Prologue
He had to keep running.
The wind was cold and unforgiving as it whirled and howled around him. Snow whipped through the air, so cold when it met his face that it almost stung. His legs ached, freezing to the bone as his numbed muscles protested every agonizing movement. His fur offered no solace, as thick as it was. Clumps of snow stuck to him, weighing him down as he pushed onward.
His breath came in short, desperate puffs of visible cloud. His lungs were burning just as much as the rest of his body. Every muscle, every hair and every inch of his being wanted him to stop and rest. But resting meant stopping.
And stopping meant death.
It seemed almost as if every element of nature was against him tonight. That morning, he'd been so sure he'd escaped. That, at last, he could stop looking over his shoulder with every heartbeat. That perhaps he could finally settle down without constant paranoia tearing into every thought and choice that came into his mind. After all, he hadn't seen, heard, or smelled his pursuers in days.
But he'd been wrong. He'd been so, so wrong.
Like a fool, he'd gotten comfortable. He'd made a friend, Max was his name. Max had been so kind, so wonderful, and so pitifully naïve. What else could he expect from a housecat? Max had been the first cat to show him kindness in so long, inviting him to sleep on his housefolk's porch, and letting him eat from his bowl of delicious "wet food". He didn't want to risk scaring him off, so of course he didn't tell him about them.
That made it his fault. His fault that they found out where he was and took it out on the poor, poor housecat. Max— sweet, beautiful, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly Max— didn't stand a chance.
'I'm so sorry, Max,' he thought sorrowfully.
There hadn't been time to mourn. He'd had to run.
How long had he been running now? Everything hurt, burning, stinging, and feeling like he was being torn to shreds with every step. But this was nothing compared to what he knew they would do if they caught him.
He just had to find someplace safe. Somewhere he could hide even just for one night.
But there was nowhere. Nowhere that he could see. The blizzard had caused a whiteout so thick that he felt like he was running through emptiness. Where was the moon's light? He could be on a road for all he knew. Part of him hoped that he was. He hoped that a roller would come and crush him, flatten him into the ground. It sounded awful and painful, but still it was better.
It was quiet. All he could hear was his own heartbeat, thundering as his blood rushed through his ears. Where was the sound of pawsteps? Where was the jeering, sadistic laughter that haunted his dreams? It was a relief and a thrum of dread all at once.
Suddenly, as he continued forward, something began to appear. His heart jerked and lurched in his chest as he thought for one terrifying moment that they had found him. But no. No….
It was trees. The outline of trees, a gradually darkening gray as he drew closer. Hope began to rise in his chest. Trees were good. Trees meant forest, forest meant undergrowth, and undergrowth meant cover. Logs, ferns, shrubs, and rocks. All good for hiding.
The snow would make it hard enough for them to track him, but the safety of a bush? Impossible; they would never find him. Not without searching all night long in a mind-numbing blizzard. No, they would give up. Just for a night. A day if he was lucky. That would give him precious time to run and hopefully put some distance between him and them.
Yes, these trees would be his salvation.
He just had to keep running.
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A/N: And that, my dears, is the beginning of our tale. I hope you liked it!
Of course, the actual chapters will be longer. I usually aim for 1,000 to 3,000 words, so I promise there will be more to enjoy.
Please review, guys. Feedback is one of the best motivators, and it honestly fuels my writing. I would love to know what you guys think, so don't be shy!
I like to put a fun-fact at the end of my chapters, so here is our first one:
Fact: Kate Cary says Puddleshine was the only ShadowClan cat she liked around the time of Tigerheart's Shadow. The rest of the Clan seemed too selfish and disloyal.
Later, my lovelies~!
- Tina