The Narrator

CHAPTER 4

i just discovered the magic of  planning. Wow. 

Anyway, here we go...

~

My eyes trace something that moves through the darkened forest. It has a haunted feeling to it. The Place of No Stars? I wonder, although with no true way of learning. The shape moves again, and I realize it's getting closer to me. Fuck. I back up into a tree, my eyes darting as the shape moves closer. It's crouched, and theres an air of shadows around it.

" WHERE AM I?" I yell, hoping to stop its approach. The figure pauses, thinking.

" you are.. er... I don't actually know.." The voice sounds like that of a young tom; like Blazepaw's but deeper. Richer. There was a pain there, too. Some deep trauma. I don't care enough to pry.

" Ok then, who the fuck are you?" My tone is unintendedly harsh, and the tom visibly winces.

" I'm- I'm Redpaw." Ah, so he was a random apprentice. That explains his size. And yet, I am skeptical of this stranger. Suddenly, the dark mist seems to grow closer, shutting off my view of the surrounding forest.

I see the figure- Redpaw- , approach me with extreme speed. I catch only a glance of his red pelt before the shadows consume me & I disappear from the strange world, only to hear a voice. A voice I knew all too well.

" Good morning kitties!!"

You can't be fucking serious.

~

I jolt awake with the other apprentices, expecting Breezepaw to be next to me & feeling a twinge of sadness when the familiar white fur isn't there. On the otherpaw, Blazepaw seemed to have returned in the midst of the night, as he wasn't there when I went to sleep.

The voice - no, The Narrator booms again, " Miss me kitties? I'm sooooo sorry for disappearing yesterday. The Ringleader doesn't seem to agree with me on certain subjects.."

I want to scream, but instead, I force myself up and give my pelt a lick, leaving the den. Outside, it's a wide arrange of confused and irritated faces. Lionstar looks exhausted, Breezepaw's anxious, the queens are straight-up terrified, and everyone else seems to range from scared to pissed off.

I don't know how I feel. Concerned? Infuriated? Who am I even mad at? The strange dream lingers in the back of my mind as I trot into the clearing and settle next to Breezepaw, who's fidgeting with a leaf. " so.." I whisper to her.

" so..." She responds.

" their back." I state, bluntly. No need to veil it. I don't even know why I'm really saying it. No other way to start a conversation, I guess.

" ... ye-" She's cut off by The Narrator's announcement.

" SO!! The Ringleaders still pissed at me, I guess you can't just kill off a few of your friends dog and expect no repercussions...." The last part comes in a murmur, although most of us can piece together what they said. 

" dogs?? murder??" I hiss to Breezepaw, my eyes wide with bewilderment. She's about to say something before being cut off again.

" Anyway, they called me and demanded to get to choose the next challenge, so, "

We all wait, the clearing silent in anticipation as The Narrator stares into the weird grey brick, waiting for something. There's a muffled sound and The Narrator nods before speaking;

" Today's Challenge is ... OUTRUN THE WOLF!!"

wHAT. (YOU MUST BE OUTTA YOUR GODDAMN MIND IF YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT IS GONNA BRING THE NATION TO THE BRINK... finish the lyrics hamilton fans <3)

~

Suddenly, we're all teleported to one spot, right behind the meeting rock. I can hear the aggressive foaming of the wolf behind us, their growls getting more hungry. I can feel their eyes roam us, their new prey. I really shouldn't be surprised by now, considering she made us walk through literal fire afew days back, but I still am.

" READY?"

" SET"

I tense, my back fur raising in fear. I prepare to literally run for my life.

" GO!"  The Narrator screams, and with that, we're off.

Everycat bolts forward in a flurry of multicolor pelts, pushing me back. I fight with all my strength against the crowd, before veering to the side in an attempt to get away from the other panicked cats.

The sharp scent of heather bites me as I run through the thick patch of tall purple flowers, each step getting progressively harder as the tall stalks tangle in my grey fur. I stumble, falling into the dirt. It muddies my pelt. I decide to stop there, the scent of wolf no longer heavy in the air... 

~

WOLFS POV ( 'cause )

The large grey wolf sniffs the air, it's thick with the disgusting scent of flowers- but wait, something else was there. A cat. The wolf snickered and darted forward through the flowers, finding themselves at a large rock. A burrow was hidden inside, which was where the catscent was coming from. The wolf grinned, boldy jumping into the den and finding the brown pelt of Dawndew, complete with small kits. The grey animal leans down, their hot breath steaming against the cold air & terrifying the shaking queen more. She shrinks as they approach, sinking their cold, sharp teeth into the cat's shoulder. And being teleported away.

The Narrator smiles at the wolf, making a good feeling course through them. They had pleased their master. " Now, go find another one." The wolf nodded and set out again, sniffing the cold air.

Speaking of the cold, it nipped at the grey wolf, sinking deep into him with ice-cold fangs. They did not like this cold. It did not matter, for they had found another cat scent. They began to follow, finding it winding through the denser part of the territory, and leading straight into a withering bush. The wolf grinned.

~ 

( switches povs causally ) - (it's magpiefeather)

My eyes go wide as I realize the wolf is right outside my bush. Fuck. I tuck my black paws under me, trying to be as still as possible. I can jump out and run if the oh-the-bush-isnt-moving-guess-no-cats-inhabting-it ploy doesn't work. A long moment passes. Unfortunately, it doesn't. The wolf moves closer, and all I see next is the grey furry paw hitting the ground and taking off, pouncing straight on me and sinking their sharp fangs into my midsection. Pain shoots through me and I try to escape, stumbling & hitting the floor hard. Dirt stains my pelt, and I do the same, but with the liquid of my own blood.

Then, the familiar feeling of white-hot fire rips through me, combined with freezing cold.

We're being teleported.

I arrive, still on the ground, in the clearing with quite afew visibly relieved cats. I see my own apprentice, Mintpaw, among the unmarked. Thank Starclan. My eyes settle on a silently crying cat. More specifically, a queen. Crowwing looks to be trying to comfort her- No. Noooo you aren't fucking- I'm fighting Dawndew, aren't I?

The Narrator seems to finish whatever they were doing, and opens their mouth to give the announcement. 

" OUR FAILURES ARE...." Everycat tensed visibly.

" DAWNDEW & MAGPIEFEATHER  - wow that's a mouthful of a name..."

Even if I knew this was coming, my eyes still go wide. Mintpaw rushes over to me, tears forming & clouding their eyes. Eyes I may never look into again.

" ma-magpiefeather? no.. please..." Her voice is shaky, and soon enough the apprentice is full on sobbing. I try to comfort her, although it's in vain. Dawndew is visibly sobbing into crowwing, their small oblivious kits wondering what brought on this sobbing.

Dusk falls.

We all know what waits now.