Gloria wandered aimlessly around the perimeter of the forest outside her backyard. She had succeeded in driving the humans out and now she just had to somehow penetrate the protection set by the shieldpaws. Every time she rammed into the invisible barrier it ripped like water but did not crack. It had been a day since they had left and she still couldn't find a way in. There was one last way. If she was lucky.. shoe could do it without too much damage.
The shield seemed to stretch endlessly up but she knew it only curved when it reached the tallest tree that just happened to be the giant oak, its thick branches stretching over the shield like the heart. Silver had come a long way, to find this place. Were the dogs enough to keep her safe in here? Surely she must have forgotten.. even if it was Sunset's job to make her remember. However if she knew too much too soon the prophecy would make everyone in grave danger too soon. They had about a year, at most before the scorching. She shuddered internally at the name, remembering the last time a fire wreaked havoc. Silver was inside, escaping with everyone else when she had found the base. She was sent to get an amnesia wipe, the best technology they could afford at the time and she had completely fallen into oblivion, becoming the monster the omen has threatened happen. There were two choices. Break it completely and risk- no, enforce the omen's forthcoming or leave and end it all. If she finished the job led by chaos it would all be over. Every cat's existence would shatter and become unstable, one day breaking completely into the first stage of parallelinogosis which meant that they were trapped. Stage two caused distortion of the mind and stage three completely erased any trace or change made in the cat's living, stage one or stage two forms. Thus, the universe would completely unbalance and the prophecy would be transferred to another dimension consisting of similar inhabitants which exist because of the alternate prophecy. Before, in the past she had dealt with another scenario like this, and eventually this was the reason it had happened.
Both choices impacted the prophecy. Both could lead to utter destruction. It wasn't supposed to happen now. Besides, they were both waiting for her. If she didn't come, the third choice, the least desirable would happen. She didn't want to look upon that future so she paced up and down the length of the shield, trying to decide what to do. Why did everything have to be so bleak? If only it hadn't interfered…
The sky was growing dark now, with the shadows dancing all around her and the shield, making it slightly glow as the others prepared to reinforce it. Act now or lose it all. She had no choice. Maybe one day she would be forgiven.
She stretched out her claws, and r-r-ripped the entire shield open, everything getting used to the expanse suddenly disappearing at once. The shieldpaws appeared just as the burst of light poured from the unraveling shield, blasting them backwards until they flew out of her sight, silhouettes screeching in the darkness.
She had to hurry.
They were no longer safe.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest…
Silver was having a pleasant time. She had managed to put everything about her concerns to the back of her mind for now and was happily bringing back the night meal when a blinding light hit her eyes. Something in the air changed, and everything because a lot cooler. All her senses were blinded as she struggled to breathe, her throat feeling like it was clogged and swollen. Suddenly, fire, the feel of fire on her pelt jolted her and she swung her head, this way and that as her eyes remained unseeing. Where was sunset? Was he okay? She couldn't lose the only cat, the only maybe-friend she'd known for this long. It was all in the past now. He was the only cat she had left. Seconds or years passed by as the fire raked her body. It felt familiar somehow, as if this had happened before. Surely she would remember this? She was going to die, blood was pouring out, iron to her tongue and red, bright and glossy red. Danger. Dark shadows danced in front of her retinas as they begun to sear, spots appearing and the light somehow blurring as she blinked. The first time her eyelids snapped shut the darkness heightened to maroon, then red and she decided maybe seeing was better. The full force of light hit her again, and as her soft pads began to char, smoke drifted from her fur and pain hit her again and again, as she fought for breath, her silver pelt absorbing all the light it was supposed to reflect.
In the den, sunset felt the walls around him explode as the light hit him as well. Being one of the organisation he was immune to this and he knew that she had disbanded it. No cat could enter or exit this place except him and silver. It would happen now. The omen would fast-forward and chaos would find them in thirty days, giving no time to prepare. He saw her then, Laing a little way away. Her fur was ablaze and she had already begun to transform, her true form appearing in jagged cracks. He had to create the body. Now. The rabbit bones were for emergencies only. This would construct her skeleton. As for her other organs… he had caught a lot of prey and dissected all of them. It had to be enough. He had gone hungry for her. And maybe some part, deep down he could not resist his feelings, for he could have left her and caused small harm compared to his next choice.
He dragged her by the scruff and took the pelts, bounding out of the streaming light and onto the great oak. It was close to breaking but they had about a minute until it all disintegrated. He peeled back her body until it was a ball of lavender light in a somewhat shape of a cat, curled into a ball. He carefully mended the pelts together and attached the bone properly. She was shorter than him now but she would live. With a final yank, the makeshift body covered silver completely, saving her from the full transformation by mere seconds. She stirred, and before she could wake fully he called out to the stars, and the sheildpaws came with their wings and glowing eyes to take them to Void.
'Please be safe and protect her' he prayed silently to it, even though it was very unstable. He made the decision as they laid her in their arms, to protect her always, even if it meant at the cost of his own life.
That was the cost of true love.