High Speed Winds

Chapter 15

Eightball let out a sigh, for he couldn't even watch the leaves of leaf-bare fall to the ground. Sharp pain jerked away his thoughts.

Shouldn't have fallen, Eightball! A voice inside of him snarled.

"Stupid mist." He muttered, and Eightball padded forward.

A blur of dark brown fur brushed his muzzle, and all of a sudden, a familiar scarred muzzle was thrust into his face.

"Barkpelt!" Eightball exclaimed, stepping back.

Through the mist, Barkpelt disappeared. "Come back here, mange-pelt!" Fury burned through his pelt, stinging the tips of his ears.

Eightball stormed through the mist, it swirling back to the ground and then rising back up again. Eightball's fur bristled with shock as a cat stood in front of him.

"How did you get there?" He growled.

The she-cat flicked her tail before running away into the thick white that surrounded them. Pawsteps began to ring in his ears, and they grew louder with every heartbeat.

Blood roared in his ears, his heart seeming to race his legs as the tom darted between tree trunks.

Barkpelt appeared between a two tree trunks. Eightball let out a screech of terror, and turned to the next two trunks of trees.

The black and gray she-cat was there, blocking him to go anywhere.

What do these cats want with me?!

Eightball slid across the slippery grass, falling head-first into the mist.

Through the choking mist, claws seemed to be floating. Eightball jumped to his paws, glancing around, alert in all ways.

Blue eyes gleamed in the darkness, no muzzle shown. Eightball let out a gasp, fear getting the best of him.

W-why are there eyes floating, and claws down in the fog?

Eightball looked towards the eyes again, and saw a silvery-gray body as the mist swirled to the bottom of the floor.

"Don't run, Eightball!" A voice called out.

"You can't escape the four of us!"

"No one can!" Someone added.

Eightball glanced around, his eyes stretched wide with horror.

Cats were closing in on him, their blood-stained fangs glinting in the gloom. Blood ran from wounds across their body as they grew closer to him.

"Welcome to the Dark Forest."

"Welcome."

"You have arrived at your nightmares!"

Eightball crouched down, his paws tucked in closely beneath him. The black cat stiffened his tail, afraid of giving away his position.

"Where'd he go?" The tom heard Barkpelt meow.

Fear pricked the fur along his sides. Blood roared in his ears, and Eightball took in huge gasps of air. Eightball heard a stiffened gasp, and pawsteps grew louder.

"I heard him over here!" A loud yowl startled him.

Through the mist that surrounded him, Eightball glimpsed claws unsheathing and sheathing furiously.

The black stepped closer towards him, the claws a whisker away from his nose.

"Where are you?" A voice muttered, and Eightball knew they were looking for him.