𝑀𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑜𝓌 𝑜𝒻 𝐻𝑜𝓅𝑒 ✧.*

~ Chapter II ~

It had been a few weeks since we arrived at the place that we had found. The other groups decided that we would show them the basics of our territory in case they needed to come over for something important, the reason we didn't take them on a full tour is 1, that would take too long and 2, sometimes the brackets fight, and we don't want them to know our territory so they can invade us with that information. Anyway, all the brackets met up and showed each other through everyone's territory in short sessions. Seb, my group , was in a grassy and hilly valley with trees spread about, a forest reached the edge of our territory and a small cabin was built there, but it seemed to be non occupied. Aenon found a place near a rocky waterfall. They already built some small huts, made out of clay and stone. Cymbeline somehow found a burnt down forest, which was a bit farther away but it wasn't too far. Aneria also somehow found a snowy mountain/forest area, and they reside there. Corentin lived in a huge huge huge tree, reaching the sky. Jadis live in a cave in a rocky slope. This place was prefect, kinda scary on how well it suited all of our species needs. My bracket had been digging out a huge almost burrow like home semi-deep in the ground. I had helped, my paws were still brown stained. We got the are built out, but they were plastering mud on the walls and floor. Not the ceiling though, as we were digging that out to make a light source. It was slowly coming together, and I was happy with it. Hunting was well here and we had no trouble finding food. I was out hunting one day, when all of the sudden I heard something. "Christopher!" I paused, looking around. Then I heard again. Suddenly a semi-familiar sent drifted into my nose. A white and blue vixen stepped out, shaking her fur. "Hi!" She said happily. I stared at her with a shocked gaze. "Quere! What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be on our territory!" I wasn't mad, more so worried that she would be caught. "Oh good grief, I only came to see you." She sat and started scratching her neck with her hind leg, her shorts making a sound like chains rubbing together. "Y-yeah but what if you get caught? What if your bracket knows you're missing?" I sit down and set my mouse down that I had caught. "You're such a worrying snowman. They won't notice." I didn't feel convinced at her words, yet nodded slowly anyway. "Okay. Well, what do you need?" She stopped scratching herself and looked at me. "I wanna explore." I stared at her with a disbelieved expression. "I can't let you do that!" She put her ears back and narrowed her eyes. "Whyyyy?" I glanced at my mouse and took a quick breath. "Because it's my territory, I would get killed if they found out I showed you around." I wrapped my tail around my paws, trying to keep calm. "I mean....I can show you to the cabin." I whispered reluctantly, I felt bad that she came all this way. "Yay! I'll follow you" I picked up my mouse, heading towards the empty cabin. She followed at my heels, commenting on every little thing. I would reply is short answers. I could finally see the cabin in the distance, it's wooden walls and stone roof were hard to miss beside all the pure nature. We cautiously approached it, and I slipped in through a open window. She followed after and fell with a "thump" on the floor. It was a small area. A fire pit, a strange leather seat but...long. A bear head on the wall. Creepy... and a landscape of the surrounding nature in a wooden box. "Woah." Quere said happily. "Yeah. It's cool." I jumped up in the long leather seat and curled up with my head still sticking out. She explored then wooden platform on legs, and the entrance thing with a golden ball on the side of it. "What's this?" She called to me. I looked up and shrugged. "I don't know." She sighed and jumped onto the long seat with me. "You should get going back home." I said to her quickly. She whined yet nodded. "Yeah you're probably right." She jumped down and I followed. We shoved ourselves through the window and started heading back. As we started walking near the trees a loud bang sound happened, and I jumped. When I landed I saw a flaming circle right under me. Shocked I looked towards where it came from i saw two creatures on two legs, orange yet brownish skin and long fur hanging from their head to their chin. They were holding something long made out of wood and metal, aiming right for us. I suddenly realized that these must be humans, and they were trying to kill us. "Run!" I screeched, darting towards the forest. Quere followed quickly, keeping up good pace As we weaved through the clutter of trees. Realizing they were still following us I grabbed Quere by the scruff and heaved up a tree, landing on the top easily. I set her down and saw her fur puffed out. "What are those!" She whispered in a panicked tone. "I think they're humans." She seemed confused but didn't ask any more. The two humans finally left us alone, and we slid down the tree, heading towards where we met while I was hunting. "Do you know your way back home?" She nodded and swished her tail. "Thanks by the way, this was fun!" I nodded. She stretched before touching her nose to mine and sprinting away towards her home. I started trotting home, then realized it would seem odd if I didn't come back with prey in a prey rich area. I realized I lost my mouse, more so forgot where I put it and started hunting once more.

When I was done I had caught three mice and one bird. I carried my catch back to my bracket, dropping it on the pile of prey. I thought I was scot-free but then Primleaf, one of the guards walked towards me. "Where were you Christopher?" She asked quietly. "Your father was getting worried" I paused before starting to explain. "I went hunting and thought maybe the cabin area would have prey, but two humans appeared and started shooting stuff at me and chasing me. I ran up a tree and waited until they gave up, then hunted a bit more." She nodded and smiled. "Okay, just go let your father know you're home." I nodded and waited until she sent away to head to find my father. He was talking with Laura, our healer. He perked up when he saw me and trotted over here. "Where were you?" He started licking my head and a pulled away. "I was running away for humans for a while." He stopped smothering my face and looked at me shocked. "Are you hurt?" He asked quickly. I shook my head and he sighed. "Good." He nodded towards a group of backbones as they passed, and suddenly Prystone motioned with his tail for me to follow him. We settled under a tree and he curled up. "Are you happy with this territory? You seem unhappy about it sometimes." He looked at me with pure love yet confusion in his eyes. "Yeah I do! It's just new territory and well.....it's kinda unsettling how well it fits all our needs." I laid down by him and he nodded. "Yeah I was confused by that too, but it's too perfect to pass up." I agreed and laid my head down on my paws. "You tired?" He asked. I perked my ears and looked up at him. "Yeah." This made me realize how tired I really was. Purring he rubbed my head against mine then got up. "You're mother would be proud of you, Christopher. You should go to sleep if you're tired." I stood up and stretched. "Ok-ay." I nuzzled him goodbye before heading to my bed and curling up, falling asleep quickly. 

I woke up at sunlight streamed through the leaves on the trees, no one was around me however. I looked at the sun to see it was close to the middle of the day. Confused I stumbled upward and looked around in a semi-panic. "Hello? Guys?" I looked back and forth, even in the burrow we made. "Tadpole? Prystone? Where are you guys!" I quickly ran up the hill, falling on my face and twisting my paw. I let out a screech of alarm and pain. Where is everyone? "Laura?" I whimpered as I tried to walk on my twisted paw. I headed back to our camp area and looked around before slumping down in my bed, sad and clearly confused.  Eventually I heard noises coming from the hill I fell on. I looked up and saw a group of cats I recognized. Literally everyone was in a group. They came down and nothing seemed to be wrong, and I got up and pushed my way through the willow leaves. My father noticed me and headed over here. "Where were you?" I immediately asked. He sat down and shook his fur out. "Jadis wanted to talk with us about something." He said whilst panting. "All of you?" I stared at him in disbelief. "Yes. Are you okay?" He looked worried, and that's when I realized I hurt my paw earlier, As I had forgotten. "I just fell awkwardly while looking for you." a look of guilt washed over his face while he took my to see Laura, who had stashed her things under a giant oak tree for now. She noticed me and greeted us with a nod. "Hello there." I flinched as she examined my paw, it starting to throb again. "You just landed on it wonkily. Don't worry. Here." She handed me a few herbs and I ate them without asking what they were, as I trusted her. "That should help." I told her thanks and started limping back to my nest, my father followed and sat down to talk with me, explaining what happened. I half listened and half pretended to listen. My mind was stuck on Quere, wondering if she got home safely. I assumed she did but apart of me still wondered with a bit of guilt. "You should rest." My father told me. I snapped out of my daydreaming and up at him. "Huh?" He ran his tail over my back and repeated himself. "You should rest, you clearly weren't fully listening. Is something on your mind? You can tell me." He smiled and I shook my head. "No, my paw just feels strange." That wasn't a complete lie, but not the complete truth either. He nodded and once more told me I should rest, I said I would and curled in a ball, closing my eyes. I heard him pad off and sighed silently. I hope she's okay. 

It was night time again, and my worried thoughts had led me to go into the Aneira's territory. I was trudging through the snowy hills, my paws starting to ache from the cold. I tried to remember the path they took to show us their camp location. They also gave us things on our paws so they wouldn't freeze off, I didn't have those this time. I was shivering horrendously, my tail bushing up in protest against the cold winds of the nighttime air in this hell spawn of a place. All of the sudden my vision went fuzzy, I couldn't move much and just froze, trembling. I felt a strong sensation of weakness before my vision went black and I threw myself into darkness.