Although Tamz (new nickname (nickname changes when penname changes, although the name Tamz might stay forever)) still has two stories to finish, she really wanted to write this story. She apologizes to all of those who want her to finish her other stories.
Oh, Tainted Lullaby, don't hesitate to tell her if she still hasn't fixed it. If not, please provide her with specific quotes.
"Wind, we have to leave!" Gorse proposed.
"But Gorse, this is our home," Wind protested. "We can't leave!"
Wind looked around her. Her home had been destroyed in the worst storm the Forest Tribe had seen. There was a large wind and a lot of water. It seemed at first like a cloud in the distance, far off the coast of the sea, but as it grew closer, the Forest Tribe cats realized that it wasn't just a storm. It was something much bigger. Thunder cracked, lightning flashed. More thunder than any cat ever heard. Blazes blinded some. Others, unsuspecting, had died in this storm, killed by loose trees uprooted in the storm. The survivors found a hole to hide in and wait for it to be over. It raged on, sparing no cat foolish enough (or unlucky enough) to be caught out in it. Then, suddenly, it seemed that the storm chose to end. There was calm and sunshine. The Tribe could feel the breeze or catch a waterlogged rabbit. But like all good things, that was short lived. The calm ended as suddenly as it had begun. Once more, unsuspecting cats, believing the storm was over, were tossed through the uprooted trees and through the endless supply of water. More cats died in the second wave than the first. After counting the death toll, the survivors understood that half of the cats had died in the storm. None of the elders had survived; only few of the young did, including a crazy white she-cat that went by the name of Moth. Gorse, the gray tom that Wind found attractive, an ill-tempered gray-black tom named Crow, Wind, a wiry brown she-cat, and her sister, Heather, a light brown tabby also were among the dazed survivors. Most of the cats wanted to leave by the next morning, all except for Wind. Wind was the one cat who didn't want to let go of her home so easily.
"Wind, we have to leave!" Heather begged. Heather was expecting kits, and she didn't want her offspring to live in a ravaged home.
That last request was too much for Wind. "We will leave at once."
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"We must stick together!"
The surrounding cats cheered.
"We will win this fight for survival! We will be fierce and proud!"
From out of nowhere came a soft clumping noise, slowly growing louder. From behind the bushes came the largest animal Smoke had ever seen. It had a long face, with one eye on each side of its head, a long mane down its neck, large buttocks and a long tail. When it opened its mouth, it uttered a loud neigh. The creature that was comfortable on its back was even more freakish than the neigh. It had pink skin, and fur only on the top of its head. Its eyes were on the same side of its head and it wore a bright red pelt with white lining. It leapt off the neigh. It looked boney, and rail thin. It proceeded to pad over to the neigh and stroke it between the ears.
"It-it walks on two legs!" Shadow exclaimed.
Shadow's mew alerted the Two-leg of their presence. The Two-leg turned to them, hissing and spitting. It pulled out a stick and pointed it at Smoke. Then something happened that Smoke didn't understand. There was a loud crack, and Smoke's gray-black fur was torn and stained with bright red blood, spreading across his fur at an alarming pace. He walked to where Smoke lay, and proceeded to whack Smoke with the shooter in order to make sure that he was dead, without even noticing the group of cats, hiding in the bushes.
Staring at her mate die, Shadow ordered the cats in the bushes to leave, leave their home, the place they loved best, and follow Shadow into the unknown, all because a she-cat couldn't live with that memory. To Shadow's surprise, all the cats agreed to go, except for two. Shadow couldn't have cared less about the ones who stayed. She only liked the ones who wanted to follow her into the unknown, all because they were loyal to her and not to Smoke.
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"So how many have we lost in the past quarter-moon?" Lightning inquired.
"That would be three cats to adders alone," Thunder replied sadly.
Lightning's eyes grew dark with worry. "Thunder, we cannot go on under such harsh conditions."
"Of course not. Our territory is filled to the brim with adders, cats die every day, and there is simply nothing to do about it!" Thunder ranted.
Lightning shook his head. "We could leave this place. There is a place that the travelers speak of, a place of a large rock and four saplings, surrounded by many types of territory. I think we might find a home there."
"Maybe we will," the large ginger tom mused.
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"I think she's dead," Reed grunted.
"Check her vitals," Dapple ordered.
River did as she instructed.
"She is definitely dead," River grunted back to Dapple. Dapple, a tortoiseshell she-cat, was the cat most skilled in the healing arts. No cat doubted her abilities.
"There is no denying it. It's this drought that's killing all the cats off," Dapple concluded.
"But where would we go?" the silvery tom asked.
"The travelers speak of a place. It has a river that separates a forest from a large island, perfect for a camp," Dapple suggested.
Of course, there may always be room to improve, so if Tamz missed something, don't hesitate to tell her!
