II
I felt a thrill of adrenaline coursing through my nerves as I first sneaked past the sleeping guards at my den entrance, then crept along to the front of the camp until I slunk out like a snake and then, gradually, picked up pace until I was running along the night.
It felt so good to be out there in the territories again. Sights and smells greeted my senses, which had been reduced to scenting dripping leftover moss and thorns and brambles only a few minutes ago. But now that I was free... where would I go?
That was the question which I pondered through my head for quite a while before deciding on a small cave further along the forest. It wasn't too obvious to the cat passing by, for there were vines dangling from the top of the entrance and moss and lichen covered the walls. Squeezing in, I settled down, sighing.
It was quite comfortable in the cave. There wasn't any moss on the hard stone ground, but at least it wasn't wet moss. So I didn't hear the sound of something sharing the den behind me. Or the shadows.