Escaping Past
"Gentlewhisker, hurry up!" an old grey tabby tom called from the barn, impatiently waiting for his breakfast.
"I'm coming!" she called back through a mouthful of mouse. The young she-cat quickly padded inside, and hurried to a stack of rolled up hay. Stretching her neck into one of the holes between the rolls, she dropped her prey before the old tomcat.
"You couldn't have taken any longer!" the tom snorted rudely as Gentlewhisker looked down shyly, "Sorry."
"Oh, lighten up Wolf," another plump old tom mewed. His mottled brown pelt was faded with age. Gentlewhisker shook her head, "No, it's okay Bear. I'll be faster next time Wolf, I promise," she dipped her head, and the soft grey she-cat trotted quickly out of the barn for a walk in the Leaf-fall sun.
"She's growing into a fine she-cat Wolf," Bear purred, but there was no reply. "Wolf? Are you dozing off you silly sack of bones?" Bear teased, and peered inside to find Wolf gone. Nothing but blood remained, and the mottled brown tom bristled, "Wol-?!" Bear started to say before teeth sank deep into the back of his neck and his eyes glazed over.
Gentlewhisker wandered along the field of the golden corn stalks, following the gentle rise of the slope as the cool morning air flowed through her fur and gently tugged at her whiskers. She always enjoyed exploring and roaming the territory around the barn. The sun crept over the canopies and began to climb toward the sky when Gentlewhisker looked up. Upon realizing that the sun was nearing sun-high, she quickly padded toward the base of a wide and old oak tree. After stripping some moss, she then hurried back to the barn.
"Bear! I've got the new moss you've been wanting for your nest!" she called as she entered the barn. Nothing came in reply. "Bear? Wolf?" she said a little louder. That's strange, usually Bear is there in an instant when I get him some new moss, she thought, but then shrugged and padded back over to the hay bales. Cheerfully, she trotted beside the bales over to Bear's nest. Her hackles rose and she screamed whenever she spotted his blood in his nest. She looked wildly about.
"Wolf? Where's Bear?!" she yowled as she thrust her head into the hole between the bales to find the two bodies of her elders. Gentlewhisker stepped back in fright and wailed in agony. The young she-cat stood there, speechless and unknowing of what to do. She took a deep shuddering breath as she gently pulled out Wolf, and then Bear. Gentlewhisker flattened her ears against the death scent and she laid on her side next to them, and whimpered.
"Oh, what am I going to do," she mewed. Her voice was thick with sadness. Gentlewhisker lie next to her deceased friends, staring at the sun until it set into night and her eyes shut. She welcomed sleep with a saddened heart.
"Wake up," a voice whispered softly in her ear, and her dark blue eyes burst open. Her head shot up in an instant and she looked about. Then her eyes settled down on her friends. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she stood stiffly from the hay and then padded outside. After a small trek to the wide oak tree, she began to dig with her paws. Once two small holes had been made, she trotted back to the barn. Her breath could be seen lifting into the air as the pale moon cast a blanket over the earth. The once golden stalks of corn were now dark and looming. She slowly and carefully dragged the two bodies single-pawed to the oak graves.
Gentlewhisker lifted both toms down gently into their resting places and stared down at them. "Good-bye my friends, I don't know what I'll do without you." She covered the holes with dirt and wished them farewell before heading back to the barn. Now alone, Gentlewhisker strode over to the hay bale stack and then climbed into Wolf's favorite hole. Stinky or not, she missed them already.
A twig snapped. She raised her head and her dark blue eyes gazed out from her nest. "Hello?"
Nothing but the crickets and a few night owls sounded. Gentlewhisker crawled out of the hole and stalked around the barn, jumping at every sound. A paw glided over hay, and she spun around with hackles high. She gazed at nothing but hay. It's nothing, probably just a mouse silly! she thought to herself. Giving a small chuckle was the only way to reassure herself. Just as she thought she was safe, teeth gripped her scruff and pulled her to the floor. She only had enough time to let a yowl escape before she fainted.