Hello, and welcome to Hate, or Love?!! Before you begin reading, I have some stuff to say about this:
This is going to be a 5-part story. That's self-explanatory....
This is the SEQUEL to "Me, or Her?"! Meaning, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TO READ THAT 5-PART STORY FIRST, AS THIS TAKES PLACE ALMOST DIRECTLY AFTER WHERE THE PREVIOUS STORY ENDED!!!! Please help me keep my sanity and read the short stories in order, and also save yourself confusion. Please ;-;
Lastly, I'm going to give you the description of the main character (it's in 1st person POV, so... yeah.)
Cedarfrost - white she-cat with a black underbelly and black tail-tip, dark green eyes
Alright you can read now. There's more Author's Note after the story part. Enjoy! :3
~*~*~*~*~*~
I slow down to a walk, breathing heavily from the long run. My heart is beating quickly and feels alive.
But I know that it is broken.
Hawkstrike is his name. I loved him, and he loved me - or so I thought. I swear we were the perfect couple. We could have raised the best kits the Clan has ever known! But that all changed when he so suddenly chose to be mates with Rosebreeze, a no-good she-cat who doesn't deserve that kind of care from any tom, especially Hawkstrike.
I now walk through the forest under the night sky, the crescent moon appearing every now and then through the leaves above. A mass of scents wash over me, and I now know that I have left ForestClan territory - forever.
My heart aches for him so much. But after he practically threatened me to leave ForestClan, I... I don't know what to feel. A cat who you love so dearly, but then forces you out of their life? It's almost too hard to bear.
All my life I've been just waiting to find the perfect tom within the Clan, and what happens? Another worthless she-cat rips him right from me. I feel a deep feeling inside of me, a feeling of - no, it can't be - envy? I don't recall ever feeling envious of anyone in my life. If anything, they're the ones being envious of me. But to get this feeling specifically because of Rosebreeze?
If only Hawkstrike didn't get in my way when I made an attempt on Rosebreeze's life right before he acted as Clan leader and exiled me himself.
Yes, I know that I could have stayed, because he gave the generous choice of me either leaving the Clan or staying but risking my life if I do anything to them.
But now what do I do? I'm alone now, with nowhere to go, no purpose in my life now that I'm gone from the Clan....
I give out a loud, irritated sigh. Deciding that I should just get some sleep, I manage to find a small dip in the ground between to roots of a tree and curl up in that, closing my eyes and struggling to fall asleep.
~~~
I hear something very faint in my sleep, and it keeps growing louder. Rapidly louder.
"Will you be quiet?" I mutter subconsciously. "I'm trying to -"
I instantly wake up, take one glance in the direction of the noise, and sprint the other way. It wasn't long before the dog caught up only several fox-lengths away from me. My sleepiness immediately brushes off of me as I race through the forest, dodging tree trunks and bushes like there's no tomorrow. I can faintly feel the dog's hot, gross breath on my tail-tip and yank my tail between my hind legs so the dog can't close its huge jaws on it, and then I would be done for.
I do not know how long I've been running, but it seems like forever. But now I see my chance of escape: up ahead was an oak tree with branches low enough to climb up with ease and then reaches upward to be out of safe reach from the dog. If I -
"Hey, up here!"
In the same oak tree I am aiming for, the voice of a tom calls down to me. Too late to do anything else, the tree is upon me and I jump onto a low branch, scramble to the higher branches above, and crouch, trying to get out of the dog's view. As the stupid creature barks and paces endlessly at the bottom of the tree, the tom jumps down from the branch above to crouch beside me. I'm glad we both have the sense to be quiet until the dog leaves.
Before long, another, higher-pitched call sounds from the direction the dog came from. A Twoleg comes into my view and goes up to the dog, grabbing at its neck and dragging it away. The dog gives a few whimpers of protest and resists its Twoleg, but then eventually gives in and quietly follows the Twoleg back the way they came from. Once I am sure both mouse-brains are gone for good, I begin to climb back to the ground.
But then the tom causes me to pause.
"You're welcome for saving your life."
I turn around and look at him properly for the first time. He is tall but narrow and has black fur with a small tuft of white on his chest, and with yellow eyes which hold a slight amusement from his sarcastic saying. Around his neck, he also wore something similar to what the dog had on - collar, I think they call it? - which was blue and a bit torn up. But I didn't pay much attention to the collar; the only thing that it symbolized was kittypet.
"I was already planning to climb up this tree, mouse-heart," I growl in response. Turning back around to climb down, I add, "There is no reason for me to thank you." I eventually get to the ground and begin to walk in the opposite direction the dog and Twoleg went.
But of course that annoying tom doesn't leave me.
"At least thank me for trying to save you," he meows when he drops down from a low branch.
I stop in my tracks and turn around toward him again and send him a glare. "Look," I growl maliciously, "I've been living in this forest my entire life and know how to keep myself alive. Why don't you just go back to your Twolegs and enjoy your softer, boring life locked in that nest, kittypet?"
I expect him to be taken aback, but instead it seems that his amusement only grows.
"I would do that, wildcat, but my Twolegs have unfortunately left me completely. I'm on my own now."
Smart fox-heart. I can see why his Twolegs left him. "Well, I'm on my own, too, and would like to stay that way. Now leave me alone." I turn around once again continue on, my tail slightly lashing.
"Maybe we'll see each other again someday?" the kittypet calls one last time. I can hear the mischief coming out of him.
"If we do, I'll might kill you if you don't shut up," I mutter under my breath, not bothering to look back at him. I feel the great relief flooding into me when he doesn't follow.
Thank StarClan. Even though I haven't met many kittypets in my life, I've heard plenty about their obnoxious selves.
I hate them.
I travel through the woods for a bit longer until my stomach growls. Fox-dung! I forgot all about eating after my rude awakening and the following. I glance up at the sky between the overhanging leaves and see the sun up above. About sunhigh.
I stop walking and reach out with my senses to discern any movement in the area around me that gave away my prey's position. Eventually, I find the scent of a mouse. I creep towards the smell, and, peeking around a tree trunk, see a small brown creature sniffing for berries by a bush. I crouch where I am and wait until the mouse finds a berry it's satisfied with and begins to nibble. I bunch my muscles, wiggle my hindquarters, and pounce at it.
And then it was as if my mind stutters and goes from the focus of hunting to the memory that I was going to go hunting with Hawkstrike last night. And the memory of what she did.
When my mind clears, I find that I am staring down at my paws - empty, with a half-eaten berry next to them.
"Since you've been living in this forest your entire life, I'd expect you to hunt well."
I snap my head up and see that stupid tom standing a few tail-lengths away from me, and with my mouse dead at his paws. "Everyone messes up every now and then," I hiss. "I told you to leave me alone! Have you been following me?"
He shrugs. "I guess when I started walking in the general direction you went I randomly found you again."
"And come right on time when I miss the mouse?" I growl softly, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, sure."
The tom looks away from me and shuffles his paws. Is he embarrassed? Good. "Okay, maybe I was sort of following you... But I wanted to ask you something."
"And that is?" I meow irritatingly.
His - expectant? - yellow eyes zip to mine. "May I travel with you?"
My initial response is to stare at him disbelievingly. My second response is to yowl at him, "Are you kidding me? I literally just said only moments ago to leave me alone and that I want to be on my own. Are you deaf?"
He blinks once and then meows, almost to himself, "Yeah... maybe I should have talked a bit more before asking that...."
"Or not ask that at all," I counter.
The tom gives a heavy sigh. "Will you please let me start over, like a proper introduction?"
I glare at him for a few heartbeats, and then eventually decide that maybe he'll stop hunting me down if I do. "Fine," I reply coolly.
He gives an appreciative nod - funny how quickly he can go from a mischievous kit to a formal kittypet - and starts. "First of all, my name is Scamper, but you can call me Scamp."
I have the politeness to not interrupt him; the shorter the conversation, the quicker we can part ways forever.
"Yes, I am - or was - what you called me; a kittypet. My housefolk - or Twolegs - randomly took their stuff and left the house one day, and never came back. I decided to leave my home, too, and wander the lands, to see what they have to offer. Now," the tom - or Scamp - concludes, "what's your story? You've been alone all your life?"
A pang enters my chest as I recall, once again, Hawkstrike. Sure, the Clan was nice, but Hawkstrike made me feel special, and have some more purpose to my life. Again, that swirl of envy entered my mind. Oh, how I wish Rosebreeze to -
"Is everything alright?" Scamp asks me, stretching his neck forward to look at my eyes.
Wow. Doesn't he love to speak at all the right times? But I say nothing... I don't know what to say. My mind is again clouded in those painful, lost feelings.
However, what he says next shocks me immensely.
"Something is causing pain to you, and - is that... envy?" Scamp takes a few paces closer to me. "I can see it in your eyes. What is it? You can tell me. Get it off your chest."
Curse him for taking advantage of me when my mind is clogged like this! But... I cannot resist.
"You want to know my story?" I begin. "Here it is: I lived in a Clan of cats called ForestClan, if you've ever heard of it. All my life my Clanmates and I got along well, going out on patrol together or hunting with each other, seeing how many pieces of prey we can catch. Clan-life is fun, and gives you a great purpose to live - to protect and take care of your Clanmates. But what I always considered to be the main goal in my life is to find a mate and have kits. And not too long ago, I thought I finally found the perfect tom in the Clan. His name was Hawkstrike. We began to hang out with each other a lot, talking and hunting and taking walks out in the forest. I was in love with him, and he was in love with me. Or... I thought. It turns out that his 'one true love' is a she-cat named Rosebreeze. I tried to get her out of the way so Hawkstrike and I could be mates, but obviously... that didn't happen. He ended up forcing me out of the Clan just to protect Rosebreeze from me. A coward move in my opinion, now that I think of it. A tom who isn't strong enough to protect his loved one? Hmph."
I honestly did not notice how much I am rambling....
"Wait, wait, wait..." Scamp meowed quickly, shaking his head before looking at me again. "This Hawkstrike cat forced you out of your Clan just so he can have Rosebreeze all to himself?"
I snort and reply, "I could have either left the Clan or stay but risk my life if I messed with either one of them."
"What a fox-heart!" he screeches. I was slightly surprised at his expression and fiery yellow eyes. "No offense, but how could you like a cat like that?"
My ears perk up. "He was perfect before that happened...."
But he's right. How could I like a cat like that? He practically threatened my life, and I'm still here missing him and getting jealous of who's with him.
Silence then spreads out between us two, until Scamp - of course it's him - breaks it with the same question.
"So, may I travel with you?"
I look at him, but this time, no hostility - or, not as much as the past. "Give me one reason why I should allow you to travel with me."
His tail gives a happy flick. "Just wait - I need to think on this one." His gaze stares off to nothing for the longest time, but I am semi-flattered that he thinks I'm worth taking the time to think over an answer.
I see him nod slightly, as if agreeing with himself, and turn his attention back to me. "In my eyes, every cat deserves to be cared for in someway. Whether that'd be as a friend, or a partner." A few heartbeats pass. "Is that good enough?" he asks with bright eyes.
A wait a few more heartbeats before I give him my answer. "Good enough," I repeat. "But only for a few days. Is that clear?"
"It's perfect," he answers. I see a glint in his eye that gives me a feeling he can do better.
We will see.
"Hey, I just realized: you didn't give me your name."
"Cedarfrost. My name is Cedarfrost," I reply unhesitatingly.
"Cedarfrost..." echoes Scamp. "That's a unique name. I like it!"
"Thanks. It's a Clan name," I respond. Then I look at the fresh-kill. "Now, can I have my mouse back? I did find it after all, and haven't eaten since yesterday. I'm starving."
Scamp flashes me a grin and then goes to retrieve the prey. When his back is turned towards me, I can't help but give a small smile back.
Perhaps it will be interesting having a life outside the Clan.
~*~*~*~*~*~
I didn't really expect this first part to be this long but I think it's fine. ^-^
I actually have been thinking about writing this sequel for quite a while now, before school was even out for me. I love all the comments I got back on Me, or Her?. Most of them were hating on Cedarfrost xD But that's perfect, because 1) I love how I created a character where people genuinely hate and 2) it gave me the idea to make this sequel in the first place. I mean, now I think it's necessary to see Cedarfrost's point of view and how she feels about all that happened, and what will happen since she left the Clan.
I have no set schedule for this short story, so it will be updated at random until it is done. Keep a look out for it!
Thanks for reading! :D