Book 1: Ravaged Hope

Chapter 2: The Encounter with an Evil One

2

The Encounter with an Evil One

Dragonstar, Ravenstar, Ravenpaw, Kohta, Blue, Arion, and The Coming of the Owl, or Hoole, all traveled together to the Dragon’s Stone. To get to the Stone was a two days journey if you were to stop at the half-way point.

“Mother, where does the Dragon’s Stone’s name come from?” Ravenpaw asked shyly.

Ravenstar shot a sad look at Ravenpaw and a poisonous glare at Dragonstar,” Have you not heard that story from the elders yet?  I guess not,” she sighed,” Dragonstar’s warrior name was Dragonstone.  May I add that Dragonstar named his discovery after himself like he owned the place,” Ravenstar snarled.

“Oh, I get it now,” Ravenpaw muttered as she heard Dragonstar, her father, growl,” Hey mother,”

“Yes, dear?” Ravenstar answered.

“When can I become a warrior, I’ve trained hard after my paw injury and Dovepaw said he may become another apprentice medicine cat.  And Wildpaw of course would stay an apprentice until he was ready,” Ravenpaw whispered shyly.

The thought had shocked her, Panthermoon was her littermate but was already a warrior because she hadn’t fallen out of her nest, and it was Ravenpaw who would’ve already become a warrior if it hadn’t been for the injury.  As she thought about it she started to silently cry for joy that that fateful day had only been a paw injury and not something worse.

“Well, are you going to answer me?” Ravenpaw queried as she saw a silent tear roll down Ravenstar’s cheek.

Ravenstar snapped back to attention,” Oh yes, I’m not completely sure yet but I do know this, if you behave on this trip you may get a moon or two off your apprenticeship so you can become a warrior.  By the way did Dovepaw say who he would be apprenticed to if he gets the rank because it would be fine with me, but it’s also Dragonstar’s decision to,” She daintily finished.

“I think he said that he wants Coalfur more than anything,” she replied.

“And why is that?” Ravenstar purred.

“He said Coalfur is loving, caring, and the best medicine cat ever!” She purred using the same tone Dovepaw himself had purred.

Ravenstar gave a responding nod and kept trotting along the path to the Dragon’s Stone.  Thy twisted, turned, and took a couple wrong turns, and then Ravenpaw’s stomach growled.

“I’m hungry,” she grumbled as she stopped completely and started to nudge her pack with her muzzle.

The other animals sighed in exhaustion as they too were thinking the same thing.  Blue yipped,” Let’s go ahead and stop for today.  Anyone know where we are?”

“I think we’re at the crossroads, you know the half-way point, and we finally made it!” Ravenstar yowled as she took a plump squirrel out of her pack.

“Finally, we made it,” they all sighed as they took their fresh-kill out of their packs.

“Ravenstar,” Ravenpaw meowed dumbly,” This may sound like crow-dung but I can’t get the pack open,”

“It’s all right we’ll fix it later here take this squirrel,” she meowed as she quickly devoured hers.

Ravenpaw nodded a thank you and hastily took the squirrel and picked it clean.  The others finished their prey and tucked into the bushes around them.

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It had started to storm during the night; there were flashes of lightning and then booms of thunder.  Ravenpaw who was terribly afraid of storms burrowed into her mother to keep safe and dry.  Then as she was sleeping by her mother she heard a haunting howl.  The howl was terrifyingly beautiful and she shivered all over.

Ravenstar who was in a deep sleep felt her daughter shiver and sleepily woke up.  The beast had howled again and Ravenstar nearly lost it right there.  The howl was not just a howl it was Thoran’s howl.

The howl that nearly killed her, only a few moons ago.  And it might just get her this time.

“Aroooo,” the howl was in front of her and a flash of lightning lit the sky and it confirmed her suspicions.  “I found you kitty cat, now let’s see here should I eat you first or your daughter?” he snickered.

Luckily as Thoran pounced Blue took him down in a flurry of paws and tails.  “How dare you even talk to her like that wolf?  Are you even a wolf, you shouldn’t be, a wolf wouldn’t threaten a cat or it’s young!” Blue angrily snarled.

But as she snarled those words a jagged bolt of lightning set the world on fire.