Nickysha crept silently through the dark night filled undergrowth. Her paws treading silently over the fallen leafs.
Slowly through the dim moonlight, Nickysha reached the small clearing. The wire fence gleamed in the shafted silver light. Crouching in the moonlit bushes, Nickysha watched for any sign of life across the fence.
Shifting, Nickysha waited, her paws cramping of from keeping a still position. The moon, one high in the sky, was now slowly sinking, hailing the arrival of the day.
A slight russel from the bushed pricked Nickyshas ears.
Moonlight reflected off the cream or pelt of a cat. A branch slightly crunched under a light treading paw. Whiskers brushed softly against leaves. Chartreuse green eyes blinked from the darkness.
"Abhasvara," Nickysha whispered into the darkness.
"I'm here," the reply came back.
"Oh thank goodness, I was starting to worry," Nickysha slid to the edge of the shadows, about to take a footstep into the open.
"Wait," Abhasvara sharply hissed.
Nickysha froze, a paw in the air, her ears flicking.
"What's wrong?" Nickysha crept back into the shadows.
"I don't want any of the other toms to see you," Abhasvara whispered.
Frowning Nickysha crept through the shadows getting closer to a shaded area of the fence, "why, I can take care of myself,"
"It's not that!" Abhasvara shuttered, "If they find me talking with you, th-they wi-will"
"Spit it out," Nickysha hissed.
"Your a great cat, ok!" Abhasvara confessed, "and If they find out we know each other in any way, they will eliminate me!"
"Eliminate!" Nickysha gasped, "why?"
"You know!" Abhasvara eyes sparkled in fear, "the," he coughed in embarrassment, his seemed to be unable to get the words out.
Nickysha felt her nerves fluttering in her chest, she knew what he was talking about now, they can't be, this can be happening again! They can't hurt another one of my friends! her mind racing, Nickysha back further into the shadow, "then I should go,"
"Wait," Abhasvara meowed softly, "I have something else to say!"
Turning Nickysha peered into the wide eyes that shimmered in the moonlight.
"The firsts is a warning!" Abhasvara glanced nervously behind him, "be aware of Angar, he is not a can you want to be tangled up with,"
"Is that all?" Nickysha asked.
"No!" Abhasvara stiffened then whispered, "I was talking to Satsuma, she told me that if a cat is at the sanctuary for an extended period of time, the workers open the fence for a day,"
Nickysha flicked her ears at the thought.
"Be careful!" Abhasvara meowed, "That day is coming soon! I don't want an unknown cat getting to you!"
Nickysha froze at the concern in his voice.
"I'm also sorry, I'm so, so sorry,"
Nickysha flicked her tail, startled.
"What for?" she questioned.
"Earlier, the fight, I never saw you as just another cat in the forest, but you are really everything to me," Abhasvara meowed into the darkness.
Nickysha watched him silently, her heart tightening.
"I should go," She turned into the bushes ready to leave, "I'll be careful,"
"I miss you, lets meet here again soon!" Abhasvara called in the silence.
"I won't be anyone else's, don't worry!" Nickysha promised before she raced into the deep undergrowth.
Nickysha slunk through the early dawn light, the trees washed in orange light. Her pelt flashed in the sunlight, warm to the touch. Nickysha felt as if a flame was kindling in her heart. Its' remnants fluttering back from when it was crushed as a kit. Feelings soared high enough to bring her spirits up with it. But unfortunately, it didn't bring her energy level up. Soon she was nearing Satsumas den. A small hollow under a bush.
"Satsuma?" Nickysha called into the darkness of the branches.
"Mmm hmm?" Satsuma mumbled from her nest.
"Ack sorry, never mind," Nickysha quickly backed away as the sleepy snores where emitted once more from the den. Turning she bounded through the trees on a mossy boulder strewn path. A fat barkless tree crept towards her, a large old owl hole in the bark several fox lengths from the ground watched over the forest.
Nickysha dug her claws into the soft smooth surface. Soon she was scrambling into her new den that was made up of the old owl roosting spot. Fluffy brown and grey feathers were scattered throughout the nesting spot. Nickysha pawed through the soft moss and feathers. Her bones aching from a long night, Nickysha circled and needed her nest until it was comfortable. Then she flopped down in the comforts of the morning light. Her eyes closing she drifted off into a peaceful sleep filled with the new orange and cream flames roaring in her heart.
"Nickysha! Are you awake,"
Nickysha was jolted awake as the sound of a cat yowling her name. Yawning, Nickysha stumbled out of her nest. Shaking out her fur, she blinked groggily out of her den entrance.
The blurry body of a brown cat was standing down at the bottom of her tree.
The first thought in Nickyshas mind was, Nymphaea. But as her eyes cleared the face of Satsuma peered up at her.
"Come on!" her meow echoed u the tree, "It's time for feeding!"
Nickysha blinked, twice a day they were fed meat from the handlers. Giving her pelt a quick few licks, and her shoulder a quick shake to loosen the wrapping, Nickysha leaped down from her den.
"I don't know how you get up there!" Satsuma yawned, "I can't get my claws into that tree,"
Nickysha shrugged as they head towards the stone wall on the north side of the pen, "I just have had lots of practice,"
"Good for you!" Satsuma shook out each of her paws, "let get here before they toss it to the rest of the toms and she-cats,"
Picking up their speed Nickysha and Satsuma dodged bushes and leafy bracken plants.
"Arg," Nickysha slowed down to a trot, "I can't travel fast on the ground,"
Satsuma raced ahead, "then I see you when you catch up!"
Nickysha trotted on, her eyes scanning the slightly spaced out tree. Then she decided. She would travel by tree like she did in her old forest. Running at the closet tree, Nickysha leaped through the branches until she was soaring through the air from leafy green branch to branch. A big grey stone wall shone at the edge of the thinning trees. Nickysha sent one more flying leap to the edge of the human made forest. Resting on a high branch, Nickysha watched as three other cats milled down in the clearing in front of the cement wall.
"Hey, how did you get up there?" looking down Nickysha saw an immensely spotted she-cat looking up at her.
"Uh, I climbed," Nickysha replied.
"Really?" The other she-cat meowed, her pelt a soft brown orange, "How?"
"You don't know how to climb?" Nickysha exclaimed.
"No, no," The orange brown cat sighed, "I do know how to climb, but I don't like being in trees,"
"Same," The spotted she-cat meowed, watching Nickysha with interest.
"She even has a den in a tree," Satsuma added in, "You know the old owl nest in the barkless tree?"
"Yes!" The spotted cat meowed, "I tried to dig my claws into it once, it can't get a good scratching with it!"
"She climbs it like a pro!" Satsuma chattered.
"Uh guys," The orange brown she-cat mumbled, "the humans are coming,"
Nickysha glanced up at the stone wall. Humans in green clothes were appearing up at the edge.
"Come down with us!" The spotted she-cat invited.
"Not thanks," Nickysha called down, she didn't feel like mingling with these strange cats.
"Today's the day when other humans besides the workers come!" The orange she-cat added.
More faces appeared over the stone walls edge, other humans with the odd untainted skin.
The tourists.
"Do you think they will give us more meat today?" the orange she-cat wished.
"Don't get your hopes up, Aurna," The spotted she cat grumbled, "now that Nickyshas here, they won't spare any more,"
"Oh come on Prickleda," Aurna complained, "I can hope,"
"Well don't come to me when you're disappointed," Prickleda huffed.
"Hey, Nickysha!" Satsuma call, "how do you like the attention up there,"
The tourists where taking out flashing boxes, and they were clicking them in her direction. Nickysha shifted on her branch. She didn't understand what the big deal was. She felt one of the cameras's blind her. Grunting she backed further into the leafs and twisted branches of the tree.
"Does this always happen," She called down nervously to the cats below.
"Not really," Aurna sat herself down, watching the humans intently, her voice not remotely interested.
"It probably just because the fact your in the tree," Satsuma pointed out, "We don't climb,"
"And you are like a fire with that pelt of yours," Prickleda flicked out her claws, their sharp white tips speckled with muddy spots.
Snorting Nickysha let a flutter of leaves twist down to the ground far below as she got to her paws.
"Here come the feeders!" Aurna chirped excitedly, she was on her paws, nearly hopping up and down.
Nickysha returned her gaze to the humans. Two yellow pelted ones were nearing the edge of the wall. They were dragging along a big silver box. The smell of meat wafted from the slightly ajar top. Nickysha though she had never smelled anything as good as the rabbit she, or technicality Abhasvara, had caught.
They slowly drew out a large hunk of blood red meat.
"Oh, tuna!" Satsuma licked her jaws, "I can't wait!"
"What's so great about tuna," Nickysha frowned skeptically at the dripping meat. The humans were now pulling out long chunks of flesh. One had stopped at the edge of the stone wall and was preparing to throw it.
Prickleda flicked her tail in excitement,"We only get it when something special happened or," then she cursed, "hey Aurna what day is it?"
Aurna frowned, "it's about the end of the cold semester,"
Satsuma gasped, "rabbit droppings!"
"What is it?" Nickysha questioned. By the looks on the three cats faces, she knew it must not be something good. The human then tossed the meat at Nickysha. It sailed through the air, Nickysha had no choice but to catch it as it flew at her face. The feeling of her jaws around warm flesh was refreshing.
"The caretakers must be opening up the gates soon!" Satsuma had an unreadable expression in her eyes as she frowned, "they let the males into our larger pen so we can mingle.
Nickysha felt shivers run through her pelt, this was what Abhasvara had warned her about. The mean in her mouth began to raise like old tar. The hunk of fish dropped from her mouth, tumbling far below before hitting the ground with a hard slat.
"No, no, no," Nickysha felt an old feelings she tried to push down wash over her heart. She felt her pulse speed up. Uneven beats of her heart thumping in her ear. Memory swirl through her mind, her mom raising them alone then dying alone.Pain coursed through her heart and up though her jaw and forelegs. Gasping Nickysha started coughing. Her lungs constricting life a python from the effort.
"Hey Nickysha!" The yowl came from a distance.
Nickysha felt her paws swaying. Her head spun with vertigo, it felt like a balloon about to float way in a second. Her lungs failed to take in air.
"Get her down from there!" Satsumas voice cried from down below.
"I can't climb that height!" Aurna's voice yowled.
"Just go! She can't fall from that height!" Satsuma yowled.
Suddenly the air tense with pins and needles. The wind swirled in her ears as the bark shivered under her paws. The tree slightly rattled from the shaken ground. Nickysha felt her paws slip once again from the branch for the second time in four days, then she was falling. Wind rushing through her ears, Nickysha blacked out.
When she came to, Nickysha was on the hard ground of the pen. Her side ached, her head hurt.
"Are you ok?" Satsumas face fuzzed into view.
"What happened," Nickysha head swirled, her breath was short and raspy.
"You fell," Aurna popped into Nickyshas vision.
"You were lucky, your fall was broken by the branches," Satsuma nudged Nickysha to her paws, "Now I think you should get back to your den,"
"Yes," Prickleda was watching the humans that where now milling around like ants on the wall, "You should hide, the humans will come soon,"
"Great just great," Satsuma muttered as she lead Nickysha into the forest.
Nickysha stumbled along. Her mind fuzzy as her paws padding along with no particular.
"Hey, Nickysha," Satsuma nudged her, "Do you think you will be able to climb?
Looking up, Nickysha saw the large barkless tree looming in front of them.
"Ya, I think so," Nickysha dug her claws into the dull bark.
"You should stay up into your den," Satsuma glanced around, "The gates will open soon, you should be safe up there,"
As she scrambled up and over the rim of her den entrance, her paws sinking into the warm and comforting moss, she heard one last call from Satsuma,
"And believe me, you do now want to meet up with any of those toms, or else, things might not go well,"