Forest's Fate

Chapter 26

The gray morning sky looms over us as I'm the first cat to crawl out of the East Tunnel. The effects of the transformation to my human state and back are still there; I'm drowsy, and the ground still feels like it's moving underneath me. However, I wasn't able to endure one more moment of being in the tunnel and being squished by multiple cats.

        Shortly after I sit down and take in the fresh air, other cats follow, most of them with some sort of injury. I realize that I'm not in the best shape either as I glance at some of my scratches. The deep ones look infected.

           No time to think of that, though. From the corner of my eye, Rain emerges out of the tunnel and pads straight to me. My heart sinks. I have to explain what she and North witnessed last night.

        "After the battle, I saw you as a human-" Rain starts.

        I interject, "Hang on, I'll explain."

        Trying to blink away the dizziness in my vision, I brush past her to the entrance of the tunnel. "North," I call out loudly into the tunnel, "can you come out?"

        I walk back toward Rain. A few moments later, the frazzled light gray tom arrives. His fur sticks out in every single direction possible, and he looks just as exhausted as me. "What'd you want?" he groans.

I reply, "I'm going to explain how I have a power."

North swishes his tail. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, as if there's a story to it. You were born in Gardinia with the ability to transform to a human, and you were adventurous enough to go hang out in one of the camps, where you somehow ended up here. I've heard similar cases."

"No," I say, "that's not it. A few nights ago, I went outside to get fresh air, and I ran into Ash and Ice. They were fighting. I accidentally got into the middle of it. Ash gave me the power after Ice tried to kill me."

        North gives a disbelieving snort. However, before he could say a sarcastic remark about it, Rain jumps up from her seated position.

"What?" she hisses. "But I told him not to do that anymore . . . Ash!"

She turns around as she calls his name. We see Ash sitting alone in the distance. After he sees Rain, he stands and walks toward us with slow, careful strides. North mutters something unintelligible and starts to wash his face with his paw.

When Ash finally comes to us, Rain asks, "Did you give Forest the ability to turn to a human?"

"Yes," Ash replies. His expressionless gaze wanders between me, Rain, and North.

My head leans over to North's ear. "Told you," I growl.

"When did I ever say I didn't believe you?" North snaps in a low voice, pausing from his spontaneous face wash to give me a fierce glare.

Rain says to Ash, "I thought I told you not to do it anymore."

Ash stares at Rain. "I made no promises. Besides, the situation with Tornado happened a long time ago. I believe that it is necessary to leave it behind us."

"But without consulting me for permission? You just went ahead and did it to Forest?"

         Ash tilts his head, considering Rain's words. "Alright, perhaps that was a rather impulsive thing to do. I apologize."