Forsaken Z (Story)

Chapter 2

Tears streamed down the black kittens face. Z's eye pierced into her brilliant blue. His eyes glowed with the intense moonlight. Z blinked then hung his head again. The kitten whimpered and scurried away. Z didn't want to kill anyone. He wanted to be set free, killing the kitten would only make matters worse. He thought about how his forest looked, It was probably all ashes by now. Z shook his head miserably. No one knows how much that forest meant to him. He felt as if his whole world was collapsing in front of him, making him more sorrowful as he thought of his beloved home. Some cats came over by him and quickly blind folded him when they saw it on the ground. They unchained him slowly. Z dropped to the floor like a rag doll. He could still feel the pain racing through his body. Two cats picked up Z, struggling to keep him off the ground. Z tried to fight back but couldn't. The threesome carried him out to an area in the village. Z felt the two bodies pressed against his white pelt. Z kept his eye closed, not needing to keep it open with the blind fold. His tail dragged on the ground as they brought him to an empty stone room, there was only a small light that came from in between bars that blocked a small window on the door. It sent a faint glow of moonlight thought the shafts. The cats tried to set him onto the ground as careful as possible and closed the door with a slam. Z ripped the blind fold off of his face and rolled onto his side so that his dead eye socket was closer to the ground. He tossed the cloth away from him. What do they want now? Exhaustion took over Z and he drifted off into sleep.

Z woke to someone shaking him, his eye flashed open his eye and looked at the cat in front of him. She was a young female cat with armor on, but her eyes were not filled with hatred like the eyes of the guards. Z knew this must be one of his worshipers. He used to be worshipped a lot by the village. They believed he was a god for a short while. But that was years ago. How could some still be here? Is it passed through bloodline? Z thought to himself. The female cat licked Z's head, making him snap out of thought. She had brown fur sticking out of her armor. Her yellow eyes twinkled with admiration towards him. Z noticed another cat was in the room, he had a black pelt so he was barely visible. Z was used to seeing in the dark, so he could see these cats near him easily. "We're going to get you out of here, Z." Meowed the brown female in front of him. She threw some kind of fabric onto the white tom. Z believed it was a blanket. It was a light grey and it was very soft, not to mention large. The black tom stepped out of the shadows and picked up the fabric in his jaws. He wrapped it around Z who wanted to squirm out. He still didn't have enough strength. The two cats carried him in a cart as if he was food. Speaking of food, Z hadn't eaten for at least a week. The two strange cats who had barely said a word to him. Probably because Z hadn't said anything. Z was always quiet. He often wondered if he still had a voice. A bump shot up making Z get carried into the air for a few seconds. Z couldn't smell any differences between these cats and the cats who threw him into that stone cell, but he knew they were different. After what seemed like hours, Z was halted. The fabric blanket was taken off, allowing him sight again. Z looked around. There were many cats here, and they all looked docile towards him. There was an old broken down shack behind the gathered cats, and circling everyone were large oak trees with tantalizingly green leaves. Z twitched his tail. "Where am I?" Z asked, his voice seemed to croak with effort after speaking the first time in years. He turned to look at the black tom who had looked at him. He seemed baffled about how croaky Z sounded. The black tom dipped his head. "This is the shrine we made for you, its inside the shack. Me and Lilly saved you from the village." Z blinked, his expression said 'do you want water'. "And you are..." Z asked, his voice a little better but more illusive. The black tom bent his head, so that his chin brushed the grass under him. "Oh, yes... I am Gale." The black tom meowed, his tail swishing with excitement. Z nodded. "Thank you Gale, for saving me I mean." He said, not wanting to admit that he didn't need their help. Gale raised his head. "No need for the thanks, my lord. We are but your humble servants and worshipers." The words Gale said made Z cringe. Servants?? Lord?!?! Z knew he had worshipers in these crime lands, but he never met any of them before. Z looked at all the other cats. Most of them looked full grown, but he could see a few younger cats who just joined, because they looked at him with a little bit of fear. Z neglected the fact that he needed help. "I'm going to be on my way.." Z said, his voice sounded as if two bricks where scraping together. His vocal cords also stung. Z tried to stand. His front legs shook, buckling soon after, making him collapse. Lilly was at his side to make sure he was okay. Z wanted to swat her away. A kitten trudged up to Z with a gourd in his jaws. Z narrowed his eye and tucked his ear back. A bowl was set down in front of Z. The small crowd watched closely as the kitten poured a sort of juice into the bowl. He set down his gourd and pushed the bowl closer to their 'lord'. Z knew if it was poison, he wouldn't die but he would have trouble breathing for a month. Z sniffed the juice, it smelled of fruit and sugar. The group seemed to be whispering with anticipation. Lilly whispered something to Gale quick. Z licked the juice once. It tasted sweet and made his taste buds want more. After all, nothing grew in his forest so he had to eat carcasses of rodents and dead birds to stop his stomach from hurting. Z licked up more of the juice. Making the kitten clap with joy. Z didn't like being in front of so many. To his amazement, his throat felt much better and his muscles gained strength. He lapped up more of the strange liquid before pushing it away. The little kitten smiled the bounced away to go sit by his mother. Z stood up, his legs shaking. "I'm going to leave now.." He panted. Lilly and Gale exchanged a look, making Z feel uneasy. Some of the group of cats sighed or pouted, not wanting him to leave. Suddenly knocking came on the door to the shack. "Open this god forsaken door!" Yelled a deep voice. Lilly silently nudged Z into a room. She gave him an eye patch and put white paste on his black markings. "Can't I just hide?" Z whispered. That's what he does best. Hiding from everyone. "No places to hide.." Lilly whispered back. After lilly was done she led him through a hidden exit. They slowly went around the house until they were at the front door. "Smile and pretend!" Lilly hissed in his ear. Pretend? Z was questioning himself. Lilly stepped through the door. "Haha! Your so funny Sirus!" Lilly laughed. Z was confused then realized she was talking to him. Z said nothing and followed her inside. Lilly blinked. Soldiers were searching everywhere, suspecting that Z was in here somewhere. The white tom felt uncomfortable about being in plain sight. One of the guards noticed them come in. He looked at Z's eye patch. "Who are you?" The soldier asked. Z blinked. "I'm Sirus. I live here" Z meowed, staying calm and trying not to let his legs shake with the effort to stand. The soldier looked him up and down. "How long have you lived here, I've never seen you before..." The soldier hissed. Z blinked, he was a good actor but his eye patch was a little obvious. "What are you suspecting me of?" Z asked him, looking confused. Z could see Lilly's expression. She was surprised he was so skilled in acting. The soldier thought otherwise. "Are you sure... Why do you need an eye patch." The soldier asked, smiling. Darn you.. Z closed his eyes. He smiled for the first time in a while. "An old battle wound..." He said laughing, although that fact was completely true. He opened his green eye. His eye met the soldiers for a brief second. The soldier gasped, realizing who he was. Too late. The soldier dropped dead, having a heart attack. Z felt his fur prick. Lilly's eyes widened as she looked from Z, to the dead soldier as if she didn't know he could do that. She must have not been to the meeting of his torture. The other three soldiers had noticed the return of events. "Get him!" One shouted. They all leapt at him. Z sprung into action. He pushed Lilly a safe distance away as he was tackled. Z was pinned down, but not good enough. Z scoured his hind paws through a soldiers stomach. They coughed blood onto Z's neck, making him almost gag. One of the soldiers fled at the sight of two dead comrades. The other one was getting mauled by Z's worshippers. Z slipped out from under the dead soldier. His coat was smeared with blood and his patterns showed. Lilly hopped over the dead body, clearly disgusted. Z blinked as his worshipers whispered about him. Z flattened his ears. He ran out of the rust shack. He ran around the village, staying as hidden as possible in the short grass. He ran towards the ash covered area that used to be his home. Z slowed down and stopped next to the ashes. He placed his paw on a pile of cold ash, most of what remained of the fire. Z tore the eye patch off, revealing the eyeless side of his face. Green mist spiraled up his paws for a moment. Z hung his head. He missed his forest very much. He had no where to go. Z heard Lilly and Gale calling his name, getting closer and closer. Z turned around and saw them racing towards him in the distance. Z hissed and ran into the ashes. His paws felt numb as he ran through what used to be his home, now burnt to the ground. He felt alone and ashamed. He let the village capture him, torture him. He didn't deserve that pain. Z felt like the world was ending. More green mist spiraled up his bloodstained paws. I must die!