Jayhaven Chronicles
Fur and Feathers

It started out a normal day. With a test coming up, all the Battler students were studying, until-

“Owls! Owls attacking the prey stock! You have to help!” Snow, the leader of the Scouts Rapid had seen at the guild ceremony, burst into Claw’s room, panting heavily and with scratches all along her tail.

Claw got up from his seat and addressed the frantic she-cat. “Snow, calm down. What happened?”

“The Scouts were checking the barns, making sure all of our backup supply was there. Out of nowhere, owls, trying to tear us apart. Claw, there are students back there!“

Claw’s relatively calm gaze suddenly hardened. “What guilds?”

“All of them. The Providers were adding to the stock, and the healers were tending to any scratches they got during the hunt. The Scouts were checking for poison. Kits are there, Claw!”

Claw stepped back and addressed the class, but all Rapid could think about was what Snow just said. All the guilds. Peak’s there. And Hawk, and Storm. And if Dusk and Spider were on patrol, that’s them too- Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FindNʘᴠᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“All of the cats I just called will come with me and fight. The rest will round up any civilians that are outside near the stock barn.”

Rapid felt his heart weigh him down like a rock as he hissed to Sedge. “Did he call me?”

“Yes, and me.” Sedge looked over at him, her eyes round with worry. “When I said I almost wanted a bird attack, I didn’t mean this!”

The attack party consisted of a few adult cats Claw had rounded up, and a couple other students, but that was it. Rapid felt like curling back up into his nest as Claw lead them out of the academy and into the city. Screeching cats ran for safety left and right, and one tom had collapsed onto the street. This attack must be huge!

Claw gasped and turned to his patrol. “Ember, go and help him! Everyone else, follow me, quickly!”

The party sprinted along the gravel road, stones lodging into their pads and tripping them as they ran to the prey stock. I’ve never even heard of a backup stock, much less seen it. How am I supposed to fight in unfamiliar territory?

Finally, the skyscrapers bled into smaller herb farms and the stock came into view. A dozen owls were circling it, talons extended and ready to shred any threatening cat.

Claw lead the younger cats under a ledge, where they were out of sight from the flying predators. “Let the full Battlers handle them first. You help cats get away. Only in an emergency, you students come near, Okay?”

Rapid nodded as he pressed his belly to the ground in fright. Sedge whisked her tail as the Battlers leaped into action, clawing at the owl’s tail feathers to distract them before going in with a stronger strike. “There’s no way they’ll be able to take twelve owls on their own. Those owls look like they’re not giving up anytime soon. We need to sneak into the fight.”

A small brown she-cat from beside Sedge shuddered. “Those beaks look cruel. I’m not dying for a battle we’ve already lost.”

“I agree with Cricket.” A tan tabby added. “We should just go hide.”

Rapid shook off his fear as he felt rage flare in his stomach. He drew himself up and faced the other students. “Are you all cowards? You joined this guild to be brave warriors, not scared kittens!”

Sedge looked at him and nodded gratefully. “Rapid’s right. We’re the defenders of Jayhaven. That’s our job. If you can’t take a little toil, then you should just go home.

“I’ll come with you.” A red she-cat stood up and came to Sedge’s side. She had a raspy, bossy voice, like she had been taking pointers from Crisp. “My parents are in there. I have to help.”

“I’m coming too.” Mewed a dark tabby. He had reddish speckles all over his face, like someone had spilled a pack of paint on him.

“Thank you.” Rapid flashed a glare at the two students who hadn’t joined them, who still were shivering and scared.

Sedge lead them away, and used a twig to draw in the ground. “I’ll keep the owls at bay with Aerial Offence. You’ll enter the prey stock and defend it in case any owls get through.”

Rapid felt that Sedge was being a bit pushy, but the two cats only nodded, fierce determination in their eyes.

“I’ll help the older Battlers take down the owls from the roof.” Rapid mewed.

The dark tabby tom nodded. “I’m Raven, by the way. That’s my sister, Flame.” He pointed with his tail to the red she-cat, who nodded. “Our other littermate, Cricket, is back there.” Raven turned to cast a scathing gaze at his sister, but she and the other she-cat had already left for shelter.

Sedge turned around and stared at the stock. “Let’s go!”

Rapid ran for the outer wall of the circular barn, leaping and hooking his claws into the gaps between the slabs. Despite the pain, he scrambled up to the top. He surveyed the ground for Peak or Hawk, but all he saw were howling Battlers. He saw Claw flip through the air, taking down a Great Grey in one leap. Rapid then realized he had been immediately targeted by a huge white owl.

“Oh, boy.” Rapid muttered as he threw himself at the white beast. He heard cries of outrage from the other Battlers below, but Rapid ignored them. We’re saving your hides!

The owl flapped its wings frantically, squawking and screeching as it tried to throw him off, Rapid dug his right claws in harder, and scored his left claws along the owl’s side.

Screaming with pain as well as anger now, the owl rose higher into the air, leaving the barn below. Rapid cried out in terror as the howls of the cats below grew fainter. In a desperate attempt, Rapid slashed at the owl’s wing, wincing as his claws hit raw skin. The owl tucked in its injured wing and began to plummet to the ground. Rapid was about to crash with it, but leaped off just in time to roll onto the barn roof again.

Rapid scrambled to get up, and realized that another owl was already on his trail. Sighing with exhaustion, Rapid unsheathed his claws once again to fight the new bird. But before he could leap, he felt pain like fire scorch through his side. Brutal talons hooked into his ribs, and Rapid gasped in agony as the breath was knocked out of him. He prepared himself to be carried off again, but this time for good, because everything was getting darker. But the Earth didn’t fall away from his paws, instead it turned silver. What?

Rapid was suddenly being dragged along the ground, his scruff in Sedge’s mouth.

“What are you doing? You’re going to get killed out in the open!”

Sedge mumbled around his fur. “Returning the favor.” She heaved him into a gorse bush, and Rapid rolled onto his uninjured side. “I need to get back out there.” He muttered, the strength to get up having left him.

“No way, rock-brain. You’re hurt.” Sedge sniffed a group of leaves within the bush, then them from a spindly branch, and tore them into pieces with her claws. Fluids began to leak from the leaves, so Sedge quickly worked them into Rapid’s wound.

“My mom’s a Healer. She taught me how to sniff out what leaves help heal cuts.” Sedge mewed as she spread the juices along the gash, a bit of pride in her voice.

“Thank you.” Rapid sighed when she was finished, the pain feeling much better.

Sedge’s eyes sparkled at him from the dark. “I’m going to need to wash my paws after this. Who knows where your side has been” She joked.

“I’ll be back.” She called as she leaped back out into the fray. Rapid peered through the bush and saw her fight off two owls in a single Aerial Offence, her flawless execution keeping her unscathed. She’s so brave. How could I have thought of her as disloyal and rude, when I’m here, lying in a bush. Rapid snorted and closed his eyes. He drifted off into a uncomfortable but deep sleep.

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