King of the Hill

 KING OF THE HILL

Episode Five, Season Three, of Rise.

Enjoy <3

King of the Hill
Nightshadow and Feathershine approach me later in the day, after I enter the camp from my adventure with Shadeflower. They confront me even before I can make it to my den to collapse from exhaustion.

“Bryce,” Nightshadow says urgently, “are you all right?”

“Fine,” I mumble, “I just need some sleep.”

“You haven’t been sleeping well since the battle,” Feathershine’s eyes are kind and gentle. “There’s something on your mind that has been stopping you. You can trust us, Bryce. We may not be Terran, but you can trust us.”

“Terran?” I echo, frowning, “What does Terran have to do with trust?”

Nightshadow rolls his eyes but Feathershine smiles at my confusion. “You tell Terran everything.”

“That is not true,” I say defensively.

It was true though. I do have a tendency of running to the white tom whenever I needed to tell someone something, and that’s why it had been so hard for me to keep secrets from him.

“I trust you guys,” I sigh, giving in, “and this is really bugging me anyway. You probably saw Shadeflower come in, right?”

“She talked to us,” Nightshadow nods, “briefly. She seemed perfectly fine, as if her experiences from the prison had been silenced and stored away.”

“It wasn’t the prison memories that were stopping her,” I hesitate, “we should talk somewhere private.”

Nightshadow nods and leads the way out of camp. We walk into a private clearing where I sit and begin to explain everything.

“So it wasn’t long after the battle that I found myself scouring the Viper border looking for Terran. I wanted to know if he was okay, but instead of finding him, a she-cat talked to me instead. She said her name was Vicky, and she was Terran’s old girlfriend.” I can’t stop myself from saying this in a bitter tone.

“She’s the same she-cat who told me about Terran’s father. She told me she had information on Terran and if I met her five days from that day, she would tell me. At first I was reluctant, but I agreed to it and met her again. This time, she told me to bring Shadeflower to the next meeting, which was today.”

“Shadeflower?” Nightshadow interrupts, “What does Vicky want with my sister?”

Feathershine nudges her boyfriend. “Hush,” she scolds, “Bryce is going to tell us.”

“Well,” I furrow my brow, “I’m not sure about that one.”

“Come on,” Feathershine urges, “you can tell us anything. We’re here for you.”

“No, it’s not that!” I feel myself flush at the accusation. “I really don’t know what Vicky wanted with Shadeflower. I guess I was a bit impulsive, bringing here there this morning, but I wanted answers myself.”

“No one blames you,” Nightshadow reassures me, in a tone that makes me wonder if he does blame me. “We’re all worried about Terran.”

Not as much as me, I think ruefully, knowing I was the only one worrying my head off. The others moved on, knowing that Terran will find his way back.

Feathershine takes this all in. “Did you find out anything yet?”

“Not really,” I sigh in defeat, “All I got was that Terran was in Viper territory and that he didn’t want to see me. I don’t really believe the second part, but that’s also the only lead I have.” I remember my dream but I decide not to mention this. What are the chances the dream was real anyway?

“It’s unlikely that Terran is staying away from you on purpose,” Feathershine comments, “he must have his reasons if he is truly wandering the Viper lands.”

“He can’t be lost,” I agree, “Terran would know where he is. Vicky said he was in Viper prison but he escaped.”

Nightshadow’s eyes darken. “He could be seriously injured then. Or that Vicky she-cat could have been lying.”

“Nightshadow!” Feathershine smacks her boyfriend lightly, “Try and stay optimistic, would you?”

“Sorry,” he mumbles, rubbing his shoulder where Feathershine had hit him. “Just trying to gather enough facts so we can figure out what to do next.”

I don’t say anything. I’m trying to think of all the possible leads we have. Yes, I can trust Vicky, but there is a chance she’s just telling me to keep me from refusing to meet her. Suddenly, I remember her words from last night.

“I don’t think she’s lying to me,” I suddenly say, interrupting an argument brewing between Feathershine and Nightshadow.

They stop abruptly and stare at me. “She told me that she wanted the Vipers to die,” the words are suddenly clear in my mind. “I had asked her what she wanted and that was the response she gave me.”

“She wants the Vipers to die?” Nightshadow echoes, “That sounds a bit strange to me. Isn’t she a Viper?”

“Perhaps she’s like Terran and Karina?” Feathershine suggests, “I mean she could be there as a disguise and she just really wants to destroy them.”

“You think?” I furrow my brow, “I couldn’t tell from the few meetings I had with her. She seemed so indifferent about everything. But if she’s here to help us, why isn’t she revealing Terran’s location?”

Nightshadow narrows his eyes. “Sounds like a bitter ex-girlfriend if you ask me.”

“What does she have to be jealous of?” I ask him, bemused.

Nightshadow shoots a look like I should know. When I don’t get it, Feathershine giggles. “She’s jealous of you, Bryce.”

“Me?” I repeat, flushing a little, “There’s nothing going on between me and Terran.”

Feathershine smothers another giggle and Nightshadow rolls his eyes. I turn scarlet and I remember Applepaw teasing me before by asking if Terran and I had “broken up”. “Oh come on,” I look away, “you can’t seriously think Terran and I are together. We’re just friends!”

“Friends with benefits!” Nightshadow crows.

“Don’t kid,” I mumble, “I’m telling you guys because I don’t know if we can trust Vicky or not. She’s the only lead we have but I don’t think I can completely trust her yet. She may not seem like she’s lying to us about Terran, but I don’t know what to make of her.”

Nightshadow puts on a serious face. “Okay, let’s gather the facts again. She’s given you information before, important ones that have helped you piece together certain things. She’s also given you information on Terran, though not much, tipping off that she isn’t fond of Terran. She also refuses to do anything unless you give her something and even when you do, she still withholds information. She also wants something from Shadeflower.”

“That really paints her in a shady light.” Feathershine observes.

I sigh. “I guess I shouldn’t be relying on her so much.”

“You should be careful,” Nightshadow corrects, “if we play this right, maybe we’ll end up getting something useful. She may not seem like the type to slip easily, but who knows?”

Feathershine nods along. “Vicky wants something from you, Bryce, and she won’t stop until she gets it. Best you can do it pretend you still desperately need the information she offers.”

“Thanks,” I say, meaning it.

“That’s what friends are for,” Feathershine purrs.

~

We get back to camp in time for Nightshadow and Feathershine to join the next hunting patrol. I take this one off to go check on my sisters, who I hadn’t seen all day. I head for my den but when I peek inside they’re not there.

I back out of my den and head for the nursery, where I see kits playing outside. Sure enough, Jewel and Emerald are with the kits they met the other day, tumbling and playing.

I smile at Jewel wrestling with one of the Coalition kits. She was never fond of play-fighting but I think it’s good for her to interact with kits her age instead of spending time worrying about the things I do.

As I watch my sisters enjoy the other kits’ company, I feel nostalgic. I remember those times when I was their only entertainment outside of each other. I suddenly recall Terran telling me I should let my sisters adjust to Clan life more by interacting with the other kits. He’s right after all.

Applepaw is playing with them also, and I suspect she brought my sisters over to play. “Let’s play King of the Hill!” One of the kits shouts.

Applepaw purrs and steps back to watch them, joining me. She doesn’t say anything and neither do I. I watch as the kits set up the “battlefield” around a tiny hill near the back of camp. Half of the kits stand on the top of the hill while the others are scattered around.

“Go!”

Jewel and Emerald are at the bottom and they begin to climb up, tussling with cats on the way.

“King of the Hill is a game meant to prepare the kits for war,” Applepaw suddenly says, “It’s tactics in a simplified form. Obviously they’re not actually trying to win with intricate plans, but the kits understand the point: figure out how to win.”

“It makes sense for the Coalition to have games that help the kits develop a mindset for the war.”

“It makes sense but it’s messed up,” Applepaw mutters, “well the games aren’t that messed up. It’s the fact that the kits have to be preparing now.”

I agree wholeheartedly, but I know it can’t be avoided. The war is already upon them and if the kits don’t start now, it’ll be like Terran said. The war will hit them full on instead, leaving them crippled.

Like it found my sisters…

I hope this will help them recover from the shock of realizing they were joining a war that wasn’t their fight in the first place. I don’t particularly want to think about them being apprentices and joining the war effort, but I know I can’t avoid it either.

As I watch my sisters climb to the top, I notice that they’re unchallenged. Technically they’ve conquered the hill and the two could be the rulers of the hill. But Jewel doesn’t hesitate to tug Emerald along as she helps her teammates up.

I feel like I’m on that hill, trying to help everyone else get up. Or maybe I’m at the bottom, struggling to get up myself. I’m not sure.

“The kits are playing King of the Hill again?” Nightshadow pads up behind us, “They seem to like that game the most.”

“It’s strategic and fun,” Feathershine reckons, “it’s like the apprentice training sessions we hold sometimes.”

I haven’t realized how much time has passed since I’ve been watching the kits play. Already, Nightshadow and Feathershine are back from hunting. “It’s cute,” I admit, “how they play. How they prepare for the war.”

“The kits are more ready than they’ll ever be,” Nightshadow’s eyes darken, “they’ve been raised and brought up to fight in this war. I can only hope that we can stop if before any more generations after this have to face the war.”

It’s a far off dream, I know, but I agree. I’d do anything to protect these kits from facing the war.

“I’m going to go check on Karian,” I say, standing.

“She’s not going to get better by you staring at her,” Feathershine stops me, “Relax for a bit, Bryce.”

I know she’s right, but I want to make sure Karina is all right. “I’ll be right back,” I promise, escaping Feathershine’s grasp and heading for the medicine cat’s den. I slip inside and spot Flameshadow dozing.

Karina is still where she usually is, her eyes closed, her breathing shallow. She looks so innocent and frail in this moment that I back out immediately, feeling as though I’m intruding on a part of Karina that I don’t think she’d want me to see. I feel silly by my reaction, but I know we all have that weaker side that we don’t want others to see.

I return to my friends’ sides and Feathershine shoots me a tired smile. I return it as we watch the kits play.

It feels just right, staying here with my friends, even though Terran and Karina are missing. I feel like we are standing at the top of the hill, watching over everyone else.

Terran and Karina are under us somewhere, but I know we’ll help them up to the top soon.

I can almost swear I imagine this, but just as the peace has started to settle over me, I hear a soft whisper.

“This is how many of your friends that should be here…”

The End.