Death on The Horizon

This is a collaboration by Minty and Fire.

## Prologue - Fire

The wind blew treacherously at Vulcan's flanks.

As he followed his clowder along the steep mountain side, his pressed himself as far as he could into the mountain wall, glancing fearfully at the gaping jaws reaching for him on the left side of him. His clowder-mates clustered on, to where their new territory in the mountaintops awaited.

Vulcan wasn't sure he would like his new home on this cold terrain. He couldn't spot much prey from here, and the steep fall looming at his left side didn't make the mountains any more appealing. Snow buffeted at his ginger pelt, trying to make him trip into the cliff. He sank his claws into the tiny paw-holds on the rocky path, praying to the sky that he and his clowder-mates wouldn't fall to their deaths.

“Are we there yet?” Cassie whined, shivering as she tottered after him.

Annoyed, Vulcan glared back at Cassie. He had been putting up with her whining all day, and he was sick of it. “No, not yet. *Obviously*.” Vulcan hadn’t meant to hiss at his little sister, but his frustration made it hard to pent it all up. Cassie whimpered shrinking against the rock face. He earned burning glares from his clowder-mates, and he looked away from them, pressing his ears against his head in shame. He didn’t bother apologizing- not yet. Vulcan would do it when they made camp for the day. He wasn’t brave enough to do it in earshot of everyone else.

They walked on in silence, the wail of the winds carrying the snow echoing throughout the cliffs. It was eerie, and all Vulcan wanted to do was get away from the dangerous cliff.

That’s when a hawk flew towards us.

It screeched, stretching out its claw stubbed feet. It circled above us, eyeing at my clowder as though we were its midday-snack.

Wait.

We *were* its midday-snack. It dove towards Cassie, but I swatted it away from her. Cassie squealed in fear, hiding behind me for protection. My clowder-mates snarled in fury. We weren't going to let the hawk get away with Cassie, or any other cat.

The hawk dove towards Cassie, claws out-stretched. Vulcan lashed out at the hawk, making a bloody line through its legs. The hawk screeched defiantly, and its talons scraped Vulcan's face.

Vulcan's clowder-mates yowled in anger, leaping up to rake their claws through the hawk's feathers. Vulcan kept fighting the hawk, dodging, then attacking. The hawk managed to leave some nasty cuts on him as well. Vulcan leaped to make the killing blow to the throat when the hawk flew upwards, catching Vulcan’s scruff with its talons. It started to fly away from the mountain path, towards its nest.

"Vulcan!" Cassie cried. "Vulcan, please don't go!"

The clowder's leader, Spark, yowled desperately. "Vulcan, no!"

As Vulcan got carried away, he could hear the faint voices of his friends. He was just above a steep gorge, and he could just make out a stream below. His heart thumped against his ribs. He was scared to the bone. How was he going to make it back to his clowder without dying?

Hanging precariously from the hawk’s talons, Vulcan noticed that they were above a plain forest now, and that the hawk was flying relatively low. Vulcan decided to be reckless. He wriggled around in the hawk’s grip, twisting around to get out. It squawked in surprise, tightening its hold. Vulcan hissed, writhing harder.

Finally, the hawk had had it with him.

The hawk let him go, and Vulcan fell.

## Chapter 1 - Minty

"Cassie, stop! It's very tickle-y!" Vulcan squeaked with closed eyes as he rolled around the grass playfully. He laughed as Cassie continued to tickle him on the belly. Vulcan batted lightly at Cassie's direction and he snapped open his eyes as he swatted at empty air.

There was no Cassie. In fact, the only living creature present was himself. He quickly twisted around and stood up, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his right leg. *Get a grip, Vulcan.* He thought through gritted teeth as he looked around.

A long grassy plain, shadowed by the darkened sky, stretched out before him. He sighed, trying to remember which direction the eagle flew from before dropping him here. But his head hurt, and it was too hard to recall.

"Anyone there?" Vulcan called, "Anyone?" He repeated, louder. A voice bounced back at him from far, far away, and Vulcan's face lit up with hope. He ran for a few miles before yelling, "I'm coming!"

A muffled "I'm coming!" came back at him. He stopped, realising all the voices he heard earlier was his echo. *Stupid me.* He thought as he slowed into a walk, his head drooping with sadness and hopelessness.

After a while, a heavy droplet of water suddenly landed on Vulcan's nose. He flinched and raised his head.

Showers of droplets were pouring from a dark, crying sky. Only a small ray of sunshine seeped through the unclouded gap. *Find shelter.* He thought as his survival instincts took over.

He charged off aimlessly at a direction, feeling water rolling off his drenching pelt. He didn't stop until a green figure flashed at the corner of his eye. *A tree!* He thought with triumph. He slowed into a walk as he headed for the tree, huffing. A burrow was dug under the tree. It seemed to be big enough to fit a wolf in. Vulcan sniffed the hole curiously and realised it was a fox den.

Luckily, the scent was stale. Vulcan sighed as he wriggled himself into the hole. He found himself standing in a small cavern that was bulit by hardened clay. Vulcan pressed himself against the wall at the very back of the cavern and closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep.

A low, rage-filled growl filled the cave, and Vulcan forced his eyes open. A slender, orange figure was standing at the entrance if the burrow, blocking Vulcan's escape. Vulcan stood up immediately, his neck fur standing straight as he letted out a gurgled cry of panick. *First an eagle, now a fox. When can I find back my group?* Vulcan thought desperately as the fox bared its teeth and unsheathed its claws.