Jayhaven Chronicles
Surprise

Rapid, Peak, and Hawk had all been (rather rudely) awakened by Sunbeam and rounded up in the great hall for their first official day of training. Butterflies raided their stomachs as they waited for Panther to emerge into the hall.

“Ugh, he’s usually far more punctual than this.” Sunbeam groaned, rolling her eyes slightly. “Better make sure he hasn’t slEPT-

A shadowy figure suddenly leapt from above and tackled her to the ground, pinning her as she sprawled flat on her stomach. Of course, it was Panther.

“Good morning!” He smiled cheerfully as Sunbeam screeched in outrage. “Today we’re going to learn about something called the element of surprise.”

He let Sunbeam stand up, and, looking very rustled indeed, Sunbeam asked if she could go fix herself up in the bathroom. Once she was gone, Rapid began to snicker, before erupting into laughter.

“Oh my gosh,” He said, his chuckles echoing through the hall. “Did you see her face?”

The king laughed with him. “Sunbeam is a very responsible, loyal cat, and I’d trust her with my life. But she does not have a sense of humor!”

Panther told them to come outside with him, so they followed their leader onto the massive lawn. Panther lead them around the very overgrown right side to reveal a small silver arena, reflecting the morning light and surrounded by rose bushes.

“Go on in,” Panther gestured towards the arena with his tail. “Just don’t fall into the bushes.”

All three students nodded and bounded in to the circle of thistles. Panther followed them, and the lesson began.

“Alright, listen closely.” Panther began in a no-nonsense tone. “So far you’ve been taught to simply fight things out, until either you or your opponent keels over and dies. But,” Panther gave a sly grin. “What if you could end the fight before it even started?”

“Like how you snuck up on Sunbeam?” Peak asked from in between Rapid and Hawk.

Panther leaned forward and gave Peak a pat on the head with his paw pad. “Exactly!”

The night black tom crouched low, flattening his ears and pinning back his whiskers. “When attempting to sneak up on an enemy, or prey, or anything, you must be completely silent.” He stood back up, but slouched in a rather un-royal fashion. “Now, I know that comes as no surprise, but it’s harder than you might think.”

Rapid attempted to follow Panther’s simple instructions, but when he and his friends tried to make themselves silent, they found that their claws dragged on the silver floor of the arena, or that their tails involuntarily waved and made the slightest whipping noise.

“Gosh, Ma was right. I knew I should have used her claw trimming machine!” Peak whispered out the side of his mouth as Rapid passed him.

Panther smiled and opened his mouth to speak again, when the cries of a cat in distress rang throughout the courtyard. A very skinny golden-brown tom came bolting around the corner, panting and lashing his tail.

“Y-your majesty!” He rasped. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but I have urgent news!”

Panther’s eyes turned serious in a way Rapid hadn’t seen before. “What has happened, Aspen?”

Aspen the messenger stuttered on. “E-Empress Wilkka, y-you know, the owl leader, sh-she’s just stolen territory and making threats upon our lives! S-saying…” The tiny tom gulped. “That she’ll beat us bloodier than the d-o-g-s did if we refuse to be compliant.”

Rapid gulped with him. Kiirion told us that she had claimed the clearing! A sinking feeling claimed his gut.

The king’s face turned furious. “Thank you Aspen. I shall deal with this immediately. Peak, go inside and alert Sunbeam. Rapid, Hawk, come with me.”

Rapid felt unease fill his stomach and he took a step back. “Wait, us?”

But Hawk and Panther had already started to bound away. Rapid scurried to follow them, suddenly feeling a bit lightheaded. He had known that the Empress was taking territory, and he had said nothing!

Rapid realized that Panther was taking them to the clearing, and readied himself for a long walk. He looked up at the sky and noticed that they were in a distinct checkerboard pattern. He took a deep breath and reached within his mind to remember when he and Peak were just kittens, and Rapid’s parents had just gone missing. It was one of his only memories of his first days with his adopted family.

“I’m nothing without them.” Little Rapid had sobbed. “I can’t do this. I can’t.”

Peak had reached out and lightly touched his paw. “It’s okay. Take a breath.” He had mewed gently. “When I’m upset, I like to count the clouds. Much easier than counting stars!”

So Rapid counted them. It was easy in their orderly arrangement. Even though the anxiety wasn’t gone, Rapid felt a little better. He blinked and his lips curled into a tiny smile.

It seemed every cat they passed seemed to be in a state of shock, and that certainly didn’t help Rapid’s mood. Even still, he wondered why everyone was so panicked. It wasn’t like another war was starting.

They arrived at the clearing to see that it was abuzz with cats from all of the guilds. They had formed loose groups and were chattering like starlings, some faces calm and some faces anxious. When they noticed Panther appear, they all quieted and bowed.

“No need for formalities.” Panther dismissed them with a wave of his paw. “What exactly has happened here?”

Onyx stood up and padded over, clearly trying to hide his disdain that Rapid and Hawk had come too. “I’m sure you’ve heard the news. The Empress is just stealing territory without a care, and acting like we’re the ones who have a problem!” He spat at the end for extra emphasis.

“But why are we so upset? I don’t think this is the call for a heart attack.” Rapid blurted, but as soon as the words left his lips he knew they shouldn’t have.

The head Battler’s eyes grew cold and stern, like Rapid was a kitten he needed to discipline. “Not everyone got the opportunity of a lifetime a week after the battle, Rapid.”

Panther was clearly trying to remain calm himself, but his eyes betrayed his anger. “Is the Empress still here?”

A gray she-cat came to stand beside Onyx. “No, but we do have a captive ready for interrogation.

Rapid shot Hawk a look, and a thought passed wordlessly through both of them. Oh no. It can’t be- Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FɪndNovᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Rapid saw a few cats emerge from the woods with a silver cage on their backs, and coming from it were distressed, desperate squawking sounds. Rapid almost didn’t dare take a closer look, but he did.

It was Kiirion.

“Excellent.” Panther mewed smoothly, seeming very satisfied. “Take him to the prison, Waterfall.”

For a few seconds, Rapid was speechless. But then his voice came to him, and he whipped about to face Onyx. “Let him go!” Rapid yowled. “Kiirion didn’t steal the territory!” He expected Hawk to join him in defiance, but the beige tom instead stood in silence.

Onyx rolled his eyes dramatically. “Oh, here we go again with that dumb owl!” He exclaimed, crossness hinging on his mew. “What kind of cat values an enemy over their own people?”

“Onyx, enough.” Panther ran his tail down his brother’s spine. “But I do agree with him, Rapid.” He snapped his head back to his student, and his bright green glare made Rapid feel as small as a mouse, and he began to shrink away. “I don’t want you to associate with an owl ever again. This has gotten out of hand.”

He signaled for his two students to follow him, but Rapid didn’t really feel like it. He reluctantly dragged his feet after his king, but couldn’t get the thought of Kiirion being tortured-or worse- out of his head.

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on G𝘰𝘰gle to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.