The Vessel Trap || The Beginning

Chapter One: Runaway Moon

The sweet breeze of the spring flies around, invisible, yet, picking up leaves from the last fall and making them dance and twirl in the air. Morning, the soft blue sky with pink and yellow in a gradient, the golden sun rising. The nearby stream trickling with water that came from the mountains, fresh spring water from the piled snow on the tops of their majestic landscapes. 

~•~

"Sierra!" A voice called from the edge of the forest, little stubby paws padding along. "There you are!" A grey tabby exclaimed, "I was worried you got lost- Phew!" The kitten caught her breath, sighing, she looked back up "Si—" 

The kitten known as Sierra, a grey and white tuxedo cat, interrupted, "Sorry Bailey." She said quickly looking curiously into the shrubs and trees that were beyond the point she was comfortable to go into. 

The tabby looks at her "Hey. Hey- we gotta go back." Bailey said reluctantly, "Sierrrrrra. Hey! Are you even paying attention to m—" Bailey babbled before getting a paw pressed to her mouth, and a shush from the other. 

"Listen... don't you hear that? That singing?" She asks, they went quiet, ears turning towards the sound, the sound she was listening to. Bailey listened, it was dead silent other than the flicker of leaves hitting each other.

Bailey took a breath, "Sierra, you're hearing things. Come on, let's go inside, mom's gonna be so mad." She said using her tail to guide Sierra down the path back home.

~•~

Lounging around on the windowsill, Sierra lay with the golden sun beaming on her pelt, as the sun went down, her ears perk up and she gets up, stretching by putting her front paws forward and leaning back as she stood up, tail curling like a candy cane. Yawning, her emerald green eyes opened, glancing around, she walked over to a chair by the fireplace and waited. Bailey leaped up on the mantle, "How'd you sleep sleeping beauty?" She teases, tail flicking. Sierra sighed "Fine, actually." She commented then sat there patiently as Bailey impatiently jumps off the mantle and curled up in a ball on the chair by the fireplace, kneading the silky soft blanket that rested on the arm of the chair. 

A cuckoo clock by the door went off, chirping twelve times then, click, the front door unlocked, and the squeak of brass hinges filled their ears, the door had slowly opened, Bailey trotted up quickly, meowing and swirling under the two-legged friend's feet. "Hey, how's my Bailey girl? Yeah?" He laughed lightly, scratching under her chin as she practically melted into his hand. Their human maneuvered around Bailey as she meowed more and more, the man prepared a fire and lit ablaze, he took a heaving sigh and plops down on the chair by the fire. "Ah, how are my girls? Are you two not getting into trouble?" The man around his thirties, with dirt and grime, all over asked the two felines, they replied with little meows, "Good, hah... Where's that little kitten? Sleeping? Good, he's a growing kitten." He chuckled, petting the two cats pelts, he traced his finger on Sierra's marking on her hip, "You're the best my little moon." He said lightly before slowly drifting off to sleep. 

Bailey scoffs "Ah, still the favorite. Whatever..." she muttered, "Oh well let's wrestle." The tabby puffs up her tail. "No. We gotta take care of Fin, he's all dirty and exhausted..." she muttered and licks the dirt off his skin with the little bristles on her tongue, "At least get most of it off." Bailey stated slightly annoyed. 

After cleaning the man up, and putting a blanket around him, the two relaxed, Sierra by the sliding glass door, and Bailey by the fireplace warming up.  Sierra's ears perked as she stared out into the deep darkness of the night, There it is again... she thought as she got up and paced at the door. "What's wrong with you? You're suddenly... fidgety..." Bailey stated, stretching out her legs, "I need to go outside, I need to find that voice..." Sierra paces around as Bailey walked over "Yeah... and die from the night creatures?" She lifts an eyebrow, sitting down and licking her paw, grooming the fur on her head. "I have to Bailey." Sierra stated and she leaped up to the kitchen counter, going to the cut window screen, "What? Are you insane?!" Bailey hissed and she quickly went after her to stop her, her tail puffed up "You're gonna leave me with- with Xyler?! And- and Finley?!" She exclaimed. "I'm sorry- but I need to find out what this noise is coming from." Sierra said lightly before slipping under the screen, and leaping onto the roof, "I can't believe this... you're gonna die out there, Sierra!" Bailey warned.

~•~

The grey and white feline treaded carefully among the streets, she kept her ears perked and she sneaked past other two-legged beings. Alright... almost out of here... I just need to get past those trees and I'll hide out for a little... she thought and put her plan into action. She was stopped in the middle of the road, face to face with a raccoon, her body went stiff, back arched, fur on end, a low growl escaped her mouth, as she went to slowly maneuver her way around the masked animal. The raccoon stared her down, it looked at her collar and immediately wanted it, it snarls at her and it waddled closer as Sierra hissed furiously, the raccoon took ahold of her collar and instinct kicked in and Sierra swatted with claws drawn at the raccoon, cutting its nose. The masked animal snarls and it grabs her collar pulling it off and swatting at her quickly, Sierra hissed and yowled as she broke free, running across the road as a huge machine with wheels on the asphalt was coming. Barely making it, she ran past the trees, climbing quickly into a big tree, she curled up and huffed lightly to herself, curling into a fluffy ball of fur.

By morning she woke up to the voice she's been hearing ever since a kitten, she quickly got up, carefully climbing out of the tree, she landed onto the ground smoothly and started to run towards the voice. The cat felt her fur push back as she ran, her eyes filled with excitement. The voice stopped as she entered a clearing, she suddenly stops, glancing around and ears perked upright. A figure in the shade of the trees vanished into the bushes, Sierra flinched "Hello?- is anyone there...?" She quivered in fear, her eyes wide. A glimmer of reflective light hit her eyes, she slowly approached the little shiny thing on the ground, pawing at it, she pulled it out of shrubs. A small clock, a watch, no, a pocket watch, it's arms ticked, she picks it up, putting it on a branch, and slipping it around her neck, looking it over. The pocket watch suddenly stops, the small hand pointing to the first tally and the longer one on the twelfth. Sierra felt a sudden sickness, her vision started to blur What's happening...? She thought, her eyes fluttered like she was trying to stay awake, finally, falling over on her side and blacking out.