The Tortured Servant
Gingerstar14: Yea..umm, this was accidentally funny.
Bramblestripe: Umm...nuh-uh. This fic isn't funny.
Gingerstar14: ...
Bramblestripe: Mousebrain.
Gingerstar14: IMPORTANT!! I'm having a create a cat contest to find out who will find them when they get to the forest. It's gotta be a Clan cat, okay? The one who I like best wins!!
Oh, and Honey plushies to everyone!!
This time, I awoke before Knife had the chance to wake me in his own painful way. I woke because I was wet. It was pouring, and I rose to my paws as quickly as I could, since I saw Knife stalking toward me. "Up early?" He spat, unsheathing his claws. "You'd better get hunting, cause we're leaving once we eat."
I nodded, and he pushed his face into mine. I tried not to cough as his evil breathe filled my nostrils. "Get going, Foxdung!" He slashed my nose open, and I whimpered, then limped out of the clearing.
Since it was raining, I decided to groom myself. Once by the stream I'd collected water from the previous day, I began grooming until my golden fur was clean again, not matted or covered in blood. I licked my nose gently, then hurriedly began hunting.
I came back with a rather good catch, and even Knife seemed pleased. "I'd like that shrew, Foxdung." He growled. So I nosed it forward, hoping he hadn't noticed I'd been grooming myself. I gave Midnight a rabbit and a mouse, and he only grunted and began scarfing it down. My own stomach rumbled ad my empty belly always ached with hunger when I fed these greedy cats.
I gave Leopard a vole, and he dug one claw into my side. "You must learn to obey when I want a certain thing!" his voice was like thunder, and I cowered in fear, though in my mind I thought, Yea, well you didn't tell me what to get! This pleased him, and he let me off with a hiss as I limped away, wincing at my newest wound. Talon and Sand were still sleeping, so I gave them thier prey and limped over to my sleeping place.
When Knife stalked over to me, he slapped down a half eaten vole. "You were lucky. Sand wasn't hungry. I figured you wouldn't need more." He sneered. I greatfully began scarfing it down, and Knife watched with amusement. "Hungry?"
I nodded. "Yes Knife. Thank y-" I stopped to keep myself from yowling as I received a blow to my head. I turned to see Talon glaring at me.
"Foxdung, clear away my dirt." He snarled, baring his yellow teeth. As I turned to leave, Knife grabbed my tail in his teeth. I turned back, my green eyes round with pain.
"No. Stay here. We're leaving now." He raised his voice, and slowly all five other cats gathered around me. This was how we traveled, so as to prevent me from running away. I tried to keep their fast pace, but with my limp I bumped into the back of Leopard. He raked claws across my back, and I limped as fast as I could.
That's how most of the day went. Then we took a stop at the edge of the forest for me to hunt. After that was twolegplace. There would be torture, I knew. But after that was a forest, hills and a lake. I could see it just beyond the twoleg nest.
As I served the cats, I only got punished once. Midnight thought I was being too slow. Well he should try hunting when he was injured so badly and was so hungry he could eat for a moon and be half full. I yawned and lay down as they ate, then I got to my paws before Knife could get to me. He grunted, then spat, "Lets get going."
I only got two meals, so I wouldn't get to eat again until tonight. So I kept up best I could as we went into the twolegplace. We saw no other cats as we roamed the streets, continuing with the sun behind us. I began listening to Knife and Leopard's conversation.
"When we get to the lake, we'll go into the forest and find a place to stay. If it's possible, we'll try to settle down there. Foxdung." Knife glanced at me, his eyes cold. "Will try out the prey there. Even if there's not, we could always go to the pine trees." He pointed with his paw to the pine forest beside the oaks and sycamores.
"Fine by me. We could find a stream to go close to." The huge leopard-pelted tom growled.
Suddenly such a pain lanced through my paw I couldn't move. Leopard bumped into me, but still I didn't move. In agony I fell over, not even noticing Leopard pinning me down. He only needed to use once paw, which since I was a bit on the small side, was as big as my head. Then I couldn't help it; I let out a loud yowl.
Knife snarled in my face. "What are you doing Foxdung?!" I couldn't answer. Sand padded over curiously and sniffed my paw I was holding up. It was the front left one, the same as the one that had been cut open before. She suddenly jerked back, and I felt pain lance through it. Then it suddenly stopped hurting.
Well, not all the way. It just wasn't killing me. "It was glass. She stepping in a huge peice of sharp twoleg glass." She mewed. I struggled to my paws as Leopard let me up. I licked the bottom of my pad, trying to stop the blood. Knife spat and began moving again. So I limped on three paws as fast as I could.
It was dark, and I was just about to start trying to walk on it again, when a very old looking tabby tom stepped out from behind a twoleg nest. "Need a bita help there?" He asked.
Knife strolled forward. "And who might you be?" He challenged, his fur bristling, and his eyes gleaming. If it's one thing I know, Knife loves to fight.
The tom chuckled. "I reckon you could call me Purdy." He looked Knife over. "Are you wanna them forest cats again? They came through here a while ago. Then, guess they were in a terrible hurry...are you in a hurry, young feller?"
Knife stared. "Move, you old windbag! I'm just passing through. We are not forest cats. Come on guys." He flicked his head and our little troup moved forward. I guess I shouldn't say our, because I'm not really one of them. Purdy shrugged and watched us pass. He looked at me, and I guess he saw my scars, because sympathy flashed in his eyes.
I blinked, then he looked away. Leopard glared at the old tom for a moment, then turned and strutted off to join Midnight. I glanced behind me and saw Purdy standing there watching as we walked away. I kept glancing back until Talon nudged me roughly, nearly carring me off my paws. So I turned around and we continued walking.