The pain.
The thorns in my pads. The claw and bite marks all over my body. The gash across my left eye that's obscuring my vision. I know that without treatment, I'll go blind. Without treatment, I'll be dead in a few days.
But I just can't get the scene out of my head. The whirling of claws, the gnashing of teeth. The pain. I was caught off-guard, and I had to run. Now I don't know where I am or how to get home. Not that I'd want to.
I stumble wearily along, my body not even responding to the ache in my legs anymore. I should stop, but the fear of them coming for me again keeps me going. Birds chirp overhead, but I take no notice. A squirrel nibbles on a beechnut to my left, but in my state I don't think I can even run, let alone catch prey.
More pain. I look down, and find I've trodden on another thorn. I grit my teeth as my body tells me to stop, while my body yells at me to get out of there. I ignore my brain, and sit heavily onto the roots of a tree. I lift my white paw up, grasping the thorn in my jaws. It's almost as long as a cat's claw. I yank with all my strength, but it doesn't come out. If anything, I wedged it in further, and I tug harder. A splatter of blood splashes on my nose, and I know I've pulled it out. I move on the others, hazily piling them under a shrub so I won't step on them again.
I then begin to clean myself. I wish I could just fall over and sleep, but I can't sleep with my pelt all bloody. I run my tounge over my black flank and grimace at the sour taste of my own blood. All my scratches sting, and I carefully dab at them with my paw. They'll get infected if I don't find some herbs, but that can wait until the morning.
I scan the area for bedding. I rip some moss from the roots of a tree and fashion myself a makeshift nest. I sat down in it and wrapped my black and white-tipped tail around my nose, waiting for sleep to come.
I was walking down to the stream near my barn to cool my paws from the greenleaf heat. I've just stepped in when I hear a snarl of defiance, a hiss of fury, then a yowl of pain. I scramble out of the river and race over to my barn, where I see cats swarming the barn. A particularly large one emerges from the doorway, holding a bloody, black-and-white body in their jaws.
Barley's body.
I snarl at them, and leap into battle, trying to avenge Barley's death. However, the cats are too much for me to take on all by myself, and I get severely wounded across my eye. I try to escape through the doorway again, but the cats have surrounded me. I look around for another way out, and I spot the loft. I bundle my legs underneath me, launching myself as high as I can to reach it. I nearly slip off, but I dig my claws into the wood and pull myself up.
I then shoot out of an upper window, and land in a thornbush. Dripping in blood from thorns and scrapes, I half stagger, half run across the moor. The rouge cats take up the chase, and I soon fall behind. Once I am sure that I'm off on my way to StarClan, I enter a forest and I feel at home again. I scamper into a hollow tree and settle down to wait. The cats come and leave, leaving me to lick my wounds and to hope I won't die.
I emerge from the tree trunk and survey my surroundings. It's not a dense forest, but enough of a forest that I can't see the moor or my barn anymore, nor do I know which way is out. I pick a random direction, and set off hesitantly, not sure if they'd come back or not.
...
I sleep fitfully, tossing and turning as I remember the chain of events that led me here. A drop of water lands on my nose, and I find that it's raining. I'm soaked to the bone. I get up out of my nest, stretch, and shake some of the water off of my pelt.
An owl hoots overhead, and I remember the kit-tales I was told in the nursery when I was still in the Clans. Owls are omens of danger and evil.
I shake my head to rid my mind of these thoughts. I'm going to be fine. The cats are far, far away.
I set off at a half walking, half limping pace once again. Not long after, I smell prey. My hunting instincts kick in, as I crouch down, opening my mouth to better pinpoint the animal's location.
It's a bit to my left, so I turn my body the tiniest bit, and see that it's a tiny-looking bird, probably a sparrow or a thrush. It won't keep my hunger at bay for that long, but it'll have to do.
I place my paws in front of me carefully, making sure not to make any noise. Once I'm a tail-length from the bird, I leap.
I can feel some of my scratches open back up from the physical labor, but right now, I don't care.
I sink my claws into the bird, cutting off it's last cry of life. I sink my jaws into its body, and it tastes so good.
After I'm finished wtih my meager meal, I lick my fur down. I feel reengergized, so I begin to trot through the trees.
...
A few hours into my journey, nothing has attacked me, I've found plenty of prey, so I'm feeling pretty optimistic. I survey my surroundings, taking in the pretty willow trees, the swampy ground, and the rushing rivers.
Then, I hear a snarl from behind me.
A/N: How's that for an agonizing cliffhanger? I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Fate!
Reviews are always welcome.
Love, Twistedstep.