Forest's Fate

Chapter 20

        "Hey, Forest, wake up!"

        I am awoken by a high-pitched screech that keeps yelling at me to wake up. My eyes snap open, just to see a small, light gray tabby cat with amused, light blue eyes come into sight.

        "Look who finally decided to wake up!" Rain exclaims. "That took about twenty times of shouting your name."

        "Shouting?" I reply, still fuzzy with sleep. "More like yowling at the top of your lungs."

        "Well, it still took that long to wake you up, sleepyhead! Everyone else is already outside, so I'd recommend you get out right now to join them." With that, Rain dashes out.

I completely forgot that I'm still in this stupid tunnel. Not only that, but I also still didn't remember to clean myself from all of that dirt. Groaning, I trudge out of the tunnel, trying to tolerate it as best as I can. Yet, the dark murkiness still makes me uneasy. It makes me want to vomit.

         The dull gray sky looms above me once again. I sit next to the other rebels in the long grass.

         Rain paces back and forth in front of us. "Okay, guys!" she shouts. "We're going to stay here today, in case those Superiors decide to come back with their full force. I'm guessing they will so they can try to avenge that white cat's death."

        Many cats murmur in agreement. I scratch my ear with my back paw.

"Where's Ash?" one of the cats behind me meows.

Rain pauses from walking around to scan the area with her ears tilted back. I do the same, glancing around me for any signs of the tall black cat. There is no sign of him anywhere.

Rain makes a careless gesture with her tail. "I have no idea where he is. We all know him. He's too secretive to tell us about his whereabouts." She sighs and continues to pace, looking deep in thought. "He probably went to go tell other rebels in our group to spread the word about the meeting that's happening tonight, but that's just a guess."

"Meeting?" I mutter. Apparently, I'm not the only one who is confused or surprised, because many other cats are murmuring in puzzlement.

"We will all be meeting right next to the Southern Tunnel tonight to talk about how to finally fight back against the Superior side," Rain explains. "Ash and I have decided that we have been holding back for too long. Our rebel group is large enough to stand a chance against those losers, so we will be discussing battle plans. Let's hope that no invading Superior cats will try to come today."

Rain walks toward the tunnel. "I have to check on the others. I'll be crossing over to the Western Tunnel if you need me!" she calls as she gracefully jumps in the hole.

       The rest of my day is mostly uneventful. Fortunately, no one from the Superior side makes an appearance. Ash is still nowhere to be seen, and Rain does not show up for the rest of the day, either. I spend the day quietly guarding the Southern Tunnel with some other rebel cats. My mind drifts from problem to problem. What if Mirage and Ice are coming for me? What will be our plan to defeat the Superior side? And somewhere in the middle of the day, I begin thinking about Mirage, how she's doing without me and-

        Wait. I purr out loud with amusement. She probably forgot about me by now, other than the fact about how I disappeared. I'm sure that Mirage hated me, maybe secretly relieved that I'm gone from her sight.

        Such an independent, hot-headed cat with an attitude. That silly, old nickname, Little Miss Badass, still fits her perfectly. I have to admit that I miss her a little. As much as I want to, I can't hide that.