Grouped

1

The sun shone through the trees, lighting a certain patch of forest on the ground. A black she-cat with white on her tail, chest and paws awoke to the sounds of the forest waking up around her. She sat up, and stretched, relishing in the warmth.

After giving herself a quick groom, she set off, searching the area for prey. The forest was alive, showing her where the prey was waking up. She tasted the air, and rabbit scent reached her nose. 

Crouching down, she crept forward, her ears twitching to see where the rabbit was. There, she thought. It was nibbling on the grass by a tree. She had to be careful not to hurt herself when she gave chase. 

Taking another paw-step, she pounced, just as the rabbit sat up. It squealed and ran, it's tiny legs working overload. She chased and at once caught up to it. With one swipe, she ended it's life. 

Proudly, she took it back to the clearing and dug in. With not much else to do, she licked her paws, cleaning off the blood. Just as she was starting on her left paw, brambles rustled to her left, making her jump. 

"Show yourself," she hissed, crouching low. "I'm not here to hurt you," a voice said. A tom stepped out. He had green eyes and a pelt with orange and yellow on it. "Who are you?" she asked curiously, straightening. 

"I'm Flame. What about you?" he replied, sitting down. She eyed him cautiously. "My name is Rogue," she said. He nodded, looking her up and down. "What brings you here? I've never seen you before in my life," she asked, also sitting. 

He shrugged casually and licked his paw. "I was bored, and since I've never been in this part of the forest, I decided to explore it," Flame said. Rogue's tail swayed around. "Do many cats come to this part?" she asked. He shook his head. 

"No." He stared at her, as if she had grown two heads. "You've never been out of this area before, have you?" he asked, standing up. "No. But that must explain why I haven't seen a cat in a while," Rogue said, clawing at the ground. He nodded again. 

"There's a couple of other cats that are not far from here. I'm with them. Since it seems like you...have no one else, want to join me?" he asked, staring at her. Rogue's eyes widened. Leave, she thought. But I've never even left this place. Not for as long as I can remember. 

But he's right. There is nothing here for me to miss. "OK...I guess since I have nothing here, I'll join you," Rogue replied, getting up. Flame's eyes shone with happiness. "Come on, follow me," he said, diving through the brambles. 

Clawing after him, she felt uneasy. She was following a cat she didn't know to meet with his friends to travel with them. Sighing, she raced ahead to catch up. He glanced behind him. "We've got to pick up the pace. My friends will be wondering what's happened to me," he said, bolting ahead.

As Rogue ran after him, she felt her worries and uncertainty leave behind her. This was her life and there was no point in making it boring or worry some, she thought. Soon, they reached a clearing, much bigger than her patch she slept on. 

Two other cats stood in the middle, their eyes wide with worry. The she-cat, small but fast, spotted them first. She had amber eyes and a brown pelt, with a lighter brown chest. She bolted toward them. "Flame, where were you? We were sick with worry over what happened!" she exclaimed. 

The second cat, a big tom, came after the she-cat. He had black fur, with searing gold eyes. Both of the toms had muscles rippling under their pelt. The she-cat gave Flame a lick, before noticing Rogue. "Who is she?" she asked, her voice edgy. 

"This is Rogue. She was living alone in the part of the forest that is barely touched. I invited her along," Flame replied, beckoning her closer with his tail. The she-cat stared at Rogue, her eyes shining with distrust. The tom bowed his head. "Nice to meet you. I'm Night and the she-cat of a pest is Hazel," he said, his eyes glittering with amusement.