Day In The Life


WARNING: Heavily focuses around existentialism/existential crisis. May cause one if one isn't too sure about life.


You hardly know me. You may know my name and who I'm related to, but you don't know much about who I am.

Oh, so you think you do know?

Let me show you a day in my life, and we'll see how much you do know.


I wake up in the warriors' den at the crack of dawn, even though I fall asleep very late - and some nights, I don't get any sleep. I exit the den and head to the deputy and ask if I'm on any patrols. If I am, I join the patrol. If I'm not, I leave camp anyway.

Life is an interesting concept, yet I don't know how cats don't question it so often. After all, what is the purpose of living in a Clan?

How does one find fulfillment?

Why do bad things happen to good cats?

Why is life different for every cat?

You get the picture from here. And these questions are overwhelming. At first, you push them aside and repeat what you've been told - but the questions still linger and more questions emerge.

How are you sure that what you've been told is true?

I've noticed that the majority of cats have a firm grasp on what life is supposed to be, and yet I'm in the minority. I can't ask them how they get to the point of knowing what they believe; I'll either drag them into the pit of questions as well, or I'll be mocked by them. It would be rare for someone to actually offer solid help.

So, how do I deal with the questions? I face them without defeating them. They're defeating me.

This is apart of my daily routine, though the time it takes place varies due to patrols. I curl up inside of a hollow underneath an oak tree in the territory. Silence and loneliness may be appealing to some, but it allows the questions and the voices in my head to grow louder.

What's your point in life?

Will you die not doing anything important?

Will anyone remember you?

Will you only fade away?

I stay in the hollow until I reach the tenth question since I was in there, which usually is about two to three minutes. I leave the hollow, catch a piece of prey, and come back to the camp as if I had only gone outside for a small walk and hunt. My sister glances at me, gives me a small nod of acknowledgement, and then turns her head to talk to her friends again. My father doesn't notice me. My mother is busy watching over the kits in the nursery.

I drop my kill onto the fresh-kill pile and pick out the smallest piece of prey in there for myself. I may have a conversation with a few warriors, but then I return to the warriors' den. I lay in my nest for several moments, tossing and turning as I approach the questions again.

What is life?

How do I find happiness?

Was I ever happy?

I stay up late thinking about this, and I may or may not fall asleep. This concludes a day in my life.


Do you know who I am? Have you guessed it?

Would you have considered that my name was Toadstep?


Challenge Title: Day In The Life

Word Count: 568 words (my shortest challenge so far)

Description: Cat A is your local warrior/apprentice, a normal cat pushed in the background - not particularly special, just trying to get past life as everyone else is. Despite being in the background, it isn't easy to live Cat A's life.

Creator: Coni

Start/Finish Date: 6/26/2019

A/N: This may or may not be based off of some personal experiences that may or may not be still lurking in the back of my mind. The story here is really simple, but I think it captures the messages I'm trying to get across well.

Feel free to review, follow, and favorite!

~Lauren