Pineclan #1: Journey to the Unknown

Chapter Five

As Cloud and Bud neared the well-known fence, a bolt of white flew to the top. 

“Hey! Where’ve you been? I’ve been worried sick!” Snow called down to them.

Cloud smiled and said, “Hi Snow! This is Bud. He is helping me with something. He’s a friend.”

“Oh,” Snow said mischievously.

Cloud rolled her eyes and jumped gingerly to the top of the fence. Looking back at Bud, she saw him waver. 

“Aren’t you coming?” 

He nodded, and gathered his bulk to make the jump. He jumped and missed the top, but clawed his way up. Cloud pulled him over it and he stood. He bowed before Snow and introduced himself. “I’m Bud, and I am pleased to meet you,”

“And I you!”

“Come on!” Cloud had already started to trot along the fence, calculating all the cats who might come.

“Alright!” Bud followed with Snow on his heels. He shrugged and continued after her. 

“I was thinking we could go to Harry’s,” Cloud stated.

“Sounds great,” Bud agreed.

Snow was confused, “Are we going visiting?”

“Um, yea,” Cloud stammered.

They arrived at nofur nest that belonged to Harry and jumped down into it. 

Cloud called for him. “Harry?” A slightly bug-eyed tom appeared from a kittypet door and greeted them.

“We are having a party tonight, we thought you might come. Will you?” Cloud asked.

Harry hesitated, thinking it over. “Where will it be held?”

Bud told him casually. “The woods.”

Harry nearly jumped out of his fur. “The woods! Why would you want me to go there? Are you trying to kill me?”

“No, no! Calm down, Harry! What’s so bad about the woods?” Before he could answer, Cloud continued. “I bet there are she-cats smarter and braver than you! Why! Afraid of a tree!”

“Am not!”

“Yes you are. If you weren’t, you would come to the twisted tree in the woods.” With that, Cloud, Snow and Bud turned tail and hopped up on the fence. Trotting along, she and Snow talked of who to meet next.

“I think we should see Macy! She’ll come to any party!” was Snow’s opinion.

“I’m leaning toward Hank and Louie. They’d come for sure!” Cloud said.

They continued to argue until Bud simply stopped and jumped into a garden. “Hey!” the she-cats said together. Bud gaily stepped up to a pretty calico she-cat and began to talk to her. Snow and Cloud patiently waited on the fence, softly arguing between themselves. Soon, Bud joined them. 

“Well?” they asked together.

“Cally will come.” he smiled.

“Great! Snow and I decided that we’d go to Macy’s and then Hank and Louie.”

Bud nodded and furrowed his brow. “That means, if all these cats come we’ll have five cats attending, right?”

“Yea,” Snow said despairingly.

They continued to walk the fence and make their way to Macy’s garden.

“When are we going to see other cats?” Violet whined.

“We might not! The goal is to be back at the twisted tree before nightfall.”

Sam retorted.

They were both feeling very lonely, and wanted to see at lest one cat before they had to turn around.

“Oh great. It’s starting to rain. Just what we needed.” Sam said.

“Look! Look over there! We could shelter there until the rain lets up!” Violet sprinted to an alcove in a boulder. Moss covered the spacious floor, and draped over the entrance. Sam crept in after her, less excited. “I don’t like it. This moss looks like it was put here. Maybe we should go…”

“Out in the rain?” Violet snuggled in the green moss and sighed. Sam still tried to convince her, but he couldn’t resist the springy softness of fresh moss. Soon, they were fast asleep.

“Come on, Macy! There will be lots of cats there!” Snow tried to get Macy to come to the gathering, to no avail.

“Look, I smell rain, and I do NOT want to get my fur wet and muddy!” Macy shook her puffy, white coat, letting it shimmer in the sunshine. 

“That is my answer, no!” She turned around and pranced through the kittypet door. Snow was very upset, and Cloud tried to comfort her. “Whatever. I mean, its not like you didn’t try! She can be stubborn sometimes.”

Bud jumped on the fence and smelt the air, and said, “I think Macy was right. It does smell like rain. We’d better get moving.”

As Snow and Cloud hopped onto the fence, Snow asked why they wanted cats to come so bad to this gathering. 

“Well, remember when I got really short-tempered that day I killed the fox? Well I had been having weird dreams…”

A low growl rose in the cave. Sam pricked his ears and sprung open his eyes. A huge, strange cat stood on one side of the room, opposite of Violet. “Why are you here? What have you done to my den?” The tom’s fur dripped on the mossy floor, soaking the moss. His teeth bared, he prowled over to Sam. “I asked you a question. Answer it!” He yowled. Sam, out sized for once, backed against the stone wall and stuttered. “I-I-We came when it started to rain! We didn’t know you lived here! We are so sorry!”

“We?” The tom stepped back, and noticing Violet, he smiled cruelly. “Oh! It is we.” He silently stepped towards her, still smiling fiercely. Suddenly, he sprang forward. Sam realized what was happening and screamed, “NO!!!!!!”