Strangers- New World

Chapter 17- Recovery

My flame slowly dies off as I wait for her response.
"I'm staying with Spirit and Storm. Midnight, I can't believe you betrayed your friends," Meg speaks softly.
"Friends?" Midnight snarls, "The only friends I've ever had were Moo, Red and you, Megan, but apparently you aren't actually my friend now, are you?
"Come, dracoweres," she continues, "its time for us to go." She glares at Meg and I, "This isn't over, not until every last one of you are dead."
Without another word, she flies out the entrance with her family not far behind. Not needing to say, I'm perfectly fine with that.
War will divide as fate will ally, Thundersfog words repeat in my mind until it finally makes sense. Thundersfog was warning me about Midnight's betrayal! Fate will ally, Yes, Midnight and I bumped into each other in the woods and we became friends. We fought off rogue bears together. We allied. Not long after, we met up with Meg and Red who we're already Midnight's friends. War will divide, now, Midnight has turned against me and made Red and Meg choose. Not to mention the males. She divided us, weren't we all better as one?
"Spirit, dear," Storm's words snapped me back into the present.
"She wants to kill us..." Was all I could muster out.
"I know. You're a little shaken up, leave me in charge and rest," he mumbles in my ear.

I turn towards the den numbly when Custer made me turn towards him.
"Spirit," he starts before Storm calls him off, mumbling something I didn't hear.
Custer nods knowingly and talks to Storm instead, but I hardly realize as I lay down in the nest drowsily.

A wail awakens me. I hop up, padding out to see Moon with her muzzle pressed into Coal's fur.
"What is going on?" I demand before Storm shakes his head sadly.
"He's dead," Storm speaks quietly.
"He can't be. He was trained so well," I pad over, pressing my tail against his face.
Spirit, you can't save him. It's too late. Go out into the woods, you will find a kit. Raise it as your own, a voice whispers in my head.
I numbily fly out the settlement and land between the trees on the outside of it.
Follow the beat of your heart, it tells me. I slowly turn in a circle, finding my heartbeat sound like two in one direction. I pad towards it, slowly hearing not my own anymore, but an entirely different one along with a mewing sound. I quicken my pace, spinning around a hedge I see a kit, eyes not yet open. It was definitely a panther.
"I-I don't have any milk for it..." I say out loud.
Is that true, Spirit? You can't deny you're pregnant for any longer, the voice growls at me.
I glance at my belly, it's true, I'm starting to swell just a tiny bit. Not very noticeable... Yet.
That doesn't mean I have milk, I shout in my head furiously.
You know someone who does... It speaks calmly, as if I didn't just yell at it.
"That's right! Dandelion!" I shout, making the squeaking kit fall over.
"No, no little one... It's okay, come here," I reach down and pick it up by the scruff.
It curls into a ball and my heart melts at its beautiful body.
Slowly and carefully, I fly up, making the trees blow slightly. Holding firm onto the kit, I speed up. I see the hole in front of me and slow my pace. I slowly plop through the hole and land over top of Coal's corpse.
Putting the kit down, I spread my wings and announce, "I have found a new addition to our Settlement! Please welcome Baso! It means forest, from where I found the young one."
Everyone stares quietly until Dandelion wraps her tail around her two kits and says, "I don't mean to disrespect... But where was the mother? She's got to be worried sick about the little thing."
"Dandelion... Look at how frail he is, the mother obviously left it. Please take care of it, for me?" I ask as she freezes, looking at the kit.
Her eyes soften as she pads forward and takes the kit from me gently.
"Tonight we will grieve, tomorrow we will honor Coal's loyalty and courage. Don't let us forget Baso!" I yowl, watching Dandelion pad away with Baso and her own two kits.
I can still feel his heartbeat in my chest. We will always be connected, forever and always.

A//N: sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, I will try to get back on top of that XD. Anyway, cya guys.