invisible cushion. He stood up and looked around for Lichen.
“Lichen! Lichen!” he screamed. He raced through the trees until he found a white cat lying on the ground, her ear also bleeding.
“LICHEN!”
Pinwheel raced to her side, his heart pounding. He licked her ear, trying to wash off the blood.
“Pinwheel?” Lichen gasped. She struggled to her paws, wincing in pain.
Pinwheel growled at the tiny-looking dot in the sky where the palace was. “What was the point of that?” he snarled. “I don’t know,” Lichen murmured.
Pinwheel roared and scrambled at the collar, trying to fight it off his neck. It was no use. “GET OFF ME RIGHT NOW,” he hissed at it. It didn’t budge, seeming to mock him. “AS SOON AS I FIND INVINCIBLE I’LL CLAW HIS EARS OFF,” Pinwheel yowled.
He took a deep breath. Something’s obviously happened to him. Something that he couldn’t escape in time to save me.
“Well, great, the dragons enchanted us, so now we’ll never get these stupid things off.”
He helped Lichen to her paws. “Although we can’t get the dragons to be any use, Invincible is in trouble, and we have to save him."
ns 15.158.61.20da2
