Cornered

When he woke up, the sun was showering him with a pleasant warmth, and the cool breeze ruffled his fur. He shakingly stood, yawning and clutching the branch, and stretched. As his head went down, he caught view of something he had missed in the darkness the night before- a birds nest. His ears swiveled around to face the nest, where two small creatures dozed. He almost made his way towards them, but froze- he knew they wouldn't fill him.

He decided to wait for the mother to come back, much larger and heavier than these chicks. He crouched down, moved back into his clump of branches, and waited for his breakfast to arrive.

He waited for a long time, slowly dozing off but each time waking when a small ruffle would sound in his ears, only to realize it was the branches rubbing together. The sun rose and peaked in the sky, then started to sink, but still, he waited. He had to get something to eat. He dozed off again.

When he woke up this time, it was to the chicks chirping loudly, so loudly he felt the urge to knock their nest from the tree. When he opened his eyes, his fur raised. The mother bird had come home, and was feeding her children. With a sense of envy, he rose slightly and began to creep forwards.

She didn't notice him coming, and he got a few feet behind her before tensing. He had to aim perfectly, or he could fall from the tree...

He jumped, catching the bird under his claws. She shrieked and began flapping her wings, desperately trying to escape his grasp, but he refused to let go. The bird dug one of her feet into the bark and pushed off, expecting to fly, but instead sent them toppling over the edge. They tumbled onto the branch below, the kitten landing on his back, but he continued to fight against her.

Several minutes passed, until the kitten was exhausted and the bird was dead. He ate his fill in the tree, savoring every bite that tasted so much better than anything he had ever eaten before. It took him several hours to eat, his jaws becoming stuck as he chewed, not having the strength to ear normally.

When he finished, it was night, and he felt much better. His leg was still sore, but he figured he could move. He learned from living with the human child that staying in one place for too long was not a good idea.

He ambled down from the branch onto the next one, wincing as his foot hit the rough bark. He carefully made his way from branch to branch, then took a running gamble a few feet in the air and scrambled down the trunk, landing on the soft ground coated by dead leaves and pine needles.

He carefully moved along, able to concentrate on his surroundings better now that his stomach wasn't empty. He could still smell cats, more than before, but could tell there were none close enough to be dangerous. He found a small trail among some brambles and followed it, careful to make little to no noise as he stalked through.

He set his mind on one simple plan; to get away from the smells of other cats, as they were clearly no good for him. His leg, which was still sore but functioning, was a large reminder of the ferocity of the forest cats.

He walked all day, hoping to find his way back to the large rock streak, but found no such luck. He wandered in circles and went over the same stream six times, taking the same stepping stones. Eventually, as the moon began to sink, he found himself tired and looking for another tree to climb.

He chose a tall pine, scrambled up to a wide branch, and carefully sank down onto his stomach, paws tucked under him. He gazed up into the sky, where the stars blinked down at him, and the occasional cloud would mask the moon.

Is this my life now? He thought, digging his claws into the wood uncertainly. Living out here, running from other cats and eating birds? When he thought of it, he didn't mind the bird. He wouldn't mind another. But the possibility of being attacked was frightening, he was no more than a kit, and he knew that. Only a full moon ago was he taken from his mother and siblings, and one of the forest cats alone could do him in.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, but they quickly snapped back open. There was the sound of rustling underneath him. He peered over the edge, and then almost jumped in surprise. His heart began to pound mercilessly.

Underneath the tree, walking next to it, were three cats. All adults, they were confidently strolling, sniffing the ground. One of them, a gray and black tabby, raised his head.

"I can smell it, for sure. Real close." He said, his voice deep and stern.

"Well, Spade, if you would hush, then you might not spook it away." One of them, a red-she cat, said softly, sniffing the bushes next to his tree. The kitten stood up slowly.

"You think it can hear us? It's that close?" The other, a ginger tom, said softly.

"Can't you smell how close it is, Ajax?" Spade said, turning to face the ginger tom.

"It's probably hiding, listening." The she-cat said.

"Right, Athena- hello? Is anyone out there?" Spade called out, but she gave him a quick snap with her tail.

"It's just a trainee- barely more than a kit. Just keep an eye peeled for any sign of movement- Haxle would be hacked off if we were attacked- don't know what the Hallick were doing in the cross." The kitten tensed. Were they talking about him?

"Hey, hear that?" Ajax said, looking into a large bramble of bushes. The kitten, who had a full view of the other side, peered over. There were two large cats, one being the white tom and the other being a black and white tom he hadn't seen before. His heart dropped.

Spade, Athena, and Ajax darted into the bushes, and the other two cats turned and sprinted away before they could be spotted. The kitten watched the three cats emerge on the other side, then look around in confusion.

"I heard them- and I can still smell them, more Hallick cats." Ajax growled. He began to walk forwards, nose to the ground, but Spade stopped him.

"No- it seems we got confused- maybe they weren't here, just a change in wind." Athena flicked her ears impatiently but didn't say anything. The three cats turned and made their way through the bushes and past the tree, heading back the way they came, talking and sniffing.

The kitten hopped down from the tree and started sneaking away as quickly as he could, desperate to get as far as possible from these cats. He slid under some brambles, ran alongside the creek, and was making his way through a thick cluster of young trees when he heard leaves crunching.

He froze, and looked around frantically. He caught sight of two deep blue eyes, peering at him through the mix of trunks. He turned tail and took off running, terrified.

He could hear the cat following, and sped up. He didn't want to be caught under the claws of another cat, not after his first encounter. He whipped ninety degrees and ran through a cluster of brambles.

"Hey- hey! Stop!" It was the cat called Spade, presumably the one behind him. He ran even faster, but almost stumbled when the red she-cat darted out from the side. He slid to a stop and spun, but was blocked off by the ginger tom. Spade caught up and blocked off his other exit.

The kitten trembled in his fur. He was more scared than he had ever been, but knew he had to do something, or this could be a very nasty situation.

"Hey- I'm sorry- I'll leave-" He sputtered, but Athena cut him off.

"Well, he doesn't smell like a cat from another colony."

"Yeah- maybe a rogue?" Ajax said, coming towards him. He spun around and glared at the adult cat, trying to appear as menacing as possible, even though he knew he couldn't take on even one of these cats. Their muscles were defined through their pelts and their fangs were sharp and white when they would lick their lips.

"Calm down, there. Where are you from?" Athena asked, peering at him and taking an anxious step forward.

"The- the human dens."

"A pet?" Spade said, stepping back a little. He flicked his tail.

"You're fast for a pet- how do I not know you're lying?" Ajax muttered, smelling the air again.

"What?" He stammered. Spade took a few steps towards him and smelled his jaw. He didn't dare move. "Liar!" Spade suddenly shouted, causing him to cower. "You smell like bird! Where are you from?" He demanded.

"I- I killed it! In the tree- I ran from the white cat in the clearing behind the bushes earlier!"

"White cat?" Ajax said, sounding interested now.

"Yeah- you just missed him earlier- he attacked me when I came into the forest. I didn't know what to do, so I ran and climbed a tree and killed a bird- I was hungry, I'm sorry- I'll leave!" He rambled, desperate to escape.

"It's okay." Athena said, taking a step toward him.

"What were you doing here now? What white cat? Hunting!" Spade snapped.

"Spade! He's just a lost kit! You can't blame him for being hungry- I saw you eating that mouse this morning, if you didn't eat you'd be complaining right now." She turned to him.

"Can- can I just go?" He meowed quietly. She sighed.

"It's not safe- we're in the cross. I don't know if any other colonies are in our territory, and we need to know about this white cat you speak of. I'm afraid you're coming with us." His heart dropped, and he looked around wildly. Without another word, Spade began to walk into the woods, and Athena looked at him expectantly.

In fear of being hurt, he followed alongside Athena, Ajax behind them. Spade led the way silently through the woods. They went through the rest of the small trees, over a dried creek, and wove through a small forest of bushes. They stayed focused the entire time, and didn't even flinch when they came to a small dirt tunnel dug out just big enough for a large cat. They just went right in, without even looking down into it.

He hesitantly followed, and found that it went right down on the other side into a large clearing, which was below the rest of the forest floor. It was in the shape of a big circle, with trees growing on the edge of the dip. It was like a crater that nature didn't want anyone to find. It was amazing.