Hi, it's me again! The idea of a 'What If' story came up and I just had to write it. Thank you to Tainted Shadow Rebel for reading over this, and who is now the editor of this story :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. -sob-
What if...Rusty had never left his Twolegs?
Rusty opened his mouth to scent the breeze. Mouse! He dropped into a low crouch, getting ready to spring. But then another smell distracted him. The smell of…
Rusty blinked his eyes opened and yawned. The dream had been realistic, but it wasn't…interesting. He would much rather play with Smudge and all his other friends. Rusty lifted his head off the side of his kitty bed, making the bell on his collar ring. He winced at the noise, then got up and padded over to his food dish. It looked so unappetizing, unlike the mouse in Rusty's dream.
But wait. That creature was alive. He'd have to kill the poor thing and then eat it. It was so much easier just to prance up to your food bowl, lower you head and munch. Besides, what would he do without water? The puddles outside would be much too dirty to drink out of. Sure, the water he got tasted pretty bad, but at least he knew it was safe to drink.
Having finished eating, the ginger-pelted tom pushed his way out of the cat flap and into his house folks' yard. Rusty inhaled deeply and lazily dropped backward, waving his paws in the air. After a bit, he heard a throaty purr and turned his head. Instantly, Rusty jumped to his paws and trotted over the carefully clipped grass to the next yard. 'Smudge!' he cried joyfully. He and the other cat, a plump and friendly black-and-white tom, touched noses.
Soon, the two friends were playing, chasing each other around and play-fighting. As the night wore on, more and more stars appeared. Rusty stopped play-fighting and looked up at the sky. Smudge sat beside him and cocked his head quizzically. 'Whatcha lookin' at, Rusty?' Rusty just continued gazed upward, eyes misty and distant. 'Rusty?' Smudge waved a paw in his face. No answer.
Smudge sighed and sat down on Rusty's tail. Suddenly, Rusty screeched and jerked his head up. Pleased, Smudge stepped off of his friend's tail and licked a paw. A call from Smudge's garden made the black-and-white cat waddle away. 'Bye, Rusty!'
Rusty looked at his friend and waved his tail in farewell. Smudge disappeared into his own garden and Rusty looked back toward the stars. He began to shiver violently, and finally, he tore his gaze away from the sky and bounded back to his house.
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'Come…come to us…'
Rusty jolted awake and looked around in terror. It was the same voice he'd heard the previous night. They were urging him to go…where? The stars, but how?
'Come to the forest…'
Rusty jumped, and without a second thought, leaped up the stairs to his house folks' kit. The kit was sleeping, but as Rusty patted its form, it woke up and brought him onto the bed. Rusty curled up next to its feet and tried to go back to sleep.
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Rusty was at the edge of his territory, the boundary between his yard and the forest. Warm, enticing smells flowed out of the trees and wafted about his nose. The tom leaned forward, paw poised to take a step toward the forest. But another sense pricked at his fur; the sense of security. How could he know that where he was going would be safe? At least in his nest, he knew what to expect, he knew what was there.
And the forest…a light suddenly flared, soft and welcoming, and a path, starting just in front of his paws, wound its way through the trees. Rusty looked longingly at the path. But then he looked behind him. His house folk's kit was standing there, looking at him pleadingly. Rusty's uncertain gaze switched between his home and the warm forest.
'Decide…there is not much time left…'
The voice swirled around his head and the forest, path and house folk disappeared.
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His collar felt hot around his neck. Rusty walked around the house slowly, taking in every aspect.
The kitchen: where his bed, food and water were. If he went to the forest, where would his food be? It'd be everywhere, hiding in little crevices, waiting to be caught. But every creature that he caught would be diminishing the amount of prey in the forest…
The bedroom: where the house folk slept. They were so kind and gentle, Rusty couldn't bear the thought of leaving them. What would he do without their care? He would die, that's what.
Rusty continued his tour of the house, mulling over the forest. Should he go, should he stay…should he go, should he stay…should he go, should he… Tired, Rusty flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes.
He was back in the forest. This time, there was no path, and the welcoming light was gone. But something drew him in, so without hesitating, Rusty padded into the forest.
As he walked, his eyes grew wider and wider at the marvels about him. Grass, ferns and flowers of varieties he'd never seen before grew so thickly that Rusty felt they would make a more comfortable bed than his kitty bed. A light breeze played about Rusty's fur, and he stopped, afraid that the bell on his collar would ring out and alert something vicious to his whereabouts. But when the tom looked down, he only saw his flaming ginger pelt free of his house folks' mark. Rusty grinned and continued onward.
Here and there, a mouse or vole scuttled by, their enticing scent drifting up his nostrils. Songbirds called to each other, their melodius voices echoing through the trees. Leaves fell around him, covering the ground in a flurry of red, orange and gold. It was breath-takingly beautiful.
Suddenly, Rusty stopped. In front of him lay a tunnel of gorse, and beyond that came the smells of many cats, and the sounds of busy paws reached his ears. He was hesitant of placing a paw inside the tunnel, as he didn't know what he would encounter. Still, something told him that he had nothing to fear, and so he tentatively entered.
The ginger tom could not repress a gasp, for in front of him a huge number of cats. Some looked up and smiled warmly at him, others flicked their tails in greeting. Rusty looked behind him, wondering if there was someone behind him. No one there.
Rusty blinked his eyes open. The dream had been so vivid… A thought struck him. Was that what life would be like if he left his housefolk? Rusty gulped; the place he'd live in looked so insecure, so unsafe.
'Have you decided?'
Rusty hissed indignantly; the voice seemed to always be there in his waking world.
'Well?'
'What's it to you?' Rusty snarled.
The air vibrated with the voice's chuckle. 'What's it to us? You are destined to save the clan…'
Rusty was confused for a split second, but soon regained his composure. 'Why me? All I ever wanted was to live a peaceful life with my house folk and friends! And you come along, trying to ruin my life. I WON'T GO AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!' His last words transformed into a yowl.
'This is your final choice?'
'It is,' Rusty growled. 'So leave me alone.'
The voice disappeared. Rusty found himself panting, his hackels raised and claws unsheathed. A loud thumping noise behind him made the tom spin around, hissing. A moment later he relaxed as the form of the little house folk came running in. It smoothed back Rusty's fur and cooed softly.
Rusty loosened his muscles and leaned against the hand that was rubbing him affectionately.
I can finally live my life in peace…
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Redtail sank to the ground in defeat, eyes clouded with pain. 'No,' he whispered. Now that the fire would never come, the clan - and forest - would fall apart. Tigerclaw would achieve his ambitions. The tom shook uncontrollably at the thought of his beloved clan in the paws of his murderer.
A pretty white she-cat came up to the grieving warrior and lay down beside him, trying to calm him. 'It's okay, Redtail...it's okay. Tigerclaw won't succeed--'
The tortoiseshell's tail bristled furiously and the hackles on his neck rose. He snarled up at the she-cat, 'You're wrong, Snowfur! Nothing stands in Tigerclaw's way now!'
There was nothing Bluestar's sister could say to that. Both fallen warriors could only watch hopelessly as the cat who could have been the saviour of the clans grew old and died as a kittypet. They could only watch painfully and their beloved clan was shattered, and many friends joined them in the starry afterlife. And they could only watch as the forest they loved was torn apart brutally...all by the force of one ambitious warrior: Tigerclaw.
Yay! There was no Firestar, and Tigerstar ruled. Tell me if you liked it or not. Flames will be used to burn your sorry excuse for a person. Tell me what you want next, and the most popular one will be put up next! Review!!!
--Cloudfire