The Tests: Wait 4

The Tests: Wait 4

### Characters Present

Harnor, Dune, Luana, Panther, Moon, Rattlesnake, Lantern, Tawny, Thunder, Fini, Clover, Fringe, Reed, palm, Chao, Loki, Azalea, Eclipse, Black Bird, Mieginck, Frostsong, Quintessa, Marina, Wildflower, Feather, Mist, Ami, Iciclefur, Bonita, Sky, Blizzard, Wren (kit), Sunny, Tess, Ollie, Robin, Storm, Jaoien, Pebble, Frost, Flame, Heidi, Clover

### Important Events

The cats gain powers, Feather and Dune break up, Feather gives birth to kits, one of the kits dies, Pebble and Frost meet, Tess, Palm, and Ollie meet

**Wait 4** is an episode in *The Tests*.

## **The Tests: Wait 4 (The City)**

Harnor appeared in front of the cats and flicked his tail at Wren’s limp body, making it disappear in a puff of purple smoke.

Luana screamed in shock.

Dune simply looked away, trying to hide the tears in his eyes.

Some cats looked unbothered; others were badly injured.

One cat had lost an eye.

Another had a massive burn on his face.

This time, Harnor didn’t speak. He simply flicked his tail and the cats were in a destroyed city split in half with a river. Some plants could be seen between the buildings, and puddles littered the cracks under the collapsed structures, rainwater dripping slowly into them.

The sky was stormy and the cats could see many hiding places in the rocks.

As quickly as Harnor had appeared, he was gone.

Storm looked around the now-barren landscape.

Panther was dazed. He saw a she-cat and padded over to her. “Hi! My name is Panther! How are you doing? Can you show me around? Do you want to be my friend? And also, what’s your name?” he asked the she-cat. Little flames started sparking around his paws as he bounced around with excitement. “I’m so excited to be here! It seems like so much fun! Do you know how to fight well? Can you teach me?”

Moon awoke from her long sleep. *It’s been so long since I’ve felt like I had someone to trust. I need to find Panther. Fast!* “Harnor! Where are you? You promised shelter and hunting, and all I see is endless rain!” she yelled to the gray sky. “Come here! You need to help me!” Anger boiled inside her. Sparks started to fly around her paws. *“Help me!”* she yelled to the world. She was alone. Alone, always alone. She missed Panther. Nobody was going to help her. Why would they? Her parents had always favored Panther. She slunk into a small house, sinking deep into misery. She had done this before when Panther first disappeared. She would go into a blank state: her eyes blank, her words meaningless. *What’s the point?* Nobody was going to help. Nobody. She thought about how many cats paid attention to her. *None,* she thought bitterly. Tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking into her fur. Her consciousness was lost deep inside of her. She got up, determined to stay strong even though she would be alone. All alone. She started to focus her energy into her paws and static sparked all around her. She was so surprised. *So I have healing powers and electricity powers?* “That could be useful,” she muttered. *When I find Panther.* She summoned all her energy into the static in her paws and managed to scorch the ground lightly.

Rattlesnake walked around. He explored, but jumped at the slightest of sounds. That was when he saw something glowing at his feet. He looked down, and at seeing flames, jumped back. But they stayed there. He watched them, and though they didn’t grow, he realized something. He could move the flame around with his mind. But only a little bit. Pictures of Wren flooded through by his mind. Her before, and then her, corrupt with flames. Was he going to turn out like that?

Lantern padded over to Rattlesnake. “Hello, I’m Lantern. Are you . . . okay?”

“Eh . . . I think . . . I’m not sure. But I won’t kill anything! I’m not Wren! Icangrowflowerstoo!” Rattlesnake started panicking. Cats weren't his strong suit, and he really didn’t like being around them anymore.

Lantern respectively backed away. “Well, good luck on the next Test.” He walked away, freezing ice at his paws, taking note that he *might* not want to bother Rattlesnake anymore.

Rattlesnake sighed as the cat left. He heard another cat talking, but it was a very odd voice. It said something like “stay away,” and when he didn’t listen to it, he realized it was birdsong. He was listening and he could understand birdsong.

Tawny started around the rain-streaked scene. She had to find somewhere to take shelter. Looking around, she saw a small light. Fire. She almost shrieked out loud. But then she realized it was a cat from the Tests, one she had seen before — small and shy. Another cat with fire! And while he seemed so kind, would he turn out like Wren. . .? Surely not. She tried to avoid him, not wanting to look friendly at all, but couldn’t help it at his horrified face. She wasn’t one for helping, and maybe this cat shocked to madness would be one chance closer to survival, but he didn’t look like he would hurt a mouse, let alone her, so he would be no threat later. She finally decided to go over to him. Plus, he might know where Thunder was. “Hey. You look troubled,” she said, again coldly like she had started off with every cat she had spoken to. “What’s wrong? If you think you’re going to turn out like Wren because of your power, then — woah! W-what?” She had stared down at her paws, not being too good with making new friends, only to find sparks at them. Electricity! Now a lot more happy, she continued. “Then I can tell you you’re not. What’s your name? Never mind — have you seen any other cats around here? I’m looking for a tom — small, gray, yellow eyes, goes by the name of Thunder. Have you seen him?”

Rattlesnake jumped. “I . . . I’m Rattlesnake . . . um . . . no . . . I-I haven’t. . .” he stuttered. “I . . . I’ve got to go. . .” He started away, running. He wanted to get away from everyone, from any sign of life. He just wanted to escape. Even if it meant his only company was his fire. He arrived at the edge of the river, knowing that you couldn’t burn something that close to water. He just stayed there, not moving even when the rain came down. He looked at the plants and wondered: could he be like Wren? Or was he just Rattlesnake who needed to get back to his family before he died? One of the plants grew a tiny bit and he smiled. He didn’t just make fire; he didn’t just make death. He could bring something to life too.

Thunder collapsed from exhaustion, just barely managing to crawl into a shelter first. The water in his pelt started to freeze on his fur and a layer of frost formed around him.

*Thunder dreamed about his old home. He was a kit in a litter of three; one sister and a brother.*

*His mother Storm was sitting under a tree watching him and his sister play.*

*“I’ll get you!” Thunder yelled at his tortoiseshell sister Flower.*

*Shadow came bolting from the distance; he ran to Mother.*

*“Shadow! What’s wrong? Where’s your father?” Storm asked, worried.*

*“Theycameoutofnowhereandattackedmebuthestoppedthemandtoldmetorun!” Shadow said.*

*“Shadow, calm down. What happened?” Storm asked.*

*“I was attacked by a badger and Father tried to stop it, but it got him!” Shadow yelled.*

*Thunder, Storm, Flower, and Shadow all broke into tears.*

*Thunder’s dream dissolved into darkness.*

Tawny snorted. “Friendly.” She turned around and joy filled her. But when she saw how scared Thunder looked, she held back a second. “Th-Thunder? Are you okay? I — um, have you discovered your power yet? I mean, I think I have electricity and healing or something, but I can’t be sure. . . Thunder?” She sat down and curled around him. “If anything is wrong, you can tell me,” she said through grooming him. She desperately wanted to know what was wrong. . . As she rested her head on her paws and sat her tail on top of Thunder’s body, the weirdest thing happened. She saw her paws glow a faint blue, then green, then it was gone. . .

Thunder sat up a little. “I’m fine, just tired,” he said. “Judging from the ice stuck to my pelt, I believe I have ice. How are you, Tawny?”

Tawny sighed. “I’m fine. Your ice is so cool! I can’t be sure what powers I have . . . but I think I might have electricity powers. . .” She really wanted to be sure. She sighed again and pushed closer into Thunder. Funny. It was the closest she had been to any cat ever. Then it happened again. She glowed! Blue, then green! “Hey, Thunder! Look! I’m glowing again! I guess it’s just when I think about things I like.” She gazed into his eyes and was suddenly aware of how she had changed. The last time she had glowed, she had been describing Thunder. Now she was thinking about him and curled beside him. She quickly tore the thought from her head. It was nothing like that! She tried to pull slightly away from Thunder, but something pushed her back.

Thunder sat up straight. “Whoa! That’s so cool!” He yawned. “I want to try.” He closed his eyes and concentrated hard. Icy-blue stripes appeared on his back. He concentrated on the moisture in the air, making it snow just a little.

Fini sighed as she laid down. It had been a long day and she needed some shut-eye. She drowsily rose from her nest, the sunlight pouring in her eyes. Wake up. As she gazed down from the hole in the mountain, she could see the other cats below her. There were Tawny and Thunder. *Should I talk to them?* With doubt prickling her sleek pelt, she expertly climbed down from where she slept and sniffed the air. She heaved herself up the cliff, reaching the top. Her fur bristled in the wind. After each Test, she had grown stronger and wiser and developed better battle strategies. But when her powers kicked in, she was stronger than ever. Until her powers took control of her. *A shrew!* As silently as possible, she dropped to her paws, sticking her tail straight ahead. She gave slow steps until the scent overflowed her nose. Then she pounced, the shrew making a squeak as her claws slid out. The black she-cat felt it go limp under her paws. Then she decided to eat her kill, leaving a carcass of bones behind, where the living rodent once stood. *I’m not sure if I should use my powers. They might lead me to doing something despicable. But I should at least talk to other cats. Wait, Fir told me to stay away from the others. That doesn’t matter anymore! He’s probably dead! So Tawny and Thunder it is!*

*When Fini surged forward, heading over to see her comrades, she felt unconscious — senseless, even. Falling forward, now she had no idea of what was going on until she saw the ragged, light gray-colored pelt of Fir. Then she saw a small black figure laying close to him. It was herself as a kit! The she-cat remembered this scene too well, as it was Fir telling her stories. Then what she could see flashed white.* No! I want to know what’s going on! Just a little bit longer!

But it was too late; Fini could see her own paws again and she was back on track. She now felt an awful pain in her head. As the she-cat regained her consciousness, she gazed down at the grass. It was dappled in white. *Snow! Did I do this? Is this a sign that I’ll be a monster? Oh, Fir, please guide me!* She gave a sigh as she slowly crept to her bed. *I have ice and time powers? What good will that do me? The others are surely bound to kill me with their new powers. But I should be lucky that I made it for this long. Will I last any longer after this? Even worse, what if I go on a rampage or become like Wren?* Miserably, she lay her head on her paws to catch some z’s. A shiver ran down her spine, but the she-cat forced herself to calm down and sink into sleep.

Clover opened her eyes. All she saw were destroyed or old buildings. When she had thought of the Tests, she had thought of more than . . . than *this*. More than what she saw before her. But still, she would rather be here than with Nettle . . . or back at her first home, competing in the Trials . . . anyway, she had to find somewhere to shelter. . .

Fringe watched the few cats with powers, hidden in the shadows. She wondered if she had powers too, and what they might be.

*“Fringe.”*

Fringe turned to see a shimmery orange-and-white tom with star-strewn fur and blue eyes. “Perch,” she replied cautiously. “Do you know where my sister is?”

“Sparrow is safe, and she’s waiting for you,” Perch replied. “That’s all you need to know.”

“Good.” Fringe closed her eyes, sighing with relief. When she opened them, Perch was gone. She turned her attention back to the others, but felt her fur prick. Someone else was there. She whirled around again. “Who’s there?” She only saw the shadow of a sleek black tom and a flash of emerald-green eyes before the figure disappeared. With a shudder, she realized who he was. Her kit had returned. She walked along the alley, staying in the shadows. They danced around her paws as she flickered in and out of view. She stalked quietly down the alley, flickering in and out of sight. Shadows that swirled around her also hid her from view. The mouse never stood a chance. She leapt, pinning it to the ground and killing it. “Finally,” she muttered. *Food.* As she sat down to eat, she noticed a shadow flicker out of the corner of her eye. “Who’s there?” she growled, dropping the mouse. “Show yourself!” She played with the shadows, sending them whisking across the ground in tiny snakelike skeins. Staring at her paws, she willed herself invisible. Though the trick only lasted a couple of seconds, it could be pretty useful for hunting. She returned to the shadow-skeins, shaping them into a little picture. Loki when he was just a kit. Innocent and sweet. Not the power-hungry, arrogant tom he had grown to be. Sighing, she scattered the shadows. Better to focus on something else. The Loki she had loved was gone. The one who had come back to haunt her was not her kit.

Reed looked at a bit of blue electricity sparking at his paws. Cool. Electricity was awesome.

Palm looked around, confused. All around, strange things were happening to cats — one was moving a leaf and glowing purple, another had ice appearing at her paws, her eyes turning aqua, a tom was staring into a flame, and he was sitting here with nothing. He couldn’t decide whether to be jealous or relieved. He didn’t want to end up like Wren had, but he felt a bit left out, as other cats seemed to enjoy playing with their newfound skills. He decided to wait where he was, next to a puddle by a building, and hope that some cat approached him. No more did he want to make friends; he just wanted a cat to come up to him. Maybe if it was them, not him, that approached him, they wouldn’t suffer the same fate as all his other friends. Or at least he wouldn’t be to blame for it.

Chao tried to open his eyes, and to his surprise, both did. He looked around, taking in everything. He closed his left eye and was disappointed to find that his sight hadn’t returned. He looked around; everyone else was discovering their powers. Everyone except him and Palm. He wondered what his power would be. He was hoping for shadows and invisibility, but he knew that there wasn’t a good chance of that happening. He wanted to remain unnoticed. Or avoided. Fire would do a good job with that. Everyone was still recovering from the fight with Wren. Yes, fire was good. . . He decided to try and find out what his power was. He focused on the ground and imagined it was covered in ice. Nothing happened. He tried lifting a leaf. Still nothing happened. He stared at a flower that was growing and concentrated on it. The flower turned black and crumbled away. He felt a sense of pride at his newfound abilities. He grew a flower where the other had been, then burned it. It started to rain and the temperature dropped a little, so he ran to a sheltered spot and grew some plants to make a nest. This was a very convenient power. He fell into a somewhat peaceful sleep, pleased with himself.

Fringe padded towards the tom, deciding to talk to him. As she approached, she felt a strange, flickering sensation. Gasping, she realized that she was flickering in and out of view! She stopped and reappeared. “That must be my power,” she whispered. “Shadows and invisibility. . .” She wondered briefly if anyone else had that power, but shrugged off the thought. Would it matter? Probably not. She stepped forwards again, concentrating on staying solid. “Hi . . . Palm, was it?”

Palm saw the she-cat approach him and smiled at her. “Yeah, it’s Palm,” he mewed. “I’ve heard cats call you Fringe. I’m guessing that’s you, anyway.” He saw her flicker a little bit as she stood there. “Invisibility power.” He flicked his sandy tail from side to side. “Cool. I haven’t got a power, as far as I can see.” Then he had a thought. If he couldn’t play with his own power, he could help this cat. “Do you want to try out what you can do in front of me? I could tell you how much of you disappears so you know what you can do. At least, until I see if I've got a power, anyway.”

Overhearing Palm, Reed revealed himself from the shadows. He wasn’t invisible. He was just . . . hiding. “I’ll watch too,” the dark brown tom said. “I’m Reed, and I don’t seem to have a power yet either.” He sat down, smiling.

Fringe smiled at Reed and Palm. “I’m hoping to make a couple of friends here.”

Loki seethed as he watched his mother talking with the two cats. “You should kill them; two less to compete with,” he hissed, though he knew she couldn’t hear him.

Azalea knew why she was here. She knew what she was going to do. She knew she had to win. The second statement might have been a lie. She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew she would win. Thirteen moons was plenty of time to learn to survive, after all. She had braved lone living; she could brave this. Or so she told herself, anyway. She might be young, she might be small, she might appear innocent or naive, but that was to her advantage. Nobody expected her to steal prey from under a cat’s nose or stab a cat exactly where their vital organs lay or know exactly what berries could easily poison a cat. She was underestimated, and that was her advantage. She tried to feel around for what newfound power she could possibly have. From what she had heard, all cats would definitely get powers, right? She didn’t feel that different . . . then a flame flickered to life between her paws. It was small, it wasn’t very useful, but it was a power. She concentrated carefully and watched it slowly move upward, its sparks mesmerizing her pine-green eyes. She relaxed, letting it fade back out of the air. Fire powers. Exactly what she would have chosen if she got the chance to choose. Her flames were small now, but with a little training, she could mend that. And even if she couldn’t summon large flames, fires spread quickly, didn’t they? She hadn’t actually seen much fire before, but she knew of its destructive effects. Entire forests could be burned down, cats scorched to the bone. She would be more careful, though. There couldn’t be more, could there? Apparently there could. If she just concentrated carefully . . . the grass could wither under her paws. Green slowly faded to brown as this mysterious plague spread through the leaf litter and blades of grass that coated the forest floor. The perfect combination. Dead plants burned faster, after all. She froze for a second. The wind had picked up, but . . . something didn’t seem right. It only seemed to affect a small patch of forest right ahead of her. Strange. . . She stepped cautiously toward it and spotted another cat. *Another cat.* An enemy — or an ally, perhaps? She closed her eyes and tried to bring another flame into the air. A spark flickered into life and she walked up to the she-cat. “Hello.”

Palm padded up to the she-cat who seemed to be new. “Hey there! I’m Palm!” He glanced towards her and saw the flames dancing, casting beautiful yet deadly light patterns on to the ground. He remembered Lmanamly and Wren, the burn on the side of his face suddenly obvious to him. “Oh, fire powers. We had to fight a cat with fire powers; her name was Wren, and she was a great cat before she went all, um, crazy and fiery. That’s how I got my burn.” He slightly backed away from the flames, afraid of what they could do.

Azalea glared at the cat that had just approached her. She had no idea what to say in this kind of situation, but perhaps an intimidating stare could be an adequate substitute for conversation. It worked in most other situations, after all. She let the flickering flames draw closer to Palm. They probably wouldn’t be much use if she had to fight someone, but they were probably terrifying to this poor, unfortunate soul. She stormed off from her conversation. *Swan didn’t need allies or friends. I don’t either.* She ducked into a sheltered corner of the forest to practice her powers. She had to make sure she could compete with the other, older cats. She concentrated on making a single flame in a little patch of moss. She put all her willpower and all her energy into that single piece of moss and it began to smolder slowly. A flame quickly burst into view, leaving a purple-toned afterimage when she looked away for even a moment. It seemed to demand all her attention. She tried next to dry out the moss to let the flame grow. *Perfect! Swan would have loved this. She was always such a good strategist. What would she do next? She would have wanted something more grand, more intimidating,* the young she-cat told herself. And so she tried. How many plants could she wilt at once? Only a few, but it was enough. She could create a dry circle of grass around her. How large could her flames get? Again not very, but they could still do some damage, if only to another’s willpower. Swan had always known what to do, and now she would. With preparedness. Planning. Intimidation. Forbearance. Swan possessed all of those things. Swan should be here. She never believed in those rumors, though. *I should have taken her*. She let her fires sizzle into tiny embers and bits of ash. *Maybe I shouldn’t have come. But I’m here now and I’ll win, so that I can go home and impress Swan. She won’t treat me like a kit in her way after that.* But to do that, she had to practice. What was the most intimidating way you could use fire? What about plants? She had only tried wilting them before, but maybe she could grow them too? She could. If she was near a thorned plant, that would be incredibly useful for self-defense. She let the flower that adorned her ear drop to the ground. It was already starting to wilt, and the bush where she lived couldn’t supply her with new flowers anymore. Perhaps . . . yes, she could definitely revitalize it. It would definitely enhance her innocent act. She tried to light the moss again, this time with even more success. Her flames grew steadily, reaching almost twice the size they were before. *I love this! It’ll be perfect if I’m ever attacked. Growing flames would definitely intimidate any cat.*

Eclipse, though sad herself, felt even worse for the other she-cat . . . who was she? Luna? Or was it . . . it was Luana. She knew that Luana had loved Wren, and watching her die was horrible. So she let down her guard and padded up to Luana. “Hey . . . I . . . I’m sorry . . . about Wren . . . and really anything . . . I’ve ever done . . . I’m sorry. . .” She reached to brush her shoulder with her tail, but unsure about how she would react, she held back.

Luana glanced at the she-cat next to her. “Hah, it . . . it’s fine. I mean, I don’t think anyone really wanted to hurt her. It’s not your fault.” She smiled weakly. She looked down at her paws and noticed what felt like a small breeze, only at her paws.

Black Bird glanced at his burnt, aching paws. He watched Eclipse, making sure Luana didn’t so much as lash her tail at her.

Eclipse nodded, though still sad. She walked away to find Black Bird and collapsed. She glanced at a puddle right next to her. Out of nowhere, a small bit of water rose. She saw it and leapt back. Hot tears threatened to pour as she watched it drop back in. She inched closer and ripples appeared. Then the tears did fall. She buried her face in Black Bird’s fur and he staggered a bit to the side.

“Eclipse, what’s wrong? Who? I swear, if it was tha—” Black Bird started.

Eclipse looked at him. She made the water bubble rise again and her paws glowed blue. Her icy-blue eyes looked scared, and memories of Ash flashed through her mind. Ash.

“It . . . Eclipse, now, you can’t be scared of it,” Black Bird said. “Now you can make sure it never happens again,” he said.

“But . . . I can’t . . . Ash. . .” Eclipse gasped, and cried back into his shoulder.

*Woah.* Mieginck saw water rise by a cat, and he ran over to help her, as she seemed to be crying. He knew that he was risking him losing control and changing personality, but he wanted to help her. He ran up to her and tried to nudge her away from the water. “Try calming down, and maybe the water won’t come up again,” he mewed, hoping that his voice wasn’t too quiet for her to hear. Carefully and slowly, trying not to shock her or her brother and make them think that he was a threat, he padded between the two cats and the water. “Try not to look at it. I’m scared of water as well; I know what you’re going through.” Brushing his tail over her pelt, he tried to keep as calm as possible. He could feel that he was about to lose it, being so close to the water. Turning to the two cats, panicking about what they would think of him when his personality flipped, he quickly cried out to them, “I’m so sorry for what’s about to happen; if I could, I would stop it.” That was all he got out before he wondered why he was being so sympathetic. Then he saw the water behind him. Water; he saw himself drowning a cat. Water; he heard a cat plotting to kill him. Water; he was running from his cult. Hissing, he twisted around to see the two cats, claws sliding out. “Did you trick me into coming here, you wimps? You know I’m scared of water. Why did you exploit me like that?” He was on the brink of attacking when he saw his tail on the she-cat’s pelt and the tears in her eyes. What was he doing? The poor thing was terrified of the water, and now of him. “Sorry.” He lowered his head in shame. “My personality flips out when I’m scared of something. I get all horrible and aggressive. I’m Mieginck, by the way, but most cats call me Mei. What’s your name?”

Eclipse looked at him and tried to force a sad smile. “I’m Eclipse . . . and, and this is Black Bird. . .” She, almost scared half to death at what she had been doing, looked at the tom. “He . . . his name was Ash . . . our little brother . . . he slipped and fell into the creek when we were younger, and I wasn’t able to help without dying myself. . .” she said. She got up and went to the other side of Black Bird so she wouldn’t see the puddle. “Th-thank you. . .” she added. Why was she acting nice? She knew if he hadn’t apologized for flipping, Black Bird would have shredded him. But he was just like Ash. So she laid her tail on his, giving him a small restraint.

Mieginck felt Eclipse lay her tail on his and smile. He wasn’t quite ready yet to tell her why he was scared of water — or anyone, for that matter. Slowly and gently, a bubble rose up out of the water, but this time, he was sure it wasn’t Eclipse’s power or her brother’s. It was his. He stepped back, eyes widening. He shook his head, trying to clear the bad thoughts. He felt the tension going through his pelt and a panic attack creeping up on him. “No,” he spoke defiantly, and whispered to himself, “It’s just water, it’s just water, it’s just . . . water.” Like the water he had used to drown a cat? Finally, he stood up, his breathing still fast. “Don’t worry; I’ve got it under control,” he whispered before a hacking cough shook his body. There at his paws were a few tiny drops of odd-looking, bluish-purple liquid. He poked it with his paw and it didn’t seem to hurt him, so he touched it to the tip of his tongue. “Ugh,” he cried. “It tastes horrible!”  Trying to find a way to get it off his paws without touching the water or his mouth, he rubbed his paw along the ground. “Can anyone else do that?” he asked.

Eclipse was about to decline, but the exact same feeling shot through her. She spat it out and nodded. She stayed next to Black Bird.

Black Bird constantly answered her questions.

Eclipse could swear, any time he wasn’t paying attention, he would flicker to invisibility.

But Black Bird got annoyed every time she asked him about it. “For the last time, Eclipse! You’re just sleep-deprived and scared. I’m not turning invisible! Now go to sleep,” he would say.

Frostsong collapsed helplessly on the ground. *Harnor, you evil monster! Why did this have to happen? Why? Wren is dead. Dune and Feather broke up. Luana is heartbroken. Everyone is feeling miserable and depressed. Harnor, is this what you wanted?* She ducked into a torn-down building. *Oh my, it’s so cold in here. What’s happening?!* Ice had started to form on her pelt where the rain had fallen on her.

Quintessa felt . . . sorrow. She felt extreme sadness; felt it in the air, felt it vibrating off the cats surrounding her. Her tail dropped, her ears drooped, her eyes felt tears forming. Or maybe that was just the rain. She didn’t know. She padded over to Dune and Luana. “I-I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. She walked away quickly before Dune could retaliate and make her angry. Not that she wasn’t angry. Her anger was deep down and directed at the demon who started it all. Her body felt limp as she looked around, trying to find a place to get out of the rain.

“Quintessa . . . do you mind if I sit next to you? We can shelter under that boulder. Storm is still recovering from shock and wounds, and I wanted to talk to you,” Marina mewed.

Dune was shocked by Quintessa’s sudden display of affection. They had hated each other for ages now, and he had thought that the mysterious and snarky she-cat had no good side. He ran up to her. “Thanks,” he mewed. “It’s hard losing her a second time, and if it wasn't for that traitor Feather, she would still be standing here right now.” He spat his former lover’s name like foul poison on his tongue, and he ran away from Quintessa, still finding it slightly awkward to talk to her.

Quintessa was shocked. “O-oh,” she muttered. She hadn’t expected Dune, of all cats, to say thanks. *To her.* She turned to Marina. “What would you like to talk about?” she tried to say confidently. But how could she have confidence when her world was falling apart? She saw Frostsong laying on the ground. She padded over. “Come with us,” she said. “Over to that boulder.” She wanted to help, to be gentle, but her voice came out as hoarse and rough.

Marina suddenly felt a large splash of water land on her ear. It wasn’t the feeling of droplets of rain. It was larger . . . like an orb of water. She tilted her head in confusion before deciding to ignore it. Slowly, the she-cat padded next to Quintessa and Frostsong.

As Quintessa sat quietly, watching the rain pour down, she thought about Dune. More specifically, about Dune *and Feather*. *They looked really happy together,* she thought with a tinge of jealousy. She tried to push down her bitter feelings, but they rose up in a wave. *Everyone has someone. Even if they only have family, they have* someone*. She shook her head. But now Luana doesn’t have her girlfriend, Dune and Feather broke up, and everything is horrible! Stop thinking of yourself, stupid!* She sighed. She got up, looking for some leaves to make at least a decent bed. Then she felt a tingle in her spine. It passed as quickly as it started, but she knew it had to be her power. With a newfound energy, she grabbed as many leaves as she could, thinking all the while, *What will it be?*

Wildflower stood under an old building where the rain had leaked through. Absentmindedly, they lapped at a puddle on the ground and washed their burnt paws. They also licked at a burn wound they hadn’t noticed before on their hind leg. They couldn’t stand how Dune and Luana’s auras were cloaked with sadness. And how Dune and Feather’s relationship was ruined. They had heard that Dune had died in the first Test. And now Wren was dead? They stared into the stormy sky, wishing for their family. Wishing that Starshine, Sunflower, and them had never been split up in that storm. Then maybe they wouldn’t have to be going through this pain, and they wouldn’t have to watch the others go through theirs. They were watching everyone lifting leaves, making ice, using fire, crackling with electricity, disappearing . . . they shuddered. All of these powers — they only made them feel all the closer to Harnor. And that wasn’t good, they decided. If Harnor could give them these powers so easily, what else could he do? They felt an unnerving tingle along their spine and their body temperature rising. No, they thought. No, not yet. They weren’t ready yet. They ran into the rain, desperately trying to cool down. Help. Who would help them? They found Feather and Dune, Chao . . . they didn’t know any of them. Quintessa? She had been friendly and grumpy, but they felt something was off. “Quintessa?” they meowed, still soaking wet.

Quintessa turned slowly. “Oh, hi,” she mewed, quietly and unenthusiastically. “You look wet. Why don’t you come into the dryness under the boulder?” She padded to her makeshift nest, her thoughts racing ahead. *Why is Wildflower soaking wet? Wouldn’t they have found a shelter already? Ugh. This is why I shouldn’t listen to myself. Dang it. I waste time on myself that I could have spent helping others not catch sickness outside.* Her face scowled. *No, no, no! They’ll think you're angry at them!* Her face softened into a light frown. Her thoughts then turned to the breakup of the century — or so she thought of it. *Dune and Feather . . . sigh. I bet Dune feels how I used to feel: lonely. Maybe I should go comfort him again. Her head shook. No. It’s too soon after we last talked. If I want to ever have a stable friendship with him, I need to take it slow. Maybe I’ll take him a piece of prey later. Yes, later.* She remembered Wildflower. *Fox-dung!* Her gaze snapped back to the cat.

Frostsong panicked. *What’s going on? How do I get these ice shards off of me?* As she looked down, she shrieked, “What in the world is happening?!” A small ice rink had formed under her paws, causing her to panic and slip. Her fur glowed an icy-white. *I have to go find Quintessa. Now!* And she ran out of the abandoned building to find Quintessa.

Wondering what had happened to him earlier, Dune tried to do the same as he had in the desert. Grabbing a leaf off one of the plants, he laid it on the floor and focused hard on it. He let all the anger from what had happened to his sister and what Feather had done boil over and into his strength. All of a sudden, a purple glow appeared around him, and shocked, he lost his concentration. He huffed and tried again, this time ignoring the glow that covered his body. Staring at the leaf until his eyes hurt, it began to quiver and glow purple. Suddenly, it lifted a few inches off the ground and just hovered there, moving slightly. As gently as he could, he tilted his head to one side and the leaf drifted over to his left, still glowing. Excitement and wonder flooded through him, a feeling he hadn’t felt for ages. Then, remembering what else he had been able to do, he tried to make his body feel as light as possible and relaxed his mind. Winds picked up around him and his paws seemed suddenly light and airy. His eyes closed, he felt breezes touch the underside of his feet. *That’s weird,* he thought, before he opened his eyes and found that the breezes had lifted him an inch off the ground. In a flash, he was on the ground again and calling to the only cat he really trusted at the moment. “Luana! Come and look what I can do!” he cried out to her, half-panicked, half-excited. What if he turned into a slave of Harnor like . . . like . . . Wren had? But this power could help his friends — not that he had any right now.

Luana trotted over, purring. “You sound as excited as a kit!” Watching his . . . power? She purred louder. “That’s so cool!” Her happiness bubbled over, and suddenly her eyes had an aqua glint and her speckles sparkled light blue. Small patches of . . . ice?! had formed at her feet. In shock, she squealed and jumped backwards, only to have more patches follow her. She slunk into a building as the rain came down harder. *This is nothing like my old Twolegplace.* She purred to herself. She wanted to test her powers where the rain wouldn’t affect them. Focusing on her paws, she saw ice fill some of the cracks underneath her.

Feather collapsed under a broken roof. *Why?* She rested for a bit and then stood up. She walked over mournfully to Dune. “I’m sorry. I — I didn’t want to kill her. I wouldn’t if — if it weren’t for my stupid legacy. If I wasn’t the one that had to kill Wren, I would have never hurt her. Please . . . forgive me.”

Dune turned to Feather and hissed. “Well, it’s too late for that, isn’t it? You killed her! I was willing to die and let everyone else die to let my sister live! I can’t forgive you for doing that.” He saw himself begin to glow purple again, and he floated up slightly into the air and made the vines around the two cats quiver. He lashed out a paw at Feather’s face, hoping to scratch it. “I’ll never forgive you!” he cried. Letting the purple glow disappear and his powers stop, he turned and ran. “And don’t even try to talk to me again!”

Feather sat down in the alley and started grooming herself while watching the three cats in conversation. The rain beat down harder, so she slunk into a building and continued licking herself. *It sure is cold.* She activated her fire to make it warmer. She noticed how her belly had expanded. *A-am I. . .?* She gasped and stood up, trying to find Dune. When she saw him, she cried out, “Dune! This is important! I’m expecting your kits!”

Dune turned around in shock. Kits! Feather, the traitor, was expecting his kits! He didn’t know what to do; on one side, he loved the idea of kits, but . . . he didn’t love the idea that Feather would be their mother. He didn’t want to abandon them, but he also felt he couldn’t get close to Feather again; he didn’t think he would ever trust another she-cat, except maybe Luana. Luana was too weak to hurt anyone, and she didn’t have a bad bone in her body. Breathing fast, he tried to summon the courage to speak. “How?” he whispered, his voice nearly silent. “They’re all going to die — you realize that, don’t you? Harnor won’t want kits getting in the way of the Tests.” With a sigh, he finally found a way to put his thoughts into words. “I’ll look after the kits and you when they come. But not for you; only for them, as they’re kin of me and Wren, and they’ll need you to survive. Then, once they’re old enough, if they survive, they can choose between me and you and we can go our separate ways.” Barely managing to not hiss at Feather, he twisted his head and walked away. Now, he thought, *I need to get the hang of these powers. Then the kits may choose me over Feather, as I can protect them better.* He sat down and started trying to lift a leaf.

Mist wondered what his power would be. He didn’t really care what he got, but he wanted to know. He saw Dune lifting a leaf with his mind and he decided to try the same thing. He found a leaf and closed his eyes. He focused on it and imagined that it was floating. He opened his eyes, which were now a solid dark blue, and the leaf was in the air. He grinned and broke the connection. He remembered how Dune could also fly for a small amount of time, and he wondered what else he could do. He looked across the expanse of water in front of him. He knew he shouldn’t try crossing it again, so instead he devoted his attention to the rain. It was becoming quite bothersome, and he wanted to practice his power a little more before he went hunting. He knew that there were better ways to get out of the rain; he just didn’t care. He turned his eyes dark blue and summoned a breeze to push the rain away. The annoying drops of water were successfully diverted to the ground around him, and he grinned with triumph. He broke the connection and went to go hunting.

Dune was panicking. He had to get away from Feather. He didn’t know what to do; he was done with this. Then he crashed into a cat. It was Quintessa. “I’m so sorry,” he mewed. “Wow, I must be feeling really sorry for myself if I apologized to you!” he joked, shaking his head. Why had he been so horrible to this cat before? She hadn’t done anything to him. He had been so wound up in Feather that he hadn’t noticed the nicer cats. *Quintessa and Luana,* he thought, *are the cats who actually seemed to care when Wren died. Feather acts like she does, but I’m not convinced.*  “Look,” he began. “I’m sorry for how I acted to you before. I realize now that I had it all wrong. I thought that Feather was kind and you were horrible, but when you comforted me after Wren’s death, I realized you had more of a heart than Feather does. I really need some friends right now, and I was wondering — could we maybe put our past behind us and try and start afresh?” He saw that she had a leaf down in front of her and was staring at it intently. “Oh, you’re trying to find your power! Here, I’ll help,” he meowed. He showed her how he made the leaf float. “So what I do first is put my paw near it. Then you think of something that makes you really mad — it can even be me trying to help you — and the leaf will float. Now, you might glow or something, but don’t let that scare you. Watch me.” He put his paw forward and focused on the leaf. His pelt glowed, but he ignored it, and the leaf shuddered and slowly drifted into the air.

Quintessa suddenly felt a bump, and her eyes widened as she saw *Dune* had bumped into her. He was apologizing and making leaves move. Saying that he was sorry for how he treated her. She nodded when he finished speaking. “Yes,” she said. “I’ll try that.” She concentrated on a leaf near her. *Move. Move. Move.* The leaf tingled and floated a half-inch in the air. She gasped. “I did it!” she shouted. “Yes!” She looked at Dune and felt her pelt heat. “Heh heh,” she murmured. “Sorry about that outburst.” She then saw Frostsong coming her way, looking panicked. Her heart raced. “Frostsong!” she said loudly. “What happened?!”

“Please help! I’m freaking out. Everyone else is totally in control of their powers, but I’m so confused! Ice shards are appearing where the rain was on my pelt, and I’m starting to form an ice rink! I think it’s my powers, but it’s really confusing.” As Frostsong talked, the ice on her melted off.

Quintessa nodded. “I’m still getting the hang of my powers,” she said after Frostsong finished. “And I’m sure you’ll soon be able to make an icy blast of awesomeness.”

“Thanks. . .? I’m sure you’ll be great at your powers too. You’re the queen of awesomeness. You’ll obviously be the best at your power. Soon you’ll be lifting things bigger than me. And you’ll also fly awesomely in the sky,” Frostsong replied. Then she laughed. “I’m not used to you saying that. You’re usually so — I don’t know — serious. Thanks, Quintessa,” she said. “I’m gonna practice my powers now, okay? You do the same!” She ran off to practice. Suddenly her eyes flashed a gleaming silvery-white. What’s happening?

*The world around Frostsong turned blindingly bright and disappeared. “Where am I?” she murmured. This wasn’t the rainy city; this was the desert they were previously in! Right before they got their powers!* When Wren died. . .

*And there she was. Wren, saying, “Love you. . .” to Dune and Luana right before she closed her eyes, never to awake again.*

*Dune and Luana wailed with grief.*

No, no! *Frostsong thought before she was taken away again by the blinding light.*

Wildflower watched as Quintessa lifted a leaf and Frostsong arrived with ice on her pelt. They almost wanted to heat up again to get rid of the rain in their pelt. “No,” they meowed. “No, don’t you see what’s happening? Harnor gave these powers to us. Who knows what could happen? We could turn into. . .” They glanced at Dune, then shut their mouth. What were they all thinking? They felt themself heating up again. “Sorry,” they said to the others before hurrying out into the rain again.

Quintessa huffed. “We would never be like Dune. Wait, what?” Her head spun. “Guys . . . I don’t feel so good. . .” She lost her footing and everything went dark.

“I’ve got to go talk to Luana about something,” Dune mewed to Quintessa. She would get the hang of flying on her own. Who even liked flying anyway?

Wildflower ran around the buildings, trying to distance themself and the powers. They ran for hours, but eventually gave in and stopped after the rain soaked through their long fur. Subconsciously, they could feel themselves heating up again, and the area around them glowed a pale gold. They drifted off to sleep, feeling doom lingering at their paws. They woke up, and padded off to the side and caught a mouse in a bramble bush. It was still pouring rain, and as they settled down to eat, they felt the urge to heat up again. They willed a small fire to start in front of them and light a small patch of dandelions, but instead of killing it with fire, the plant just withered. At the same time, they noticed an amber glow like when they used their fire powers, but this time, they were unaware of where it came from. Startled, they got up to sniff through the dead stem, only to be surprised again by their fur glowing golden, and the dandelion burst up in flames. *Flames. . .*

*Wildflower was with her siblings again, Starshine and Sunflower. They were in their den, a small juniper bush, and a dry summer breeze ruffled the tops of their ears. The summer heat was brutal and she couldn’t get much sleep. She could tell that her siblings were dying of the heat too. She decided to get a drink of water from the nearby stream.*

*Sunflower shuffled in his sleep. “Starshine?” He mumbled their sister’s name.*

*“No,” Wildflower whispered. “Wildflower. I’m getting a drink. Sleep well.” She ducked out from under the bush and breathed in the hot summer night air. The stream she was going to flowed through the meadow that she lived in, parallel to the forest. Perhaps she could catch a mouse there for later too. She lapped at the stream, feeling the warm water refresh her insides. Suddenly she felt the heat intensify, and look up into the sky to find flocks of birds flooding the skies. Weird, she thought. It’s nowhere near fall yet. She realized that small rodents and water voles swarmed at her feet, and was about to jump at one in the grass when she saw it. A bright red malicious wall of flames stood where the trees used to be and catching to the dry grass much too quickly. “No!” she gasped. She ran as fast as her small body could towards her siblings, towards the flames. “Starshine! Sunflower!” The fire was catching too quickly, and when she was close enough to see the dip in the meadow where their bush was, the fire had already spread past the juniper bush, and she couldn’t even tell where it was. “Starshine! Sunflower!” Where did they go? The flames were about to take her too. She ran back to the stream, yelling for her siblings with her dry throat. They couldn’t have died. The fire must have been too hot; they couldn’t have stayed there. . .*

*Wildflower been up searching for hours. The sun was barely up and was already spreading heat across the lands. The fire had stopped at the stream, leaving one side of the meadow completely burnt and the other side untouched. The flames had died down when there was no more grass to be burnt. She stared into the sky. Where did they go?*

*It had been four moons since the wildfire. The summer heat had passed and the air was cool and refreshing. Wildflower still had seen no trace of her siblings. They seemed to have disappeared, and the only reasonable explanation was that they died in the fire or a fox killed them. And she was starting to adjust to the fact that they were gone.*

*Another half-moon. Prey at this time of year was the best, yet Wildflower was thin. She wouldn’t survive the winter. The moon was shining and she was about to settle down in a clearing. She did this so hopefully a fox could kill her in the night. Or she would freeze.*

*Wildflower was just about to fall asleep when she felt something poking her flank.*

Hopefully a fox, *Wildflower thought.*

*“Hey,” a soft voice said, an old she-cat.*

*Wildflower opened her eyes to find a white tortoiseshell, her silhouette against the moon.*

*“Get up. A fox will kill you,” the she-cat whispered.*

*“Let me die in peace,” Wildflower said back, and rested her chin on her paws.*

*“Isn’t she lovely?” the she-cat said to herself. “I’m Twisted Violet. Call me Violet.”*

*Wildflower wasn’t going to introduce herself, but suddenly felt a wave of pain, reminding her of her sorrow and the endless suffering this world could cause. Her father, her mother and her brother, her other two siblings, Starshine, Sunflower . . . she wanted nothing to do with that. “Call me Wildflower,” they murmured. “And call me by they.”*

Ami was suddenly in an area with loads of new cats. Where were they? It wasn’t scientifically possible for them to have been so quickly transported from one location to another, and the current air pressure and weather suggested that they were far away from their starting location. There were many possibilities, the most likely being that some freak weather had drastically changed the microclimate here, as they really weren't that far away from home, or they had been in a medically induced coma by the scientists and transported to this location with their father to save him.

“Be very careful,” Iciclefur mewed next to them. “You never know—”

He didn’t get to finish before Ami did. “If cats are deadly murderers or thieves from far-away labs. I know, I know. Can I go meet some cats now?” they asked.

Iciclefur nodded.

Ami ran off over to meet some new cats. They ran into a white tabby cat with copper eyes. “Hello!” they mewed loudly. “I’m Ami. What’s your name? Do you know what’s going on here? I’m very confused, as the sudden change in climate from the previous location to here suggests that I travelled a long distance over a very short time. Also, how come a strange glow seems to be emitted from some cats? Have they eaten something that causes that? Otherwise, it’s scientifically impossible for cats to glow like that.” They paused for breath, their tail swishing from side to side. There was so much to talk about. “Also, what lab did you come from? Mine was in a desert and I was the smartest cat there.” Smiling, they suddenly couldn’t see that cat anymore and a scene appeared before their eyes.

*Cats were fighting each other and blood soaked the ground.*

*“The future brings pain,” a voice resonated all around Ami.*

Ami shook their head and it was gone. *I'll have to look out for that,* they thought. *I could have a serious problem with hallucinations.*

Luana padded towards a new brown she-cat. “Hi, I’m Luana! Who are you? You’re new here, aren’t you? How did you even get here?” she purred.

“I’m Ami,” Ami mewed. “And I’m not sure how I got here. There are two possible options, so it’s a fifty-fifty conundrum.” Suddenly, ice appeared at their paws. “Woah, there must be some mixture of chemicals here. That leads to the formation of solid water molecules.” They looked down at their paws, trying to work out what chemical combinations could cause something like that.

*Then Ami’s vision faded again and they could see blood and cats and claws.*

 Seconds later, Ami was back and their breath was fast. “I think I might be unwell; I seem to be having hallucinations.”

“Luana!” Dune cried out, and ran over to her. “How’s your power going?” Just to show her, he lifted up a leaf and a couple of pebbles into the air with ease.

“It’s not a power!” Ami mewed. “It could be many other things. And ninety-nine out of a hundred times magic is reported, it’s shown to be fake, and the other one time, the cat reporting magic has a mental illness.”

Dune ignored the strange she-cat and turned to Luana. “I’ve got no idea what to do! Feather is expecting my kits, and I love the idea of kits, but I hate Feather. And what if the kits prefer her to me and decide to stay with her?” He could tell that his eyes were widening, and in his panic, he had lost control of his powers and had floated up in the air again.

“And that’s a fluke in the movement of air currents,” Ami mewed, their tail flicking from side to side.

Glaring at the cat, Dune landed safely on his paws. “Also, it’s freezing cold here.” He leant into Luana for warmth, but the cold was still there. He saw ice at both cats’ paws. “You both have ice powers!”

Ami huffed at the cat. It wasn’t powers! “It’s not powers,” they cried. “It’s a strange mixture of currently undiscovered compounds of chemicals — at least, that’s my current theory. It’s not factual until proven; same for all theories about the extinction of dinosaurs and the Big Bang theory!”

“What are you going on about?” Dune asked.

Luana purred as she watched the two bicker. “Okay, well—”

Luana’s eyes flashed aqua and she saw a flash of Feather and Dune talking.

That was weird. “Anyway, first of all, Feather *does* regret killing her.” Before Dune could open his mouth, Luana gently cut him off. “Don’t try and tell me she doesn’t. I know you won’t forgive her anyway. Okay, congratulations on being a father!” she lightly teased. “If you want the kits to be close to you, you’ll have to interact with Feather anyway.” She smoothed her tail lightly over his back. “And don’t worry. Of course the kits will like you. And they’ll have to stay with their mother for a while. Just try playing and talking with them! But—” her pale green eyes filled with worry “—you’re not going to separate Feather from your kits. They’re hers as well.”

Dune moved his paws side to side, his head dipped down. “I know, but I can’t forgive her. I don’t know why, but it’s just so hard. I don’t think I’ll ever learn to love her again, but now I’ve accepted that.”

Bonita stalked around the shadows. *These cats are pathetic. But . . . some of them seem strong.* She slowly made her way over to three cats. “Hola, señors. ¿Como estas?” she asked slightly awkwardly.

Luana looked up at the tall she-cat. “Hi! What did you say?” She cocked her head and smiled nervously.

“Oh, uh, hi. How are you doing?” Bonita shifted nervously.

“I’m Luana! Who are you?” Luana asked.

“I’m Bonita,” Bonita said.

Mist couldn’t wait to level up his power. He had been moving leaves and floating in the air as much as he could. He looked around the city until he found Dune, who was noticeably stronger, and a new determination overcame him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, they were a solid dark blue. He wanted to try and shift something bigger, so he looked around until he found a rock that was as big as his paw. He stared at it until his eyes hurt, but the rock didn’t move. He broke the connection, gasping for air. He tried again with similar results. The effort was killing him, so he tried it on a smaller rock. This time, he was able to push it a small ways. He collapsed on the ground, exhausted, and let the rain soak his fur. He hated limits. He was bored. Nothing exciting had happened since the fight with Wren. He sighed softly and wondered what if there was anything else he could do. His gaze drifted around the city until he saw the stream running through it. An idea came to him. He hoped this would work. He walked over to the small stretch of water, closed his eyes, and lifted himself up using the air. He then moved forward most of the way over the stream and fell. His hind legs and front paws landed in the water and he scrambled to dry land, a little disappointed that he hadn’t made it all the way across. He scented the air for prey. He looked around for a good spot for a mouse to hide, eventually finding an old Twoleg den that smelled promising. He activated his power and walked into the odd structure. He drew the air toward himself and went after a mouse’s sent trail. When he came across the little creature, he flipped it on its side using telekinesis, then pounced on it and killed it with a bite to its neck. He exited the building and found a quiet place to eat.

Feather chased after Dune. “Dune!” she sighed, and slumped down. *Harnor! Why did I have to be the one to kill her?* She started grooming herself. She noticed there was a pale orange swirl glowing on her haunch. She also saw small sparks around her. She thought of the fire around Wren. *Nothing will ever be correct again without Dune.* She padded over slowly to a she-cat. “Hello,” she said, trying to sound cheerful but actually sounding sad.

Fringe padded out of an alleyway and saw another she-cat, Feather. “Hi, Feather,” she greeted. “Is something wrong?”

Feather nodded sadly. She licked her chest. *They’ll come in a few days,* she guessed.

Loki watched as his mother talked to the other she-cat. “There are no friends here,” he hissed.

Palm saw a tom talking to himself near Fringe, so he padded over to say hi. “Hey, are you new here?” he mewed. “I’m Palm!”

Loki slashed at the unfamiliar tom. “Stay away from me!” he snarled.

“Stay away from me!” the tom cried, but Palm puffed up his fur as much as possible. “In these Tests, it seems to be a good idea to make friends. Some cats wouldn’t have survived the second or third Test without friends, and that could be the same for you if you don’t make friends!”

Feather padded inside of a building. *Okay. If I just. . .* Sparks appeared at her paws. She moved them around. Suddenly, images of Wren’s last moments flashed in her mind. *No . . . I-I can’t . . . I’ll grow to be like her demon. I-I can’t handle it.* She collapsed, crying. She stared out at the storm. “I hate being the one to kill her!” she yowled, sobbing. She stood up. *Well, if I’m having kits soon, I need to learn my power more.* She padded over to the entrance and started a small flame of sparks. This will block others once I level up. She moved them around. Suddenly, the rain came in at an angle and the fire went out. “Oh, great Sky of Stars,” she muttered. She moved away towards a plant growing in a crack. *I could test my powers on this.* She closed her eyes and summoned her powers. She opened them. Instead of fire appearing, the plant was growing. Her neck glowed a dark green. She inched towards it in wonder. *I have another power . . . one that grows, not kills. Well, perhaps if I can grow it, I can kill it?* She tried her power again. Her neck glowed, and sure enough, the plant withered. Her eyes brightened. *I know my other power! Now I just have to learn to control them both.* She sighed. *So fire first.* She thought of the demon Wren. The hatred in her eyes. The fire that she had control of. She felt herself start crying again. *No! If I want to master my powers, I can’t be a wimp every time I try!* She thought of Wren harder. Fire came out. She gasped with the relief of not having to think of her any longer. She moved them around with her mind. *Now a few more times!* She continued this process for a while until the sparks appeared in less than a heartbeat. N*ow the growing-and-withering-plants power.* She found a sprout and grew it. It became a bush. Flowers bloomed. *Well, this would be the perfect nest for the kits.* She grew some more plants. Unexpectedly, she fell to the ground. She gasped as a spasm of pain struck her. When the birthing was over, she said lovingly, “These will be Sky, Blizzard . . . and Wren.” She nursed them until they all fell asleep. Then she carried them inside the bush and set off to find Dune before their kits woke up. She went to where she last saw Dune. On the way, she withered and grew plants. She also made sparks appear, but they only lasted a few moments, put off by the never-ending rain. She found Dune talking with Luana. “Dune! The kits were born early and named!”

Dune heard Feather cry out, and he ran over to see and saw three kits lying out on the ground. He felt a surge of love flow through him as he looked down at them. “What are their names?” he asked, hoping that Feather at least had the decency to name one of the kits after his sister.

“Well, the little white she-kit with stripes is Sky,” Feather said. “The pale gray tom-kit is Blizzard. And this bundle of fur . . . is Wren.” She pointed her tail to a white she-kit with dark gray splotches. She grew a flower while staring at Dune, waiting for his response.

As Dune saw the kits and heard their names, he let out a purr. He couldn’t help it; they were perfect. “Thank you,” he mewed quietly. “For naming one of . . . our kits Wren.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. He loved the kits with all his heart — Sky, Blizzard, and Wren. The names were beautiful. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Feather, I don’t know whether we’ll ever be mates again, but I want you to know this — I’m starting to understand why you did what you did.” He was hesitant to speak about Wren’s death, but he kept going. “In this Wait, I’ve talked and met more cats than I’ve tried to before — because I needed a friend after I left you. I saw that maybe, just maybe, it was selfish of me to not want to kill her. Wren would have killed all these cats if you hadn’t done what you did. I might not completely forgive you yet, but I have no doubt that one day, I will.”

Feather purred. “I couldn’t let everyone just . . . die. It’s not your fault for not fighting. Wren is your sister. She had already died once. No one would want their littermate to die in front of them after only having a very little amount of time with them after their first death.”

“They look healthy,” Sunny mewed. “Congrats. Hey, Dune, can you show me what your powers do?” she asked. “The kits will be fine.”

Luana padded over to Dune and Feather, purring, as the two looked content. Her eyes rounded as she looked at the tiny kits. “Absolutely precious!” Her heart felt ready to burst. “What are their names?”

Rattlesnake heard someone getting congratulated, so he took a break hiding from his fire and got up. When he saw Feather with her kits, he was overjoyed. Kits meant life, not death. These kits could bring cats together. As he got closer, he saw them. Three bundles of fur, and all of them downright adorable. “Congratulations,” he whispered. “I’ll go; you probably don’t want a lot of cats crowding around your kits.” He walked away, smiling.

Reed watched the others go to the queen, but he just stayed there. He would probably accidentally hurt one of the kits. Plus, kits were clumsy and annoying. He didn’t like kits. His sister had some of her own, and he had visited them, but she had hissed at him when they had run into him. He would rather not let that happen.

“Kits!” Palm cried, and ran over to see the small bundles of fur. They were adorable!

Then Palm saw one of his ghosts again. This time, it was Mieginck, standing above the kits in awe, watching as they squirmed around. He waited for the panic to come, but it didn’t. And then he spoke, something the spirits never did. “They’re lovely. Feather and Dune, you must be so happy.”

Palm lifted his head to Mieginck’s words. This wasn’t what normally happened.

Mieginck’s eyes widened, as he was shocked to see Palm here. He slowly took a few steps forward and then stopped. “Palm, is that really you?”

“Mie-Mieginck, you’re alive,” Palm stuttered. “This can’t be real. I left you to—” tears rolled down his cheeks “—die.”

Mieginck placed a paw on top of Palm’s, looking up at the small tom’s now-burnt face. Palm had a massive patch with no fur, but luckily his earring had survived. *His earring!* He saw twelve scratches on the palm branch, and that meant — no, it couldn’t — twelve deaths, not including Kinkaroy. And up until this moment, himself. “I’m so sorry,” he mewed. “After you left, me and Kinkaroy tried to run. I got away, but she didn’t.” He decided to leave out the bit about the cult. He didn’t want to scare Palm.

“At least you’re here now,” Palm whispered.

Chao looked around the deserted city, hoping to find Palm. He hadn’t seen the tom who had saved his life since the fight with Wren. He saw him talking to another cat, and he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to get to know them both. *You can never have too many friends.* He walked over to Palm and his companion and introduced himself.

“Chao!” Palm happily yowled. “This is Mieginck!”

Mieginck smiled at Chao. “You can call me Mei; most cats can’t say my name well.”

By this point, Palm was jumping around, electric sparks dancing at his paws.

Mieginck looked over to Chao, a strange sadness coming over him. Palm could enjoy his power, but he couldn’t — his past haunted him too much.

This was the last place Sunny wanted to be. It didn’t help that the memories were coming back. As she walked through the place, she saw Dune and Feather arguing. No cat was happy anymore, she realized. No cat was happy. She walked up to Dune, wondering whether he would yell at her. “Hello, Dune,” she mewed softly. Watching her fur glow a bright blue, she looked at the nearest puddle and managed to create a small bubble. That was kind of cool. She wondered if she could do anything else. Making a bubble of water, she focused on it, causing it to ripple. She then dropped it, spraying her and everyone within a three-inch radius with water.

Mieginck saw the water splash him. That she-cat had done it on purpose, he thought. “Watch it!” he hissed at her. “I’m not waterproof.” His claws slid out and he leapt at her, using all his training from the first tribe he had been in — the Sand Body Fights. He had been the king of the arena, undefeated.

Chao felt water splash him and shivered. He looked around and saw a she-cat who was also wet. Suddenly, he saw Mieginck leap at the oblivious cat with a fury that seemed completely unjustified. Then again, there could be something he was missing. . .

Palm screamed as Mieginck attacked, “Mieginck, this isn’t like you!”

Stopping, Mieginck turned. What did Palm mean? Oh. He had flipped out again. “I’m so, so sorry,” he mewed to the she-cat. “I can’t control it.”

“Hey!” Bonita hissed. “Leave her alone!” As she snarled at the black tom, the water around her began rising slightly, and suddenly something dripped out of her mouth. What the?! She spat the disgusting liquid and snorted at it. What the heck kind of thing is this?! Her head whipped around as the water dropped. Terrified, she turned back towards the three cats. “What’s going on?! What did you do to me?! Tell me!”

Mieginck turned to the she-cat. “That happened to me as well. I think it means you have water and poison powers. And sorry for earlier. I get a little bit strange sometimes. I can’t stop it.”

Eclipse, motivated to get up now, padded over to Dune. “Hey, your kits are beautiful. Congrats. . .” she muttered, glancing at the kits. The truth was, she loved the kits — she loved any kits — but it was Dune she was talking to.

Dune looked up at Eclipse, surprised that she had approached him. “Uh, hi,” he mewed, “Come to see the kits, I guess? This one here is Wren, this one is Blizzard, and that little sweet thing is Sky.” He gestured to each of the kits in turn, making sure it was clear which was which.

Luana looked around at the other cats. She spotted Black Bird and Eclipse. *Ah, perfect! Those two seemed kind of cold, but that really only seemed to be with Dune,* she thought, chuckling softly. She should probably get to know them more, seeing as they were in this together. Trotting over, she purred loudly, “Hey, guys!”

Black Bird ignored the she-cat. Because, of course, he was Black Bird. What else would he do?

Eclipse flicked him and smiled at Luana. “Hi,” she said, licking her paw and drawing it up to her ear.

Luana chuckled at Black Bird. “Oh, he’s just like my sister’s mate. Never wanting to talk to anyone!” She purred loudly. “How is your power going? I think I just have ice, but randomly I’ll see flashbacks. . .”

“Water and — I think — poison, because every once in a while, I spit out this horrible gooey thing,” Eclipse mewed. “But I swear, *Black Bird is turning invisible.”*

Luana laughed loudly at that. “What?! Like, he, haha! He just disappears?!”

Eclipse nodded.

Just then, Black Bird looked at the shadows at his paws and imagined them moving. They did. “Oh, look, I am. Shadows and invisibility, I think.”

Eclipse looked at everyone. “I knew it! I’m not going crazy, and the nextcatwhosaysIamwillbeclawedtodeath!”

Mieginck saw Eclipse and padded over to her, half-wanting to meet the kits and half-wanting to check how the she-cat was doing. She had looked very freaked out earlier. “Hey, Eclipse,” he mewed. “How is your power going? And don’t worry about me flipping out again. Unless someone pushes me into the water, I should be fine for now.” He smiled at her before a hacking cough took over him again, and he spat out the horrible liquid, making sure it didn’t go anywhere near the kits. “Why are you here?” he asked Eclipse. “You don’t have to tell me, but I’m interested. I ended up here because I was starving in a desert after running from my group. I don’t know why Harnor picked me. What about you?”

Eclipse smiled. “It’s going good . . . I haven’t really done much with it, but I’m okay with it, as long as it doesn’t hurt me or anyone else.” But then she was startled at Meiginck’s second question. Even if this was Dune she was talking in front of, she answered truthfully. “Our little brother, Ash . . . he was the nicest kit you’ve ever seen, but when he was only seven moons old, we went out for a walk by a rushing river. It was getting dark, so we started heading back when he told a joke. And when we weren’t expecting it, he slipped and fell into the water . . . Ash had no idea how to swim, so he drowned and we didn’t do anything to save him . . . it’s completely my fault Ash died. I was a dumb, ignorant cat back then. Then Harnor came to me, and he told me I didn’t have to watch anyone else die,” she said, pressing into Black Bird. Tears once again rolled down her cheeks.

But instead of holding Eclipse like he did before, Black Bird rose. He was a small cat, but he rose. “Look what you’ve done. I don’t understand why she came over here; I tried to tell her not to, but she did. If you had come to her to ask her this, I would kill you. But since you didn’t, I’ll just make sure you don’t do something like this ever again. I’m warning you, one wrong move, and—”

Black Bird was cut off by Eclipse. “Black Bird, shut your trap or you’ll get us both killed!” she hissed. She had really been crying, but it had stopped. She pushed him away and stayed there.

Mieginck felt so guilty for asking Eclipse about her past, but her brother was being horrid! How was he to know? “I’m so, so sorry,” he quietly meowed. “Ash sounds like a great cat, and I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. These things happen, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He laid his tail on Eclipse’s side and nuzzled her neck before pulling away, a bit embarrassed. “In the desert where I met Palm, I hurt one of my best friends, Harminbal. It was an accident, obviously, but it meant he couldn’t hunt. When me and Kinkaroy — she was another one of my friends — tried to hunt for him, we were caught and Harminball starved. Me and Kinkaroy were told we would be killed, but we ran. Kinkaroy didn’t get away, but I did.” Tears started to roll down his cheeks, but he shook them away. “Then this cult picked me up. They made me kill cats, including my friends. It was horrible.” He shook his head to get the thoughts out. “I was a coward one time and the leader noticed. He planned to have me killed, but I overheard his plans and ran. I nearly starved in that desert. That’s when Harnor found me.” Tears ran freely down his cheeks now.

Eclipse nodded. It felt nice to know she wasn’t the only cat who’d had someone die. But she wished she was. No one should have to go through that.

Mieginck smiled at Eclispe and quickly flashed a glare at her brother, who always seemed to be with her. “Hey, do you want to go practice our powers?” he asked. “I might not freak out if a friend is with me, and I don’t want to call Palm over; he’s been through too much. You see that palm branch through his ear? Each scratch marks a death. There are twelve scratches now. When I last saw him, the third had just been placed. He doesn’t need to worry about me.” He glanced over at Palm, seeing the patch of fur scorched from the tiny tom’s face. “Also, could your brother maybe hang back a bit? I don’t know what it is, but I feel like he’s judging me. He’s glaring at me in this weird way.” He glanced over at Black Bird, who was looking grumpily towards him.

Eclipse smiled and nodded. Then glanced at her brother. Her eyes shot like the poison she spit into him.

Black Bird got the message right away, but backed away, smiling. He just played with the shadows at his paws. His sister was mad at him and he knew it, though he didn’t know why. She-cats. He rolled his eyes.

“We mainly stay together, but *he can be alone. He’s a big boy now,”* Eclipse said just loud enough for him to hear, and walked away, scowling.

Mieginck padded to the water and started to summon a bubble. His breath quickened as he saw it rise and he looked to his side, hoping to find comfort in Eclipse.

Eclipse hacked a cough as the black liquid formed in her mouth — but now it was twice as horrible. When she coughed, an odd fog also emitted from her mouth, and she studied it with great curiosity. She summoned more of the fog and sniffed it. It made her feel a little bit tired.

Mieginck yawned as the fog circled him, and then the same fog began to come from his mouth. What was it? As he began to feel more woozy, he turned to Eclipse. “I think we either need to find a way to stay awake or get out of here,” he mewed, and then hesitantly licked Eclipse’s muzzle — he didn’t know why, and he quickly turned his head away, cheeks heating up and water rising behind him.

Eclipse giggled and smiled. Then out of nowhere, she made a cat-sized wave and splashed herself. “That’ll keep me awake,” she said.

Tess sat in the shadows, letting out slight growls as she noticed cats testing out their new powers. *Where are* my *powers?* She had trained as hard as she could. Now, as hard as she concentrated, nothing happened. No flames licked at her paws, no ice formed on the ground, and no lightning struck next to her. She was useless.

Ollie bounced around joyfully as he noticed patches of ice forming around his paws. *Cool!* he thought before accidentally sliding across the ice he had formed and landing on his face. He slowly got to his paws. “Guess I should probably practice a bit,” he muttered. He began to run faster and faster. He breathed a small sigh of relief as he realized that he had stopped slipping on the ice. However, he was so preoccupied with staring at the patches of ice on the ground that he didn’t see the cat he ran into.

“Watch it, furball!” Tess hissed at the tom that ran into her, giving him a glare that could have cut through stone.

Ollie was not discouraged. “Hi!” he piped up to the strange brown she-cat.

Tess rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have a rainbow to jump through?” she growled.

“Not at the moment, no,” Ollie joked.

Tess sighed and sat down with a huff. *Clearly there’s no getting rid of this tom.*

 “What’s your name?” Ollie asked, sitting down next to the she-cat.

Tess inched away from the tom, uncomfortable being so close to a cat she didn’t know. Heck, she was uncomfortable sitting close to a cat that she *did* know. Suddenly realizing that she wasn’t here to make friends, she abruptly stood up.

Ollie gave her a questioning look.

“None of your business,” Tess hissed before stalking off. She had to be more careful. One more moment more and she would have been in a conversation. The last time she had been close to any cat . . . well, that hadn’t gone well. She couldn’t afford to open herself up.

Ollie watched the she-cat stalk away, more interested than discouraged. Liz, a cat that was like a mother to him, had told him that it was his job to help cats open themselves up. He couldn’t think of a more closed-off cat than this one. So he promised himself that he would become friends with the she-cat if it was the last thing he would do. He wandered around for some cat to talk to.

Palm ran up to the tom, hoping to make friends. “Hi, I’m Palm. What’s your name?” he mewed happily, jumping around on his paws. He suddenly got a small electric shock and jumped back, laughing. He remembered getting them all the time in the desert, and it sort of reminded him of home.

“I’m Ollie,” Ollie meowed. “It looks so cool to have electric powers like yours!”

Chao smiled when he saw that Palm had discovered his power. It had been a while since he had seen someone happy. A quick glance around their current location revealed Quintessa recovering from . . . something, Feather, Dune, and others huddled around the newborn kits, talking about . . . something, and the other cats all looking unhappy about something else. “So how have you been doing?” he asked.

Tess hissed as fat drops of rain began to fall onto her, and she looked around nervously. The closest shelter she could spot was the overhang she had been under earlier with the tom she had met still sitting under — but with the company of another tom. She sighed and quickly ran back under the overhang, inching into the shadows to distance herself from the other cats.

“Look who’s back,” Ollie said smoothly.

“Shut up,” Tess hissed. She began to inch closer to the tom, noticing him forming patches of ice on the ground with ease. She seethed with anger. *How come this mouse-brain can use his powers, but I can’t?* Leashing her rage, she slowly began to pad up to him. “Can you show me how to do that?” she asked.

Ollie snapped his head back to her as if noticing her for the first time. “Do what?”

Tess rolled her eyes. “Use your powers. Duh.”

“I think. . .” Ollie began. “I think you have to use your heart, not your head.”

“What does that even mean?” Tess snapped.

Ollie shrugged. “I guess you’ll have to figure it out if you want to use your powers.”

Tess seethed.

But before the she-cat could give him a retort, Ollie began to walk towards another group of cats.

*Whatever “using your head and not your heart” means, he can bet that I’ll figure it out. And when I do, he’ll be the first to know,* Tess thought before plopping onto the ground.

Tess decided to sleep.

Ollie decided to poke Tess while she slept.

Tess ignored him.

After seeing his daughter — well, foster daughter, anyway — disappear to talk to another cat, Iciclefur was left alone. It was obviously magic that had transported them here, but there was no point telling Ami that; they would just say he was a silly dreamer. He began to slowly move around the cats, still getting used to the loss of his front left leg. He saw a tom standing alone and decided that it might be good to get an idea of who was pleasant and who wasn't, so he could tell Ami who was best to talk to. “Hey, you over there.” He flicked his head towards the tom. “Disabled cat coming through. I’m Iciclefur, by the way. What’s your name?” He smiled at the tom. He hated talking to strangers, but he didn’t want to sound rude. Nerves overtook him; what if this tom was a bully like the cats in his Clan? Suddenly, one of his eyes turned from bright blue to a russet color like Ami’s paws, and his shadow seemed to move a little bit. His body flickered and then everything went back to normal. “Magic,” he whispered.

“Wow, that’s so cool!” Ollie exclaimed. “You’ve got those shadow-power-thingies. I’ve got ice powers,” he added, his chest puffed up with pride. Showcasing his powers, he leapt to his paws and made small patches of ice appear at his pads.

Chao fell into a routine. He would practice his power, of which he had discovered a few limitations, hunt, explore, and sleep. He was in the middle of burning a plant he had just grown when he saw some new cats. He decided that he needed some friends, so he walked over to a cat with a missing leg and introduced himself.

Iciclefur saw a tom padding towards him and he hobbled over. The tom’s name was Chao, and he thought that his eyes made him look quite strange. “I’m Iciclefur. I saw you playing with your magic over there. It looks so cool; watch what I can do.” Again, one of his bright blue eyes turned russet-colored, and he moved the shadows around at his paws and made his body flicker.

Chao jumped back when Iciclefur disappeared for an instant, then came back. He hadn’t really been paying attention to the other cats as they practiced their powers, so this was the first time he saw someone with shadows and invisibility. “Woah!” he gasped. “So far, I can make small plants grow or wither and start small fires. Nothing much.” He looked down at the newcomer’s missing leg and wondered if he should ask about it. He knew that he would gladly tell any cat who asked about his blind eye, but wasn’t sure if Iciclefur was the same. So he settled for a simpler question, one that was usually safe to ask. “Where are you from?”

Robin shyly approached the group after hearings the rumpus and shouting. All she heard was something about water, but she didn’t dwell on it. As she approached them, she felt nervous, never meeting new cats before, and said, “Um . . . hello, I’m Robin. . .” Awkward silence followed.

“Hey, I’m Iciclefur,” Iciclefur mewed, swishing the stump of his tail as he went. Suddenly, he had a hacking cough and had to stop for breath for a few seconds. “Why don’t you come and meet some new cats? I think that that black she cat over there — Luana, I think her name is — she’s really nice; has a crush on that tom, Dune, I think.” He gestured over to Luana and called out to her.

Luana pricked her ears as she heard her name. Padding over to the cats, she smiled nervously. “Hi, I’m Luana. And I, um, *don’t* have a crush on Dune.” She laughed awkwardly, her face lighting up in embarrassment. “But anyway! Hi. How did you get here?” she purred.

As Luana came over, Robin’s heart raced, but when she came closer, she suddenly calmed as if she had met Luana before. She glanced away quickly and saw a cat which Iciclefur called Dune. But before she could even look really at him, Luana was already standing straight in front of her. She quickly replied, “My two children died and my only love disappeared in the woods, so I came here as a repayment to my daughters.” She started sobbing quietly. “Sorry, I must look like an idiot to you. Let me start over. I’m Robin; it’s lovely to meet you, Luana. And okay, no crush on Dune noted. . .”

Storm approached the new kits. “They’re lovely,” she purred to Dune and Feather. “You should be proud.” Images of a kit wailing flooded into her mind before she shoved them away. Silently, the black she-cat wondered how kits could possibly fare through the Tests. . . She sighed. Of all powers, she had to get the one where you can do what — float? Wow, real cool. Why not water and poison like Marina? *Well, I guess I’ll have to make the best out of it,* she thought. The black she-cat focused intently on a fair-sized rock. She concentrated . . . but nothing. She growled. *Useless power.* Discouraged, she turned her attention to a leaf. *This had better work, or else I’ll have another thing to curse Harnor about. Stupid “god” — who does he think he is?* Suddenly she saw it and the shock broke her attention span. The leaf had moved. Maybe it wasn’t that useless of a power . . . so long as she grew it. She laid down quietly, wanting to quickly grow her powers for the next Test . . . at least to level three, she supposed. The she-cat focused intently on a leaf, this one a bit larger than the first leaf she had tested. To her delight, the leaf lifted up, and suddenly a silvery-purple glow surrounded her and a slight breeze seemed to tickle her fur. *What was that?* The black she-cat decided that flying might be cool . . . why not give it a shot? Focusing, her brain almost hurting, she concentrated on the small act of lifting herself up. Nothing happened. Frustrated, she flopped down, deciding to take a small break before practicing again. Who knew how hard practicing your powers could be? Suddenly, at the short point where she was midair while flopping on the ground, she stayed there, elevated a few inches above the gray rock she had been on. A delighted *mrrow* that she hadn’t heard in a long time escaped her. She grinned momentarily before she hit the rock forcefully, wiping the grin off of her face. She had broken concentration. She growled at herself, frustrated. Suddenly a silvery-purple haze surrounded her, but this time, stronger than before, it whipped and whirled around her . . . and then it was gone. With its disappearance came something new in her . . . a strengthened power.

*Quintessa felt light. Light and fluffy, like a cloud. Her mind felt foggy as she was suspended in silence and darkness.* Where am I? *she thought.* Whoa, my thoughts are loud here. Wait. Am I dead?! She looked around. Life is pretty horrible right now, so death wouldn’t be too bad, right? *She then felt her whole body shake and shimmer a pinkish-orange color. Her mind slammed into focus and she screamed, immense pain filling her body—*

As Quintessa woke up, rain surrounding her under the rock, her screams echoing around her, small sand clumps that were levitating fell.

Frostsong heard someone shriek. It was Quintessa! “Quintessa! Are you alright?” she asked anxiously. There was a pinkish-orange glow surrounding her.

Bonita trotted over to the she-cat that was screaming. “Hey, hey! ¿Qué pasa? ¿estás bien?” She attempted shaking the she-cat awake. “¡despierta!”

Quintessa panted. “I . . . I don’t know . . . what happened,” she mewed. She noticed herself glowing. “What the. . .” *My power!* Her mind raced. She tested her power on a heap of sand. *Float. Float. Float.* They floated three inches off the ground. “My power. . .” she murmured. *It must have gotten stronger when I passed out. Before, I could only just move a leaf. Now I can levitate clumps of sand.* She remembered her screams. *Will it always be like that? So agonizingly painful?* She noticed another cat — a long-legged she-cat. “Who are you?” she asked, then winced. Her throat hurt after that loud scream. Her head turned and saw cats crowded around something. “Wonder what that is,” she said quietly. She padded over, reaching the edge of the cats, where in the center were Feather and Dune. And their kits. *They’re . . . so cute.* She curiously stepped forward, but stepped back, thinking Dune and Feather needed space.

Bonita let out a small sigh. “I’m Bonita. Who are you? You brought everyone over here with your screaming.”

Quintessa looked around. “Pretty sure everyone is over there,” she said, pointing her tail towards the kits. “I mean, a scream? Not as important as kits, am I right?” Her voice was tinged with sarcasm. *Mental list of cats who pay attention to me: Frostsong, Bonita, sometimes Dune. Well, so much for being popular. Maybe I should talk to the others more.* Her thoughts veered towards her powers. “I’m going to try my powers,” she said to Bonita. She padded out into the forest. “Okay,” she muttered. “I haven’t practiced my powers, and now that they've grown stronger, I need to take control. I can’t let my emotions get in the way.” With a determined look, she paced, wondering what to try. I know! Her gaze met a small mouse. She focused, becoming pinkish-orangish again. *Float. Float. Float.* The mouse floated, squeaking and freaking out. She bit its neck, killing it. *I'll try myself now. Float. Float. Float.* She flew up six inches. Higher. Seven inches. Higher. But her power allowed her no more. She sighed, floating down softly. “Good start,” she murmured. “Now I’ll try the other one.” She focused on making the air around her move. She felt a slight breeze and the wind rustled her fur. Yes! Her focus was lost. The wind stopped. *Dang it.* She picked up the mouse. *What to do with you?* She already knew, of course. She padded over to Dune and Feather and their kits. *They smell of milk-scent,* she thought. “Here you are,” she said. “You can share it.” And she padded away without another word.

Wildflower woke up from the sound of Feather screaming in the distance. *The kits?* They suddenly felt guilty for leaving the others. *Were the powers* that *scary? Scary enough for me to not care about everyone else?* They were so far away from the others, but started to sprint back anyway. They had been running for a while before their pelt was soaked through from the rain. *At this rate, I might not make it back alive. . .* They decided to try and heat themselves up again. They concentrated for a while, still running, when suddenly they felt it. Their body temperature shot up and flames started to appear in their tracks. Their pelt glowed golden in ripples. *This isn’t so bad. Have I just been a coward?* They heard another scream. *Quintessa’s this time,* they thought. *No! Quintessa has been so nice. Why did I run away?* It was another while before they found a clump of cats. It sounded like the kits had been born. *I missed so much. And all because I was scared of the* stupid *powers.* They remembered Quintessa and found her padding away from the group. “Quintessa!” They trotted up to her, almost burying themselves into her fur before stopping themself. *Am I* that *starved for physical affection?* “I heard you scream. What happened?”

Quintessa saw Wildflower trot up, looking concerned. *They probably heard my scream,* she thought. “I’m okay,” she said to Wildflower. “Apparently, whenever my powers get stronger, I pass out and feel agonizing pain.” She winced as she remembered the pain; so excruciating, so horribly bad. She took a deep breath. “But I’m fine now. At least I have friends for the first time in my life.”

Bonita huffed and padded into the forest. Having grown up in a village, she had little experience hunting in the forest. Stalking through the forest, she hacked and spat out the weird liquid. Ugh, she had to deal with this forever? Her taller legs weren’t very good at stalking, so she awkwardly crouched down. Seeing a mouse, she landed on it clumsily because of her bobtail. “Gah! I’ll never get this! ¡Bosque mudo!” she snarled at the trees around her.

Marina sighed. What a wonderful time she was having — no friends, no cats who even wanted to be near her. She really was trying to make friends — mostly with Quintessa, because she seemed like a good cat — but it never worked. Tears sprung up to her eyes. Storm was the only one that she could really trust. Storm never left her. *Water and poison powers are pretty cool,* she thought sadly. *But what good are those for making friends?*

Jaoien looked around, bored, and saw a she-cat sitting by herself. So of course, as this was her, she walked up to the she-cat and started talking. “Hi! My name is Jaoien! What’s yours? How are you?” she asked a bit too quickly, hoping she didn’t startle she she-cat.

“Uh, Marina,” Marina mewed. What an . . . odd cat. She tasted a horrible liquid on her tongue. In disgust, she spat out what looked like green, watery goo. *Ew.* What in the world was happening? She approached Storm, but suddenly a foul taste appeared in her mouth — the same foul taste has before. She spit it out again. *Ick.*

“You okay?” Storm asked her sister.

“Fine. But this horrible liquid keeps on forming in my mouth and I keep on having to spit it out!” Marina complained.

“That’s bad,” Storm replied. “But guess what?”

“What?” Marina asked.

“I got a level up!” Storm mewed happily.

“Nice,” Marina mewed. “Anyway, I was thinking that we could go practice our powers with Quintessa? And maybe stop by the kits in the meantime?”

“Sounds good,” Storm replied. “How close are you to leveling up?”

“I don’t know,” Marina sighed. “I just have to practice . . . a little more.”

Marina bounded up to Quintessa. “Aren’t our powers cool? I wonder if the kits have powers. What do you think?”

Quintessa saw Marina come up to her. “I wonder if the kits have powers,” Marina said. “I don’t know,” she said. “Dune has air and Feather has fire, so maybe they’ll have a combination.” She shrugged.

Fini heard many cats talking. Then, thinking if she was better off on her own, the she-cat decided to stalk them once more. She heard something about kits, Dune, and Feather. *They must have had kits!* Later, she had learned the cats’ names — Quintessa and Marina. Suddenly, when she crept closer, she had no idea that she was dappling the grass with patches of snow and ice. It began to spread, heading closer to the pair of cats. *No!* She tried running away.

Quintessa and Marina turned around.

Fini’s ears drooped. She decided to pad over to her cave, realizing that it would probably be for the best to be alone. She didn’t want to get out of paw and accidentally kill a cat. *The others better not go near me.*

“So,” Marina mewed to Quintessa. “Want to practice our powers together? We can invite Storm too. She has telekinesis and air like you.”

Quintessa shrugged. “Sure, I guess,” she said. *Now I’ll get to meet Storm,* she thought. She padded into the forest. “I’ll be in the forest, waiting.” She trotted away. Her mind wandered like it always did when she was alone, and didn’t think about anything in particular. *Everything is different now,* she thought. *I have actual cats who actually care about me, nobody is at my throat — except maybe Harnor — and sometimes I just want to . . . be weird. Silly. Like I was when I was a kit.* She smiled as she thought of her kithood. Albeit being lonely in a big shed, she had many ways of entertaining herself. *Like looking in the mirror or practicing hunting on mice. Or counting the days when I thought my parents would come back.* She winced. Her parents were always a touchy subject that she never told anyone about. Maybe she would mention them, but talking about them directly hurt. A lot.

*Quintessa’s memories soured as they turned to that one day everything changed. She woke up.* Time for food, *she thought. Her parents were nowhere to be found.* Probably just hunting, *she thought. She cuddled into her nest, pretending to be a part of it.* They’ll never find me here! *The hours passed by and the first snowflakes fell. Winter was here, the little she-kit thought.* Food will be scarce, but I know my parents will help. Papa will hunt and Mama will warm me with her fur. She’ll purr and tell me that everything will be okay. *“Mama!” she mewed. “Where are you?”*

*The days turned to weeks, the weeks turned to months, the months turned to years. Quintessa’s parents had abandoned her for dead.*

Quintessa realized she had tears on her face. She shook her head. *No,* she thought. *The past is in the past. Nobody can know of it. Not until they gain my trust, at least.* She started to hunt a rabbit, happy to change the course of her thoughts.

Storm padded to Quintessa. “Hey!” she greeted warmly. “Marina said that she wanted us to do some practice together. Any particular place good for it?”

Quintessa saw a she cat approach. *This must be Storm.* She nodded towards the forest. “I’ve practiced in there a bit. It seems to be a good place.” She cast a glance at the kits, then padded into the forest. As she padded into the forest, she blanked her mind. *Focus is the key,* she thought. She sat promptly, feeling the glow surround her, protect her. She opened her eyes and focused on a pile of leaves. *Lift. Lift. Lift.* The leaves lifted at her will. She let them down again. *Breeze. Breeze. Breeze.* The wind picked up, blowing small debris around her, as she focused harder. *More. More. More!* The wind started to thrash. But it stayed thrashing, not doing anything. So she focused it on a tree. The tree shook, some leaves falling off it, but no permanent damage was dealt. She stopped, exhausted from the energy drain. As she gnawed on the rabbit, she looked around. She saw lots of cats in their own little groups, talking to who-knew-who about who-knew-what. *I’ve only talked to a few. Barely interacted with any of them. I wonder if any of them wonder about me the way I wonder about them? I can’t be* that *unnoticeable. While I wait for Storm and Marina, how about I go talk to one? It wouldn’t hurt.* She swiveled her gaze slowly. *How about him? Wasn’t he the one who comforted me in the desert? I think his name was Palm. Yes! That’s him!* She padded over to the tom.

“Hello!” Palm mewed, electric sparks dancing around his paws. “You’re that cat I met in the desert, aren’t you? How’s it going? What powers do you have? I have electricity, and um, I’m not really sure what else!” He swished his tail and made the electricity dance around Quintessa’s paws.

Quintessa smiled. “Air and telekinesis,” she said. She demonstrated by lifting a handful of dirt a few inches, then lifting herself, glowing her signature sunset color. As she floated down gracefully, she made a soft breeze flow through her and Palm’s fur. “I admit, it’s quite fun,” she said. “And it helps with hunting too.” She suddenly felt awkward. *Talking to Frostsong or Wildflower feels easy, but I hardly talked to this tom at all after the desert!* She felt a yawn coming on. “Sorry, Palm, but I’m getting tired,” she said. She padded off. Her nostrils filled with the scent of the forest. Her mind focused on the thought of coming to her makeshift nest to rest. And maybe checking on the kits too, she thought. It’s extremely dangerous to have kits here, especially with that murderous demon-cat around. And Feather will need all the help she can get. She approached the kits and Dune. She padded a little away from Dune to make sure she wasn’t in his way.

Frostsong saw that Quintessa had run off to practice her powers. *I guess I should do the same. But I should congratulate Feather and Dune first.* She caught a small squirrel and padded over with it. “Here,” she said, setting it down in front of Feather. “This is for you and Dune. Congratulations on your kits, by the way.” She ran off to practice her powers.

*But before Frostsong walked a meter away from the kits, she was swallowed again by blinding light, and her eyes glowed a fierce red-orange.* I wonder what it is this time. . . *The light dimmed. She stood before Feather, seeing the painful spasms of her body as she writhed with pain. Slowly, a kit popped out.* She’s having her kits! *Then she was swallowed by the light again.*

“Ow. That must have been painful for Feather,” Frostsong mumbled under her breath. She quickly ran into another torn-down building. She concentrated, trying to freeze a small shard of glass. Suddenly, an ice rink formed around her. The shard slowly froze until it was completely encased in ice.

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Panther said.

“Were you following me?” Frostsong asked suspiciously.

“Well, isn’t it suspicious when your eyes glow red-orange and you seem to blank out for a few moments? Plus, watch what I can do!” Panther mewed. He scrunched his eyes in concentration. You can do this! You saw those flames while you were excited; you can do it again! He concentrated and melted all the ice on the shard of glass. He stumbled backwards.

“Are you okay? You probably shouldn’t exert yourself if you haven’t practiced. Start small,” Frostsong lectured him.

*Panther suddenly had a flashback. He was climbing a tree, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He was confident he could make it to the top.* This is easy! *he thought. Then he slipped. He fell down the tree, tumbling through the branches. Thankfully he wasn’t that high off the ground.*

*“Are you okay? You probably shouldn’t exert yourself if you haven’t practiced. Start small,” someone lectured him. It was Moon, his dearest sister. Oh, Moon. He missed her terribly. Where was she now?*

“Moon,” Panther murmured.

“What?” Frostsong asked.

“Nothing. Can you show how to practice the right way?” Panther said quickly.

“Sure! We can practice together!” Frostsong replied.

*Moon, where are you? I miss you. . .* Panther thought. He tried to summon larger flames, but the exertion wore him out. He kept to summoning small flames, but for longer periods of time. He was getting a bit stronger every day. He glowed a bright red when he used his fire powers, glowed a soothing green when he grew plants, and glowed a withering pine-green when he withered plants. He was confident in his powers. He was strong; he could do anything! He tried to make one last flame, stronger than ever before. Then he glowed very brightly and passed out.

Wildflower was practicing their powers when they ran into Frostsong. “You’re Frostsong, right? Quintessa’s friend? I’m Wildflower.”

Yeah! I’ve seen you around! How are you doing?” Frostsong asked Wildflower.

“Good!” Wildflower answered Frostsong. “What powers have you got? I’ve got fire powers and various nature-related powers.”

“I got ice powers and something that has to do with time. I keep seeing various flashes of the past,” Frostsong said.

“Woah. Like hallucinations? Or something more like visions? That would definitely drive me crazy and insane,” Wildflower said.

Frostsong said, “I guess it’s more like visions. So far, I’ve seen Wren dying, Feather giving birth, and—”

*Frostsong’s eyes glowed a deep blue. She was yet again swallowed by light. “What now?” she murmured. She blinked. She saw Dune, Feather, Eclipse, and the others standing near a cliff.*

*Dune was saying something to Feather as tears streamed down their cheeks. She heard Dune say, “I love you,” and he hurled himself off the cliff.*

*Frostsong raced forward, but she was swallowed by the light.* Woah. I didn’t know. . .

“Frostsong?” Wildflower asked. “Frostsong? Are you still here? Are you . . . having a vision?”

Frostsong shook her head, trying to clear the horrible vision. “I’m fine. I saw Dune jump off a cliff,” she said weakly.

Jaoien looked around, smiling. She had just randomly appeared. She felt the need to stretch her legs, so she ran around. A lot. Without paying attention, she crashed into a she-cat. She looked at her, smiling.

It was much to Pebble’s — who wasn’t too far away — dismay.

“Hi! My name is Jaoien, but you can call me Joa! If you want. What’s your name? You’re pretty. How are you? How old are you? I’m not old, but not young either. Where are you from? You look nice. Do you know who else is here? Why are some cats glowing? Have you seen a she-cat? She’s gray and she has these really pretty eyes; one is green and one is dusky-blue. It’s weird. I’ve never been here before.” Jaoin rambled on for a bit, and then shut her mouth very quickly. Then she burst out laughing. “Sorry, I talk too much.” She smiled.

Frost was still laying down after the fight with the cat known as Wren. She did wake up due to incredible pain. She wanted to move, so she tried. If laying down already hurt beyond what she thought was possible without dying, then standing up couldn't hurt more. “Hello?” she managed to squeak. “Who are you?” she asked the cat who had dragged her the rest of the way out of the fire. “I’m Frost,” she added. “Also, is there a medicine cat around?” she asked.

Pebble glanced at Frost. “My name is Pebble. And I’m not sure. What’s your name?” she asked politely, smiling.

“Hi, Pebble. I’m Frost. Maybe I’ll go looking for one later,” Frost answered, sitting up next to Pebble. Her flower on her tail-tip touched Pebble’s little rocks on her tail-tip and she got a static shock. She recoiled from it and then relaxed a bit, realizing that it was just a little static electricity.

“Oop. . .” Pebble laughed. She smiled. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay, thank you. Could you help me clean this giant cut on my side?” Frost asked, and started licking her side.

Pebble nodded and started licking the wound gently.

“Thanks for the help, Pebble. Would you like me to clean any cuts you have?” Frost asked Pebble.

“No cuts. I didn’t really fight; I’m not that good at it,” Pebble responded. She smiled. “We both need to rest, though. Stay there! I’ll go get some water if I can find moss.” She set off.

“Alright. Thank you, Pebble,” Frost said while she watched Pebble walk off. She laid down and curled around herself a little bit. Then, as she was curled up, she saw her swirl glow faintly green. She thought it was interesting, and didn't know what it was, but she was too tired to investigate too much, and just waited calmly for Pebble to return. She started to clean herself.

Pebble came back with moss clamped in her jaws. It was thoroughly soaked, and she dropped it down next to Frost, smiling. “Here!”

“Thank you, Pebble. Are you also thirsty? You can have some moss; I won't need it all,” Frost offered and shoveled some un-eaten moss towards Pebble.

Flame walked around a little bit, looking for his sister Frost. After a little while of walking, he found her laying on her side, bleeding everywhere. He ran over as fast as he could. Then he saw a different she-cat next to her. “Frost, what happened? Who did that? How? I’ll get revenge on whoever or whatever hurt my sister!” He flooded Frost with questions.

“Calm down, Flame. This is Pebble,” Frost said while gesturing to Pebble. “She saved me and brought me water-filled moss. Wren did it; it was partially my fault for running in and trying to hit her. You can’t get revenge on her. . .” she explained. After she finished drinking, she felt very tired, so she decided to sleep on the ground. She made a good enough bed for herself. “Flame, you can leave me alone. I can take care of myself. Pebble can keep me safe if need be.” She smiled at him, and put her head down and closed her eyes.

Pebble looked at Flame and smiled. “Your sister is amazing,” she murmured as he left them. She couldn’t sleep, so she just stayed awake, wondering what her power was.

Flame decided that his sister was safe, but he did stay close under a bush so that Frost couldn't see him. In case there was trouble, he could protect her.

Frost was sleeping, but she was uncomfortable, so she opened up her eyes, stood up, and made her sleeping spot more comfortable. “Pebble, are you sleepy too?” she asked as she curled her tail around herself, put her head in her paws, and closed her eyes again.

Pebble smiled. “Not really, though you are. Go on to sleep. You need it more than I. I’ll wake you if anything exciting happens.”

“Thank you, Pebble,” Frost said just before dozing off to sleep. While she was sleeping, unknown to her and without her doing it herself, her swirl started faintly glowing green-ish.

*I can't just go to sleep; I’m still hungry. I trust this other cat to not hurt Frost, so I guess I can go hunting and get a drink too.* Flame walked over to where Frost and the other cat were and nuzzled Frost. Then Frost went to sleep. He continued along and saw other cats. Lots were looking at a cat with some kits, and he saw two cats together. He thought he should make some friends, but that could wait until tomorrow or until his sister was okay. Maybe he would talk to those cats later. Then he scented a mouse, pounced on it, and went back to his place near the bush and ate it.

Pebble yawned, though not tired, and closed her eyes. She saw some other cat do this, so she concentrated on doing something. Anything. Everything. She opened her eyes once again and a small bubble of water was there before her eyes. Trying not to wake Frost, she dropped it quickly and hid her excitement. At the puddle where her water had been drawn from, ripples echoed, though no cat had touched it. When a fat raindrop landed in her puddle, she frowned. As she did this, she spat out an awful-tasting goo that landed next to her. *Hmm . . . water and poison powers, huh? I like water. I’m okay with it. But poison? It could hurt a cat on accident. . .*

Wildflower stopped practicing their fire powers for a while, deciding instead to work on their nature powers. So far, they had figured out that they could grow and wither plants at will. As they were training and hunting, they ran into the cat they saved in the second Test. “Hello,” they mewed politely. “How are you?”

“Hello.” Pebble smiled, whispering, “Frost is asleep, but we can still talk,” she said, pointing to the opposite side of her that Frost didn’t occupy.

Wildflower sat down on the side of Pebble pointed to. “How are you? It’s good to see you when you’re, you know, not hanging on for dear life.” They nodded towards Frost. “Are you two friends? Or. . .?”

“I’m good, thanks.” Pebble smiled more. Flustered, she looked around. “Is it that obvious? I . . . I haven’t asked her, but we’re pretty close. . .”

Wildflower gave Pebble an amused glance. “Well, I’ll leave you two be. And congratulations.” They licked Pebble’s ear and grew the two a rose, then got up to leave.

*Who’s this other cat who’s now near my sister?* Flame thought. *Well, if that Pebble cat isn’t attacking this cat, they must be okay. I have to trust them not to hurt her.* Then he went to sleep.

rost woke up. She saw that some of her little cuts were less open as they were what she presumed was yesterday. She sat up next to Pebble, as she was still waking up.

Pebble looked at Frost as she got up. “Awake now, huh, sleepyhead?” she joked.

“Yeah,” Frost said sleepily. She smiled and rested her head on Pebble’s shoulder, hoping she wouldn't mind.

Lantern sat under the shelter of an old house, freezing the ground around him again and again. He simply observed everything, choosing to not be social, not yet — not until he knew that they were trustworthy. He watched the couple, Dune and Feather, and their kits. They still had feelings for each other so soon after the break-up. He could tell. Perhaps he should congratulate them just so he could gain some trust in these cats. As he was walking over, a jet-black she-cat padded over and started talking to Dune. *Nope,* he decided. *I'm going back, and I’m going to be moody some more.*

 Jaoien ran into a tom, laughing. “‘Hi! My name is Jaoien. How are you? Who are you? Have you seen a mottled gray she-cat with different-colored eyes? She’s my friend. I followed her here, but can’t seem to find her now. . .”

Lantern was surprised by the friendly, bouncy young she-cat. He had always envied personalities like that. “Hello,” he meowed. “Do you mean, uh — Pebble, was it? The one with stones on her tail? She was with the other she-cat, Frost. Or Snow. Something like that. But, um, you might not want to bother them right now. They’re having an, ah, moment.”

Jaoien nodded vigorously, then scampered to a nearby bush to spy on the two.

Flame woke up, noticing that his bush was being shaken by something. He looked up and saw another cat in his bush. “Hey! What are you doing here?” he whisper-yelled. “Can’t you find another bush?” he asked. Then he looked around, realizing that there were no other bushes around. “You can stay. Make sure that nobody can see you outside of the bush,” he said, not explaining why he was in a bush.

Jaoien smiled. “I won’t. That’s my friend over thereandI’mreallyhappyforherwhyareyouhere?” she whispered.

“Oh, right. I’m here because that’s my sister over there,” Flame said, gesturing towards the she-cat laying on the ground with his tail. “And I’m just making sure that she’s safe and that the other cat won’t hurt her,” he explained.

“Oh, Pebble wouldn’t hurt anyone. Without being provoked, that is,” Jaoien whispered. “And I don’t think a sleeping cat can provoke her that much.”

“Okay, but I want to make sure anyway.” Flame attempted conversation, even though he was bad at it. “Thanks for reassuring me about Pebble. So how are you?” he asked while sitting down next to Jaoien, curling his tail up to cover his front paws.

“I’m okay. I would rather be catching up with Pebble, but she’s, uh, busy.” Jaoien smiled.

“Have you figured out your power yet?” Flame asked. “Do you like it here? You don’t have to stay in this bush. If you want, you can leave and catch up with Pebble. Oh, Frost woke up. You could go and see Pebble if you like, but um, maybe they want to be alone; I don't know. I’m sorry, I’m just bad at talking with other cats and I’m just rambling at this point. And, ah, I’m sorry, you can leave and talk to cats who are more capable of communicating than me,” he said, and looked down at his paws.

“I — hmm. . .? I really don’t know my powers yet. . .” Jaoien smiled. “But I’m okay with that. And you’re fine at talking. You’re doing it, anyway! It’s easy for me when you barely know the cat, because you can ask a lot of questions. But it’s for the better if you know them for you,” she said.

“Thanks, Jaoien. What’s your relation to Pebble anyway, if you’re okay with me asking?” Flame asked.

“Oh! Her mom and my mom were friends, so for three moons, we played with each other like littermates. Then my mom and our litter had to leave, as Pebble’s mom died and Mom didn’t want to see Pebble, as she reminded her so much of Mom’s old friend,” Jaoien explained.

Heidi padded into the area and saw many cats. She didn’t know who to talk to first. Who to ask about her sister? She had to ask someone, but she didn’t know. What about the kind-looking cats with the kits? What about the pair of cats sitting together? How— she stopped thinking. She cleared her head of all and any information and started again. *Okay. I don’t see Idya — except that tom over there kind of looks like her. I’ll just stay here. Yeah. Stay here and don’t freak out. That’ll be hard.*

“Anyway . . . Sky looks sick. . .” Feather said.

Dune started to panic. If his kits died, he couldn’t cope. “Does anyone know anything about herbs?” he cried.

“I do!” Iciclefur hobbled forward. “But I haven’t seen any herbs that we need. We need a cat with healing magic, but from what I’ve seen, no cat has healing magic strong enough.”

Ami huffed. Their dad was so annoying! “It’s not magic! And also, there’s only a ten percent chance that this kit will die if it remains in its current state. I wouldn’t worry.”

“Well, she’ll still suffer the pain!” Feather snapped. “And it will get worse if she isn’t treated soon, and there’s a greater chance of her dying!”

Luana trotted over to Feather and Dune. “Feather,” she soothed, brushing her tail lightly over the new mother’s back. “It’s probably just something small. Kits need to get sick to get strong.”

Luana looked over the kits, and for a moment saw an empty nest.

Shaking her head, Luana looked back at the kits. Sky did seem to be sick, but it couldn’t be anything serious, right?

Ambi saw a commotion on the far side of the road. *Huh. Wonder what’s happening.* He padded over. *Someone’s had kits! He heard a cat saying that something wasn’t magic and all sorts of scientific things. Like I used to. . .* “Congratulations! Whose kits are they?” he said dreamily. But his attention was focused on the scientific cat. All that belief in science could lead to her destruction someday. . . He padded away from the kits. He settled into a small nest, closing his eyes, wanting to drift into sleep. But he couldn’t. He sat up, thinking about how much had changed. While he was thinking, he had grown a small plant under his paws. *This is wonderful! Not only would this make a great bed — it could also convince cats about magic!* he thought. Then he drifted off to sleep. He woke up and experimented with his new plant power, wondering if he could do anything else. *Maybe I could wilt the plants, or grow bigger ones, or. . .* He got up, noticing he was alone, and sat back down, memories flashing through him. His paws heated up, his fur glowed dark red, and he created a couple of small flames. *Cool!*

 Ami saw plants grow extremely fast at a tom’s paws and walked up to him. They nudged him and mewed at him, “Those plants around you are growing extremely fast. I think that there might be some undiscovered compounds and elements here, as some places seem to be flammable and other areas act as fertilizer — and some places even make ice appear.” They hoped that the tom would understand. But then they remembered how he was the cat that had said that it was magic, and they huffed. “Oh you’re that cat who believes in magic, aren’t you? My father is like that as well.”

*Suddenly Ami saw the birth of the she-cat’s kits all over again.* That’s weird, *they thought.* The memory must be in the front part of my brain; some circumstance probably triggered a flashback. *They would have to do further studies later to discover the trigger.*

*As soon as Ami had left that flashback, they saw a locked door like the ones in the lab. Then on the floor of that room, they saw a body — a white tom with one leg and a short tail laying on the floor, dead. They screamed and the vision was gone.*

Ice had appeared at Ami’s paws. It was that strange compound again. *It’s not magic, it’s not magic.* They closed their eyes and gritted their teeth. “Father,” they cried out, “I have a problem. I seem to be getting regular, strange hallucinations, and they won’t go away.”

“Woah! Are you alright?” Ambi asked. “This is magic, whether you believe it or not. Magic is real. Science is real too, but science can’t always be trusted.”

“Magic isn’t real!” Ami huffed. “Why can’t anyone see that? There’s a scientific explanation for everything apart from the thoughts and feelings of other cats, which you can sometimes predict, but will often stray from your prediction. All these things that are happening can be explained by science. Otherwise, how would they happen?”

Iciclefur heard his daughter’s cry and padded over. “Look, Ami. Calm down. You’ll learn one day that magic is real. Look, I can move shadows!” He made one of the shadows into a bunny and made it hop around.

Ami glared at him.

“And about those hallucinations. They might be visions of the future — you never know!” Iciclefur said.

Ami’s eyes widened. What if it was a vision? Then Iciclefur would di— . . . no, they wouldn’t think about that. “It’s not a vision. I won’t let it be a vision!” they cried before calming down. “Anyway, you can’t control shadows. They’re the absence of light. What you’re seeing is a trick of the light.”

“Yes, it’s a vision! Harnor is a god and he’s immortal! Why are you so stubborn?” Ambi yelled at Ami. He was exhausted. Ami was so stubborn, and they just wouldn’t believe in magic. *Well, I’ll make them!* he decided, and worked even harder. Gathering his energy, he glowed bright yellow and his paws burst into small flames.

Ami saw Ambi focusing hard on fire and ran towards him. “Woah, get back!” they cried. “That fire has an eighty-seven percent chance of spreading and growing. It has fuel, oxygen, and heat. And don’t you dare try and tell me it’s magic again. I’m not believing that I have the power to tell the future.”

*Then the same conversation with Ambi earlier suddenly filled Ami’s eyes — but it was gone in a few seconds and replaced by a white tom with three legs lying on the ground, dead.*

Ami screamed and snapped out of it, ice forming at their paws. “I won’t let it be magic,” they cried out, smashing the ice.

Clover sighed and supposed that she would have to find someone to talk to. She walked over to a brown tabby she-cat. “Uh, hi. I’m guessing you know this place. Not that I really need help,” she snapped. “But um, yeah. I’m Clover. Who are you and how did you end up here?”

Ami saw Clover approach them and turned to face her, smiling. “Hi! I’m Ami. I don’t know exactly how I got *here*, but I left my lab because they were going to kill my father. He’s here as well.” She gestured to Iciclefur.

“Well, you should all go now. Give them some breathing space.” As Feather watched cats leave, she curled around her kits.

At Feather’s touch, Sky woke up. She stood up and let out a weak mew. Her tail swished and hit Blizzard.

Blizzard woke up.

To Feather’s surprise, his eyes were open.

“Hey!” Blizzard squealed.

Sky’s eyes opened up slightly.

Blizzard pounced on Sky.

Blizzard and Sky started wrestling.

Wren woke up to all the commotion. “What’s going on?” she asked, padding tiredly to Feather’s head.

“They’re just playing. How about you join in?” Feather asked.

Wren shook her head. “But I want to stay with you.”

Feather licked her head. “Well, that’s just fine.”

Blizzard had now pinned his sister down.

Sky let out a batch of coughing.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Feather meowed, pulling Blizzard off and Sky towards her. She licked her head and chest. “Everything is going to be alright, dear.”

Storm approached Dune and Feather. “I don’t have healing powers,” she mewed. “But I’m quite skilled with herbs and finding them . . . and I know how to use very rare ones. Would you like my help?”

Jaoin looked at Sky as a small electric shock poked at her paws. “I know a few herbs, but Mieginck-whatever-his-name-is is right . . . none of them grow here . . . at least, the only herbs I’ve seen were marigold, which helps infection, so that won’t help . . . actually, that was the only herb I’ve seen. . .” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m not good with herbs. . .” She looked at the sparks of electricity at her paws. She thought and concentrated hard on the electric. At her wish, static energy crackled once again at her paws, and she smiled. Her power was electricity. She could protect anyone with her power.

“Yeah, but where are all the herbs? I haven’t seen any since the first Wait.” Feather licked Sky.

“I’ll keep an eye out for them,” Dune mewed. “Feather, you could try and grow some herbs. That’s what your power is, isn’t it?” He swished his tail and walked off, scanning the ground for the herbs he needed. He wouldn’t let Sky die.

“Dune?” Feather meowed. “Can you watch the kits? I need to stretch my legs.”

“Okay, I guess,” Dune meowed, settling down around the kits. His plan had to be to go look for herbs with Luana and Quintessa, but he could look after the kits just until they were older. Then he would never have to talk to Feather again.

Feather nodded gratefully. She padded out of the building into the fresh air. She sprouted up plants as she went to the forest, but sadly, the only herbs she found were marigold and juniper berries. Well, those aren’t helpful. What Sky needs is catmint, or at least tansy. A patch of catmint grew a tail-length in front of her. She thought that her heart had leapt out of her chest. Catmint! She picked a mouthful of catmint and galloped as fast as she could towards the kits. On her way, she heard a mouse. Dropping the catmint and dropping into a hunting crouch, she stalked it. The mouse was under a building. She snuck in and pounced. Before the mouse could let out a shriek, it was dead. She left a few stems and carried the rest of it and the mouse to the den. “Dune! I have the herbs!”

“Thank Har. . .” Dune was about to say *Thank Harnor,* an old cat saying, but he stopped himself. “You feed it to the kits while I distract them.” He stood up and floated a leaf in front of the kits, his pelt glowing. His eyes had a purple ring. He made the leaf dance in front of them, hoping it gave Feather a chance to feed them the herbs. Then he could check how Luana and Quintessa were doing with their powers and introduce them to the kits.

As the kits were distracted, Feather whispered to Sky, “Sky! Here’s a treat for you!”

Sky opened her mouth with interest.

Feather fed Sky the catmint. She flicked her tail slightly at Dune, signaling to him that she was done.

Sky let out an extremely strong batch of coughing and shuddered.

Feather rushed to Sky’s side and started licking her.

Sky smiled weakly. “You can’t do anything to help me. It was my destiny to die. I’ll watch over you all forever. And my advice to stop their deaths . . . is to stay together. . .” She drifted off to a sleep she would never wake from.

Wren and Blizzard started mewling sadly.

Feather started licking Sky’s body frantically. “No . . . she can’t . . . Sky can’t be dead . . . she can’t be. . .” She nudged Sky. *She can’t be dead!* She started crying into Dune’s shoulder.

“Sky! Sky! *Sky!”* Dune screamed, nudging the kit’s body, which was laid flat on the ground, head flopped to one side. “No, not after Wren. Not now.” Tears ran down his cheeks and he struggled to find a cat to run to. Feather was nowhere to be seen. Where was Luana, Quintessa, or any other cat? “Luana, Quintessa, come here! It’s Sky — she’s gone. . .”

Quintessa saw a she-cat approach her. “Oh, hello,” she said. “I see you were probably disturbed by my wind. I’m sorry for that.” She suddenly heard a shout coming from the direction where she had started — the kits. *Oh no, no, no, no.* She started running towards the kits, racing past trees and rocks, trying to find out what happened. When she finally arrived, she saw Dune and one of the kits, Sky, who was deathly still. “Dune,” she whispered. “The kit. . .” *No. No. Curse Harnor, curse this world, curse everything! Why did that innocent kit have to die?* She lowered her head, tears forming in her eyes. “I should have been there,” she said. “I should have freaking been there.” She collapsed, letting the tears fall freely.

Luana sprinted over to Dune when he yelled. “What’s going on. . .” Her voice caught in her throat. She stared at the kit’s lifeless body. “Oh, Harnor. . .” She struggled to breathe through the lump in her throat. *I can’t cry! I need to be the one who helps everybody! I don’t need cats to help me!* As much as she tried, she couldn’t stop the tears falling out of her eyes. Mouse-dung! “I should have tried to look for herbs. I should have made sure she was okay! Why?! *Why?!”* She let out a choked sob.

Dune got up and cried into Luana’s shoulder, his tears running as freely as hers. “It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault.” He walked over to Quintessa, who was also in tears, and rested his muzzle on hers, trying to calm her down. “I can’t find Feather anywhere, and you two are the cats who I would trust with my life. I want you to help me raise Blizzard and Wren.” He gazed at each she-cat in turn. He hoped that they would help him; he couldn’t manage on his own.

Immediately, Sunny ran to Dune. “What’s the problem?”

Thunder looked at Tawny. “Who died? Someone close to Dune died. Who?” he asked.

Tawny looked at Thunder. “What? Who—” she heard the wails. “We need to go . . . now! It sounds like . . . great stars, I’ve forgotten his name! The one whose sister died in the last Test . . . Dune! Yes, Dune. It sounds like Dune! We need to help!” She stood up, stretched, and raced in the direction of the anguished yowls.

As Robin looked around, she suddenly heard a scream of a male cat not too far away from her. She knew something was wrong, so she sprinted towards the mayhem. When she got there, she couldn’t see what was wrong — only a crowd of cats huddled together. But yet there was crying and wails, so she edged closer — then she saw it . . . the dead kit lying there, lifeless. Emotion welled inside her and her heart thumped . . . the kit looked just like her daughter, Lilac — her same fur, same eyes. It kind of scared her. She saw Dune crying madly and another she-cat. She was yet to encounter who was in tears next to him. As she went towards the group, she froze, felt faint, and fell onto the green grass.

*It was a cold, dry winter day. Lilac and Lily were restless and weeping, but Robin didn’t care. She didn’t want to care. The only one she had ever loved was dead, and she knew he would never come back to her.*

*The poor kits knew this, and Lilac — who was older than her sister, Lily — was tired of this messed-up world of hiding and fear, but mostly her own mother. Her flesh and blood. So she left and wasn’t coming back.*

*Robin ran after her, but she was long gone. As she came back to their hidden cave in the rock, she realized Lily was gone too. She had left like everything else in her life. As she wandered around, trying to find them, she heard a piercing scream. She ran, ran faster then she ever could. Then she saw the smoke, so much smoke. She ran faster than she ever had — then she saw her.*

*Lilac — standing there, her eyes wet with tears. Then, out of nowhere, a burning tree fell and she heard a crunch.*

*It crunch like nothing Robin had ever heard. The crush of bones being hit. The crunch that killed Lilac.*

*Lilac’s body lay lifeless.*

*As the fire spread, Robin did all she could to save her, but she was gone. She had to go, or she would join her — which in the moment seemed like a good idea, but she had to find Lily. So she ran, not looking back at her daughter’s burning body.*

Heidi smiled as curiosity overtook her. She barreled down the hill she was on and saw the tom with kits more closely. She started to speak when she saw one of the kits laying here, dead. So instead, she just stayed silent and let other cats mourn. The death of any kit was sad, no matter whose.

Fringe gasped, staring at the cats crowded around the dead kit. “What happened?” she murmured. She briefly remembered two other kits — Loki’s littermates, who hadn’t lived past three moons. The first, Trixy, had been an adorable ginger tabby she-cat who hadn’t even gotten to open her eyes. The second, Dangle, had been a white tom with her blue eyes. He had died of greencough nearly three moons after his birth. Loki alone had survived . . . and this was what he had become. Maybe if Perch hadn’t died . . . if Loki had grown up with a father . . . he wouldn’t be how he was today. She knew how it felt to lose kits. So she stepped into the group, staring at the lifeless, tiny body. “May the stars accept you into their ranks,” she whispered, remembering Perch’s many talks about the Heaven-fields, the star-strewn resting place of the spirit-cats. “May you always have good hunting and fair winds.” Perhaps this kit would meet Perch in the afterlife and her two kits. Maybe they would become friends. She only hoped that this kit’s mother would take it better than she had. She had always regret her part in Loki’s evil nature. She laid in her nest, still shell-shocked by seeing the dead kit. She remembered hearing the name Sky whispered. Was that the kit’s name? Probably. She shifted in the mossy nest. With a flick of her tail, she made the shadows on the walls form into the shapes of a tom and two kits. Perch and her beloved dead kittens. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, though she didn’t know quite what she was apologizing for. She closed her eyes, letting the shadows fall as she sank into sleep.

Fur brushed Fringe’s flank and a familiar tom’s voice whispered, *“It’s alright.”*

Iciclefur hobbled over to a she-cat who was in the middle of the crowd. Then he saw the body. “Oh my gosh,” he mewed, and turned away. He couldn’t stand seeing death. In a flash, a coughing fit overtook him. It was that thing that had been injected into him in the lab. It was taking effect. It would kill him; he was sure of it. He accidentally crashed into a she-cat. “Oh, sorry, sorry,” he mewed, and tried to lighten the mood by making a shadow-bunny dance around.

Storm saw Sky’s lifeless body. She froze, tears welling up in her eyes. And then she began sobbing in front of Dune, Feather, Quintessa, Luana, and the two living kits, her tears rolling down her cheeks and falling on the grass. *No.* Why did a kit have to die? Just like her family’s baby . . . just like her baby, all those moons ago.

Wildflower had been out hunting for a while. They just couldn’t find a single piece of prey that wasn’t hiding from the rain. Finally, they found a mouse burrow beside a beech tree and dislodged an entire family, catching seven of them. *I can share this with the Feather and the kits,* they thought. Devouring half a mouse, they picked up the rest and padded through the pouring rain to the others. As they neared, they heard anguished cries. *No, not another tragedy. Please.* They turned the corner of an old house and found Feather, Storm, Dune, Luana, and the kits. And Sky’s lifeless body. They gently placed the mice off to the side and padded to Storm’s side. *“No,”* they whispered. They pressed themself into Storm’s fur and cried.

Blizzard nudged Sky’s body. “Sky. Sky, are you there?” he whispered into his sister’s fur.

Wren looked at Blizzard, eyes wide. “What’s happened? Why is she not talking to us?”

Blizzard glanced up at Dune and the other cats. “Daddy, are we going to be okay?”

Wren, next to him, mewed quietly, “Who are those cats? I don’t like strangers.”

Quintessa saw the kits; the live ones. They looked so scared. She looked up at Dune. “I’ll do whatever I can,” she said, quietly but firmly, “to save a life. No kit deserves this.” She laid down, trying to calm her breathing and not scare the kits. *It’ll be okay,* she tried to say with her eyes. Her tears never stopped, though.

Luana crouched down next to the kits. “H-hi, little ones. . .” she purred weakly. She awkwardly tried to sweep her tail to bundle the kits closer to her. “I’m Luana! And this is Quintessa!” She nodded towards Quintessa. “Do . . . do you . . . want to play a game?” she asked, trying to distract the kits. She cast Dune a look and tried to say, *We’ll all get through this together.* “See? I can m-make this cool rink!” She stepped back and formed a small ice rink.

Quintessa laid there, unable to move, unable to think. Unable to do anything. She had promised to help with the kits — maybe not out loud, but in her mind. She had tried to make sure they were okay. *But obviously I did the worst job of that.* Her tears were long gone, as there were no more to be shed. All that was left of them were the dark trails on her face, hardly visible through her dark pelt. She noticed another cat crying. *Storm.* She thought about padding over, but couldn’t, not even if she wanted to. She was still full of grief; her eyes blank and staring at the live kits. She glanced at Luana, who was trying to help them, sweeping her tail against them. *At least she’s trying,* said a voice in her head. *And what are you doing? Laying down. That’s what.* She gritted her teeth, getting up slowly, then walking over to Luana. “I’m going to hunt,” she choked out. Then she ran off, hoping to catch something for them to eat.

“Okay.” Luana purred at the kits who had grown and weren’t used to their legs. “Hehe. S-sorry! Uh, here — let me try this!” She formed a couple small, harmless bumps, rather than spikes, for the kits to walk on.

Suddenly, Sky’s spirit rose from her frail body in front of the two kits, and touched noses with each of them in turn — Blizzard first, and then Wren.

A soft light filled the air around Blizzard and Sky, and suddenly in the place of the four-day-old kits were two four-moon-old kits blinking their eyes like newborns.

Wren took the first step. It was strange being taller and stronger, she thought.

Blizzard immediately slipped over Luana’s ice rink and canonballed into her, laughing.

Feather felt a cat’s tail on her spine. Looking up, she saw a white tom with black stripes next to her. “B-Blizzard? You aren’t a kit anymore. A-and neither is Wren.”

“Sky said she would watch over us, so she did. She knew it would be hard to survive here as a kit, so she made us older,” Blizzard said.

Dune was glad that Luana and Quintessa seemed to be helping out. He had noticed that the kits had grown lots very recently. It might soon be okay for them to take part in the next Test.

After Quintessa had caught a few mice, she made them levitate and went back to camp. She came to find several other cats there too, including Wildflower and Frostsong. They all were grieving; she could tell. She walked over to her — or at least the cats she had come to think of as — friends. She first walked over to Frostsong. “It'll be okay,” she murmured. “It’ll be alright.” She gave her a tiny lick — a friendly lick — and then padded to Wildflower. She didn’t know what to say to this cat — this cat who had helped her when she had rough times. She felt like crying all over again. But she couldn’t, not now. For once, she needed to be strong. She gave them a small nuzzle, looked them in the eye, and tried to say *It’s okay* like she did with Frostsong. Then she finally padded over to Dune, Luana, and the kits, who looked like they had grown. She placed the mice that were still levitating down. She curled up, tired of the world, of this life, and for the first time in forever, started to sing softly a song she had learned from her mother as a kit. Her eyes sparkled with tears as she remembered her.

*“I’m not a stranger to the darkness.*

*Hide away, they say*

*’cause we don’t want your broken parts.*

*I’ve learned to be ashamed of all my scars.*

*Run away, they say.*

*No one will love you as you are. . .”*

 Quintessa’s voice cracked and she felt herself try to sleep; her vision blurring, her breaths slowing as she faded into sleep. . .

Frostsong heard Feather wail and ran over to Dune. “What happened?” she asked nervously. Then she saw the lifeless body of Sky on the ground and she froze. Everything stopped. She collapsed, whimpering. “This shouldn’t have happened. No, this shouldn’t. . .” she whispered. “Is there anything I can do, anything?” she asked Dune and Feather. “I’ll go hunt or I can . . . bury . . . Sky, or. . .” her voice broke. She wailed to the world, cursing it for being so cruel to an innocent kit. “Goodbye. . .” she whispered. She heard a sweet but faint melody fill her ears. She traced the sound to Quintessa, quietly enjoying her singing to comfort her, and when Quintessa fell asleep, she padded over and whispered, “Thank you.” She padded away. She worked even harder, determined to make sure Sky’s death was not in vain.

*Suddenly Frostsong’s eyes flashed a striking black and she was whipped back into the past. She saw Feather wailing, crying, and sobbing over a small dead body.*

*“I was . . . never . . . meant to live. . .” Sky said, and her eyes closed forever.*