Lessons (Finch & Home)
Blinking wearily in the light that he was beginning to doubt he would see again after spending what felt like ages wandering in the cramped darkness of a tunnel that his curiosity more or less dragged him down. Finch was startled by the scene that now stretched in front of him. Dimly lit by a crag in the roof, and dotted along it's sides with other tunnel entrances, the cavern was fairly large and divided by a river that slid silently from one dark end of the cavern to the other.
After a moments hesitation Finch found his curiosity dragging his paws a few paces further into the space in front of him.
Its been a long day, if anything maybe I can sleep here for the night, he thought as he watched the thin scratch of moonlight shining through the crag in the roof dance on the river surface.
Always a cautious kit, he first turned back to the tunnel he had come through and scratched a line in the dirt in front of it. Turning back to the cavern now, Finch spent awhile exploring the rest of the cavern, measuring it up, and prodding the other tunnels with his nose collecting scents. Satisfied he was alone, and no badgers or foxes were lurking about, Finch padded back to the edge of the river to wash some of the dirt out of his pelt. Finding a comfortable place, and starting on his ears, Finch began to think about what his discovery today could mean for him.
Could I live down here?, he thought as he shifted attention to his back.
It had been three moons since Finch had settled down anywhere after leaving the small group of rouges he had been raised with. He simply never liked living with other cats, they always seemed to drag him down and keep him from achieving his potential, or at least from having any fun. Finishing up with his tail, Finch gave the cavern another glance around.
It might be some work to get nesting materials down here, but there's lots of room, and its out of the wind. Maybe I can push things down in from the hole in the roof? With these and similar thoughts churning in his head, Finch gave his paws a few long thoughtful licks. Standing up and giving each leg a long stretch, he laped at the cool river. Sitting back down, he cast his gaze around one more time. Curling his tail in delight, he decided that the cavern and its quiet river would make the perfect home for him. With this decided, a sound Finch was was certainly no stranger to jarred him to more pressing matters, he was hungry.
I wish I hadn't missed that mouse earlier, he thought bitterly to himself as he got up to search for the tunnel he had marked earlier.
"Oh well," he mewed quietly as he padded around the wall of the cavern, "The life of a loner was never an easy one."
But that's what Finch enjoyed about it, he relished the challenge and took immense pride in his independence. Spotting his line in the dirt he began head towards the surface.
"Leaving so soon?" rang out a voice halting Finch in his tracks, "That is wise."
His heart pounding in his chest from the surprise, Finch tried to imagine that he had not heard it, but despite the fact that he would have given his own tail to believe himself, he couldn't. His fear ebbing, he found it replaced by a curious mixture of angry curiosity. Sliding out his claws, he turned to face this stranger.
The cat that sat calmly in front him however compleatly dissolved his anger in a heartbeat. This cat looked as ancient as the stones he sat on and as ugly as if he had been hit with every one of them.
"Wh..who are you"? Finch managed to stammer in his confusion as the strange cat stared back at him, or through him, he couldn't tell.
"I am rock." meowed the strange cat in a voice that seemed to eco with the knowledge of a thousand moons."I've been watching you stalk about my home, and I sense that you intend on returning."
Finch was baffled, who was this cat, and how could he have possibly known what I was thinking? Feeling as traped as a mouse Finch wasn't going to bother trying to lie. "Your right, so what"?, said Finch with an edge of defiance in his mew.
"You don't belong here." Rock growled back without hesitation.
His anger bubbling up again, Finch took a few paces toward rock, "What's that supposed to mea..." he stopped before he could finish. Closer to rock now he could see more of the grotesque cat, but what had stopped Finch was nothing about how this cat looked; it was the blind eyes that stared back at him.
"This is not a place for the living to dwell." Rock pressed on.
Swallowing the worry Rock's words had put in his belly Finch took another pace forward, "Well that's ridiculous, who else could live down here"? "What are you doing down here"? The answer struck Finch before Rock could reply, everything about Rock suddenly made sense. I must have bees in my brain, this isn't possible. Finch had never been the kind of cat to believe the old tales of spirits, those were for kits he always told himself.
"I've lived for more moons than you could possibly count, so take my advice when I tell you that you need to leave." "Go back to the surface and join the others." meowed Rock, interrupting Finches confused thoughts.
This made Finches tail twitch with irritation, how dare this spirit tell me what to do. "Listen here you old fleapelt," he spat, "I don't listen to spirits, I can take care of myself, and I'm not going anywhere." slamming down a front paw as he finished.
Humor seemed to flash behind Rock's blind eyes, sighing, he turned and started padding back into the depths of the cavern. "Fine, stay here if you want, perhaps your as mouse brained as you look."
With Rock gone now Finch lingered a moment wondering if what had just happened was real. His belly growled again and reluctantly he padded back into the tunnel to the surface.
Great, of all the places I find to call home, I find the one with a dead cat living in it.
Author's Notes: Chapter 2 is soon to follow, I hope you enjoyed the first one. Read & review, please!