Jayhaven Chronicles

Rapid was running through a lush, beautiful field filled with the scents of prey and everything lovely a cat could dream about. He heard the sounds of his friends beside him, laughing and rolling through the sweet smelling grass.

“Come on, Rapid!” He heard Peak exclaim from a few feet away. “Bet you can’t catch me!”

Rapid smiled and turned to chase him, but oddly found that there was no one behind him.

“Over here, Rapid!” Sedge laughed.

“Come and get us, bud!” Hawk bellowed.

“It’ll be fun, little blue!”

“Come on, what are you waiting for ’Apid?”

“Let’s go!”

Rapid felt confusion swim in his head. “Where are you?” He cried, swinging around frantically.

Suddenly, the sun above the field dimmed. He could still hear voices, but all of a sudden their tones were panicked.

“No, don’t leave me!” Rapid heard Raven, his friend that had died in the battle, cry out in fear.

Rapid jumped back. “What’s going on?” He crouched low and tried to back away.

“Where are you going?” Crisp’s voice exclaimed, more fright in her voice than he had ever heard. “What about us?”

Rapid slunk to the ground and covered his ears. “Stop it!” He sobbed helplessly. “Leave me alone!”

He felt a comforting paw stroke his head, and he looked up slowly. Rapid saw ghostly figures of his parents there, giving him sad gazes from their glowing pupil-less eyes.

“Please, don’t forget us, my little river.” His mother Rain whispered softly. “We sure haven’t forgotten you.”

Rapid felt tears begin to stream down his face. “I won’t, I won’t!”

His father’s gaze suddenly turned hard as stone. “But you already have.” Thorn boomed. “Every day you forget us more!”

Then the voices started saying, “How dare you?” “Are we nothing to you?” And then Claw yowled out in pain, “You should have saved me!”

Rapid woke up with real tears flowing from his eyes, shock and horror coursing through him. I think I’m going to throw up!

Thankfully he didn’t, still he felt like curling up next to his mother like a newborn again, but like the dream had so cruelly reminded him-

He would never see her ever again.