The Light of Dusk

Chapter Twelve - Amber

Dusk's automatic instinct was to protect those weaker than him, like she-cats or neonates, so he leapt around, arching his back in front of Featherpelt. He snarled fiercely at- another she-cat?
"What are you doing here?" Dusk asked abruptly. "You don't live here, do you?"
"No," the cat said simply. "I'm just visiting." She seemed calm, looking up at Dusk with dignity.
Dusk was putoff by her behavior. Wasn't she scared? Featherpelt and Mist hadn't been, either. Was he not scary anymore? He looked down at himself. He was still huge with huge claws. Were his teeth still huge? What about his head? Did he have a laughably small head or ears? Was his nose huge? He mentally shook himself and eyed the cat warily. "Who are you?"
"I'm Amber," she meowed. The she-cat was gray, like Featherpelt, but a shade darker.

Dusk watched her cautiously. "I'm Dusk, and this is Featherpelt." He looked around to introduce her, but Featherpelt had gone. He growled and spotted her a bit away and ran after her. "You can't run off like that, kit! It's dangerous in these mountains!"

Featherpelt was looking at some blue flowers. They were the exact shade of Mist's eyes. Dusk growled again and tore them up. He subconsciously was aware that Amber had followed him.

Featherpelt scoffed. "Angry much..?" He glared at her as she wandered off again, this time into a tunnel. He followed again, and Amber did too. Why was she, anyways? He pushed Amber to the back of his mind and focused on Featherpelt. The tunnel opened up to a cave without a roof. In the center was a spring with steam coming out of it. He guessed it was hot.

Featherpelt dabbed her paw at the water. "It's hot!"

"What else would it be?" He retorted and stepped in despite not knowing how to swim. "See? It's fine."

Just then, Dusk heard a familiar roar in the distance. "Hide!" He hissed and pounced on Featherpelt. He held her underwater despite her struggling. It was pathetic, really, how weak she was compared to him.

He held her under as long as he felt he could until Featherpelt might drown and then let go of her. Amber went above surface too, and Featherpelt indignantly got out of the water.

"What was that for?!" She hissed and swiped at him. He easily dodged and glared at her as always. "For your safety! My dad is out there. He's probably really angry that I left and would take any opportunity to hurt me or the cats around me. You don't understand, kit!"

Featherpelt glared right back. "I'm not a kit!"

"Well, you sure act like it! And until you grow up, I'm going to treat you like one." He hauled her into a corner. Featherpelt sulked and curled up, clearly cold by the way her thin form shivered. When she fell into a light sleep, he awkwardly shuffled closer to her to share his warmth.

Amber watched him, her eyes glowing. Dusk glared at her and growled quietly, "You better not tell."

"Your secret's safe with me," Amber meowed and sat down, still watching him. Dusk huffed. It's hardly a secret. Still, he was glad that she had agreed not to tell Featherpelt. He had no idea how she would react.

Once Featherpelt woke up, she walked out of the cave and began to climb one of the mountains.

"Did you not listen to a thing I told you?!" Dusk growled and followed her up the mountain. While she struggled walking through the snow, his trademarked 'snowshoe' paws kept him up easily. Again, Amber followed him, with more skill than Featherpelt but still not with the ease he had.

"I'm going to prove to you that I'm strong!" Featherpelt huffed as she clambered out of a snowdrift. "You'll freeze to death out here! Your pelt is thinner than mine, you can't take the cold!" Featherpelt ignored him and kept climbing, reaching a part where she could rest.

Dusk nearly had it. Didn't she realize what danger she was putting herself in?! If she didn't freeze, she would fall into the snow and be buried alive, or she would starve, or get mauled by a mountain lion or a lynx. The mountains were no place for a weak cat like her. Or Turtle.. The lynx-cat pushed back his grief and called out to Featherpelt, "Watch out! There's ice right there, you'll slip and fall!" Right next to them was a perilous edge, and Featherpelt did seem unsteady. "I'm fine!" The she-cat grumbled.

"Use your claws, like this," Amber demonstrated and carefully walked on the ice.

"Both of you, get away from that cliff!" Dusk yowled, frustrated. Why wouldn't they listen to him?! It was like he was talking to a wall!

Just as he had feared, Featherpelt did slip and fall, but she didn't fall down the cliff. She slid down the mountain and tumbled, her claws trying to grip the ice and just creating claw marks. "No!" Dusk wailed as he saw the panic in her eyes. He jumped from rock to rock down to the bottom like a mountain goat, but he was too late. Featherpelt was already slumped at the bottom.

This is all my fault.. Dusk thought miserably and nudged her. "Get up!"

Featherpelt slowly did and soon Amber was by his side, helping her up. "Thanks.." Featherpelt mumbled gratefully. Dusk looked on, his eyes shadowed with doubt. He would be the cause of both of their deaths if he didn't get them to leave.

"We need to go. My father and other lynxes are on the loose, it's not safe here. Please just listen to me for once and leave!" Dusk roared desperately.

Featherpelt looked at him, hurt in her eyes. "Not until you realize that I'm not a kit and I can take care of myself!"

"No you can't!" Dusk hissed and grabbed her by the scruff, carrying her to the edge of the mountain. Amber followed silently.

"Let me go!" Featherpelt was furious, twisting and turning and scratching at his muzzle and nose. The scratches felt like those of a kits' and Dusk ignored them, leaping from the cliff to the branch of the tree Featherpelt had used to get there earlier. He climbed down, ignoring Featherpelt's anger and let her go when they reached the ground but pinned her underneath his massive paws. "Amber, watch her and make sure she doesn't leave while I hunt," he ordered.

"I'm not your slave," Amber retorted. Dusk was surprised and confused. He hadn't realized he had ordered her to do something. "Please?"

Once Amber had nodded he sped off, but not before telling her, "I'd leave her by the twoleg fireplace, the embers are still hot."

Once he was out of sight yet again another cat was in his way.