Falling Sky

Chapter 8

SharkTooth woke the next morning to the loud caw of a hawk. Hawk, She thought with distaste.

"Uh, Shark?" Ice mewed, nosing her way through the curtain of ivy that hid the interior of the three she cat's dens.

SharkTooth sighed, squeezing past the mangled she-cat as she headed toward the prey pile for the morning. "What?" She slunk around a large tree that rested in the camp and stopped dead. A silver bengal sat a few paces away from the food, having just stopped upon seeing SharkTooth herself.

SharkTooth looked over her sister's pelt, passing over her scratched nose and torn ear, which she had for a while, the was a thin scratch clotted with blood on her neck, another on her shoulder which was appeared to have reopened during the night.

"SilverShade."

"Sharky."

SharkTooth narrowed her eyes at the use of her nickname and padded closer to SilverShade, feeling Ice tense, but her sister appeared calm, except for her eyes.

SharkTooth bent her head down and picked up a vole, retreating into a spot in the sun as LilySnow came, whispering something to SilverShade.

"I'll see to it." She mewed, and walked out of camp.

SharkTooth hissed. How dare she walk in here like nothing had happened? Then just leave? She hadn't even bothered to say anything to SharkTooth since she gave her the stupid necklace, which had stabbed her upon touching it.

An odd, magical feeling stopped her from getting rid of it, and she wanted to ask SilverShade what it did, because it certainly wasn't for looks, but she wasn't ready to talk to her murderous sister just yet.

Though, I guess she was protecting me, trying to do the right thing in her own twisted way.

SilverShade returned a little while later once the sun had started to droop, casting an beautiful orange light over everything.

"Were you at your camp?" SharkTooth hissed, showing her teeth.

"Only for a little bit." She mewed without emotion. "I also got a dressing for Ice's shoulder, it was getting bad again.."

SharkTooth swallowed back the sudden urge to cry, as if sensing this, SilverShade narrowed her ears and turned away, and SharkTooth saw the tips of her claws glinting in the gold light.

"Crybaby." She wouldn't have heard it if it wasn't for her ears.

"I hate you! You make everything awful! I never want to see you again! You don't think I'd noticed you sneaking out all the time? That whenever you came back you- you-" Tears blurred her vision as she shook her head.

"Fine! I'll go! I only went there for you anyway!" SilverShade hissed, unsheathing her unnaturally long claws as she swung towards her. SharkTooth's eyes widened and she barely had time to jerk back as SilverShade's claws ripped open her cheek, and blood rushed into her mouth.

She spat out the blood onto SilverShade's paws. But she no longer recognized her sister, her eyes were wild with bloodlust and her claws were stained pink with blood that would never wash off.

She looked scarier than Hawk, then the dogs that killed Thistle, then a fox, scarier than a badger or a fishercat. She could suddenly see why cats fled at the sight of her, but her paws were rooted to the spot.

"You don't like who I am? This is me Shark! I became this for you! Aren't you proud, sister?" SilverShade growled with surprising intensity. She leapt at SharkTooth again, but she dodged, her gold paws stirring up dirt, but the silver she-cat twisted mid leap and sank her claws into her spine, pushing her to the ground.