Legendaries

''This is the fourth episode of Vale, season 4. Written by Rainy. Read, enjoy, & comment!''

Legendaries
After we left the dark city, I thought we would head straight home without incident.

Nope. Minkears, Specklenose, Bluebird and Fire intercepted us at the SpringClan border, and I could tell by their faces that it wasn't a welcome committee. More bad news was all we needed to hear. I heaved a gusty sigh. "We were so close," I muttered. "So close... but then you guys show up, ruin everything."

Minkears gave me a glare. "Nice to see you too. It's not like we've been worried you could be dead or dying or anything."

"Who are they?" Ren asked.

Shooting him a wary look, Specklenose said, "Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing."

Stepping forward and shooting Ren a glance that clearly said I'll handle this, Saori fluttered her eyelashes and said, "That's my brother, Ren. My name's Saori."

Which resulted in Specklenose looking like he'd been temporarily robbed of his common sense. Judging by Ren's look of exasperation, his sister often had this effect on toms.

Rolling her eyes, Cammy said, "Guys, this is Minkears, Specklenose, Fire, and Bluebird-"

"Bluebird?" I interrupted. "What is he even doing here?"

Miffed, Bluebird said, "Gosh, thanks."

"Sorry... It's just, you're not even part of the Vale Squad."

"Neither is Ryan," retorted Minkears.

"What's the Vale Squad?" asked Ren.

"Right, so neither of you guys' boyfriends is in the Vale Squad," Daisyheart told Minkears and I. "Moving on."

Absolutely horrified, Minkears spluttered, "Did- Did you just?"

"Wait, so is anyone here actually mates with or dating anyone else? Or are you all just pretending not to like each other?" asked Saori.

We probably would've gotten into a really heated argument about each other's love lives (incredibly pathetic, I know, but we were still young!) but Fire had had enough of all of us. "WOULD YOU ALL SHUT UP?" she demanded.

In an instant, all of us shut our mouths. She jerked her chin. "Better. Now, we've got a lot to discuss, and not much time."

"Wait, so are all of us in on things now? This group keeps getting bigger and bigger," muttered Minkears resentfully. "Trusting rogues is one thing, but now we're trusting a couple of Twoleg-loving kittypets?"

"We're not kittypets," snarled Ren. "You want to see how tough a real cat-"

"Anyway," Fire cut him off smoothly, "the point is that-"

"Wait, you said we're all in on things," I said to Minkears. "All in on what? What is going on here?"

"That's what I'm trying to explain here!" exploded Fire. She looked pointedly at Ryan. "Would you like to start off?"

He took a deep breath. "Lately I've been having these... visions. They're like premonitions. Sometimes they come as dreams. Other times it happens when I'm near a certain cat. I'm just hit with it, like, this is what will happen. They can be really foggy; sometimes it's just a vague nagging feeling, but other times it's like a boulder to the face. And according to Fire, well, she says it's... it's a..."

"A gift," said Fire firmly. Ryan nodded slowly, like he'd been about to call it the opposite. Even Fire didn't look too certain about her word choice, though her voice was resolute. "There are three parts of the gift, and Ariel used to possess all of them. When she died, I expected I would receive all three parts, but for some really strange reason, the gift has split up. I have the first part. I can feel the pain of other cats."

"What?" I asked.

"It's true," said Daisyheart quietly.

I looked at her sharply, but Fire continued before I could question her. "Ryan has the second part; he can, to a certain extent, predict what will happen. Mind you, both these gifts have more cons than they have pros... which is why I hesitate to call them gifts at all."

"That's two parts. What's the third?" asked Saori. For once, she wasn't distracted or apathetic; she was fully engaged, her tail flicking back and forth as she looked at Fire. I frowned. It was easy to see that Saori, for all her flirting and eyelash batting, was incredibly intelligent--and the glint in her eyes spoke of ambition as well. Was she hoping for one of these "gifts"? Or at least planning to manipulate them to her advantage?

I shook off the thoughts. I barely knew her; I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions yet. We needed to trust each other.

Meanwhile, the look on Fire's face didn't speak of trust at all. She seemed to be weighing her options. I could almost read her mind: she needed to let us in on things because we were all she had, even though the only cat she really trusted here was herself.

At that realization, I had to stifle a sigh. We'd already been through a lot together in defeating the League. She still didn't think we were worthy of trust?

"I- I don't think I should explain what the third part of the gift is. Not yet. It's rather difficult to explain, and it manifests in different cats in different ways. I won't know it till it shows itself. I know that sounds shady, but trust me, the less you know about it, the less confused you'll be."

No one looked happy about that, but before another argument could start, Fire continued, "Claron was after the Life-Rock, but the League's ambitions don't stop there. The League is after any sort of power, which is how my family became affiliated with them in the first place. We were prime targets because of our heriditary gift."

"If the gift is splitting up now, isn't there a possibility that one of the League cats could've inherited the third power?" asked Specklenose, frowning.

"No... I think Ariel, wherever she is, wouldn't let that happen." For a fleeting moment, the hard mask melted off Fire's face, and she cast a forlorn glance at the sky.

I winced. "Could we ask your father? About why the gift might've split up?"

"He's not dead, is he?" asked Minkears insensitively.

Coldly, Fire hissed, "He might as well be. I've told you before, Breezeflight. He's dead to me."

"This isn't a matter of family feud! We need to know as much as we can, okay? And if your father can give us any kind of answer, we're going to him," said Ryan frustratedly. "Where is he?"

"I don't owe you anything!" Fire exclaimed.

"What about us? You're living with our Clan," pointed out Minkears.

"Minkears, don't be rude," hissed Daisyheart.

Glaring at her, Ryan said, "Easy for you to say! You're not being possessed by some freaky power."

"Don't snap at Daisyheart," Ren told him.

"Ryan, just calm down-" said Cammy.

"Don't. None of you have any idea what it's like. I didn't ask for this. I don't want this. It's torture, always being tormented by the ghost of the future, never getting to enjoy the present..."

As he said this, I tried to meet his eyes, tried to reassure him with my gaze, but he seemed to deliberately avoid looking at me. "Ryan?" I said questioningly.

Ignoring the two of us, Minkears turned to Fire and said, "So anyway, if you don't want us talking to your father, what do you want us to do? You know there's a possibility that there's still a remnant of the League out there, right? They could rise again. And we can't afford to be unprepared if they do."

"And you think the gifts can help? Let's face it, I was lying about what they are. They're more of a curse than anything," snapped Fire. "They ruin your life, suck the joy out of you. Bearing cats' pain? Knowing cats' fates? So much weight to bear! I have no idea how Ariel managed it on her own."

Ryan looked like he was going to be sick. I desperately wanted to talk to him alone and ask him what was making him so distressed, but there was no opportunity right now.

"This is a mess," Bluebird muttered in agitation, scratching at the ground. "We're so dysfunctional... We can't agree on anything for more than two seconds."

"Shut up! You're not helping either. You're not even a part of this group," Specklenose snapped.

"Specklenose, there's no need to be so mean," said Cammy gently.

"Specklenose, I will knock your stupid head off your useless shoulders," said Minkears with absolutely no gentleness.

Fire looked like she was seriously contemplating digging her own grave and going to sleep in it.

Bluebird was right. This discussion was leading nowhere. Maybe it was because we were all young cats, for the most part hot-headed and stubborn, and every conversation grew entangled in a dozen conflicting threads of opinions and emotions. We weren't heroes; we were messes. As soon as one cat built up a tower of an idea, another cat demolished it.

Worst of all, I had no idea how to fix this. Because I didn't even know what we were trying to get organized in order to fight. For all practical purposes, the League was disbanded. At least, according to Quailstar. She'd be really mad if she knew we were scaring other cats for no reason, spreading rumors that there was still danger stalking SpringClan. So if we wanted to protect our home, we had to figure out what we were protecting it from in the first place.

Ryan's gift... But if he knew what the League was up to right now, wouldn't he have told us? His gift must not have revealed that to him. I wondered what visions he had seen so far. At any rate, whatever they were, I could guess that they didn't involve rainbows and sunshine. If he'd been haunted by nightmarish visions for the past few days, it explained his odd behavior and the pain in his eyes.

Seeing him like that was like a claw to the heart. I had to find a way to unburden him.

"Guys." Fire lifted her head from her paws; she'd been slumped over, apparently losing all faith in our abilities to do anything. "Guys, hush for a moment." She scanned the trees, her body tense.

Ryan curled his lips, scenting the air. His eyes widened in horror, and he turned to Cammy. "It's them."

"Who?"

No sooner had the word left my mouth than a cat came flying straight out of the trees. I kid you not; it was a russet-furred she-cat who'd apparently been hiding in the branches right above our heads. Luckily, Ryan dodged. Not so luckily, I was too slow, and the live missile caught me with half her weight. The momentum of her fall sent me crashing face-first into the ground, where I lay in immense pain, too stunned to move.

Around me, chaos broke loose. More cats dropped from the trees, like squirrels, only bigger and angrier. I'd had aerial training, but this was a whole new level of insane. Being attacked on our borders? Again? Geez, couldn't I just go on a nice little trip to the filthiest parts of Twolegplace, rescue my best friend from a pack of murderous stray cats, and return home in time for a yummy mouse? Why this? Why me?

Removing my face from the mud before it grew roots, I sprang after the russet she-cat, throwing a punch at her ribs. "Let me teach you a lesson," I hissed. "Falling on other cats is rude."

"Breezeflight!" screamed Fire. "Get him!"

I looked where she was pointing and saw a ginger tom standing at the edge of the battle. I immediately lunged for him, but stopped short as I drew closer.

His amber eyes were all too familiar, as was his petite build and fiery coat. I stumbled and skidded to a stop in front of him, retracting my claws. "Y- you're Fire's father," I stuttered.

"Don't let her hear you say that," he said gravely. "It curdles her blood to even acknowledge that we're related."

"I don't understand," I whispered.

Appearing at my shoulder, Ryan said accusingly, "Me neither. What are you doing with GreenClan cats?"

GreenClan cats? Our attackers were from GreenClan?

"If you want to know, come with me," Fire's father mewed.

Hesitantly, I glanced back over my shoulder. Minkears was on the floor, pinned under an enormous she-cat, while Bluebird desperately tried to use his weight to throw her opponent off of her, and Specklenose chipped in. Cammy and Fire were wrestling three GreenClan toms, while Daisyheart, Saori, and Ren took turns driving another she-cat back.

I faltered. How could I desert my friends when they needed me so badly?

Ryan, on the other hand, didn't pause at all. He nodded and stepped forward, clearly intending to follow this strange orange tom.

"Wait! We don't even know his name! How can we trust him?" I asked.

"I wouldn't really expect you to trust me, little she-cat. It's him who needs to, because he's dying for answers about his so-called gift."

"Don't you dare call me a little she-cat," I said hotly.

Undeterred, Fire's father said, "Oh, for your information, my name is Aldereyes. It used to be Abel, but I changed it when I joined GreenClan."

"You joined GreenClan?"

"Listen, if my daughter sees you guys with me, she'll stop you from coming. So this is your last chance," said Aldereyes urgently.

Before I could respond, Ryan had plunged into the undergrowth after Aldereyes.

For some bizarre reason, I chose Ryan. I turned my back on the sounds of fighting behind me and followed the two toms into the woods, away from SpringClan territory.

So close. So close to being home free. But I should've guessed things wouldn't be that easy.

Aldereyes led us on a diagonal, away from Twolegplace, till he finally skidded to a stop in a weed-filled valley that I'd never seen before. "You had better know the way back home, Ryan, because I feel like I'm totally lost," I muttered.

He looked at me in a puzzled fashion, as if he'd forgotten I was standing right beside him. As soon as we'd met Aldereyes, he'd gotten this really hard, determined look in his eyes, like he would stop at nothing to unlock the truth about controlling and using his gift. Now, looking at me, his expression finally softened a bit, like he was remembering that there were still other things and other cats in the world. "You didn't have to come with me, you know," he whispered, bumping his shoulder to mine. "If anything happens..."

"I'll be fine. I felt like you needed me," I murmured.

He almost argued, but then he shut his eyes and gave me the tiniest nod. And even though I didn't have a gift and wasn't a mind reader, I knew what he was saying: I do need you.

That was a relief, 'cause it'd be downright awkward if he didn't.

Clearing his throat, Aldereyes gave us a pointed look. "I don't really need you, to be frank," he told me. "I'd prefer to talk to only Ryan about his gift, since my daughter obviously refuses to listen to my advice about hers."

"You don't have a choice. It's either both of us, or neither," said Ryan, carefully laying his tail across my back.

And I didn't swoon or anything, but my heart did do a curious flip in my chest at his touch.

Seeming to decide that it wasn't worth arguing, Aldereyes nodded and wrapped his tail around his paws. "Very well. I won't get into any specifics about my life. You don't need to know why I joined GreenClan, or any of my past."

"You mean like why you abandoned your daughters? Why you don't care that Ariel's dead?" I challenged.

Aldereyes froze, agony lancing through his eyes. "Please," he whispered through gritted teeth. "Don't mention her. Maybe someday, far in the future, I'll be able to think on her without feeling like breaking, but I can't right now."

What a strange cat. He was so impersonal and judgemental, and yet he seemed to have cared a lot for Ariel. I wondered if the same applied to Fire. Did it bother him that she was shunning him and basically hated his guts?

Abruptly, Aldereyes said, "I have royally messed up my life. Many moons ago, before my daughters were born, I was offered a choice. I could get rid of the power of legend, the gift-slash-curse that has haunted my family's pawprints for so long. Or I could choose to continue the legacy, and in return, the promise was that the power would grow stronger and stronger with each generation."

"The StarClan cat who offered me the choice warned me that if I chose the latter, the power would grow so much that it would result in 'three stars in a dark sky'. I didn't know what she meant at the time, but I do now. Three cats, to hold each aspect of the power of legend. Three legendaries."

I was pretty sure Ryan wasn't even breathing next to me, that's how focused he was on Aldereyes's words.

"She warned that though the three would grow to be immensely powerful, they would also lead dark, lonely lives. They would suffer great loss, and stumble down shadowy paths."

"These losses," Ryan rasped, his breathing ragged. "Is there anyway to stop it? How can I save- how can I stop anything bad from happening?"

"That's just the thing, Ryan," said Aldereyes solemnly. "Fate is a funny thing. Having your power makes a cat think he can trick fate, because he knows everything that will happen. But that's not the way things work. I... I should know. I lost Fire and Ariel's mother because of my foolishness."

I looked at him sadly. "I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"Because of my power, I felt that she was in danger. Remember, I still had all three parts of the power, but each individual part was weaker. So I felt her pain, and I knew she would die at the paws of a blurry grayish-black figure, but I... I thought it was a loner tom who lived near us. His name was Dusty. I killed him. I didn't even know him. He lived his own life, apart from us... he had no reason to kill my mate, and if I'd viewed things logically, I would've seen that. But I was blinded... I thought that because of my power, I knew everything. When I got back to the den, Myra, my mate, was dead. A badger--a grayish-black one--had killed her."

"Ariel and Fire lost their mother because of me. And you know the sick thing? I was so delusional and power-hungry that I still chose to continue keeping the power of legend in my family line. I cursed my daughters... and for what? Now three cats will be cursed. Fire, you, and who knows who else..." Aldereyes shook his head.

Ryan was trembling. "How could you do this?" he hissed. "Have you no sense at all?"

"What's done is done. And if I'm reading the signs correctly, you have other things to worry about." Aldereyes glanced at me. I frowned. What did he mean by that? "Don't make the same mistakes as I did, Ryan."

"You're despicable," Ryan muttered under his breath.

"Don't underestimate the power of this curse. It will rule your life if you let it, and it will suck the soul out of you. My advice? Find the third cat. You three stick together. Try your best to use your abilities for good... because I can't explain to you how dangerous things will be if you don't reign them in." Aldereyes stood. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go now." And, without a backwards glance, he loped away.

Incredulously, I turned to Ryan. "Can you believe him?" I spluttered. "I can't believe some cats can sink so low."

Ryan looked utterly lost. He stared at the horizon where Aldereyes had disappeared, like a kit waiting for answers to all of life's questions. "Hey," I said tenderly, throwing my tail over his back this time. "Let's go back home. We'll talk to Fire--I know she hates her dad, but we'll tell her what he told us. And don't believe any of that 'dark path' stuff. Just because he chose a dark path doesn't mean you're doomed. You're better than him. You're a strong, amazing tom whose heart is in the right place."

He looked surprised. "Breezeflight, that was so sappy."

"Yes, so if you tell anyone that I said that, I'll shove your head into a treetrunk, and you can get the rest of your life's sap from there," I said cheerfully.

He smiled and pressed closer to me. "Uh, okay then."

I couldn't help but purr as we headed back home, even though I knew that we still had plenty of trouble on our paws. For one, what in the name of StarClan were GreenClan warriors doing on our borders? And how had our friends fared against them? I felt a strong pang of guilt for deserting the rest of the group... but I couldn't have let Ryan go with Aldereyes on his own.

Ryan. Annoying, how my thoughts kept circling back to him. When I was younger, I'd never have dreamed that a rogue tom could've become such an integral part of my life. Now, walking next to him, I couldn't imagine what things would be like without him. Yet I recognized that his gift was like a wall between us, a ghostly barrier that was just strong enough for me to feel it. I saw that his eyes, though they were warm when they landed on me, tended to grow shadowy with hidden thoughts. Why, even with my tail on his shoulder and his warm pelt against mine, did I feel like he was a thousand miles away?

The End