The Voiceless Musician

Sneak peek

“I’m scared of the silence… When I hear the voices of my thoughts screaming their tragedy, swallowing the light inside of me, where I know that I won’t have anybody to turn to from this fate. Game over.” 

A legend tells of an old musician who always wanted to compose a song, but never got to because of his family’s greedy desire to make money, who refused to support him in his music courier and to the musician’s horror, they spoke about abandoning him because of his lack of use. The musician’s grief grew stronger and stronger until he no longer able to speak. With his sadness and despair, the musician created a labrynith for the purpose of trapping those who dare to sing or play any kind of music so that the next generation of humans would never listen to music ever again. There is always a path to choose, but none of them leads to freedom. And so he was called, “The Voiceless Musician.” 

This thrilling story is set in a futuristic world, in the year 2155, when earth was much different. Music took form in a peculiar way that nobody could explain, and not one single person could hear it. The legend of the Voiceless Musician haunts the mind of a middle-school teenager, Millie Trend, who is very intruigied in the concept of music. Though she never knew that music existed in a form that humans can see, the gates of the musician’s labyrinth is wide open. Will she dare to enter? 

Hunted

Chapter 1

Wolf shuddered as the door slammed shut, the sound of shoes clattering on the hard concrete floors. The basement looked more cozy than usual, at least that’s what she thinks. The walls of the basement was solid brick, and the stained windows were jammed. Tiles that were once placed on one side of the room were shattered and there was only a blanket, dirty pillow and a teddy bear in it placed on one side where there were no tiles. There was once a fireplace to the opposite of the bed, but it has never been used for longer than forever. People living in the cities would think of it as a prison cell, but to Wolf, it was home. Children like Wolf would cherish any kind of household, from cottages to even vans as long as it is cozy and warm. After being locked in the basement for 4 years, Wolf never recalled what her real name was, therefore naming herself Wolf. She named herself that because after she was forced to live in the wretched place, every night a wolf howled towards the sky like the night swallowed their souls away. At that moment, she knew that was what she felt in the course of her life. Like the sun would never shine. Like she would never feel the wind in her hair. Like daylight would never come…

When Wolf was young, she was just a normal little girl living a normal urban life with her mother. Her father worked in the military as a soldier and go to war for as long as she could remember. Every time he came home, he would give her a possession of his he brought back from the military. Most of the time, it was medals and armours, but she kept everything her dad gave her somewhere special. One was a small teddy bear Wolf loved to the core of her heart. The bear was a small brown teddy with a red ribbon on his neck and beady black eyes. After the bear was given to her, her father went to war yet again, and unfortunately died of a disease. Since then, Wolf slept with the cuddly bear to remind herself about how her dad was a very brave soldier and was a strong fighter. Before Wolf goes to sleep, every night, her mother would place that teddy near the fireplace to make him warm, but one day he got too close and his leg caught on fire. Nobody knew that happened until the fire got worse. The fire department succeeded to save Wolf’s life and the teddy bear, but when they tried to save the mother, it was too late. For the rest of her life, Wolf spent her time in a basement room alone, with only the teddy bear’s company to keep the memory of the most happiest times of her life live in her heart.

Missing

Chapter 1

The streets was filled with strangers, some glancing slightly at me, and some just walking right past me. I never really payed attention to people walking by the bus station that much, but I would wonder where all those people were going. They always seem to walk the same direction, at least I think they do, and have no care to their surroundings whatsoever. After me and Emily stopped being friends, things were much different. She used to wait with me by the bus stop, then walk home by herself after my bus arrives, but now she walks straight home, not bothering to even say goodbye. Those old days were the ones I most cherished, when my best friend was still right beside me, and my older brother was still alive. Ever since Toby went missing in that school excursion, everything started to become duller. Buildings were grey, sewers half dented and litter scattered everywhere.

But I don’t always see my town looking like this. When Toby was still alive, and Emily was still my best friend, the town used to be full of colour. Whenever I walked down the same street where I am just now, I felt happier than ever. Trees used to grow on the side walks, the buildings looked cozy, the air was still fresh and strangers don’t seem as strange anymore. When Emily has singing lessons after school, Toby was the one who used to walk me down to the bus stop. Whenever we wait for the bus, he’ll always take out his notebook and draw a picture of us at the bus stop, and I always laugh when he forgets to draw himself in the picture. I thought it would stay like that forever, just me and my big brother, having fun, though I knew that would never happen.

After Toby’s death, I haven’t talked much in class, nor even talked to anyone, just drowned in my own sad thoughts and feelings. That day was when Emily decided that it would be best for us to seperate. Days after that, I felt like everything was slipping away. My dad ran away one night, then my grades went down rapidly from that day. My bus always came late and not even the woman who walks her dog past the bus stop everyday passed by, and when she does, she never said hello to me like she used to. Here I am now, still waiting at the bus stop, soaking wet from the heavy rain and muddy from falling over at school. With my skin still stained with blood and my body still trembling from the cold, I opened my bag and pulled out the notebook Toby used to draw on.

I flicked through the pages, examining every picture there was that he drew of us at the bus stop. One picture had us sitting by the bus stop, with me holding a piece of artwork to show Toby and I could tell he forgotten to draw himself and decided to draw it over the seat, giving him the look that he is transparent. I looked at another one and saw that he drew us with Emily, me just talking to her and Toby, again forgetting to draw himself, decided not to draw it over, but to stick a picture of himself on it. I loved that picture the most because when they came back home, he coloured it with watercolours so the picture looked realistic. I looked at it for awhile, wondering if I could just pull Toby out of the picture, but a single drop of rain fell on the piece of paper and smudged a bit of the paint.

Suddenly, I heard a sound from ahead and looked around to find the bus coming straight towards me. I stepped forward and waved at the bus, which halted right in front of me. As soon as the door opened, I realised that the man on the driver’s seat wasn’t the driver who drove the bus yesterday, but I shrugged it off and went inside. I flopped down onto the nearest seat and took off my jumper, noticing that nobody was on the bus except for me, the driver and a skinny woman who sat across me. She had blood red lips, a black blazer, gingery-red hair and white high heels which makes her look taller in a comforting way.
“Wear your seatbelt, sweety.” She whispered to me, pointing towards my seatbelt. I nodded at her with respect, then reached out to put my seatbelt on.

“Where are you going, sweety?” The woman asked with a curious look.
“Rosepetal street.” I murmured hoarsely, placing my bag on my lap and hugging it tight.
“That’s pretty far. I’m going off at the next stop so will you be ok alone?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.”
The woman sighed, then grinned at me in a friendly way.
“Alright then.” She smiled, then got up to dismount the bus. This time, I’m all alone. No one to talk to, no one to laugh with, and no one to comfort me at these difficult times. I watched as the bus flash the streets of the small town, occasionally seeing people walking on the sidewalks. It’s been a long time since I could see the beauty the city really had, and I wonder if I could see that old town again. Suddenly, the bus stopped.
“Jelston road, last stop.” The driver called. I shuddered. I looked out the window once again and realised something… I was on the wrong bus!

Lost

Sneak peek

“Hello? If you can hear me, my name is Hannah Stanford. My parents are gone, and I don’t know what to do…”

13-year-old Hannah Stanford, was a perky and ordinary girl, living a cozy life. But danger threatens her when a deadly car crash kills her family and left her alone to fend for herself against something she never expected coming…

Animal Halfbloods

This story is a collage made by 6 different authors. Follow Miyuki, Kuma and Clara here and follow the rest of the crew at;
Diane’s WordPress : http://www.dianeandherwritingworld.wordpress.com
Anya’s Blog : http://www.stories-by-anya.blogspot.com
Daria, Anna and Abhishri does not have a blog of their own so we will see to that later. For now, we’ll stick to what we have.

Chapter 1 – High fall, Safe landing

This is the very first chapter of The whole Halfbloods story so, I guess I put a little too much effort into this. But, enjoy !

Miyuki sped across the school building, clutching her book in her arms. She could only hear the sound of her footsteps as it clasped upon the hard concrete floors which seemed to urge her to go faster. Lillian and Izumi are not far behind, but to Miyuki, they’re nowhere to be seen. She rushed up the stairs and turned around the corner to find herself face to face with Kasumi Anne and her top-notch spoiled girl gang. Miyuki already had thoughts of turning back, but Kasumi’s haunting gaze stopped her from even taking one step back.
“Going somewhere ?” Kasumi snarled, putting her hands on her hips as she gave Miyuki a nasty look. Miyuki, being the shy girl she is, has no intention on picking a fight with Kasumi and tried to overtake her path. “I don’t think so…” Kasumi took a step forward as her friends gang up on Miyuki, cornering her in one side.

“Kasumi, I don’t have time for this-”
“What’s this ?” Kasumi snapped, tugging on a silver ribbon tied to Miyuki’s neck. “I like this… I think I’m going to keep it” she grinned slightly, snatching the once neatly tied string.
“Give it back !”
“You can’t tell me what to do, You’re not my boss,”
“I need it”
“You want it ? Go and get it !”
Kasumi slowly let the ribbon slip away from her hands and flutter in the wind. Miyuki watched in horror as her charm floated away with the breeze, making a ringing noise as it danced like a graceful snake. She fought back the rich gang and raced after the piece of cloth. She didn’t want to lose it, not now at least. It was the last of her best friend, Jenny, she had ever gotten before she left the school, and she will never forget the happy times they spent with each other in the past. When she grabbed a hold of it, she carefully tied it back to her neck and making sure it is loose enough so she could breathe. That’s when she realised she was on the edge of the classroom balcony and is standing 30 ft from the ground. Soon, she lost her balance and fell just as Lillian and Izumi came running up the stairs. Miyuki struggled to keep her balance as Kasumi and her gang laughed at her. It wasn’t long until she came tumbling 30 ft down to the ground below. She knew that she’ll probably have major injuries from the fall, or even worse. Closing her eyes, she avoided seeing what was really happening and continued to fall, Until…

Miyuki’s eyes opened for a bit and looked down at the ground. She could hear shocked gasps and muttering all around her. She landed on both feet and she didn’t even realise. “H-how did you land on two feet ? You were suppose to have cuts and bruises from the fall !” Kasumi screeched, stomping her feet down the stairs. “You’re lucky this time, at least. Next time this is going to get brutal” She shot an annoyed glance at Miyuki then stormed off into the school oval. Miyuki couldn’t even believe her eyes. What she did was beyond what she imagined and it couldn’t be reality, or was it ?

Chapter 2 – Not so sweet ?

I have just put the idea in mind today, I mean, I knew cats can’t taste sweet stuff, but what happens when Miyuki can’t taste sweet stuff ?

All afternoon, Miyuki’s mind spun wildly with confusion. It was a strange coincidence to just… Land on your feet like that ! She didn’t know if she was dreaming or not, but she knew that pinching herself wouldn’t do any good. She tried to concentrate on her school work and focus on her task, but she couldn’t get the thought out of her head. Art classes is not so good either even though Miyuki loved art. She felt as if a tornado was whirling in her head violently until she heard a voice snapping her back to reality.“Wake up you sleepy head !”. Miyuki yanked herself up to the sound of the teacher hollering at her, squinting her eyes as she does. From the looks of her face, she felt tired, but inside, she was as worked up as a child after eating too much candy, Not because she was hyper, but because she needed to know how she did what she had done this morning.

“So tell me, Miss Momomiya, where is your homework ?”. She looked around the classroom for awhile to regain her vision, then glanced back at her annoyed-looking teacher.

“Ummm… I left it in my tidy tray-“.

“Then what are you waiting for ? Go and get it !” The teacher snapped her fingers and strode away from her desk in an irritated way. ‘What is happening to me ? First, I landed on my feet, and now, sleeping between classes ?’ . She has no Idea what is going on with her, but went on with her usual school work. Miyuki struggled to stay awake later on in the day, feeling drowsy and light headed once in awhile and falling asleep again and again, but by lunchtime, she was as jumpy as ever.

She entered the cafeteria with her lunchbox clutched in her hands, a smiling from ear to ear. The smell of her tuna sandwich made her even more hungrier and she had never been so drawn into lunch before. She moved her gaze towards a table at the corner and saw a girl with lovely French braided hair and another girl who was moving out of her seat. She could see the feeling of doubt in her eyes, then parted from her friends to approach the table. “Hi, I’m Miyuki. These are my friends, Lillian and Izumi. Would you like to sit with us ? You seem a bit lonely…” The girl nodded slightly and followed her to a nearby table.

“So, you must be the new girl, Tora right ?”.

“Uh-Yeah…”

“Well, nice to meet you !”

Miyuki and her friends sat on the same table as any other day, except this time, not in the same side of the table. On the far left, was Kasumi and her fashionista group and on the far right, a group of girls Miyuki didn’t recognise. She took the seat closer to the right, avoiding Kasumi’s treacherous schemes and her spine-chilling gaze, keeping her face as unnoticeable as possible. As she opened her lunchbox, she saw a bar of chocolate placed between a container and a juice box. ‘I didn’t pack this… Oh well, might as well eat it.’She picked it up and took a bite of it, expecting a sweet flavour of caramel lingering with the milk chocolate drizzled with a tinge of hazelnut. But, to her surprise, it tasted…. Tasteless. She took another bite and hoped that the caramel in the middle would make it much more sweeter and mingle the hazelnut and the chocolate together, But it was still as tasteless as the first bite. She glanced at Tora and nudged her gently with her elbow, trying to get her attention. “Hey Tora, do you think this chocolate tastes a bit… Tasteless ?.

She kept silent for awhile but took the chocolate bar out of Miyuki’s hands, taking a bite from the other end. She knew that this might be the chance to forget everything that just happened and pretend it was all a dream.

“It tastes pretty normal.” . She gave Miyuki a stunned look and Izumi blinked in surprise. Miyuki turned to her left to find the clique of fashion-obsessed girls had already witnessed her reaction.
“Looks like someone doesn’t know the difference between sweet and tasteless !”.
“Does she even know how chocolate tastes like ?”
“OMG, all this time she had never tasted chocolate ? what a liar !”
Hearing all the murmurs coming from Kasumi’s clique, she dashed out of her chair stumbled out of the crowded cafeteria, her bell jingling as she went. She held back the urge to break down and kept running. The far hallways was just as crowded as the cafeteria, but here, there were seniors, who was closely observing Miyuki’s sudden appearance from a distance. Inside, she felt like melting with all these people watching, but it’s either run or be humiliated. She reached the school entrance just in time before anyone caught up with her and fled. She trotted out into the streets, trying to ignore the sounds of the cars passing by. She took a deep breath and crossed the road, one paw at a time. As she padded along the zebra cross, she realised that people were honking at her and leaped upwards to the sound of the car, keeping all 4 paws in the air. Wait- Paws ?

Chapter 3 – The Kitten Inside

Sorry guys, I didn’t have much time to do this since I was out for a concert. But, yeah… xP

The afternoon sun scorched above as Miyuki padded up the hill, getting farther away from home as possible. She felt lost, confused and unbelievably timid compared to the humongous trees and monstrous vehicles the two-legs were driving. What is she saying ? Two-legs ? This is getting too complicated for her to handle ! She looked at her hand, then at a display window and gasped in horror. ‘I’m a cat ?!?’ .

Miyuki stumbled back and rolled down the road into a hotel, where a man stood with his hands in his pockets. He looked down and frowned, kicking Miyuki with his left foot. “Hey ! What are you doing in front of my hotel ? Shoo, kitty !” . She turned and trotted across the pathway as fast as she could, then halted to the sight of Black and purple sneakers. A pair of hands reached down and lifted her up.

“Miyuki ! I was looking all over for you. We need to get you to Animal Halfbloods Headquarters, quick !”

“Nya ?”

“Not now, Miyuki.”

The two leg ran into an alleyway and set Miyuki down by an old cardboard box. “Listen to me, Miyuki, you’re an Animal Halfblood. You might not know, but I’m a Halfblood too. Your powers are still uncontrollable and the amount of energy coming from you is very strong. We need to get you out of here before anyone finds out,”

“But I don’t understand… How could I not know this, Nya?”

“The side effects of being a Halfblood has just begun. Ever since you were young, I’ve always been worried that this day might come and.. I guess I’m right”

“Who are you ? How do you know I’m Miyuki ?”

“I’m your sister, Violet Momomiya. I’ve never told you I was a Halfblood, but I’ve already given up my animal abilities. Now, you have to go.”

“But-“

“Just GO !” Miyuki climbed down from the torn cardboard box and quickly padded away into the distance, with her sister’s words still ringing in her ears. “Miyuki, You’re a Halfblood.”

Chapter 4 – Unexpected Encounter

Ok fine, I admit it. I am so obsessed with warrior cats that I just HAD to fit it somewhere in the story. It has a connection with the story though… But anyway, hope it’s not too confusing !

Miyuki fled from the city of Texas and raced further out into a forest, ignoring the prickling feeling of branches poking her from both directions. She was hungry, as well as tired, but the Rain didn’t make it any better. A light shower sprinkled above Miyuki’s head as the bracken lowered themselves from the rain, as if they were depressed. Even though it was just a light shower, she couldn’t see as clear as she would be. She couldn’t see a cave or a den to shelter in, and she couldn’t even see the bramble that she came across a few minutes ago.

She padded deeper into the forest until she smelt a scent that guided her to the other direction. Just as she thought, Mouse. How could she not realise this in the first place ? She’s a cat. Nobody would judge her if she ate a mouse, not even Kasumi. But does she even know how to hunt ? Have the mouse already smelt her scent ? Miyuki knew that once the mouse had smelt her, he will flee from her clutches. She crouched down low and stepped forward, one paw at a time, keeping her weight on her legs. When she was sure she could reach it, she leaped forward and unsheathed her claws. The poor mouse scuttled away through the undergrowth, but Miyuki was quicker.

She quickly finished it off with a single blow and held it in between her jaws. This was her first catch. Her very first catch. She lifted her head in pride, then leaned down to gulp down her fresh-kill.

“What are you doing in DreamClan territory ?” A voice called from behind. Miyuki stopped in her tracks and stopped to look up, trying to focus her eyes. There, she saw a wise grey tom with a white tail and slightly curved ears. A paw-step away from him was a smaller she-cat, her Snow White paws stained with blood.

“W-what do you mean ?”

“You have intruded our territory, now you must pay !” The grey tom launched himself up, but held back by the timid she-cat.

“Mosstail ! What are you doing ? We shouldn’t attack other cats like that,”

The tom sneered at her, then sat up, his tail neatly curled around his paws. “Why are you in our territory ?”

“I-I don’t know where I am or how I ended up here or how I could speak to cat-“ The she-cat tilted her head in confusion. ‘Ugh ! Why did you even say that ? Good going, Miyuki !’

“Uh- anyway, I came from the city not far away from here and I-“

“So you’re a kitty pet ?” . The tom looked away in disgust. “Kitty pets shouldn’t wander off to places like this,” Miyuki shook her head. “I think you’ve got the wrong idea-“

“Are you a rogue ?”. Miyuki once again shook her head.

“Then what are you ? A stray ?”

“No… I… I’m a Halfblood…” She stammered, then turned away, trying to avoid the wild cats’ shocked gazes. ‘Great, my secret’s out. But these cats wouldn’t have the ability to tell anyone so it shouldn’t matter…’

“Just as I suspected,” The she-cat smiled at Miyuki and licked the fur on her chest. “I’ve sensed some twoleg essence on you. StarClan has told me that I might meet a Halfblood someday,”

“How come you haven’t told the rest of the clan ?”

“Would they really believe me ? Halfbloods are extremely rare, and it’s highly unlikely for a cat to be born a Halfblood.”

“Then what shall we do with her ? She’s half two legs !”

“We’ll help her. Maybe StarClan had sent her to aid us later on in life,”

“I guess you’re right…” The tom padded up to Miyuki and stared into her eyes.

“Now look, you must leave our territory immediately before any of the patrols catch your scent. It might be a little too soon to leave but it’s for the good of the clan,” He turned to the she-cat as she gave him a friendly grin.

“We should take you home, it’s getting late,” The she-cat stood up and padded out into the clearing. “What is your name, young one ?”

“Miyuki,”

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Miyuki. I am Daylight of DreamClan and this is Mosstail” She pointed her muzzle toward the tom cat and paced forward.

“We should get going. Border patrol would be out by now,” Miyuki nodded and padded after Daylight through the undergrowth. She couldn’t help but feeling relieved that somebody was at her aid when she needed it most and she will once again be back in the city of Texas.

Chapter 5 – Silvertail

EDIT : Changing DustClan to DreamClan because I just realised DustClan was the name of one of the clans on my Fanfic. Whoopsies !

Ok, I am introducing three new clans, FireClan, LakeClan and MudClan. I am also making up warrior names for my characters as a disguise.

The evening song of the birds above kept the forest so silent and so peaceful as the three cats padded through the the clearing and heading for FireClan territory.

Mosstail stopped in his tracks and turned to Daylight, who was licking her right paw. “How are we supposed to get across to the twoleg place when FireClan is patrolling the area ?”

Daylight gave a sneaky look at Mosstail. “No cat would dare to attack a medicine cat. It is against the warrior code,”

“But what about her ?” He pointed his muzzle towards Miyuki, his eyes fixed on the medicine cat.

“We shall give her a warrior name, besides, FireClan has been sheltering a half blood without realising it. We must talk to her without the rest of the clan knowing about the Halfbloods,”

Miyuki’s ears pricked up “There are more Halfbloods out there ?”

“Yes, but only medicine cats know about this. Every medicine cat have met or seen at least one Halfblood in their lives. But only some knows who was a Halfblood. Cat Halfbloods do not have a clan, instead, they join with the other Halfbloods and let their spirit and heart guide them to their rightful place. Some stay as two legs, but the less fortunate turn into their DNA animal selves. That is why we would like you to join DreamClan and become a warrior,”

“What about Petalleaf ? If she finds out, what if she tells the whole clan ?”

“StarClan would never allow that ! If she knew about their Halfblood all along, she would have told the whole clan. StarClan did not seem to give her the ability to detect Halfbloods like I have,”

“Are you sure this will work ?”

“I am positive. Miyuki, from this day forward, you will be called Silvertail. StarClan has sent you here to help us and we would like you to join DreamClan. Would you like to fight alongside of our cat ancestors and join us ?”

Miyuki – now referred to as Silvertail nodded and flicked her tail in amusement.

“Thank you,” she meowed, looking up at the two clan cats with pride. Daylight padded into the bushes and signalled the others to follow with a flick of her tail. Silvertail and Mosstail padded after her and crossed the border of FireClan.

Chapter 6 – Eva ?

Silvertail padded out of the undergrowth into FireClan territory, her fur bristling with every step she took. She had just recently have been made a warrior, but she never knew the dangers of being in a clan. As they reached FireClan camp, Daylight gestured her to stay put and padded out of the bushes, with Mosstail by her side. Silvertail felt a little anxious of Daylight leaving her side, but she stayed calm as she listened to the murmurs coming from the camp. Suddenly, something grabbed her tail. She spun around wildly and faced a small tiger holding onto her tail.

“Miyuki! Finally I found you!” She roared, still clutching Silvertail’s tail in her jaws.

“How do you know my name ? What are you going to do with me ?” Silvertail hissed and spat as viciously as she could, but the tiger would not let go.

“Don’t worry, I’m Eva – Tora’s friend,” The tiger tightened her grip and pulled Silver tail in closer. “Come on, we must not fret and get to HalfBloods HQ!”

“But…what…I?”The next thing Silvertail knew was that the tiger was already dashing forward into a portal, with her on her back. She was just too baffled to even say anything, but she kept the fur on her back stay flat. Silvertail watched as the world around her turned into a flash of bright colours, then into a plain grey room with a girl standing in front. She still couldn’t hear anything clearly, but leaned closer to Eva as the girl sneered meaningfully at her.

Before she knew it, she was rushed into a white room, accompanied with a tinge of red and purple from the potions and dusty beige from the old books and scrolls. Standing there in the clearing, was a man with a long white beard, which seemed to camouflage against the clean white walls. Eva set Silvertail down by a classic white chair and skidded across the floor to the old man.

“What are you doing to me ?!?” She meowed aggressively. “Are you poisoning me ?”

“Yer not afraid, ar ya ?” Silvertail shot Eva a worried look, then leaped down the chair, only to find the man setting her back down on it.

“Ye don’t need ta worry !” He smiled. ‘I have a bad feeling about this…’

Chapter 7 – The Cute

Meanwhile on the main room of Halfbloods HQ, Cinderfur was still finishing up with her research, only to be disturbed by a little girl who was carrying a folder full of work papers and notebooks. Her hair was the colour of cream or light orange with the front bit of her hair tied into pigtails and the back let out into glamorous wavy hair. Her sweater was pastel red, lined with a bit of white and accompanied with a white scarf, a rosy red plaid skirt, cute matching boots and black stockings. Her little orange cat ears are pricked out and her cat tail was twitching in amusement.

“Cinderfur ! I found the papers,” She giggled as she danced around the room.

Cinderfur turned to her and smiled gladly “Good job, Inkpelt. Maybe if you could help me with my research, I could possibly reward you,”

Inkpelt, being one of the youngest Halfbloods in the group, does not have many doubts of being part animal, in fact, she loved being half animal. Since she was only 9, Redstripe, Nightbreeze and Cinderfur did not give her too many jobs to do. Inkpelt was actually an orphan, but Cinderfur took her in when Inkpelt found out she was a Halfblood. She hardly goes anywhere outside of the headquarters other than school or maybe even back to the orphanage to greet her old friends.

Inkpelt dashed up to Cinderfur, a pale purple light surrounding her as she went. She leaped up and shapeshifted into a black footed cat, landing gracefully on Cinderfur’s lap. She rubbed Inkpelt’s neck gave her a grateful smile.

“You certainly improved,” She pointed out. “Great job”

Inkpelt’s blazing blue eyes glittered as she let out a cheerful purr. She was pretty for her age, not to mention her cutesy style and sweet appearance. She’s not as spoiled and top notch as Kasumi, but not as simple and geeky as Nightbreeze either.

“We should get started,” She meowed. “Fawnheart would kill us if we didn’t finish,”

Even though Cinderfur did not speak cat language, she somehow understands her and snatched a pen out of her classic black and white pencil case.

Chapter 8 – The Geeky

Nightbreeze strolled around the library of the Halfbloods HQ, his wings flapping as he scanned the room. His classic red jumper, glasses and clean denim jeans made him appear more geeky as he is supposed to be. It was no surprise that Nightbreeze could fly, well, because he’s fused with the Laughing owl species. He’s usually awake at about midnight, and sleep at around midday, as if the clock has been turned opposite.

The 14 year-old boy gazed out the window sill and noticed a jar full of sunflower seeds trembling. ‘An earthquake, eh ?’ He thought, his bird tail swishing from side to side. He opened the jar and found a small hamster in it, munching on the seeds. It was as white as snow, making it standout from all the sunflowers seeds.

“What are you doing here, little one ?” He smiled, reaching down and pickinb the hamster up by it’s scruff.

“W-who are you ?” It squeaked as it wriggled around in frustration. “Please put me down”

Nightbreeze dashed out of the library, with the little white hamster in between his fingers.

“We need to get you to Fawnheart, quick !” He snapped, entering a small room on the far corner. There, was a 16 year-old girl sitting a few metres away from the door, her back facing them.

“What are you doing here ?!” She spat, her eyes glittering with annoyance.

“Sorry to disturb you, Fawnheart, but I found a hamster by the-“

“So ?”

“I thought she might be a Halfblood. I mean, I felt strong energy coming from this one,”

“Then why don’t you talk to Redstripe about it ?”

“He’s busy,”

“Well, then wait until he’s finished,” She gave a frustrated look at Nightbreeze as she left the room.

Fawnheart is also a Halfblood, but she’s different. Despite her sharp tongued personality, she is fused with two animals, the Key deer and the Netherland dwarf rabbit. She was an albino, which made her even more rare ! But, surprisingly, she doesn’t like talking about it. Nobody knew why, but deep inside of her, she’s as soft as a stuffed animal.

Chapter 9 – Snow kitten

Clara ran across the pathway, trying to catch up with her friends. She had 3 folders in her hand, one was hers, and the other two belonged to Taylor Miller and Tiffany Miller. She tried to catch up, but they were way too fast and halted to the sight of a girl walking aimlessly, to and fro, blocking out the path.

“Get out of our way !” Taylor hissed, giving a deceiving look at the younger student.

“I-I’m sorry… I’m new here and I’m lost-“

“Who cares ?” Tiffany spat as she snatched a book out of the girl’s hands. She stared at it, then sneered at her. She waved it over the girl’s head as she struggled to grab it.

“No ! That’s my mother’s book,”

“Hmm… So it’s special to you isn’t it ?” . The girl nodded in hopes of getting it back.

“Well too bad ! Clara, could you please toss this junk into the bin ?” . Clara hesitated. She didn’t want to hurt the little girl’s feelings or throw such a lovely book away, but she obeyed Tiffany’s order and dropped it into the nearest trash can. A tear skidded down the girl’s rosy red cheeks as she dashed forward to prevent it from falling, only to be stopped by Taylor Miller.

“Learned your lesson ?” She smiled. Before the girl could say or do anything, she pushed her way through the hallway, not bothering to look back.

“We thought so,”. Tiffany made her way out of the scene and sashayed after Taylor, but Clara stayed behind to help. She reached down into the trash can, scanned through the pile of rubbish and pulled out a book. It had a black cover with the word ‘Courage’ imprinted on the bottom and a hand-drawn illustration on the centre. The picture was of a Leopard as white as snow, sitting by the peak of a mountain with it’s tail neatly curled around it’s paws. It had majestic blue eyes and shining white whiskers which made Clara smile each time she sees it. She handed it to the little girl and whispered in her ear.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that,”

She pulled away and gave the girl a shy smile, then caught up with her so called Friends. This wasn’t the first time Tiffany and Taylor had done this much damage, at least not in a long time, that is. Clara never had any friends, but these girls had accepted her as a Friend and let her sit with them at lunch. To be honest, they are only using her just to get good grades, but Clara still believed that they would one day be her real friends.

Chapter 10 – Tigertail ?
I suggest you should read the 6th chapter of Diane’s part to find out what happened before this.

Inkpelt stared at Cinderfur in shock, taking one step back. Cinderfur had suffered enough already, and Inkpelt just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Cinderfur… Why is Tigertail after her ?” She meowed as she shapeshifted back into a human. “WHY IS HE AFTER US ALL?!”. She meowed weakly and collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily as she struggled to get back up. She moaned and meowed constantly. But then, something clicked.

Inkpelt’s eyes are no longer the mystical blue it once was, but red with fury. Her body tensed and she got up in a flash, her eyes as sharp as an angry lion. Cinderfur gasped, then rushed to the screen of the computer. Tigertail did not flee from the Halfbloods HQ, but is now possessing Inkpelt.

“Ohh… Yes… You’re all going to pay- GET OUT OF MY BODY!” . The battle had once again begun, but this time, a Inkpelt was the one suffering. She roared and spat viciously in between words, trying to fight the treacherous villain, but he too won’t give up.

“Cinderfur…Driftwhisker… Hide Miyuki, before he- I will destroy YOU ALL !” . A spine chilling roar came from Inkpelt as Tigertail took control. “You don’t stand a chance, I will destroy you, whatever it takes,” . He walked towards the documents and snatched one from the table. He put both of his hands on it, then ripped the paper into shreds. Cinderfur tried to interfere, but Driftwhisker grabbed her hand and shook her head. Suddenly, the panda Halfblood heard a familiar voice.

“Halfblood Kuma,” . At first, Cinderfur saw red light surrounding Inkpelt’s body, but then grew lighter and a pale purple light emerged from the blood red light.

“This is for Cinderfur, for all the Halfbloods… SHAPESHIFT !” . An explosion of light shone from the room and Inkpelt once again collapsed on the floor. Her cat eyes are no longer blood red, but dreamy blue, and the fur on her shoulders lay flat. ‘Tigertail is gone…’ Cinderfur sighed in relief, reaching down to touch Inkpelt’s gentle tabby fur.

“We should be on guard for Tigertail” Cinderfur announced in her clearest voice. “He might have fled now, but that doesn’t mean he won’t come back,”

Chapter 11 – Turning back

Clara stumbled after the two rich girls, stopping once in awhile to avoid tripping on all sorts of things. After the incident that happened that morning, she had a hard time focusing on reality.
‘That book…’ . Clara smiled once again at the thought of the majestic white beast with black spots and beaming blue eyes, then pushed the thought away. As soon as Clara reached the cafeteria, Taylor and Tiffany were already sitting by a desk. She settled down on the other side of the table as the girls discussed their plan. Although they were discussing something, Clara remained quiet.

“So, did you hear about the algebra test yesterday ? I sucked at it,”

“I know right ! I got a C. What are we going to tell Dad ? That we didn’t study ?”

“Why don’t we change our marks then ?” Tiffany grinned, then faced Clara, who had already figured out what she was going to do.

“Clara, hack the marks of the algebra test and give us both As. We won’t allow you to leave the school until you-“

“No…”. Taylor gasped, then got out of her chair to grab Clara by the arm.

“What did you just say ?” . Clara hesitated, but she let the words fall out.

“I… I said No !” . She lashed her arm and struggled to get free, only to fall backwards by Taylor’s foot.

“What is it going to be, Clara ? Are you going to be our friend, or suffer like the rest ?” . Clara stumbled a few paces as Tiffany joined her sister.

“Why did we even allow you to hangout with us ? You’re nothing but a pathetic loser !” A group of girls joined Taylor and Tiffany and started chanting the word Loser, but a voice stood out above the others.

“So ? Do you have a problem with losers ?” A voice called from behind the crowd. Tiffany whipped her head around and sneered.

“The problem is that she’s not as cool as everyone else is,”

“She may not be cool, but she could be better at something else,”

“Yeah… Better at betrayal that is !” the crowd of girls chanted more words as Taylor commanded them to surround Clara.

“She’s not betraying you ! She’s doing what she thinks is right !” . At that moment, Clara felt someone grab her by the arm and yanked her out of the scene.

“Come on, we’ve got to go,” . The voice announced as they bounded out of the school. It was hard to see what was going on as they were running at such a fast pace. They stopped by a park across the street and rested for a moment.

“Woah, what happened back there ?” . The voice grew familiar. When Clara got the chance to open her eyes, she gasped and almost stumbled backwards.

“Cody ?!?”

Chapter 12 – Memories Lost

Inkpelt slept peacefully on the couch, her chest rising and falling. Her tabby fur lay flat on her body as she continued to breathe. Cinderfur sat next to the young girl as she waited patiently for her to wake up. Every breath is everything to Cinderfur, as she treated Inkpelt like a daughter.

“Is she ever going to wake up, Cinderfur ?” . Nightbreeze stood by the entrance with his hands crossed. “Driftwhisker’s getting really worried. She doesn’t want you to be depressed like this,”

Cinderfur shook her head. “We’ll see, Nightbreeze…” Her voice trailed off as Inkpelt took another breath. She expected every shallow breath to be her last, but she just couldn’t let her go. Driftwhisker appeared from the potion room and walked towards Cinderfur with her eyes gleaming in sorrow.

“How long are you going to wait for her, Cindy ?” . Driftwhisker put her hand on Cinderfur’s shoulder and sighed. “She may never wake up-“

“She will !” She snapped in rage. “Inkpelt is a strong girl, she will make it !”

“But…”

“Believe me, Driftwhisker, this is her only hope. I know she will pull through !”

Suddenly, Inkpelt blinked and rose to her paws.

“Where am I ?” She looked like her normal self, with her mystical blue eyes and soothing voice. But Cinderpelt noticed that Inkpelt’s eyes were dilated and she was hungry for an escape route. They all questioned her about how she was, but she ignored them.

“Inky ! You’re alive !” . Driftwhisker gave her friend a soft hug, but she pulled away.

“What are you doing ?” She spat, her tail twitching in annoyance. The three Halfbloods gasped as Inkpelt meowed something horrific, “Who are you ?”

Chapter 13 – Old friends

Clara stood in the clearing, breathless to see her old friend standing in front of her.

” How did you get here ? I thought you were in Texas with your parents,” Cody gave her a strange look.

“I am,”

She froze. How could she forget ? She’s no longer in Australia ! She moved months ago.

“Oh… Right… Well, how did you know I was here ?”

“I heard there was a new girl in town, thought I might see who it was,”

“How long have you known about this ?”

“Months ! I didn’t know what school you attended so I sort of… Spied… On you,”

Clara shot him a thoughtful look, then grinned sneakily.

“So you attended TCSS just to spy on me ?”

“NO ! I was already enrolled !”

“Then how come you never said hi to me in the first place ?”

“Thought you might’ve forgotten me…”

The two friends chatted and laughed the whole afternoon, until lunch break was over and they went their own ways. Clara couldn’t help but notice that the Millers were having trouble carrying their folders while holding their purses in one hand. She felt sorry for them, but they probably wouldn’t forgive her for what she did and she continued what she was doing.

*****

After school, Clara trotted through the park where she usually goes and noticed Cody sitting by a tree. He looked exhausted with his hands tucked in his pockets and he looked expressionless. Metres away from him was a dead mouse, probably fresh-kill made from one of the dogs living nearby. She trekked towards him and sat next to him, taking interest in the birds as she flopped down.

“Had a long day, huh ?” Cody enquired, no longer out of breath. She nodded a bit and leaned her back on the stump of the tree, sensing the bark clawing on her skin as she looked up at the treetops. She placed her bag aside as the grass tickled her fingers from underneath.

“Miss Friar told me off because I was late for second period, but it’s no big deal,” . She looked on from the grass and caught a glimpse of the mouse she had seen earlier. It rotted a little and flies hovered over the lifeless creature, but the rodent stayed motionless. She looked closer and realised it had claw marks rather dawn bite marks, but these claw marks are different. They are quite large claw marks, the largest claw mark Clara had seen a dog scratch. She had seen TV shows like Dogs 101 or Dog whisperer and learned that a dog is more likely to bite than to scratch as it’s claws are a bit too broad to cut through thick skin. If so, it couldn’t be a dog who did this, it must be a Wild animal . She sat there still staring at the creature rotting into pieces, until Cody sat up and grabbed his bag.

“I’ve got to go, my dad would kill me if I don’t get home early. Literally,”

He waved his arms goodbye before he took off and left Clara on her own. She noticed something strange, His eyes were orange. Aren’t Cody’s eyes Brown ?

Chapter 14 – Mirror Image

Inkpelt -now referred to as Kuma, sat by her bedroom window, her eyes glittering with confusion. Moonlight shone down on her auburn hair, making it look like a bright orange orb. Her cat tail and ears are no longer there, only her mystical gaze that seemed to never go away. She was too baffled to speak to herself, but still had forests of questions in her mind. There was a women who claimed to be her mother, a tiger who claimed to be her sister, and a whole crowd of people who claimed she was some sort of ‘Halfblood’ .

“How long are you going to lie there and do nothing ?” . Kuma whirled around. In front of her, was a girl that looked exactly like her, but with red eyes and darker colour schemes. She had never seen a person so lifeless and full of hatred, but she looked on.

“You have my powers, don’t you ?” Kuma murmured under her breath. “I need it back. I need to know who these people are !”

The girl shook her head. “Have you ever realised how much pain you went through in your life ?” She barked, giving her a cold stare. “Do you realise what you’re doing ?” . Kuma took a step back, but kept her gaze on the girl.

“Your parents died because of your powers. You let your friends suffer with your powers. And now you want it all back ?” Kuma tried to object, but the girl continued sharply.

“You want it back to know it all, to know that you suffered pain and sorrow more than once in your life, to know that you are not like anyone else, to know that nobody loves you or cares about you all this time. It’s not a nice feeling,” The girl whirled around and sighed deeply.

“Yet, all this time, you could still smile like nothing had ever happened,” . Kuma observed the girl with interest, keen for her to go on. The girl walked towards her and held her hand. It felt as cold as her red eyes, but Kuma didn’t care.

“Do you know what this is ?” . The girl moved Kuma’s bangs aside, revealing a small mark with the ears of a kitty. Kuma shook her head.

“A birthmark ?” .

“So you really did forget about the Halfbloods…”

Halfbloods ? Kuma repeated the phrase. “I’m a Halfblood… Is that true ?”

The girl narrowed her eyes. “If I told you, it could cause more damage than it already has,” . With a flick of her hand, she was gone.

Could it be that she is a ‘Halfblood’ ?

Chapter 15 – The cat and the wolf

Clara strolled back home, this time, using a different route. The buildings looked duller here, with no pleasant sounds of birds chirping or the fresh cool breeze. This alleyway seemed even more lifeless than it used to be as if everybody had left earth. She trekked around the corner and walked straight for Kimbire Street, passing the bakery and turning from the supermarket. Suddenly, something grabbed her arm, It was a beggar.

“Gimme your valuables,” He rasped in a low voice. Clara tried to pull away, but his grip was too tight.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have anything valuable on me,”

“What ’bout dat pretty lil face ya got there ?” The man reached for her face, but she thrusted him away and skidded down the road.

“No !”

“Or dat necklace ya have on ya ? Dat would worth a lot in the black market.” He carried on after her, pointing to the shining blue gem on her chest. She never realised she was wearing it until now, and gasped as she saw what it was made out of. A Moonstone !

“Leave me alone !” She dashed onwards and went into an alleyway she didn’t recognise. She staggered back as she reached a wall, the man cornering her on one side.

“You’ll be mine… And no one will stop me !” He roared as he appeared out of the shadows. That was not the man she saw earlier, it was a maned wolf ! Even worse, she had no weaponry. The wolf growled, then launched himself up. ‘I’ll never make it…’ She thought. ‘This must be the end’

Suddenly, out of the blue, a cheetah pounced on the wolf and tackled him down, his thorn sharp claws digging into the wolf’s matted red fur.

“Don’t lay a paw on her, “ He spat, then scratched the wolf’s muzzle.

“I don’t want her , I want the moonstone,”

Clara put her hands over her necklace. How did that necklace get there ? How could it be something so valuable ?

She glanced back and saw the wolf was already on the cheetah, putting a paw on his chest. She couldn’t bear seeing such a beautiful creature getting hurt like that, especially in this place.

“Give up ?” The wolf rasped once again.

“She’ll never give you that moonstone, never, Tigertail.” The cheetah then gazed at Clara.

“Looks like my secret’s out. Don’t tell anyone in class, ok ?” . At that moment, Clara found something awfully familiar. Cody’s wristband.

Chapter 16 – Dark side

Kuma sat by the window in silence, her face cupped in her hands. She hasn’t been through this much pressure before, with all the Halfbloods business and the mystery of getting her powers back. She didn’t even know she had powers. She had a hard time sleeping last night, and she kept letting her thoughts whirl in her head.

As the first rays of sunlight reached the horizon, and the beams of light flashing through her window Kuma caught a glimpse of a familiar outline on the other side of the room.

“So… You’re back to tell me more about the Halfbloods, Aren’t you ?”

“I came here to ask you a favour.”

“After everything you’ve told me, how do you expect me to do you a favour ?”

The girl shrugged. “It’ll be for the best.”

“No. I don’t trust you-“

“Well, I guess I don’t need to ask you. I’ll just do it right here, right now,” . A beam of light flashed in front of Kuma as the girl disappeared. She glanced around, but with no luck of finding the girl.

“Thanks, You’ve made my job much easier,” . A voice laughed in her head.

“How did you-?”

“You did me a favour, remember ?” The girl giggled maliciously as Kuma staggered back.

“What are you- ?”

“Oh, I’m going to return your powers.”

“Really ?”

“Nope !” a spine-chilling laughter made Kuma shiver, then the girl spoke again. “Now that I could take over your body, I don’t need you anymore.

Before Kuma could do anything, a flash of bright lights appeared around her. Then silence, and darkness.

Chapter 17 – Back into the wild
Read chapter 16 and 17 of Diane’s part, then read this chapter.

Miyuki sat there in shock. There’s no way that DreamClan could survive this attack. Daylight told her how most of DreamClan’s warriors have perished in the war between them and LakeClan. They’re outnumbered. She could not just sit there and do nothing, she’s a warrior now, she needs to protect her clan. When Willow fell asleep and Eva wasn’t watching, she slipped out of the campfire and sneaked out into the wilderness, turning back for a last glance.

‘I’m sorry, Eva. My clan needs me. I can’t abandon them.’ She muttered under her breath and leaped out into the bushes. The fresh forest air felt cool against Miyuki’s soft orange fur and the sounds of rustling brambles from the distance calmed her as she padded out of the urban city and back into the forest.

When she reached the great oaks dividing the territory of DreamClan and MudClan, she had realised something.

‘I should have thought this through earlier. I don’t even know where DreamClan camp is.’ She felt confused and baffled, but continued padding through the undergrowth aimlessly. Suddenly, she heard voices of screeching cats coming from around the corner, and froze when she heard a familiar voice that she had came across to on her trip here. Daylight !

She quickly padded down a ravine and into the camp where the clan cats lived. FireClan has already attacked DreamClan camp ! She caught sight of Mosstail, the warrior who had aided her when she was lost, battling another warrior, his claws scraping on the opponent’s jet black pelt. She saw two anxious DreamClan queens hissing and spitting angrily at an old dirty white warrior, struggling to protect their kits.

She could only picture herself fighting along side of them, protecting the clan and fighting off enemies from the clan. She dashed forward to join them, only to be grabbed by the tail by a tortoiseshell she-cat with distinctive Snow White paws. It launched itself at her and held her down, then released one paw.

“Silvertail !” She meowed in surprise, her ears twitching to one side. “I never thought you would come at a time like this. The clan needs your help.”

She placed her paw on Miyuki’s head and meowed silently.

“StarClan has once again sent me an omen. They said that if we can’t protect our clan, then you can.” . Miyuki staggered back into a sitting position.

“But what am I supposed to do ?”

“Use the skills you have inside of you. Let your spirit guide you and let your animal side take control,” She purred, then faced the battle field. “You don’t have much time. Go !”

Miyuki raced up into the clearing and pounced on an orange tom, his emerald green eyes blazed with hatred and fury. She lashed onto his neck and snapped her jaws shut, making sure he doesn’t escape. He meowed in rage and whirled his head around, sending Miyuki off his now blood stained neck. She rose back up and pounced on him once again, but this time, using her claws to grasp on his back. He growled in pain and lashed his paw out on Miyuki’s face, touching her muzzle slightly, making her leap in shock. She heaved up and narrowed her eyes. Is that a star marking on his forehead ? Then, she realised who she was battling with. FireClan Leader !

Chapter 18 – Stronger than ever
Read Chapter 18 of Diane’s part before reading this one. Sooo shocking !

Miyuki laid still on the grass as Daylight padded forward and rub her fur against the sand cat’s orange pelt. She carried some herbs in her mouth and set them down on Miyuki’s wounds.

“Thank you, Driftwhisker.” She mewed quietly as she gave Eva a grateful lick. She leaned down on Driftwhisker and handed her some herbs. Stonestream grunted in disgust.

“So the useless medicine cat is on the good side ?” He grinned coldly as he leaned forward toward Daylight.

“Well then, let’s see how well the Halfbloods could cope without her.” He scrambled in Daylights direction and opened his jaws, venom dripping from his massive fangs. Daylight stumbled back and started hissing at him, but he wouldn’t keep back. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he crept closer and closer. Miyuki squinted her eyes as she caught a glimpse of what was happening.

“Eva…Willow… DAYLIGHT !” . She let out a meow of rage and stood in front of Daylight. “Don’t you dare get any closer.” She threatened. Stonestream licked his lips and stared at her coldly.

“You’re awake now ! What a strong little kitty. I wonder what will happen if I inject some venom into her. “ He crept forward, but faster this time and open his jaws to drip some venom as quickly as possible, but Miyuki was quicker. She leaped upwards, missing a few inches from the venom and dug into Stonestream’s thick flesh. A chill ran through her spine as she felt how cold his blood really was, but kept her claws intact. Stonestream yelped in pain, but Miyuki would not let go.

“You injured Inkpelt, you let Tigertail free, you injected venom into Eva and you tried to murder Daylight. I’ll never forgive you !” Her rage turned into anger as she lashed her paw onto Stonestream’s tail. She tackled him down as Daylight fled the place with a scar on her paw. A roar came out of Miyuki as she unsheathed her claws and dug it into Stonestream’s chest.

Blood trickled out of Stonestream’s body as he lay motionless in the clearing. Miyuki ran back to Eva and licked her gently in the ear.

“I’m sorry for running away.” She whispered to her soothingly. Daylight came back with FireClan’s medicine cat, Petalleaf, with even more leaves and herbs in their mouths. One of the leaves have been soaked in honey and another had been damp with pure water from Storm river.

Miyuki realised that all the FireClan cats have fled DreamClan camp after Stonestream arrived and left the camp in ultimate chaos. She caught sight of a group of cats, huddling by a pale ginger tom laying motionless in the clearing, his pelt stained with red. She padded toward the crowding cats and saw the star on his forehead.

“Leafstar is dead.” A cat announced from the peak of the Highrocks that was now stained with red. “Our leader has served us well, and now we shall make Mosstail our leader.” Miyuki watched the dark tom climbed up to the Highrocks and looked down in sorrow.

“I’m sad to hear that Leafstar had died. He had been a noble leader to us all and he had protected us from everything that had come by us. But now is the time he had joined StarClan and hunt with our warrior ancestors.” He leaned down and shared touches with his old leader for the last time, then looked back up at his clan.

“I have chosen a deputy for our clan that would take my place when I join StarClan. “ He leaped down from the Highrocks and padded towards Miyuki. “Silvertail, you have proven yourself loyal to DreamClan and had fought well against FireClan leader. You have tought him never to mess with us again. Would you take the responsibility of being Deputy ?”

Miyuki nodded her head and smiled at the dark warrior.

“By the powers of StarClan, you are now the deputy of DreamClan.” . The cats of DreamClan cheered for her as she looked up in pride.

*****

After the ceremony, Silvertail checked on both Willow and Eva, who were badly injured in battle.

“How was Driftwhisker and Whistletoe ?” . Daylight pricked up her ears.

“Whistletoe is recovering. Her injuries are getting better.”

“How about Driftwhisker ?” Daylight looked down at her paws.

“She’s not waking up… But she’s still breathing.”

Silvertail looked down at Driftwhisker in despair, then looked up at Daylight, who was tending to Whistletoe’s wounds. “If anything happens, tell me.” she meowed on her way out. She padded out and went through the gorse tunnel, noticing Stonestream on her way. She changed direction and padded toward him, trying to wake him up, but with no luck. He was dead.

Chapter 19 – Because of you

Clara followed the cheetah up the path and into a Janitor’s closet. Her mind whirled with a thousand questions, but she knew that none of them would be answered. The cheetah climbed onto a box and unscrewed a light, revealing a small but noticeable lock.

“Cody…” her voice trailed off as she realised he wasn’t listening. All she heard was the sound of a screwdriver and footsteps from outside, but it never been this loud before. She could smell more than 10 scents and she was shocked to find she had whiskers, paws and a tail.

Suddenly, the door burst open, two girls standing in front. One was a tiger, and the other was a golden retriever. Clara could hear many sounds ringing in her ear, making it hard to hear what the girls and Cody was saying, but she knew from their body language that they were threatening him. After a few moments, she could clearly hear what they talked about and lashed onto the golden retriever.

“Get off me !” She shrieked then scrambled to her paws. Clara never realised she unsheathed her claws, making a deep scar on the dog’s forehead.

“I..I’m sorry…” She stepped back and dilated her eyes. Why was she doing this ? How could she be such an animal ?

She gazed up at the tiger and the cheetah, who was fighting to the death beyond the shelved of cleaning products. The cheetah has blood dripping from his chin, while the tiger had much fatal injuries compared to the cheetah. Just before the tiger pounced on the cheetah, she leaped up and tried to block her path, causing her to pounce on her instead.

Blood oozed out of her left shoulder and she heaved up. Her face was half red and her eyes are hardly noticeable. She collapsed and breathed heavily, blood still pouring onto her pure white fur.

“That’s it ! You’ve done enough.” The fast running cat hissed angrily. “Do you think fighting me would do any good ? Well, I’m going to end you right here, right now.”

Clara acted out again, but this time, against the cheetah. The cheetah’s anger had gotten into him so much, that he had knocked Clara out in a single blow. She didn’t move.

The dog quickly trotted to Clara and checked her pulse. “She’s dead.” The tiger whirled around in fury.

“This is all because of you. She wouldn’t have died if you haven’t made alliances with your father and he wouldn’t have done this to us all. ” .

“I…”

“You let your father get into you so much that you ended up hurting someone. And it’s ALL YOUR FAULT !” A ear splitting yell came from the tiger, then she turned to the door. “Let’s go Tora. We need to report this.” She trotted out of the door and vanished.

A tear slid down the cheetah’s face, down his muzzle and onto the necklace Clara was wearing, repeating what the girl had just said. “It’s all my fault…”

He licked Clara’s left ear, then took notice of her forehead. He licked off the blood from it and gasped.

“Froststar…?”

Chapter 20 – 9 lives

Clara squinted her eyes as she looked around, her pure white pelt glowing silver under the moonlight. She was far away from home, and she knew she wasn’t alone. But how could that be ? She died from Cody’s attack. Is she in the afterlife ? She gazed up at the stars and sighed. This must be the afterlife. Suddenly, a black and white she-cat appeared in front of her, and meowed in greeting.

“StarClan has received your lost life.” She purred under her breath. “Use your remaining 8 lives well, Froststar, and serve your clan in great courage and loyalty.”

With that, the she-cat disappeared and she was once again alone. The moon had disappeared and the stars vanished from the sky, turning the world around her pitch black.

*****

Clara woke up with a start, her fur bristling in surprise. She’d realised that Cody was in the corner of the room, sitting with his tail neatly curled around his paws, tears dripping of sadness. She couldn’t make out the words her mind was saying to her, but she said it anyway.

“Cody, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered.” Cody turned his head and smiled.

“You’re alive ?”

Clara looked down at her paws. “I… Don’t know. They told me I had 8 more lives, and I shall use it to serve my clan in great courage and loyalty.” . Cody narrowed his eyes.

“You’re a leader ?”

Clara shook her head in confusion. “I’m a cat ! How am I supposed to know ? I don’t even know who I am anymore.” She started to sob for awhile. “I’m worthless. Just a burden to everyone and everything. I don’t deserve 8 more chances to live.”

Smokepool pressed his muzzle against Clara’s flank and purred to comfort her.

“You know, I used to like a cat in my clan, we were kit hood friends. She was noble and wise and she’d always spend time with me when we were both warriors. After she became deputy, we separated from each other, going our separate ways. She became leader not long after, and I was proud of her. She was strong, loyal and Intelligent and she was respected throughout the whole forest. She had chosen my father as deputy and he was proud that he was, but he wanted something far more greater than that. The night when he became deputy, was the night that she died. My father was driven out and we had never seen her ever since. “ He stopped and traced back his memories.

“She was my only friend. I missed her. She was a great warrior.” He stopped and purred once again. “But I’d never thought I’d see her again. Here, right now, I’m with the same cat I had always known for moons. Her name was Froststar.”

Clara then remembered what the she-cat told her in her dream. She was Froststar.

Chapter 21 – Inkpelt’s omen

Darkness swirled over Inkpelt as she awaken from her sleep. The place seemed endless, nothing to be seen, but never ending path of black. She wore a white lacy coat around her with her everyday clothing and her whole body that seemed to fade away, as if she was a soul without a body. She looked up at the girl standing right beside her, occupying her body and her mind.

“So, This is how it feels like to have a dark side…” She muttered under her breath, the girl barely hearing what she said. “My past is coming to haunt me.”

A wave of murmurs rang in Inkpelt’s ears as she started to speak. She could hear herself and her loved ones, Cinderfur, Driftwhisker, her parents and her friends. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she was positive it was them. “The present has been corrupted by my evil side, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Visions came into her mind as she spoke, narrowing down every single detail. She could see the past, the present and the future, all of which had shown love, friendship, fear and despair. She couldn’t bare looking at everything all at once, but she refused to turn away. Suddenly, she heard the voice of StarClan.

Stars appeared above their heads as Inkpelt listened to the promising voices of the StarClan warriors, shadows of cats dancing around her. She gazed up at the trail of stars, her eyes gleaming like moonlight, then gave a sad smile that would make anyone cry of empathy. A glimmer of hope sparked in Inkpelt as she continued to listen to the voices calling out for her.

“But there is a bright future ahead of us. I could feel it in my soul.” She whirled around at the girl and kept her eyes on the girl, as if her tears were dry. “That’s why I’ll keep smiling for everyone. Everything I see has hope in it, and nobody could take that privilege away. I shouldn’t worry about anything anymore.”

The stars shone brighter as StarClan heard Inkpelt’s call, engulfing the darkness that was once surrounding the two girls. The outlines of the StarClan warriors were no longer there, but Inkpelt knew their spirits are still lingering around her.

“No… It can’t be…” The girl fell backwards, blinded by the light of the stars and Inkpelt’s joyful spirit. Her Halfblood mark grew pale purple, then a pair of ears and a tail emerged from Inkpelt.

“I remember now… I’m a Halfblood !” A wave of colours spun wildly around the cat Halfblood and a beam of light blinded the girl as she faded to dust.

*****

Inkpelt squinted her eyes and rose from her bed, blinking slightly to gain back her vision. She was in her bedroom alone, with only the sound of a bird singing a tune outside. Her bedroom looked the same, except for one of her framed photos in a trash can by the door. She climbed out of her bed and trotted towards the can, reaching down for the photo frame. The photo was of her and Cinderfur, by a field of brightly colourful flowers, bright yellow sun and light blue sun. How could she forget the moment she had spent with her loved ones ?

She placed the photo back by her desk, then pranced out of the room. She ran down the stairs, then entered the main room of the Halfbloods HQ, only to find the room empty. Driftwhisker’s bag lay on the side of the couch and a glass of water stayed stationary by the table. She flopped down on the couch and noticed a note left on the table. Curious, she picked it up and read it.

Dear Tigertail,
I am sorry for going so late, but the black footed pipsqueak refused to help me unlock you from the prison cell. The stupid panda Halfblood caught me walking into the dungeon so I hid by the forest. The potion has worked. The impact of the potion has already begun on the know-it-all tiger, the timid sand cat and the miniature guinea pig. Or was it a hamster ? Hah ! They thought I was dead from the Sand cat’s wounds, but that puny little cat doesn’t even know I have an armour. Oh well. At least they got what they deserved.

Sincerely, Stonestream

Oh. No. He. Didn’t.

Chapter 22 – Seperation
Sorry for not writing for soo long and so sorry that this is a short chapter. But the series hadn’t ended just yet ! There are more to come in this chapter forward. Read Diane’s chapter before reading this.

All the Halfbloods sat by the table in the Halfbloods HQ, finally facing each other with clean and bright human eyes. There was no job left for anyone here to do.

“What will happen to us now ?” Kuma enquired as Cinderfur joined them.

“I guess we go our separate ways…” Tora looked down at her feet, then smiled. “At least we’re still Halfbloods at heart”

“Your right. I could finally get back to school !” Lilian cheered and plastered a smile on her face, walking toward the exit. “Now that I’m a Giant tortoise, I have plenty of time to Learn.”

“I need to get back home, my father is waiting for me back in FireClan.” Eva turned and left the room.

“I’ll be going back to Julianne Royal Prep.” Clara thanked all the Halfbloods and trotted out the door.

“I’ll be staying here with Cinderfur. We’re going to do a lot of things together !” Kuma giggled and raced away to grab something from her room.

“My teacher would kill me if I don’t get back to school. Gotta go !” Willow ran out of the room with her hands in her pockets.

“But what will happen to…” Tora’s words trailed away. Cinderfur was alarmed and put her hand on Miyuki’s shoulder.

“I’ll be alright. From now on, I’ll be living with DreamClan. My parents would probably orphan me anyway if I stayed with them as a Halfblood.” Miyuki gave the remaining Halfbloods a shy smile, then transformed into a sand cat.

“Tora, tell Lilian goodbye for me. Let StarClan guide you.”

Miyuki gave her paw a little lick, then bounded away into the forest. Tora rose from her chair, then strode out of the HQ.

“Thank you Cinderfur.” she called over her shoulder, leaving Cinderfur on her own. ‘I guess this is the end of the Halfbloods…’

Chapter 23 – Life in a clan

It’s been a year since the Halfbloods have reunited. They’ve all gone their separate ways and go on with their normal human lives, but for a certain Sand cat Halfblood, things are a little different. After officially joining DreamClan, Silvertail was made clan deputy by their leader, Mossstar for her bravery towards Stonestream, a vicious Komodo dragon. Even though Silvertail was their deputy, some DreamClan cats still dislike her for the fact that Mossstar had broken clan tradition to make her deputy.

Despite being mistrusted by half of the clan, Silvertail is now mentoring Mintpaw, a young energetic tom with a humorous attitude. She has given up her twoleg life to be a clan cat, leaving her worries behind, though sometimes she longed for the softness of her bed back home.

Silvertail padded through the undergrowth with Mintpaw at her heels, following the scent of rabbit. She could feel the breeze blowing past and the trees dancing around her as she and her apprentice searched for the rabbit. Suddenly, Mintpaw leaped into a bush and came back with a vole in his jaws, it’s mahogany pelt streaming out blood.

“Nice catch !” Silvertail purred as she gave Mintpaw a lick on his shoulder. “Though, that wasn’t the prey we were after. You could bury it over there and we’ll pick it up later.”

“Ok! I’ll be right back.” With that, Mintpaw bounded away and found a spot to bury his catch. Silvertail still wondered why she was one of the most skilled cats in the clan without any training and she knew that most cats would be wondering the same thing. As she waited for her apprentice to return, she heard paw steps in the distance.

She could smell DreamClan scent, though not a very familiar one and decided to creep closer toward the scent. As she crept closer, she could make out a little bit of the figure’s shape, trying to track down the same rabbit she scented earlier. She drew nearer and realised the cat has spotted her. It’s amber eyes gleamed in the mist and it’s ears pricked up in surprise.

“Otterblaze ?” The cat’s face flushed scarlet, then it dashed away into the undergrowth. ‘What is he doing out here ? Why was he stalking me ? Isn’t he supposed to be mentoring his apprentice ?’ Silvertail let out a sigh, then turned back to Mintpaw.

“Silvertail, where were you ?”

“Nowhere of your concern. Come on, why don’t we find that rabbit.” Mintpaw’s eyes lit up once again as they both tracked down the little white creature. The two cats followed the rabbit’s scent, then halted when they reached Thunderpath. A monster roared past as the cats came to a stop, emitting a puff of black smoke.

“The rabbit went across. Let’s follow it.” Mintpaw meowed as he stepped forward, then raced across successfully.

“Mintpaw !” Silvertail rushed after him and reached the other side in no time. “Please don’t go rushing off like that-“

Silvertail stopped for a moment, then looked at her surroundings. A tall grey building stood in front of her, gates wide open and a pebble path leading toward a door. Silvertail knew where she really was, Halfbloods HQ

Movie review : Big hero 6

Big hero 6 is a fascinating piece of cinema that has caught the attention of many viewers. This incredible film was released in December 2014 and has inspired children young and old. Chris Williams and Don hall has combines an action-packed plot, loveable characters and a tender message to create an awesome Disney animation film, Big hero 6. The storyline has touched many hearts and the animation has captivated many audiences.

The plot of Big hero 6 is imaginative from beginning to end, making the movie more riveting and exciting. Disney had done an adaptation to a comic called Big Hero 6 to create this movie. The movie starts at a futuristic world of San Francokyo, where things are quite different to the world today. The movie introduces a character named Hiro Hamada, a 14-year-old genius who spend his time taking part in robot fighting. His older brother, Tadashi Hamada, encourages Hiro to apply to his university and participate in the annual exhibition to get in. He agreed and invented something incredible to showcase, Microbots. On the night of the exhibition, a fire broke out on the university, causing Hiro to flee from the scene and leave both his invention, and his older brother. Days after the incident, Hiro still had not gotten over his brother’s death and begun to avoid the outside world. One day, Hiro has accidentally activated Baymax, a healthcare robot invented by Tadashi, who is eager to help Hiro. The two of them discovered a man who has been controlling Microbots and has been mass-producing the little robots who wore mask and is called Yokai. Join Hiro in his journey as he meets friends along the way, such as GoGo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred, and build a bond with the friendly robot, Baymax, in their quest to save the world from the Microbots. This story had touched many hearts and got audiences on the edge of their seats.

The humorous character of Baymax will intrigue you as the film progresses. Baymax, voiced by Scott Adsit, is a robot invented to help people who are sick or injured. Baymax was featured in the movie most of the time and caught the eyes of people with his humble appearance and humorous personality. Viewers will grow interested in Baymax as his friendship grew stronger with Hiro and is one of the most loved characters in the movie. Audiences will also adore the character of Hiro, the movie’s main protagonist and part of the Big hero 6 crew. His character was played by the talented actor, Ryan Potter. His creative mind will captivate you and his journey will be a memorable one. Along the way, Hiro will meet a set of characters, such as GoGo Tomago, a daredevil girl, Honey lemon, a perky-in-pink lady, Wasabi, a clever student, and Fred, a comic-loving boy, joining forces with them and become the Big hero 6 crew. The creators of this movie had done a great job combining such interesting characters and thrilling plot into this movie.

The creators of Big hero 6 had added an important message into the movie, making more tension and more tender. After watching this movie, viewers will agree that having Resilience and persistence is an important thing to do even when life turns around. Viewers will also agree that violence is never the answer as it’ll make the situation a lot worse.The movie has done a great job passing on this message audiences of any age. This movie has taught children to never give up, to believe in themselves and that 2 wrongs don’t make a right. Once you have watched this movie, these messages will be memorable to you as much as the storyline will tender your heart.

Overall, Big hero 6 is a great movie, with a thrilling plot, interesting characters and important messages. The creators of the movie has done an absolutely tremendous job on combining these elements together to create this captivating movie. This movie is highly recommended if you are into the futuristic, robotic world and it will be placed in the blockbusters section for years to come. I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Written by
Cougar >^. .^<

Haunted

This story is based off a real life event, so if you’re creeped out easily, don’t read this.
Chapter 1

I’ve always wondered if horror stories are true, but people have always told me that all these tales are just make believe. Here in the town of Tikela, People have found comfort in knowing that these terrifying tales are fiction, but what if it isn’t ?

My parents told me that my grandmother used to own a antique golden mirror in the year 1975 that used to sit right near her bed, so when she wakes up, she could see her own reflection. Strangely enough, the minute she bought that mirror was when unfortunate happenings started occurring.

On the first day, my grandmother’s rose garden has been struck by lightning and her dog has been mummified in the attic. On the second day, my great grandfather had a heart attack and died at the same time as when my aunt got shot by a bullet. On the third day, she looked into the mirror and she realised she looked frailer, and skinnier. On the fourth day, my grandfather went blind. And finally, and the fifth day, half of the house burned down and my grandmother died in the fire.

Soon after the fire, Mum passed on the mirror to her old babysitter, who she loved very dearly, not knowing the misfortune it had caused and what a huge mistake she had made. The next day, she went missing, then her body was found near a swamp not far from her house. It looked like she was washing her clothes before she drowned, but her neighbours have stated that she was committing suicide.

After she died, the authorities gave all her belongings to a garage sale and sold all her items, including the enchanted mirror. Soon, a man named Jacob bought the mirror and took it back home, only to go through the same misfortune as the other victims. After Jacob’s death, his brother, Mike, has realised the mirror was the cause of all the misfortunes and locked it away in a tower, in a cabinet at the top of the tower, never to be seen ever again.

Freedom ( Halfblood story )

Prologue

I was always the underdog of the group. Everybody seems so popular and well known, and I’m just the one left out of the gang or taken out of a picture. They’d always boss me around and put me under pressure. I’m not very noticeable either. People would hardly talk to me, or even say hi. My older siblings has been better than me and my parents don’t treat me the same way just because I was adopted. It feels as if it is everyone for themselves.

The only person who have supported me was my little sister, Allie. We are biologically related and we were adopted together. She was the only one who I could truly rely on. She’s always there for me and vice versa.

Thunder is also a great friend of mine. He’s a Labrador retriever and he’s the family dog. Ever since I came into the household, he was the first to welcome me.

Sometimes, I imagine to do something I’ve always wanted to do. To fly. Isn’t that everyone wants ? To soar through the clouds and reach for the stars ? To leave all your troubles behind and follow your heart ? I’ve promised myself that one day, I’ll be up there somewhere, where I could be free as a bird.

Should you give out personal information on the internet ?

My name is Cougar. I’m a girl, and I’m 11… Ok, should I even be doing this ? It wouldn’t cause any harm would it ? Could giving out my personal information really make a big difference ?

You might have seen people giving out their personal information through the internet, but why should you do it ? To fit in ? NO WAY ! It’s not safe. Do you even know who is on the other side of the screen ? Your friend ? Your family member ? Your sibling ? Or a serial killer trying to track you down ? What if that friend of yours you met through Facebook is not actually the person they’re claiming to be ? Whatever you do, nobody is to be trusted on the internet.

When somebody asks for you real name, don’t give it to them ! They could get you into trouble or even call the police on you even if you never did anything. It is ok if you tell them to call you a nickname like ‘Bob’ or ‘Playdoh’ but don’t make your nickname your own name. It is ok to give your real name to someone you KNOW you could trust, like a teacher and not a random person you chatted to the other day.

Ever heard of the word identity-theft ? It means getting into other people’s personal stuff and takes it from you. If you ever posted a picture of yourself on Instagram or something like that, don’t share it to people you don’t know. They could easily pretend to be you with your name, address, selfie and other stuff that originally belonged to you. They could even hack into your account and steal everything in it, including your PASSWORD !

So it’s not a very good idea to give out personal info on the internet, is it ? Should’ve thought about it before sending that selfie to your online friend, or registering on that website with your real name. Just as long as you remember not to give anything important away, you’ll be fine.

Check your password’s safety here ; howsecureismypassword.com

IMG_1990.JPG

Animal Halfbloods 2

Chapter 1 – Summer holidays

It’s that time again, when kids go running around outside and the temperature rising every minute of the day. When people eat Popsicles and spend their day sun bathing. Summer Holidays… School is over for the season and it’s time to take a break from all the exams and essays. I don’t normally go outside, especially when I’m in my cozy bedroom with all my books and my computer, but in summer holidays I feel like I could do anything.

The waves crashed down onto the sea as we walked down the Sandhills above. My friend, Cat, was settling down on the picnic blanket, helping her parents prepare the food and refreshments while Michael, her little brother, was building sand castles by the shoreline, picking up his plastic red shovel to scoop up wet sand. I looked out into the blissful sea and wondered how long this would last, no more school, no more stress. Just the peaceful landscape beyond the ocean. I breathed in the fresh air and smiled as I felt it entering my lungs and escaping through my mouth, as if draining all the sadness in the world away.

As I trekked forward, my toes felt something underneath all the glittering golden sand. It might just be a broken shell, but my curiosity took the best of me as I leaned down to pick it up. It was just a piece of paper. I should have known ! I continued walking down to the waters and left the piece of paper lay on the sand, folded slightly in half. I looked over to the picnic blanket and saw Cat already skidding down the Sandhills towards me.

“Ready to surf ?” She giggled with a little wink.

“You’re on !” I lunged myself forward and entered the water, waiting for the perfect moment to arrive, but Cat was a better surfer and kept going, only to catch a big wave of saltwater. I clapped my hands as she paddled back to me with pride.

“Cool ! How did you know that there was a huge wave coming ?”

She shrugged and gave me a thoughtful look. “I don’t know. The waves were just calling me.”

I laughed at her joke and we both scrambled up the Sandhills to the picnic area, where Mrs Webster was. She was applying sunscreen as we reached the blanket and we both flopped down beside her. She shot us a grateful smile, then handed us a piece of juicy red watermelons each. Juice dripped down from the piece I was holding and landed on my toe, but I really didn’t care. I nibbled on the piece of fruit, making the sensation last as long as possible, then tossed the core into the bin nearby. I never tasted a watermelon this juicy before.

“Mum, could we get some fish and chips after this ?” Cat enquired cheerfully as she trotted down into the shoreline. Mrs Webster nodded and scanned through her purse, pulling out a twenty dollar note. I strolled down the Sandhills after Cat and raced her to the ocean, tripping over the waves as we go. Cat stopped for a second and picked up a seashell from the shallow waters, then raced back to her mother. I could tell she loves seashells as much as she loves surfing, and so do I, but I am better off leaving them on the beach for the crabs to reuse than to keep on my bedroom shelf.

After many hours, the pale blue sky has already turned a dark golden colour as the sun began to tiptoe towards the horizon. Mr and Mrs Webster were packing their things as me and Cat continued blabbing about how we wanted summer holidays to go on forever, but we knew it’s not possible. We waved our goodbyes and gone our separate ways, turning back to check whether we have gone out of view.

I walked through the shoreline and let the water reach the end of my toes, breathing deeply, letting my worries leave my body. It felt nice to see that I could just calm myself down as moonrise approaches and to feel so free from the stress and anxiety of the city beyond. I just wished it was like this everyday, just me and Cat, playing together by the waters of the ocean.

I looked on and caught sight of a shadowing figure, leaning down and picking up sand. It looked like a young child, no older than six years old, who was taking a shovel and carefully digging into the sand. As I drew closer to the child, I realised two things. One, that little boy was Michael, Cat’s little brother. And two, I could hear a shark nearby. Oh no…

Chapter 2 – Letters and voices

“Megan !” I heard a voice calling out behind me. It was Cat, running down from the heap of sand and racing towards Michael, panting as she splashed into the water to grab her little brother. For a moment, I just stood there, then hauled myself onto Michael to keep him from wriggling around. His tiny hands slapped onto my arms and his foot kicked furiously, keeping us from holding him still. The shark is coming, I could sense it, I could hear it.

A triangular shape emerged from the deep ocean waters as we tried to get Michael out of the water, struggling to keep our heads up. Cat yanked on his arm and pulled him out of the water, brushing off the sand in his red sun-burnt face. He had his arm crossed with his shovel on one hand and plastic yellow beach themed bucket in the other, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“what were you thinking, going out so far into the ocean like that ?” Cat snapped angrily as she took his shovel out of his hands.

“You called me a wuss.”

I looked at Michael’s young eyes, then sighed deeply. I knew he wasn’t such a forgiving person when it comes to calling him names. Mrs Webster came down from the Sandhills and picked up the young boy, giving off warnings to him. I could see Cat was worried about him, especially when he’s out this late. I gave Cat another wave of goodbye and headed straight up the sand hills, halting by a small white car. By the driver’s seat, was Tom, who was texting on his phone while waiting for me. I could tell he was here for more than half an hour, but I don’t expect him to blame me.

“Megan. You’re late.” He hissed between his typing. I couldn’t help but giggle about what he was texting about and open the door of the back seat.

“I’m sorry,” I thrusted my bag on the car and stepped in, only to be stopped by a high-pitched voice from the forests around the corner.

“Megan… Help me !” I turned back to see nothing but darkness around the parking lot, and a magpie perched on a flag pole. “Please… Megan… HELP ME !”

I yanked myself back, then gazed out into the woods.

“Did you hear that, Tom ?”

“Are you crazy ? All I heard was you gasping.” I knew my brother was sharp tongued, but I didn’t know that he could be this rude. “Now get into the car, we’re going home.”

I sighed, then jumped back into the back seat of the car, gazing out of the window and into the forest, wondering what might be lurking in between all the pine trees. Who was calling me ?

Chapter 3 – Omen of truth

The breeze lightly brushed past my skin, calming me as I opened my eyes. I rose up and gazed out into the open, where the trees were as crisp as the first day of spring. It seemed peaceful, for a moment, then the sound of wailing rang in my ears violently, causing birds to flee from the area. I whirled around and looked desperately for the source of the noise, but the cries of help stopped me. I yanked myself back up and raced into the trees beyond, the world around me getting bigger each time I took one step forward.

In that moment, I caught sight of Eva, who was on the ground gasping for breath, then turned to find Cat entering a cave, her eyes narrowed. She didn’t seem to know what she was doing, but did it anyway. I lunged forward to stop her, but a roar of thunder kept me from getting to her. The wailing kept going forever, ringing in my ears for help. This can’t be happening…

“Megan, are you ok ?” . I blinked two times, glanced around, then turned to Eva, who was standing next to me. “You seem… Troubled.”

I shook my head, then smiled gratefully at her. “I just needed some fresh air.”

Eva looked at me encouragingly. “Then go get some. I’ll be waiting by your locker.”

With that, she dashed off to put her books away, leaving me behind. I wasn’t lying, but I wasn’t telling the truth either, so I decided to go outside and did what I was supposed to do. I stopped by the front yard, then breathed in the cool air, waiting for the sensation to linger throughout my body. It’s a nice feeling, maybe not as cool as the winter breeze, but I continued to enjoy the luxuriant wind passing through.

Suddenly, I heard that voice again, the voice that was calling out to me, the voice that has appeared in my dreams many times, the cry of help. I raced out of the school and into the woods, wondering what the source of the voice might be. This is reality. I can’t mess up on this. If I do, then I could put people in grave danger.

I continued running toward the voice, then halted when I saw a small rabbit-like creature on the ground, it’s neck and flank gushing out blood. I kneeled down at it, then picked it up, examining it’s body.

“Megan… Help me…” It squeaked in pain, then began to limp in my arms.

“Don’t touch that creature.” Another voice roared from behind the trees. “He’s none of your business.”

I glanced back at the voice, then edged backwards. It was a tiger.

Chapter 4 – Connection

“Megan. You know very well that you shouldn’t wear a hat in class.” Mrs Quinn shot me a suspicious stare. “Please take it off or I will.”

I shuddered. I couldn’t let the class see that rabbit creature on my head, or my cat like ears. After what the tiger had told me, cat ears have been popping up randomly on my head. A Halfblood… What’s that ? Is it some sort of person with two types of bloods ? I am completely hopeless. I kept thinking about it, only to be disturbed by my teacher.

“Hat off please.”

“But miss-“

“Now !” I hesitated for awhile, then touched the frilly sides off the hat. Carefully, I took the hat off and slip my left arm over my head, dropping the hat on the floor. The creature slept peacefully in the hat as I took out my pencil from my dark blue pencil case. Some of my classmates stared at me in confusion, some shrugged it off, and Eva, who was sitting on the other side of the room, gave me a worried look.

I kept my hands over my head to hide my cat ears, feeling the warm tufts of fur brushing through my skin as I continued writing my essay. It seemed normal for awhile, until Miss Kendal, my science teacher, told me to come up on the board and write an example of carnivores that live in harsh conditions. My arm was still over my ears, making every eye look directly on me. I picked up a pen from Miss Kendal’s table and struggled to open the lid.

“What’s the matter, Megan ? Do you need help opening the lid ?” Miss Kendal took a step forward and took the pen from my hand. She separated the pen and the lid, then gave me the pen to write on the board. I caught a glimpse of my desk and gasped silently when I saw the creature on my desk. I dashed forward and took the creature onto my chair.

“Stay there !” I muttered, then raced back to the whiteboard. Did anyone see that creature on my desk ? I could get in big trouble for bringing an animal to school ! More people were getting suspicious as I picked up the pen, ready to write. So far, they wrote Polar bears, Lions and Wild dogs, which are very obvious answers.

‘Can’t think of anything, huh ?’ I thought as ideas started popping up in my head. I turned to Miss Kendal and smiled.

“May I do more than one example ?” I enquired in a friendly voice. I expected her to say that the class could think of more themselves, but I’m the best at these kind of things as I take interest in them and she let me continue.

First, I wrote the Wolf, then the Iberian Lynx. Under that, I wrote Falcon and then I added Eagle. Soon after, I wrote Black footed cat and above that, Sand cat. Next to the Sand cat, I wrote Tiger and below that, was Snow leopard. I ran out of space and had to write Cheetah over Snow leopard. Strangely enough, I put them in a specific order.

All the animals that were listed were scattered everywhere, but some of the ones I listed were grouped together. The wolf is fairly close to some of the animals I listed, but blends in with the rest of the animals listed. I feel a connection between me and these animals, but I don’t know how. Then, another animal popped into my head. Something very familiar though very odd to write. Out of all the animals I listed, this was the one I had the strongest connection with. The Fennec Fox