Part Four: The Chasm

Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the trees ahead, a growl letting loose as her form changed mid air. It wasn’t her most graceful shift- she knew it well as she pounced onto the first narrow spruce and slid down the spine. The spruce teetered forward and back, branches smacking and scratching her skin. Hissing and cursing, Raina extended her claws and felt her paw finally hit a sturdy branch that could bear her weight.

She steadied three of her limbs onto the branch, leaning the paw of her injured shoulder against the trunk. This form reduced the pain, but sliding down a tree certainly didn’t help. She gingerly leaned forward, testing her balance as she reached down to the next branch.

A loud flapping sound approached as she stumbled downward, another hiss escaping her lips. Looking up, her eyes narrowed. Nathen is hovering shaking his head, while beautiful golden skinned Samera smirks. Her light wings flutter madly like a dragonfly while he flies in the same form as Raina- a mountain cat with large, wide feathered wings gifted from the Faerie. The Sky Cat, the Unseelie call us. The linking guardians between the Faerie and the rest of the ferocious Sky Gaurdians.

Nathen flocked closer, nearly nudging Raina with his head. His form was powerful- broad chested and wide framed, paws the size of a humans skull and overall notably larger than Raina’s feline form. She reached down towards a thick branch just out of reach and hissed as a pang ached through her shoulder.

“You’ll have to carry her. We don’t have long until sunset.” Samera sighs, circling in the air. She tends to pace when agitated.

Raina growls in retort, despising being carried. Nathen snorts and she knows that he’s laughing already at Raina’s attitude- but Samera’s right. The once pink sky is swirling with deep blues and purples. They have to get back to camp.

Nathen nudges the feline’s chin with his head, asking for permission to carry her. A sign of respect. She hisses at him again, batting him with her paw. His wings flex and extend before pushing an enormous burst of air down as he flies upward. Raina’s ice blue eyes pinch against the force of wind, distracting her as he rounds and snatches the back of her neck up by his mouth.

He pushes up higher and higher above the trees, then follows Samera above the tree line. Eyeing a small collection of three tents at the base of the mountain, she began to bank downwards and Nathen follows. Raina huffs, hanging uselessly in his mouth, watching the terrain below. Keeping her wings still and extended, Samera rode the air softly as she circled the camp and slowly dropped to the ground.

Nathen landed extra softly, her soft body crouching low to the ground as he releases her neck. Raina’s annoyance returns quickly and she curves around his body revving a growl in her throat. His ears dropped backwards and eyes softened as the tawny brown cat began to step away. Raina leans back on her hind legs and extends upward, releasing a roar before toppling on top of him. Pinning him to the ground her jaw is open on his neck, digging in only softly with her teeth. Her wings have fully extended shadowing over him.

“Oh please, Raina. Give it a rest.” Samera waves them off. Raina knows she’s right, but instinct takes over in this form. He needs to know. He may be larger, but Raina is older. Only a year his senior, which is why it’s so important to remind him. Raina feels his back paws push up against her belly, attempting to flip her. She burrows deeper, tempting to break skin while pushing her own back paw into his stomach. His paws fall away.

The smell of a fire being struck breaks up her brief show of dominance. Raina jumps off of Nathen, swiftly turning to the fire and stalking forward. Samera grins at the pale blonde cat, shaking her head as she shifts back into her human form.

“Nothing like a dirty detour, huh Rae?” She nodded her pointed chin towards Raina’s clothes. Raina waved her off.

“Guess what I found” The pale haired warrior reaches into her thigh pocket and tosses her discovery toward her friend.

“It’s close then,” Nathen said behind her, returned to his human form as well. His curly light brown hair falling into his face handsomely. Raina may be smaller than him, but her lean muscles match his. A welcome attribute of her breed.

Samera holds the chip up to the sunlight. While the chipped stone was pitch black and smooth- when held up the light it fractured into a hundred black stars. The stone glimmered and reflected the light, appearing as it had been dipped in tiny crystals. Yet when the stone was held indirectly from the sun, it was opaque black.

Nate frowned, crouching down beside Samera and examining the slab. “There was nothing like this in the passageway I went down,” before raising his eyebrow at Raina. His pointed look said everything that he didn’t have to.

But, Samera would-

“Is it so hard to break from your thoughts and let us know when you sense something?” There it is.

“Yes” Raina hissed, walking toward the food pack they brought with them. Faerie magic allowed the small pouch to become roomy, cool storage for smoked meats and other simple to eat foods. Sniffing for it, Raina reached for the smoked salmon with her bad arm and winced.

Ripping the meat with her teeth, Raina nods toward Nathen. He stalks over to her obediently, his movements smooth as in cat form.

“You dislocated it again.” He observes her shoulder.

“The wolvyn did.” Raina replies between chews, catching the attention of both of them.

“You fought a wolvyn?” Samera frowned.

“And ran from the rest” Raina swallows and then angles her body toward Nathen, “Just do it.” She winces in anticipation as Nathen raises her arm.

With an echoing snap, her shoulder is popped back into place and despite her best efforts a short scream escapes her mouth that echoes through the mountains. Rolling her shoulder Raina sighed a breath of relief. It was sore, but it would do.

“So the Starcluster stone is hidden in the wolvyn’s den.” Samera chewed on her lip as she eyed the distant entrance to the mountain cave.

“Except these…” Raina started but was cut short as an icy chill started down Raina’s backside. All three turned toward the mountain top- Nathen’s golden eyes narrowed and Samera’s mouth agape. An eruption of echoing howls made their way down the mountaintop to the valley where they camped. Deep, guttural howls that moaned deeply and shook the trees where they stood.

Raina cursed and finished her thought just as the forest ground rustled and cracked with the sound of a hundred paw prints. Through the now dimly lit valley, Raina caught familiar yellow eyes.

“These wolvyn were dead”