Riley gulped. He was huge. He seemed even bigger now that he was in the sunlight. Riley had to guess that he was somewhere between thirty to fifty feet tall, and his paws were nowhere near the size of a garbage truck, but they looked that big. He had long, plumy and silky blue and white fur that occasionally shifted, the white patches morphing into clouds. What Riley thought was a whip turned out to be his tail, a monstrous one, at least ten feet in length. It was plumy, but also bushy because the fur was very dense but kept together, not sticking out all over the place like Riley's cat Mochi. It swung into view, then back into the darkness behind him.
It occurred to Riley that these things can fly, but she couldn't know how. Her first thought was wings, but she has read mythology of dragons flying without wings, magically slithering in the air as their way of flight. Then... it couldn't be possible. The only creature from mythology that flew with wings was...Catwings.
Carlos looked at him, terrified. He voiced Riley's thoughts. "That's a Catwing. A real, live Catwing. Not mythological creatures. An actual real one. Standing in front of us. In the flesh."
Riley nodded. "I also thought they were myths." She looked at the Catwing again. "They're real after all. All this time, I guess."
Carlos frowned at her. "But where are his wings?"
As if responding to him, the Catwing opened large wings that were unique to only Catwings. They were bat-shaped, but they were rounder and bigger, which was what allowed them to fly at startling speeds through the sky. On top of his head, there were two long and shiny horns that came to a point sharper than any knife. His eyes looked even more eerie in the sunlight, and he stared at her as though he was the hunter, and she the prey. The Catwing swung his tail around, and Riley's blood turned to ice. A long stinger, shining with venom, slid out of it, coming to a point that couldn't possibly be achieved by a knife filer. He sat down, wrapping his tail neatly around his paws, and narrowed his eyes, studying them. The darkness unfolded to reveal two other Catwings beside them. Other than their fur and eye color, they looked identical.
Riley was surprised to realize that they are triplets. That was her theory at first, but it was incredibly dark that time, unnaturally dark. I'm guessing these creatures had something to do with the darkness, Riley realized.
Carlos slowly turned around and started walking back to camp. The blue Catwing opened his mouth and roared; a loud, echoing sound that rattled Riley's eardrums. It was so loud, in fact, that she had to crouch down on the ground to avoid her eardrums being shattered. Carlos fell down, crawling toward her, his agony displayed on his face as he rolled around, covering his ears with his hands.
Riley felt pity for him. She knew that he was experiencing the same pain as her. The blue Catwing pointed to Carlos and growled something at the other two. The other two looked at each other and shrugged (actually shrugged! Riley never thought she would see a "mythical" creature do something so familiar-looking) and meowed back at the blue Catwing. He rolled his eyes and sighed. The green-brown Catwing frowned at him and hissed at her gray-furred brother, who hissed back at her and pointed, this time at Carlos.
Despite the way that the blue one seemed to command the other two, Riley could tell that he was the youngest Triplet, and that he is as much ordered around as Riley was. The blue Catwing looked at Riley again, smirking. He jerked his head toward his brother, then looked at her again. Riley didn't need to understand his language to know that his brother will... give her a ride next time. He slithered in front of Riley, his blue belly fur brushing her head. Lashing out a paw, he grabbed Sam and tossed her in the air. Riley held her breath as she saw Sam screaming, getting caught by the female. The female opened her wings and started flapping them.
The air that grabbed Riley was nothing like she ever has experienced before. It seemed to be alive, grabbing her and throwing her around, a miniature tornado that got larger and bigger as the female flapped her wings even more. It was so much, in fact, that she once again had to force herself to the ground, but this time it was impossible. As she was being flung around, the female used this to her advantage to grab her. She saw Sam a few feet away from her. So close, yet so far away, Riley thought achingly. The blue male stood up on his hind legs and spread his wings majestically, his shadow falling over Riley, his blue eyes glittering with hunger. He turned around and jumped into the air, flapping his wings to fly. It once again slapped Riley, but this time the air was not as severe as before, and it quickly dissipated.
The female suddenly jumped into the air and flew into the sky. Riley looked down over her captor's paw and gulped. They were so high. The trees looked like little sprouts and the field slowly getting smaller and smaller as they gradually began to fly farther from the field. The female suddenly banked and dove. The blood rushed up to her head as the pressure suddenly dropped. The female landed right in front of a den. She pulled what looked like a log up and opened the door. She dropped Riley in the den and secured the door by putting the log back in its place. She turned and slithered away to somewhere else. The blue one flew by, stopped, dropped Carlos off, and went after his sister. The gray Catwing did the same, except this time he turned and stormed off in the opposite direction as his two siblings. Riley walked to Carlos and checked him for injuries.
"Are you okay?" she asked, checking his arms.
Carlos nodded, rubbing them. "Yeah. I'm just a bit dizzy from that flight. They banked so suddenly that my blood went up to my head." He shook his head. "I'm all good now."
"Sam?" She turned to her friend, who was lying down with her arms over her head.
"I'm fine," she groaned. "Just want to stay here and sleep for a bit. Flight startled me."
Riley nodded. "You do that. Meanwhile, Carlos. We can see if we can escape this den. There's a gap under the log that seems intentional. Maybe if we crouch-"
"I wouldn't do that."
Riley turned toward the voice, a 20ish woman with long black hair. She was leaning against the den wall outside, and she was looking right at her. Riley frowned. "Why not? They're nowhere to be seen. Might as well explore, don't you think?"
The woman sighed. "I was like you, once. I thought that this island was a grand place to explore. Lots of trees. Perfect hiding spots, etc."
Her expression turned bitter. "I thought those Catwings were harmless. Just oversized cats that happened to have wings on their backs. Little did I know how deadly they truly are."
Riley glanced at Carlos, that claw once again climbing up her spine. "Um...what exactly do you mean by that?" Carlos asked.
The woman hesitated. "Well... I won't tell you."
"Oh, come on! You're seriously going to act like that? Fine. I'll yell until the Catwings come. I bet that will make you talk," Riley snapped.
The woman held up her hands. "Okay, okay! Fine." She looked at them both gravely. "That stinger of theirs? It's not only laced with venom. It also has a very deadly and powerful 'sickness'," she said, making air quotes. "It's not so much a sickness as a disease, but it's not really a disease either. It's hard to explain," she said, shaking her head.
"Well, we're gonna have to stick together, then," Riley said. "It's the only way for us to at least try to survive."
The woman nodded. "That's honestly a great idea. We can become a little group. What's your name?"
"Riley. The boy is Carlos, and the girl sleeping over there is Sam," she said, nodding toward her. "We got caught...I think, a week ago? I don't know."
The woman nodded. "Nice to meet you three. Name's Raven. I have a friend named June. We've been on this island for... I forgot that time is messed up here."
"Oh. Same. I don't know whether it's been a year, or a few weeks, actually," Riley admitted.
Raven squinted at the sun. "A few weeks. You can tell by the sun. I've been here for a year, now that I think about it. I've been lucky to survive, what with all the Contaminated running around aimlessly and absorbing people."
Carlos blinked, confused. "Contaminated? Absorbed?"
Raven nodded. "The most horrifying things about those Catwings. Except, the word 'absorbed' doesn't have the same meaning as we usually know it." She turned around. "Come out through the gap and carefully walk with me. I wanna show you something."
She waited patiently as Riley and Carlos slowly walked through the gap. They quickly and silently walked toward Raven and started following her. Riley had trouble keeping up with her; she walked easily over the logs and giant leaves on the forest floor. She's obviously had a lot of experience, Riley thought.
She stopped at the top of a little hill and pointed. "Look down there," she whispered.
Riley's stomach lurched. Below them, a mass of people were walking around, aimlessly just like Raven said. Their clothes were tattered and ripped, and their skin...
"What's wrong with their skin?" she whispered. Raven shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I know, it seems terrifying. But you're right. Their skin has a blue shade to it, doesn't it? It's also bubbling strangely, like a little volcano. Must be that gray 'wing you saw."
"Wait..." Riley was struck with a horrible thought. "Do all of them do this?"
Raven shook her head. "No, thank goodness. But the three most dangerous ones, the blue, brown-green, and gray 'wings are the ones that can do that."
She rubbed the back of her head. "Um...I actually do know their names, but I can't say them. Just saying them is a guaranteed death. You'll meet them when the time comes." She turned around and looked at Riley over her shoulder. "We might as well get back. The blue 'wing has a nasty temper, and I don't want him to realize that you two are missing."
"Why do you care if we die or live?" Riley asked, genuinely curious.
Raven looked her in the eyes. "I was like you and Carlos once. Scared. Confused. Death hanging right above my head. Plus, it's fun having some other people. I like company."
"Oh." Riley was touched. Besides her three friends and family, she's never felt this close to a stranger before. Raven seems a bit familiar, but she can't quite place where she's seen her before.
Carlos looked all around him. "It's honestly a cool looking forest that has some desolation in it." He looked at Raven. "How many?"
Raven sighed. "At least thirty. Not counting the ones in the pit. Jha-the blue Catwing can literally Contaminate you with a thought." She ducked into the den and sat down. "Get some sleep. I'll watch tonight."
"Why would you need to watch?" Riley asked.
Carlos answered her. "To make sure if any Catwing suddenly appears. If any Contaminated come and attack us. That sort of thing."
"Oh." Riley felt like an idiot for asking that. Of course, Carlos was right. Death was everywhere, and they needed someone to watch in case they got attacked.
"Exactly. You two can sleep. We can take turns watching."
Riley agreed with that. It would be tiring for just one person to keep doing it, so rotating will let the other people get some sleep before it's their turn.
Raven watched while Riley slept. Her dreams were...strange, to say the least. She kept seeing Catwings tower over her in a black void, them actually talking to her, and a massacre that showed blood coming in floods, people screaming as the Catwings set them on fire, their bodies melting from the fire. She saw Catwings grin gleefully as they enslaved humans and took them into the dens. Catwings mercilessly slaughtering all humans who dare try to escape. Blood flowing from people's throats as the long stinger cut deep into them. And so on and so forth.
Something touched Riley, and she shot up, sweating and panting. She turned to see Raven watching her with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"
She hesitated. Should she trust a total stranger? Raven had helped them survive so far. But, she didn't know her; she gave in and told her about her dreams: the slaughtering, the massacre, and the blood that kept flowing and flooding everywhere, the rotten smell assaulting her nostrils.
Raven stayed quiet, listening. She was a good listener, Riley realized. No wonder she pays attention to things; she actually listens instead of interrupting people, Riley thought with admiration.
Raven nodded. "That massacre wasn't a dream. It was real. I heard stories about how terrifying it was: the 'wings slaughtering the innocent people, killing them with no hesitation." She shuddered. "That's why you can see ruins of towns that used to be here: they were burnt to the ground."
She looked at Riley in awe. "I think that blue 'wing gave you a glimpse of the future." She blinked. "That's really, really cool. I think he gave it to your friends as well," she said, nodding toward Carlos and Riley.
"Why us? It could have been anyone else," Riley said.
Raven shrugged. "I don't know. But, you should accept that. Not every person is granted a gift like that. I'll warn you that that can lead to terrible things."
Riley frowned. "Like what?"
Raven smirked at her. "You'll find out. Also, I forgot to mention that it's your turn to watch. Let me know if you see anything."
She nodded. "Got it. And thanks for letting me know."
Raven smiled at her. "No problem. Glad to help a fellow person out. Good night!"
Riley found that a bit inaccurate, considering that they were on an island where death is hanging everywhere around them. But it was a good night, though. They didn't die the first few weeks. They're still quite alive, actually. We were lucky to meet Raven at the right time, she thought. We would never be alive without her.
As Raven was sleeping, Riley stayed awake, alert for any danger. She heard the bushes rustle, and a...thing came out of them. It was dark, so she couldn't see it well, but what she could see horrified her. The skin was bubbling and blistering constantly, as if something hot was permanently applied to its skin. Deadly vines crept around the legs and arms of the person, controlling its movements. She could see the eyes: small, glittering blue eyes that seemed to be assessing her, as its gaze was flicking from her head to toes very quickly. But what was the most horrifying thing of all was the mass of icy tentacles spreading from its torso to its head. It basically burst out, creeping along the neck and going inside the head, and the head tentacles going into the torso, and vice versa. Despite its movements and seeming very alive, Riley knew that if she touched it (which she wouldn't, given the fact that the bubbling skin would come in contact with her fingers, which will result in her feeling very weird and she didn't want to go through that, NO THANK YOU), there would be no pulse. The thing would have no soul.
So that's what Raven meant by not a disease but a sickness. They're both alive and dead at the same time. That's...creepy. Imagine the pain the person has to go through before they become that, she thought, shuddering.
It shuffled closer to her, its breath so bad that she had to cover her mouth with her shirt, choking on the bad smell. It reached out a hand, then dropped it. Riley turned to Raven and shook her. "Wake up! Please!"
Raven sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What? What's wrong?" she asked, looking at Riley's scared face. She looked over Riley's shoulder and her eyes widened. "Get back. Now."
Riley backed up as Raven approached the creature. She whispered, so quiet that Riley had to creep a little bit closer, "Worm? What happened to you?"
The creature gave no recognition. It simply stood there staring at her, its mouth moving as if it wanted to speak. Finally, it spoke. The voice sent chills down Riley's spine. It was a low, gravelly voice, with a hint of a rasp in it, but an oozing, slithering rasp. It also had a creeping quality that unsettled Riley. "Worm? He's no longer alive. And I thought you hated him," the creature said, smirking.
"At least I'm not heartless," Raven retorted. "I'm not the one using a corpse to talk to another person."
The creature waved this off with a clawed hand. "Eh. He's good enough. His soul is currently stored in another vessel. Once I'm done with him, he can have his soul back."
Riley couldn't keep it in anymore. "A vessel? Is that what we are to you? Something to keep stored until you can use it again?" she exclaimed, disgusted.
Raven glanced at her. "Shut up!" she hissed. "That's-"
"No, no, it's fine." The creature turned his eerie gaze on Riley. "I'm surprised. A bold human? I should have guessed that, considering you tried to escape when you kicked my paw. Of course, it didn't result in anything, did it? Even Raven knows when to keep quiet."
Riley suddenly realized with a chill who she was talking to. "You're that blue Catwing, aren't you?"
The vines shifted as they made the creature slowly nod. "That is right. I knew you were smart. Why do you think I gave you those visions?"
"Raven told me you had a name. What is it?"
The creature shrugged. "That will be revealed when the time comes." It suddenly jerked and closed its eyes, and then opened them again. "My interfering sister wants to talk to you." It pouted. "No one lets me have any fun. I guess I'll have to play with you another time." It jerked again, more violently this time, and the icicles that glowed faded. The vines slowly started glowing as the creature opened its eyes again, its eyes a bright green this time. The voice was a bit higher pitched, indicating that the voice was female, but it was still filled with that deadly malice that the last voice had.
It leaned toward Riley. "Hello. I see you met my brother first, didn't you?" It frowned. "He wasn't supposed to go first. I was, since I'm much better at controlling these corpses as he is." It suddenly jerked and the other voice spoke, this time with an underlying tone of anger in it. "No, you are not. I am. Why do you think the leader let me go first? He knows how much you have messed up over the years, you know. He still hasn't forgotten that time when you-"
"ALRIGHT!" the female voice snapped. "I get it, little brother. I know that he hasn't forgotten. But this is my opportunity to...communicate with these three particular humans." One half of the face spoke in the blue Catwing's voice. "I know. It's just been a rough time, hasn't it? I mean, with her close to giving birth, and that race that's coming up..." It trailed off, the blue eye glowing with frustration.
The female voice, the right side of the face, sighed. "I know how frustrating it is. This is her second litter, and she will have to go through that again." In the background behind the voice, Riley could hear the female's tail being placed on her brother's shoulder. "I will always be here for you. And no, I don't give a claw about the humans hearing this. They'll find out soon enough."
The male voice sighed. "No, you're right. It's just... I can't stand to see her like that: the cramps overtaking her, causing her to crumple to the ground and her being CARRIED INTO THE DEN!" the male voice finished, shouting.
The female voice turned calm. "You can take your anger out on the humans. That makes you feel better, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does. I just need a 'moment' with them," it said, making air quotes.
The female voice half smiled. "Okay. Just make sure to not spend too much time with them. They're needed for the future. Don't forget."
"I won't," it said. It said something in its language to the female voice. The left half's eye turned blue, and the voice was in one face again. "I guess my sister is right. I do not like taking my anger out on her, so I will take it out on you." It narrowed its eyes. "I wish I could right now, but my funtime ran out." It switched its gaze to Raven. "Do not forget about the other human girl. Because of you, she already would know what is to come for her. Be warned: you mess with me; you will personally get attacked by me in real life."
It turned around and shuffled off into the bushes, its footsteps slowly getting quieter and quieter. Raven turned around and looked at Riley. "That was incredibly stupid. Thanks to you, he might as well kill us before we get in his way."
Riley didn't think it was stupid what she had done. She stood up to one of the most, if not the, the most powerful and dangerous Catwing on the island. But she couldn't tell Raven that, given the fact that she was glaring daggers at her.
"I'm sorry. I just couldn't let him push us around. He had no right to-"
"No right?" Raven laughed bitterly. "Yeah, he actually does. When he's more than three times our height, he can push us around whenever and wherever he wants." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Also, he isn't a human. You can't stand up to him like you would with a regular, human bully. He can kill with just one swat of his paw, or you can get Contaminated and be in misery for the rest of your life." She put her hands on Riley's shoulders. "I want you to be safe. That's what I promised your dad before he left you and I got stuck here. I would never fail my little brother."
Riley felt like she couldn't breathe. She knew that she had a vague memory of Raven standing next to her dad, smiling as Riley celebrated her third birthday. Now she knew why Raven cared about her and Carlos so much: because she knew them both.
"Riley, you already figured it out, didn't you?" she said, smiling. "You're my niece."
Riley hugged her fiercely, the memories flooding back to her. Raven right there, cutting her cake and smiling proudly at her. She was there when her mom gave birth to Riley. "I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered truthfully.
"Neither did I, actually! I'm so surprised to see you! Look how much you have grown," she said, stepping back and looking at Riley. "Of course, you will always be short, but you grew in maturity. I can see that."
"Hey! I'm not that short. Besides, I just have short genetics." She hesitated. "You got caught like me, didn't you?"
Raven nodded gravely. "Remember how I said I lost track of time? That's true. I've actually been stuck here for ten years, but don't worry!" she said, noticing Riley's horrifying expression, "I can still confirm you've only been here for a few weeks. Not years, at least not yet."
Riley nodded, relieved. "I would ask for your story, but right now, we have to make sure we don't die."
"I agree. I'll tell you another time. For now, we can explore the main camp. I've always wanted to see that blue one in the flesh, not the dream version of him."
Riley nodded toward the center of the camp. "That's where he dropped me off. It was a long way from the ground, but it didn't hurt, for some strange reason." She frowned. "I was unconscious, but I still remember being set on the ground. Is that weird?"
Raven shook her head. "Nope. I felt that way too. I realized later that the ground is cushiony, which explains why it didn't hurt when we were dropped." She smiled. "Not so much cushiony, as it is soft. It's hard to explain, honestly."
Riley rubbed the back of her neck. "I've seen the blue Catwing in the flesh, actually. It's really not a good idea to do this."
Raven frowned. "Why not? I've always wanted to see them in the flesh. The only thing I know that they have is the weapons, wings, and that they're really, really tall."
She shook her head. "That's the thing. He's much more dangerous than he is in the dreams. I don't want you to-"
"I'll be fine. I've hid from the Catwings before, so don't worry!" she said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Besides, what can possibly-"
A blue wall of fur caught Riley's eye. She turned to Raven. "Hide! You can look at him through the leaves, but make sure that you don't get eaten."
They dashed into the bushes and hid there, enough space between the leaves for them to see what was going on.
A pretty black and white Catwing came out of a den and rubbed itself against the blue Catwing. Riley blinked. A female Catwing. Who is she? She seems pretty friendly with the blue one, she thought. The blue Catwing purred and growled something at her, eyeing her belly. Riley realized with a jolt that the black and white Catwing's belly was swollen. Oh, she's expecting! So... that's his mate! she realized. No wonder they were so friendly with each other.
Raven looked at her. "This is the first time that I've actually seen them this close before." She raised an eyebrow. "You already know that's his mate?"
Riley nodded. "Yeah. I figured that out because they were being really friendly with each other. She's also expecting kittens, I'm assuming?"
Raven shook her head. "Khits. With an 'h'. I know, a bit of a weird word but it makes sense. They're kittens who are born in the wild." She looked at her again. "I like to think of the word 'kitten' as the baby of a domesticated cat. 'Kit' is the name of a baby wild cat. That's how you can tell the difference."
Riley nodded. It made sense for a wild cat to have kits rather than kittens, because kittens sound like they belong to a domesticated cat.
The black and white Catwing murmured something to him. His head jolted up and looked at her worriedly. She brushed her wing with his and growled something at him; it looked like she was telling him to not be worried, that everything will be alright.
I've never seen this before, Riley thought. Maybe Catwings do have feelings after all. How else can you explain what I just saw?
He reluctantly nodded and took a step back, hesitating. She shook her and pointed somewhere far off. He turned and opened his wings to fly and looked over his shoulder at her. She meowed something at him, twining her tail with his. He licked the top of her head and took off into the sky, his wingbeats fading. The female looked after him, then turned around, slowly walking back to her den.
Riley and Raven looked at each other. "Well, that was weird," Raven said. "I never knew the female was pregnant."
Riley turned to look at the female, who was lying in her den, sighing. She crept up to the wall of the den and peeked in, hidden in a way that lets her see the Catwing without the female seeing her. Her head shot up and she sniffed the air, her nostrils quivering and her ears rotating, just like a regular cat's would when they're listening for their prey.
Raven whispered loudly to her, "What are you doing? Don't you know it's dangerous to go in their den?"
Riley realized, too late, that the female was rising out of her bed, looking at her. She walked toward her, grabbed her and Raven, and took off into the morning sky.