by Michael.B.
(Brave New World)
Savannah Cat - Warrior Knight - photo copyright Helmi Flick
This is a continuation of the warrior cat story. It starts here
It was late. The Warrior Knight lay down his weary head. He had earned his rest. He smelled the earth. He felt at ease. He felt at home with the earth. The clay from which his ancestors had come.
He felt the rain, the gentle night rain that softened his hardened heart. He must be strong but his must be tender. Nature would show the way. He knew the best way was to gain agreement, to work together with the different factions. Each had a different point of view. Some were narrow minded and some warrior cats were enlightened. He had to convince those driven by self interest that in the long term it was in their interest to work for the majority, to work for the betterment of all warrior cats. The rewards of that altruism would be felt by their sons and daughters, long into the future.
He smelt the scent of Brightstar far from him. His senses were as sharp as the sharpest claw. He was perpetually aware and rarely slept for more than several minutes. He listened to the trees, his friends. They formed a protective space around him as if in a magnificent cathedral. They whispered to him through the faint rustle of their delicate leaves. He knew he was at home. His spirit was aglow. He was confident that he could and would convince the clan leaders to follow him to a new life.
He drifted off to sleep. His eyes twitched. His whiskers twitched. He murmured. He saw the wide open plains of his native land, the land that was ingrained in his soul, the wild and vast spaces of his ancestors, the wild cats of Africa, the Servals. He smelt the dry grass and he longed to smell it again and again. He felt sorrow and pleasure. Sorrow at the loss of his natural world and pleasure to once again touch it in a vivid dream.
He dreamed that he was talking to twolegs in their language. He remonstrated with twolegs in his dream. He asked twolegs why he thought he had the right to destroy nature and millions of his brethren every year. He asked if twolegs felt he was superior to all other creatures. Twolegs had laughed at him; laughed loudly and arrogantly, "why yes" he replied, "we are more intelligent than you". "You are", the Warrior Knight agreed, "but if you use your intelligence in a way that fights with nature, destroys other creatures and drives you from your true roots, your intelligence is no use to you". He asked twolegs if he thought he was better than all others who lived on the planet. "Why, yes came the confident and arrogant reply". Warrior Knight in his dream declared, "how can you be better when you hate yourself? You must hate yourself as you destroy all that makes survival possible. You wish to destroy the world and all other creatures."
At this twolegs raised a rock high above his head and brought it down onto the warrior Knight. Warrior Knight felt a stinging sharp pain on his back and neck. He woke with a start.
Razorclaw had grabbed him by the neck and ripped his claws into his side. The blood flowed and the burnished golden coat became matted and dirty. The Warrior Knight hissed the hiss of the most venomous snake. He twisted and turned. He wriggled free and in a leap of pure athleticism not seen before in the clans, he jumped on to Razorclaw. In a swift and precise move his jaws clamped onto Razorclaw's neck. His whiskers felt for the spot, the gap between the second and third vertebra below the skull into which this mighty Warrior cat sunk his formidable teeth.
Razorclaw was dead. Warrior Knight had no feelings of sorrow. He stood proudly over Razorclaw's body. The Clan leaders had awoken. He spoke to them. His breathing was heavy. "In this fractured world we must ask people to do things. If they decline to agree, we must tell them to do it. And if they still disagree, in our world, we must make them, by the force of our will, to obey. This I will do for the benefit of all and let no one be unsure of that. Here beside me lies the proof."
