Amethyst Kadoatie: Part Three

     One day after school I was coming back to Amethyst's shed with a 'treat pouch' that I had invented especially for her - a hollow felt flower with a slit down the middle, containing pieces of plain biscuits, and it actually worked a bit. "Amethyst!" I called. "I've got a treat for you!"

     I laid the treat pouch on her fluffy bed and called again. "Amethyst!" This time she appeared out of nowhere - first her gem glittered, then everything else appeared. "A treat pouch, Amethyst," I grinned, and I tossed the treat pouch out onto the lawn. It landed in a flowerbed somewhere, blending in with the real plant life.

     Amethyst purred and ran out into the garden to get the treat pouch. I followed her lazily… but I wasn't quick enough. As soon as I had got to the flowerbed I was knocked into the air - all I remember seeing was a huge shadowy thing, and a spine-chilling "SCREEECH!" filled the air!

     My head was aching with pain as I got up. I wiped the blood away from the cut on my cheek and dashed to the flowerbed. Next I checked the shed - where was Amethyst?

     And then there was a SCREAM. I recognized that voice… it was Ashleigh's! "AAAAH!! HEEELP!!!"

     "Ashleigh, where are you?" I yelled.

     "MIST - AAAH!!!" came Ashleigh's terrified reply.

     "Mist? - THE GEM FOUNTAIN!" I breathed, running as fast as I could into the forest. I took the path leading to the Gem Fountain, hoping I wasn't too late… but Ashleigh was still there, thank goodness, lying spread-eagled on the wet grass beside the fountain towering above.

     "Ashleigh! What happened?" I asked breathlessly, helping her up.

     "Well - t-there was this Eyrie," she stammered, "a giant evil brown one! Twice as big as the two of us! It was trying to claw me with one of its huge paws - and it was holding a black Kadoatie with a gem on its forehead in the other paw! I managed to get away, though…"

     "Amethyst… no…" I breathed. "Listen, Ashleigh, you need to help me. My secret has been that I rescued that Kadoatie from the brook and I've been keeping her secretly ever since. I named her Amethyst. She's the Kadoatie that caused the shelf in the hallway to fall. Ashleigh… I need your help."

     Ashleigh looked at me blankly. "That giant Eyrie's got her!" I added quickly. "We need to rescue her…" But as I looked up at the fountain, I realized that Amethyst's mother's statue was gone!

     "…And her mother," I whispered. "Will you help me? Please?"

     Ashleigh looked really astonished. Then she took a deep breath and said bravely, "Okay, I'll help you - I don't want to let you down… that's what best friends do - they always help each other out."

     I smiled at Ashleigh. "Thank you so, so much!"

     So we set off to try and find the enormous Eyrie, but then there was a screeching cry from the depths of the forest. Ashleigh and I both looked at each other, Ashleigh with a very, very, very frightened look while I stared - then Ashleigh broke the silence.

     "D-did you hear THAT???"

     "Yeah…"

     "Yeah, the Eyrie! We've got to RUN!!!" There was a loud SWOOP, then a CRASH ("WHAT'S HAPPENING?!!" screamed Ashleigh) and with that the trees toppled over - something large was emerging! And that something DID emerge - a gigantic, aggressive brown Eyrie with sharp yellow eyes, and huge wings that swept the ground like feather dusters as it glided towards us.

     "AAAAAAAHH!!!" we both screamed - but there was nothing we could do. I tried to face it a bit while Ashleigh ran for her life. Everything we did was fruitless: despite her athletic talents, Ashleigh could not outrun the Eyrie - there was a giant SWOOP, a horrifying SCREAM, and next thing I knew, Ashleigh was trapped in the clutches of one gigantic clawed paw, and I was dashing for cover behind a large tree trunk… CRUUUNNNCCHH! It did not work - the Eyrie knocked the tree over, forcing me to flee right into the other deadly looking paw. And so, being clutched so hard that the claws dug painfully into us, we were carried away up into the sky, the wind cooling down my hot face and whipping my yellow fur back.

     Ashleigh was trying to fight the creature off. "Let go of me, you gruesome vulture! Let me go!!!"

     "Don't fight him yet!" I yelled over the rush of the wind. "He's leading us to Amethyst! Stay calm!"

     "Are you sure about this?"

     "Positive!"

     Ashleigh looked truly worried, her big brown eyes wide with panic and fear. Horrified, I glared up at the Eyrie, whose piercing yellow eyes saw my gaze and relentlessly clutched me tighter. I nearly cried out with pain.

     Then a huge mountain came into view - more of a deep, hilly jungle, really. The Eyrie carried us to the very top… and dropped us into a muddy ditch.

     "Ugh, yuck!" Ashleigh groaned, standing up straight away and brushing mud off her crimson fur. I brushed some mud off too, and nursed my severe bruises around my body that the Eyrie's grip had caused… but then I felt something warm, soft and silky brushing against my cheek. A familiar action.

     "Meow!" It was Amethyst!

     "Amethyst, don't worry," I whispered. "I'm here… is your mother all right?"

     I saw Ashleigh holding a beautiful, beige Kadoatie with a ruby gem on her forehead - her name could be Ruby. Amethyst purred. But there was another terrifying "SCREEECH!" and the Eyrie was hovering above us, ready to attack…

     And it DID attack. We all ducked and it dived down towards Amethyst - and then there was a FLASH! I looked up, and saw that Ruby's eyes were focused straight on the Eyrie… her ruby was glowing… she heaved, then lunged… the giant bird, controlled by the magic in bright red light, was thrown back and hit a tree… and then I saw a rope sort of thing binding the Eyrie tightly… Ruby, however, was too weak, and she collapsed onto the mud. But then the magic was working again - for I had looked round and saw Amethyst who was using her own magic to help finish the Eyrie off!

     "Amethyst!" I yelled. "No… you're too wounded…" Amethyst had a deep cut on her thigh where the Eyrie had attacked her, but she only just managed to push the bound creature off the cliff before collapsing too, into a deep sleep.

     "AMETHYST!!!" I yelled above my tears… but with that I fell into a deep sleep too.

     *

     "Becky! Are you all right? Oh, please do wake up!"

     I opened my eyes rather sleepily to find a blurry crowd of people standing around my blurry bed. I blinked the sleep out - and saw that the crowd of people was made up of Ashleigh, who was holding a limp Amethyst in her arms, my Dad, who looked confused, surprised and worried at the same time, and Mum who had tears trickling out of her baby-blue eyes down her cheeks and was leaning over me and staring frantically.

     "Oh, darling! I was so worried!!!" she cried, giving me a squeezing hug.

     "Thanks, Mum - you can let go now… Ashleigh, is Amethyst all right?"

     Ashleigh said quietly, "Yes, she's alive." She showed me the bandages on Amethyst's thigh. "But… her mother's… well, dead. She risked her own life to save Amethyst."

     "Oh no…" I whispered as I felt slight tears stinging my eyes. "Amethyst will be even more upset now. This isn't very good…"

     *

     Dear Diary,

     Well… it just had to happen, really. I was outside - and I saw Amethyst walking away into the bushes. I followed her, and she led me to the Gem Fountain. She climbed up to the top where Ruby's statue used to be and she sat in the same sitting position as Ruby, very still. I realized that she was going to take place after her mother for whatever it was. I cried "Goodbye, Amethyst! I shall never forget you!" She heard me, and sadly meowed goodbye too. And then, my eye caught the four embossed Kadoaties below the rubies - their eyes had started to glow their gem colours. Amethyst's eyes started glowing too - everything was - and then there was a loud PING and Amethyst's statue was there. The rubies were now amethysts. I shall never, ever, ever forget her, and she will always be in my memory and dreams. Last night there was a wishing star just outside my window, and I wished for Amethyst to come back some day. And I'm sure a true friend would.

     Rebecca

The End