Chapter 8: Tiani

How am I supposed to get across that? Skykit thought hopelessly. Then something that sounded like pelts brushing against leaves sounded behind Skykit, and she whipped around to see a white she-cat with cream circles around her eyes appear out of a bush. "Who are you?" Skykit hissed.

"I could ask the same thing," the cat mewed. "But I am Tiani."

"And I am Skykit." Tiani just nodded and jumped from the fence onto the path. "Do you want to get across the Thunderpath?" Tiani asked. Skykit nodded.

"Then watch and learn." Tiani padded up to the very edge of the Thunderpath and just leaped onto the back of a monster! Before it could growl away, she leaped another, and then the next. She landed on the other side in no time.

"Come on," The white she-cat urged. "It's perfectly safe." Skykit took a deep breath and jumped onto the first monster. It's smooth back was boiling, but Skykit jumped on. She jumped off the last monster safely onto the stony path.

"Where are you going?" Tiani asked. "South, to the forest." Skykit replied.

Tiani nodded and padded onwards. "Well? Are you coming?" the white she-cat asked, looking back. "Are you coming?" Skykit retorted.

"I love to help cats, and I've always wanted to see the forest, so, yes." Tiani replied, calmly. Skykit was grateful towards this cat now, but she didn't show it.

"Now we turn right and go on until we see bushes wuth strong-smelling yellow-and-white flowers." Tiani instructed, and the two cats turned a corner. A monster rushed past on the Thunderpath beside them, but they kept walking.

Then a huge, white monster halted at the edge of a near by path. Tiani gasped. "The pound!" She pushed Skykit under a hedge with lots of thick leaves.

"What's the pound?" Skykit asked quietly. "It's a place where Twolegs take wild cats. If you stay in the pound for too long, the Twolegs take you to be killed!" Skykit gasped. A few minuteslater the muscular male Twoleg got back inside the monster's head and the monster snarled off.

Then, after looking both ways, Tiani padded out of the bush and padded forwards, almost to the bush she had instructed to go to. Skykit followed.

"Now what?" Skykit asked. "We cross the Thunderpath and turn left at the blue Twoleg nest." Tiani told Skykit. They turned to the Thunderpath and Tiani just padded on.

"What are you doing?" Skykit hissed. Tiani didn't answer. Suddenly a monster came rolling closer. Tiani dashed for the other side of the hard black surface, and got there easily.

Skykit looked both ways and waited a little bit before dashing after her friend.

They padded on and turned a corner at a huge Twoleg nest that was blue with a white top.

"Now we go on and turn two rights, each when we can, then climb up a wall until we get to a circle of Twoleg nests." Tiani meowed, and turned right at a curve in the path. A dog started barking inside a fence, but Tiani just kept padding on. Skykit followed hurriedly. Then they turned another right and soon were at a wall.

Tiani scrambled up to the top easily. Skykit sniffed the air and scented something familiar... It was Lightningheart! The dark brown tabby she-cat scrambled up the wall but lost her grip near the top. Tiani lunged down and grabbed Skykit's scruff, hauling her up to the top of the wall.

"Thanks," Skykit mewed between pants. They jumped down and soon were in the middle of a circle of Twoleg nests. There was only one exit, other then the wall; a Thunderpath that looked completely empty.

Tiani pulled Skykit with her over to some large, brown objects. Suddenly there was a rumble of thunder and Skykit noticed the dark clouds gathering in the sky.

"Hurry! In, in, in!" Tiani pushed Skykit into one of the brown objects. She followed. Then Tiani flipped it over and there was no entrance or exit in or out of the object.

But there were small holes in the side of the brown thing, so they could breath.

Then the Skykit heard the growing sound of tip-tap, pat-pit on the top of the large brown object and knew the rain had started. Soon she drifted into sleep.