17 Chapter 17
"Ha! I got you!" I tried to kick him off, but he stayed and dug his claws into my chest. He then shouted, "Tell me! What did Birch say to Yuna?" I growled and asked, "Why do you want to know so much?" He said, "Because she could know something about Birch! He may be sick or something!"
I said, "You really want to know, huh? It's still a no, but I'll give you a hint." He loosened his grip, and I pushed him off. He fell onto the ground with a loud thump, and I said, "Ask Yuna while you two are alone. And don't pressure her again, you fool!" With my tail and ears drooped down, I continued to walk into the forest.
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I woke up, and it looked like I was in a den. I sat up and I looked into the clearing. It was empty, and it didn't look like home, so that was good. Then Jay walked in and said, "Oh! You're awake!" He covered my face in licks, and after he did so, I asked him, "Where are we?" He replied, "We're in Clover's abandoned camp."
I sighed in relief. We were safe from other cats, and any potential fires because we could just go back to the already charred part of the forest. Besides, the fire got put out by humans before any serious damage to the forest was done. When I walked outside with Jay, I heard shouting. I looked over, and I saw Bandit shouting something to Smoke, and then he stumbled away.
I walked over to Smoke and asked, "What was that about?" He murmured, "Bandit knows what you and Yuna were talking about that one day, and I have to know! Are you sick or something?" I purred in laughter and Jay said, "Wait what are you talking about?" I quietly whispered what Yuna and I were talking about that day.
He glanced at Smoke and the tip of his tail slightly flicked around in suspicion. I said, "Don't worry about it too much Smoke. It has nothing to do with me though, so you have to wait, or just ask her yourself. Be sure to not push her." Smoke sighed and then said, "Alright." Then Jay walked off saying, "C'mon Birch. You should be in the den."
I licked Smoke's ear as a goodbye, and I followed Jay back to the den. Lu was there and she said, "It's check-up time!" I stayed still as she searched my body for any irregularities, and she said, "I'm not sure about the kits because they're still too underdeveloped, but you in general, are fine." Jay sighed in relief, and Lu left the den.
I was starting to become tired so I laid down. Jay lied down next to me, and we both fell asleep.
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I heard what Birch said to Smoke, so I decided to come back. I ran into Echo, and he said, "Oh hi Bandit! You okay?" I said, "Yeah, I guess I'm okay." Echo said, "Hey you have good hearing right? I need your help with something. Promise that you won't tell anyone about this." I nodded, and he lead me to a cave. We didn't go very deep into the cave until we saw a fox.
I wanted to scream, but Echo said, "It's okay! The fox won't attack. I named him Sea Biscuit." "Sea Biscuit?" "The name just kind of came up in my mind I guess." I looked at the fox. I could hear it breathing. Then Echo said, "Okay. I need you to check if there are pups in her belly." She was very fat, but I never considered that there were pups in there.
Reluctantly, I placed my ear on her belly, and I heard multiple heartbeats and slight shuffling. I said, "There are pups... is something wrong with the fox?" Echo sat down and said, "Sea Biscuit! And yes, she has been unconscious for a while, and I don't know how to wake her up." I placed my ear on her belly again, and through the heartbeats, I heard a slight growling. I said, "She might be hungry." Echo and I spent the whole evening catching food for the fo- I mean Sea Biscuit.
Before Echo lost hope, Sea Biscuit woke up and ate the food we caught for her. She was grateful, and I was finally able to go back home. I sat down in my den, and I started cleaning myself. It was nice to be at peace for a bit. When I was about to clean my privates, Yuna came in and said, "B-Bandit? Can I- oh! You're c-clearly busy..."
I quickly got out of the position I was in and said, "It's alright! What is it?" She whispered, "Smoke doesn't know, right?" I nodded, and she sighed. She then said, "Okay, good. T-that's all. Thank you, Bandit." I smiled and she walked away. Then I started squealing. "She's going to tell him! Oh my gosh!" I got up and shook my fur.
I then pranced out of my den and into the forest, looking for a spot they may meet. Then I found a clear spot, and then I hid nearby in the trees. I perked my ears up just in case I was wrong, but then I heard something else.
