The night was silent as the full moon shone down on the empty clearing. Everything was eerily still, as if all life had ceased to exist, or time itself had frozen.
She knew that wasn't the case as she padded through the short grass, glancing up at the night sky. This wasn't a place she had ever been to before, far from the hustle and bustle of the noisy city her humans called home. This place was too silent, too still, too natural. It unnerved her.
It didn't help that she couldn't recall how she had gotten here.
Sora flicked her bushy white tail, sniffing at the air in the hopes of catching a small wiff of trash, or gasoline, anything. Wherever she was, it was far from her home.
Sitting, she glanced about, in the hopes that she might see something to explain what she was doing there. Even the smallest sign would do, just something to jog her memory a little. This was the first time that she had ever wandered so far into the wild, and still, she had no clear collection of why or how she had come this far.
It was unsettling for the she-cat, to say the least.
"You look lost, young one."
Sora jumped up onto her feet in surprise, eyes widening as they landed on the black cat who had snuck up on her. The other cat seemed amused at her reaction, though not in a malevolent manner. It did little comfort Sora, especially when she was already so confused and on edge.
"How are you?" she hissed, her hackles raising in an effort to make herself look bigger. She was already much bigger than the other, though wild cats were known to be fearsome and dangerous fighters who had no problem killing things thrice their size. Or so she had heard.
The other cat laughed, a wheezing sound, before laying down in the grass, her piercing yellow eyes never straying from Sora.
"Calm down there, young one. I won't hurt you. Or rather, I can't," she meowed.
"You can't?"
"No more than you can hurt me. My, not a bright one, are you? Of course, softies such as yourself never are."
Sora growled low in her throat, ears flattening against her skull.
"Are you going to explain who you are or not?"
The black cat flicked the tip of her tail, falling silent. Sora wasn't sure what to say, or to make of the situation, so she stayed quiet as well, eyes locked with the others. Yellow clashed on amber and blue, a gaze held for what felt like an eternity.
"I am Night," the black cat finally said, breaking the silence. Sora blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the answer after so long.
"Night? What a clever name," was her dry response, to which the other laughed again.
"I suppose it is. Though what is the point of a name if it doesn't suit us?" Night asked, tilting her head to the side. Her age showed. She seemed older than any cat Sora had ever seen. Sora wondered if her bones were brittle, and if her joints ached like the cat who lived next door. Maybe Night was his mother. She certainly seemed old enough to be. "Now tell me, what ugly name the walkers have bestowed upon you, oh young one."
"Sora."
Night stood, shaking her head as if she were disappointed with Sora's name. Not that it was any of her business. Sora didn't see it in the future that she would ever willingly seek out the old cat.
"They got it so wrong, my poor kit," Night cooed, beginning to circle the other, appraising her with wise eyes.
"I'm not your kit," Sora said, following Night's movements, not trusting the other cat to be behind her.
"Of course you aren't. No kit of mine would be a complacent softie like you. Or have an unfitting name," Night said, stopping once she was in front of Sora again. "But do not fear, I know a name much better suited for you."
Sora resisted the urge to reach out and swat the old bat over her head.
"And what is that?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"Lightning. At least, just that for now. You'll receive the rest when you've earned it."
Now it was Sora's turn to laugh. Night shot her a disapproving look, and oddly, Sora found herself feeling ashamed, even though she had no idea why.
"If you don't mind, I think I'll keep my name as is, thank you," Sora said. Night hummed, but said nothing else as she turned and began to pad away. Sora watched her, not for an instant believing that the other would be leaving her alone here without so much as explaining why she was there.
"Hey!" she called. "Where are you going?!"
"To a place that is beyond your time," was the calm reply. Sora began to hurry after the she-cat.
"Well, you can at least tell me how to get back home."
Night slowed her pace and looked over as Sora finally caught up. For such an old cat, she moved rather quickly. Perhaps wildcats were more dangerous than she had been taught.
"The place you are thinking of is truly far from it," was Night's cryptic answer. "You are better off searching for the real place while you are still young, rather than submitting to such a lazy and cruel life."
Cruel? Sora hardly thought that was the word for it. Her life was wonderful, with constant food and treats, and loving humans who would pet and comb her on her demand. She lived a life of luxury, rather than running around outside, trying to catch birds midair, and going hungry.
Maybe wildcats told themselves it was a cruel life so that they wouldn't feel so bad about barely surviving. If anything, they were the ones who lived the cruel lives.
"How little you know," Night said, shaking her head sadly. Sora knew it wasn't possible, but she really couldn't help but worry the other was capable of reading her thoughts.
"I like to think I know quite a lot," she said, tail swaying behind her. Night snorted, rolling her eyes.
"Ignorance. But you are asleep, Lightning—"
"My name is Sora—"
"—And when I leave, you will go back to dreaming about soft things, and most likely forget this entire exchange."
Sora glanced around at the scenery. A dream? Well, it made sense, with how unnatural everything was, how silent. But for all she knew, real forests were probably exactly like those. Though why she would ever dream about a forest, and a crochety old cat like Night, she didn't know.
It did explain how Night seemed capable of knowing what she thought.
"The forest isn't as far away as you might think it is. You've only to go outside and walk a little way to find it." Night began to pick up her pace, hurrying towards the edge of the clearing. Sora followed suit, though she had no plans on disappearing into the forest with Night. "You ought to come visit some time."
"And if I don't want to?" Sora asked.
Night seemed too amused at that for Sora's comfort.
"Don't worry. You'll come here soon. There are just some things you can't control." And with that, Night took off at full speed, faster than any pace Sora could ever run, and disappeared into the forest without another word. Sora came to a stop.
What a terrible dream this had turned out to be.
So hey guys! I've got a bit of a Warriors kick going on, and I thought it would be a great idea to come up with a new story, following the adventures of Sora the Turkish Angora, and her path into her local clans! And that means I'm going to be looking for some cat OCs for this story. So, if you're interested, feel free to fill out the following form and submit a cat! Because this was like a Warriors tradition back in the height of my Warriors phase.
Softie, by the way, is the local warriors term for kittypets, and walkers are humans, if you didn't pick up on it. There are three clans here, Dawnclan, Duskclan, and Nightclan, and all positions are open save for the deputy of Duskclan, and the medicine apprentice of Dawnclan. I'm choosing cats for the more exclusive ranks based on how well I believe them to fit those roles, compared to any other cats applying for that role. But if you don't get that role, you're cat will still be made a warrior, or regular apprentice. Queens should fill out a form for their kits, and if they have a specific mate character, them too.
Name: (please follow by the prefixs and suffixes given here (unless you have a good argument) and choose full warrior name, which will be adjusted to suit rank)
Age(in moons):
Gender:
Clan/Rogue/Softie:
Desired Rank: Leader|Deputy|MedCat|MedCatApp|Warrior|Apprentice|Queen|Kit|Elder|
Appearance:
Personality:
Anything you want to happen to them:
Next chapter, I'll have a list complied of all the cats who made it!