[ Chapter Seven ]

  Not All Legends Tell Of Heroes

  “It was long ago, too long to remember clearly. I was a young cat, almost your age. You know what a Visionary is, I’m guessing?” Schade asked. Sun nodded, “North Star told me about them.” Schade nodded, and continued. “I had been hunting, I still remember that day. I had caught a great rabbit. My brother, Wind, was so jealous. I was always a better hunter,” Schade chuckled to himself. “I lived in a group of cats. We weren’t big but we were big enough to fight off an enemy. Me and Wind entered back into the camp, but a gloom hung over the cats. Something was apparently wrong.” Schade flicked his tail absent-mindedly, “Our Visionary back then, Flower That Blooms In Spring, had apparently had a vision” Schade spat the last word out, “They had spoken that a deep shadow hung over a forest, blotting out the stars.” Sun nodded, curiosity twinkled in his eyes. “Our camp leader, Maple, cast me out, interpreting this as I would ruin our future.” A look of pure hatred crossed Schade’s face, “She was always too quick to judge, too quick to believe or even discuss what Flower meant. Maple saw me as an issue, a pest.” Sun felt bad for this cat, but Schade continued. “None of the other cats argued for me, none tried to save me. Wind was the only one, but he was silenced quickly. And so, I left. I was forgotten by mortals, until now.” Schade looked at Sun with a strange glint in his one eye. “Restore my memory,” The words echoed around the hollow, as everything began to spiral away until it was all consumed in an inky-black abyss.

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  Sun awoke, the visions weighing heavily on his mind. Mother nudged him, her spotted white pelt standing out in the brown walls of the den. Sun shifted closer to his adoptive mother, Mother wrapping her tail around him. It seemed to have been so long since Mother was a Wayward, rescuing Sun from the van crash, but her love for him outweighed all of it. The moment of silence was broken by Dash, “Yall’ve been sitting in there too long, Get some fresh air! You’re starting to look like potatoes already!” Mother chuckled to herself, and nodded. “As rude as he is, he’s right. Come on.” Sun pulled himself up and followed her out, birds twittered in the branches, squirrels chattering in the trees. Mother and Dash had been busy, another den had been formed just by Mother’s. It was held up with twigs, and leaves covered the roof in a sort of blanket. It stood out against the dirt of Mother’s den, but blended in with the forest. In the middle of the clearing, a ring of stones had been laid out. A pile of prey had been stacked inside. Dash stood by the river, pawing out clumps of dirt. “What are you doing?” Mother asked, likely for Sun’s benefit. Dash looked over, still digging, “I thought if I dug out a canal, we could get water easier. This darn river’s too far away anyway.” As the brown elder was talking, a sudden wave of water splashed Dash in the face. “Very helpful, Dash.” Mother mused, Sun opened his jaws in a silent laugh. Dash looked sour, before letting out a throaty laugh. “Go dry off, me and Sun will finish it.” Mother said, a chuckle still in her voice. The soaked elder padded away, grumbling angrily about nature. Sun walked over, inspecting Dash’s work. Mother nodded to him, amusement danced in her eyes, She would never let Dash live this down. Sun began to scoop dirt out, pawful after pawful. His arms moved rhythmically, placing the dirt in a pile beside him before taking another scoop. It seemed to take forever but finally Sun pulled a clump from the canal, and water poured through. Mother, digging out the basin for the water, let out a hiss of surprise. Sun padded over, inspecting their work. The basin flowed with water, purified from a trick Dash had taught them. “You place a thin stone in the tunnel, and the water will flow through the soil without any o’ dem nasty stuff!” He had said, and it had worked! Maybe the cranky old elder could be helpful after all.