Pineclan #1: Journey to the Unknown

Chapter Two

The strike never came. Cloud was too scared to look up, but finally, she did. What she saw petrified her. The fox lay in a spreading pool of blood, dead. Trying to get away from the awful stench, she pounced to the top of the fence. She started to lick her wounds, now feeling their pain. Her once-sleek pelt was now bloody and matted. She looked out of her nofur garden, looking into the pines and other beautiful trees. The fence shook beneath her, and she tried not to imagine falling. 

“Snow! Why did you--” Cloud looked at her companion. Snow was horror-stricken. 

“W-what happened? What is this, this, thing?” 

“It’s a fox, Snow. It attacked me.”

“It’s HUGE!”

“I know. I killed it! All by myself.” Cloud patted the fence beside her. “Come on!”

Snow timidly stepped around the fox and made her way up the fence. She sat beside Cloud, glad of the respite from the fox’s stench. Cloud stared at the forest, mesmerized by the myriad of colors. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Snow was confused. “What is?”

“The woods,” 

Snow cocked her head, “I guess…”

Cloud itched her collar; the fox blood was very irritating when dried.

Snow laughed half-heartedly. “You look positively awful, Cloud!”

Cloud joined in the mirth, “What? Me? Do you not like the style of fox blood?”

After a while they quieted down and got serious. Cloud spoke up. “Snow? Do you ever have dreams?”

“Of course, Cloud. Every cat does.”

“Well, yeah, but what kind of dreams do you have?”

“The usual cream, milk, and new collars. Why all the questions?”

“I’ve been having dreams, too. Except my dreams are different. I had a dream last night.” Cloud looked at Snow. “The dream was almost exactly like what happened today,”

Snow nodded. “Bad milk,”

Cloud whirled on her. “It wasn’t just bad milk! Has bad milk ever given you prophetic dreams?”

“Well…”

“No! Bad milk has never given you dreams like mine!” Cloud was breathing heavily as Snow apologized and leapt from her perch. “Ugh!” Cloud cried, her tail swishing angrily. “Why do I always have to say what is in my mind?” She looked down at the forest. It looks so peaceful… I wish I could just live down there, away from screaming nofurs and rowdy dogs. Where no cat would ever have to eat nofur rubbish. She took a deep breath. I wonder… could I just slip down there? Just for a second… She landed lightly on the earth, her blue tail waving in anxiety. Thinking about the fox, she lowered her haunches and tried to hide herself in the shadows as she slinked forward. Taking a deep breath, her senses were filled with an amazing smell. Of pines and flowers, in much more abundance than in her nofur garden. Giggling, she threw herself to the muddy ground and started to roll. Soon she was covered in mud. As she cheerily shook herself, she caught a cat-scent. Immediately she curled into a ball and melted into her surroundings. She pinned her ears to her head and curled her tail around her face. Heavy pawsteps grew louder and louder, then stopped. She peeked out of her ball and stared. There stood three cats, one was a tall dark tom, the second was a chubby tortoiseshell she-cat, and the third was a small, white tom. The dark tom sniffed the air and said, “We stop here,” 

The she-cat plopped down on the grass, clearly spent. “Sam, I can’t go on like this!”

The white tom chimed in. “Yes! We haven’t had a real meal for days!”

“What? You mean twoleg food? We had to do away with that and you know it!” He took a breath for more, but paused. “What is that? There! In the mud!” All of the cats looked at the imprint of Cloud in the mud. Time to go! Cloud thought. She slowly stood in the fading light and took one step. Jingle, jingle! Oh no! My nofur collar! Too late, the wild cats had already heard her and were padding towards her. Sam lowered his head and raised his fur. “Hello? We heard you. Come out!”