Facing A Forest of Shadows

Chapter Thirty-Five

The morning came quick to the cats that slept down in the darkness of the hull. Frostfeather shook the tiredness from her limbs as she stretched. They had been awoken by the twolegs, who shouted and stomped along the wooden deck overhead.

Elkleap had told them all that previous night, that they should reach land soon. Captain had told them that the twolegs would yell back and fourth when they could see the rise of earth. And, indeed, the shape of an island practically loomed before them.

"As soon as you walk into the open, you'll want to run down the ramp as fast as you can! If they think one of their mousers escaped, they'll try to catch you!" Captain reminded them.

"I'm sure we will be fine," Falcon replied from his place beside the calico tomcat. Next to him, Stone and Lily nodded their heads in agreement.

Brokensong and Blue stood adjacent to Drizzle, who was stooped over as she caught her breath. Frostfeather wondered if she would even be able to run. Smog and Olive had only just gotten up, but had now padded over to join Stone and Lily with the others.

Pineheart and Elkleap hovered near the doorway, where dawn light cascaded down onto the wooden floor in front of them. She had grown used to the sticky heat that had increased in intensity with the start of every new day.

The loud racket of seagulls echoed down the stairway as they circled the massive sails of the ship. Frostfeather closed her eyes. She wondered if she could even remember what her old home looked like.

The sting of snow and ice on her paw pads was just a distant memory now. As she started to lose herself amongst her thoughts, Captain called out to his stowaway companions.

"We should be docking any moment now!" he cried, "you will want to run to the front of the boat! There, you will find the ramp that will take you down to the surface!"

Frostfeather narrowed her eyes as Sootsplash guided Lionpaw closer to the entranceway. All they needed now was the signal to flee!

The boat sounded it's loud, guttural horn. Everyone was jolted forward as the vessel slammed to a halt. "Now! You'll want to run before the twolegs come," Captain shouted.

Elkleap exchanged a glance with the multi colored tom before he turned and ran up the short stretch of stairs. Sootsplash and Lionpaw were directly behind him, their trails streamed behind them in their haste. Blue and Brokensong held Drizzle aloft between them, her paw tips barely touched the ground.

Stone and Lily came next, closely followed by Falcon. Frostfeather lingered next to Captain for a moment as she prepared herself for her mad dash across the ship. "I'm glad I could meet you," Captain confessed, "I don't doubt that one day, we will meet again."

Pineheart was last to exit the spacious hull. All that left was the white she-cat. She nodded a quick farewell to Captain and shot after her Clanmates. As she burst out onto the deck, she was relieved to see that twolegs still hadn't come to swarm the wooden surface.

The ramp was down at the head of the boat, as flimsy and wobbly as before. Frostfeather flew down the plank. Her paws instantly sunk into soft, sunbaked sand.

She glanced up to watch her companions bound across the pristine beach. Inland from the seashore, a massive wall of rock stretched upward towards the sky. It spanned many foxlengths, impossible for any cat to climb. But at the top of the rock, tropical trees towered like skyscrapers.

The small band of cats started to approach the vertical cliff face. Frostfeather glanced back to find that no twolegs had dared to follow them.

"I think it's safe!" she called.