He could smell her scent, the familiar whiff of milk and safety. He could hear her, padding ahead of him, always out of his reach. No matter how hard he tried, he could never catch up to her.
Dew let out a pitiful wail, knowing what would come next. Through the darkness of his dream, he sensed the evil that was suddenly present. Dew braced himself for the yowl that would come from his mother, his ears flat against his head.
It came, as it did every single night after his mother disappeared. Her yowl pierced the murky air.
"Mother! Mother!" cried Dew, rushing forward blindly. But there was nothing there, only the rough grass beneath his paws, and an evil cackle of laughter.
-o0o-
Dew woke with a jolt. He reached out with his paws, feeling for where he was sleeping. He could scent Fletch sleeping nearby, his breathing steady and calm.
From the warmth on his pelt, Dew gathered that there was sun streaming through the window that he was sleeping near. He stretched out, letting a small purr emerge from his throat.
What am I going to do today? Dew thought eagerly. Moving slowly, he rose to his paws, using his tail and paws to make sure that here was nothing around that he would hurt himself on.
He started moving forward, sliding his paws along the ground in front of him. There had been so many new sights and smells when they had arrived at the Twolegplace. Dew constantly had to avoid objects that he had never encountered before.
He let out a grunt as he ran into the wall. He took a few steps backwards, scenting the air to try and find where the entrance was.
With a flinch, he remembered Fletch scolding him a few days ago. But I'm not going to get lost this time, he thought, trying to convince himself.
Dew scented warm green-leaf air flowing through from a gap in the wall. That's the way out! He made his way carefully over to the gap. Without hesitation, he stepped through the opening.
He sighed as the warm green-leaf breeze ruffled his whiskers. The sun felt warm on his pelt, and he imagined a huge glowing ball in the sky, as he had heard others describe it. The image was somewhat comforting to him, as he spent his days in the darkness.
"What should I do today?" he murmured quietly. Opening his mouth, Dew scented the air. Bitter scents of the Twolegplace flooded his scent glands, but with them came green-leaf.
Dew loved green-leaf. It was so warm and perfect, with lots of prey and a nice breeze. That was all he really knew about it.
Dew turned his head and swivelled his ears to the side, listening to what was going on inside the den. No one had stirred yet, so he started to trot off down the alley, using his whiskers and tail to avoid the stone walls. He let out a yelp of surprise as something grabbed his scruff and yanked him backwards.
Fear flooded through him, and he struggled to escape the cat's grasp.
"Relax, Dew," purred the cat. He stopped struggling and went limp, taking a deep breath. Sunfeather's scent flooded his scent glands.
"Where were you going?" she meowed. Dew shook his head, trying to push past her and into the den. Sunfeather's tail stopped him as it curled gently around him, pulling him back.
"Were you sneaking out?" she asked impatiently. Dew shook his head again.
"No!" he insisted. Sunfeather didn't listen.
"Well, I suppose it is boring for you in there. But that doesn't mean you can wander off wherever you want, Dew," she scolded.
Dew scowled, then turned and padded back into the den. He held his head high, trying to seem nonchalant.
That was when he ran into Fletch. The older tom let out a squeak of surprise, and Dew heard him jump to his paws.
"Sorry," Dew apologised gruffly, stepping backwards. He could feel the gazes of Sunfeather and Fletch warming his pelt. "Stop staring at me!" he hissed. The warmth disappeared.
"Come on, the others are still sleeping. We should get some more rest too," Sunfeather meowed, her voice faint, like she was looking in a different direction. Dew scowled again and padded reluctantly over to his nest.
-o0o-
He woke to the sound of a cat moving outside. None of the other cats had heard it, because they didn't stir. Partly, it might be because of all the hunting they did earlier in the day. But the other reason would be that Dew had outstanding hearing.
Cold night air seeped through the crack. Dew shivered, huddling up closer to the couch. He had his back pressed up against it. The cat moved again, and this time it sounded closer.
Maybe I should wake someone up, he thought nervously. He opened his mouth to say something when a familiar smell hit him. The smell had been on Fletch's pelt when he was rescued, and on Hollyshade's a day or so ago. It was a scent that Hollyshade had taught him to recognise.
A Death Rogue. Dew was about to let out a yowl when he heard pawsteps brushing lightly against the ground, creeping through the entrance. Dew kept silent, burying his head in his paws and trying to hide.
If I don't do anything, the rogue won't see me and he'll leave me alone, Dew reasoned. But then the pawsteps turned in his direction. He knew immediately that the rogue was going for him. A yowl built in his throat and he opened his mouth to release it, standing up.
A tail was stuffed into his mouth, and he choked on its fur. Dew scrabbled, attempting to run away, but the Death Rogue grabbed his scruff, hauling him from the ground. A growl built low in the rogue's throat, but he didn't release it.
Dew stopped struggling, hoping that the rogue would let him go. But his hopes were dashed when the intruder carried him out of the entrance, away from his adopted family.
Dew thrashed about, more wildly than last time. All the rogue did was break into a loping run. Dew felt himself swinging through the cold night air, tightly grasped in the cat's jaws. He let out a whimper as he started to go numb from cold and fear.
He heard a monster rush by and twisted, trying to claw the some part of the rogue. Dew assumed that they were crossing a Thunderpath. The rogue didn't even flinch.
Soon, he stopped walking. Dew scented another cat.
"Well, well. What have we here?" purred the new cat.
"It's a stupid kit from that group, Fang," the rogue meowed, sounding as if he expected Fang to know.
"Sorry, Thornshadow. I guess I know what you meant now," Fang replied. Thornshadow, Dew thought numbly. That sounds kind of like Hollyshade's, Dovesong's and Sunfeather's names.
"He put up a bit of a fight. Clawed my nose," growled Thornshadow gruffly, still holding Dew's scruff.
"He'll be of good use then, a strong fighter," Fang purred. "Come on, the sun is nearly up. No doubt those filthy 'Clan' cats are going to come and look for him."
Thornshadow picked him up again, and Dew shivered. He didn't like the way Fang used the word Clan. The Clans weren't bad, Sunfeather had told him. Were they?
-o0o-
He was dreaming. It seemed vivid and real, but also had an ethereal touch to it. With horror, he realised that is was one of his bad memories.
"Ouch!" Dew hissed; backing up from the tree he had collided into. He shook his head, turning back to his mother. He would just have to miserably go along with it.
"Come on Dew, hurry up!" purred the soft voice of his mother. Dew struggled to catch up to her, stumbling through the rough undergrowth. His head ached slightly.
"Slow down!" he puffed, wincing as something sharp stabbed into his paw. He heard his mother's pawsteps stop, and he hesitated, confused. Then he heard them thud onto the ground.
Stretching his nose out, he scented the damp smell of bark. Dew realized there was a log crossing their path.
"You can do it, Dew!" encouraged his mother, her voice sounding faint and far away. Lilac believed that she had to get Dew ready for the rest of his life early, and to do this she often left him to achieve things by himself.
In this case, he had to climb over a big log that was at least twice his height. Dew sighed, reaching out tentatively with his paws. As he felt the rough bark of the fallen log, he unsheathed his claws, digging them into the tree for a better grip.
Dew reached upwards as far as he could; grabbing on with his claws. He lifted his legs from the ground and dug them into the wood.
He purred loudly, feeling like a spider as he hung onto the log with all four sets of claws. He heard the encouraging purr of his mother echo his own.
Feeling like he could climb a mountain, Dew used his back legs to push himself up more, surprised to find that the log was smaller than he originally thought. He scrambled over the top of the log, pausing for a moment to listen to the bright sounds of birdsong that sang through the forest.
Dew landed on the other side of the log, huffing as he was momentarily winded. The kit scrambled over to his mother, using his strong sense of smell to guide him.
"You did it, little one," Lilac purred, pressing her side against his. Dew let out a rumbling purr. "I'll always be here for you," his mother promised.
She straightened up. "Come on, we need to hurry, or your father will get worried about us," she announced. Lilac took off again; Dew could hear her pawsteps pounding on the earth.
He hared off after her, panting with exhilaration. The little kit could tell that the sun was sinking in the sky, as his pelt was not as intensely warmed by its rays.
Dew narrowly avoided a tree as he followed his mother. He had never met his father before because he had jobs to do. Dew wasn't sure why he was so busy, but his mother said that he had 'important duties'.
He could feel the chill of the night air seeping through his fluffy pelt. His legs were exhausted and his paws were aching.
"Mother, I need a rest," he complained, slowing. The birdsong had disappeared, leaving the forest almost silent, apart from his mother's pawsteps and the rustling of leaves on trees.
"We're nearly there," came the reply. His mother sounded even further away than before.
Dew couldn't go any further. He collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion tugging at his body. A cold night breeze swept through the forest, causing the leaves to rustle furiously, like they were hissing secrets of darkness. Lilac trotted back to her son.
"I'll carry you, little one," she meowed, grasping him by the scruff and lifting him into the air. Dew felt oddly free as he swang gently to and fro from her jaws.
Soon, she came to a stop. "Blade, are you there?" Lilac called. Dew heard two steps of pawsteps approaching.
"Lilac," purred one of the cats.
"Oh Blade, I was so worried about you!" Lilac exclaimed, letting out a loud purr and setting Dew on the ground. "Who is this with you?" she asked curiously.
The pause that came was slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, this is Maia," Blade meowed. "She's uh, my sister. And she's staying with me for a while."
Lilac seemed satisfied with this explanation, but Dew thought that there was something strange about this. "This is your son, Dew," she explained to Blade.
Blade crouched down in front of him. "Hello Dew," he purred, still sounding slightly uncomfortable. Maia mewed a greeting to him too. Dew let out a loud purr, but stopped when he heard a quiet rustle in the bushes. He pricked his ears.
"Dew's blind," Lilac meowed, sounding nervous. "He has really good hearing."
"Oh," Blade meowed. He seemed slightly put out. After all, it was his first time meeting his son. "Well, what can you hear?"
Dew opened his mouth to mewl an answer, but was cut off by Lilac grabbing his scruff. He let out a squeak as he was roughly pushed into a bush.
"Stay here, and don't move. Remember, I love you," she whispered. Dew let out a meow of fear.
"I love you too!" he called as she ran back over to Blade.
Two more cats entered the clearing. "Who's this?" one asked, sounding surprised. Dew could detect the falseness underneath his seemingly curious tone.
"Oh, just some rogue scum," snarled the second. Their false demeanours vanished, revealing their murderous natures. "Let's get rid of them."
There was a hiss from Blade, and then the cats exploded into battle. Dew listened in horror to the screeches of his parents and aunt, Maia. He tried to block his ears with his paws, but some sounds were still picked up by his sensitive hearing. Like the yowl of his mother, and then the caterwaul of his father. Dew knew in that moment that he had lost his mother, the most precious cat in his life. He wouldn't survive without her.
Then the clearing fell silent. The first rogue began to speak.
"That's it. I don't think they'll come after us anytime soon," he laughed. Dew choked back the growl that was building in his throat.
The second rogue must have agreed, because Dew heard their pawsteps fade away into the forest. Once he decided that they were far enough away, he let out a heartbroken wail and stumbled out of the bush.
The second he did so, he was overwhelmed by the scent of blood. Dew made his way over to his family, numb with shock and horror. He ran into his mother's body, and came away with blood on his fur.
"No! Mother, come back! Father, Maia! No!" Dew yowled, sinking to the ground. Suddenly, his mother shifted underneath him.
"Mother!" gasped Dew in surprise. "I thought you were dead!" He started to purr, nuzzling her with his nose.
"Dew, I… I will be soon. Nothing can stop me from joining the stars now," his mother croaked.
"What?" exclaimed Dew. "But you can't die! What will I do without you?" He pressed into his mother's side.
"Get a head start, go that way," she rasped quietly, nudging him with her nose.
"What? I can't leave you here!" Dew wailed. "I can't!" He shook his head.
"You have to, Dew. I won't live much longer," his mother croaked. "Please, I love you. The only way you'll survive is to get a head start. Please, Dew. Do it for me."
Dew could imagine his mother's pleading expression. He nodded slowly. "Okay," he whispered. "I love you mother. I'll never forget you."
He felt his mother shift underneath him, and he let out a last choking purr.
"Goodbye, son. I'll watch you from the stars, I promise," she whispered, letting out a rattling breath. She fell silent.
Dew let out a chilling wail before stumbling away from his mother. Numb, he pressed his nose into his father's pelt, then his aunt's.
"Goodbye," he whispered to the sky, turning his head up. Then he stumbled in the direction that his mother had pointed, ignoring the thorns and brambles that tugged and cut at his pelt. He broke into another clearing. Dew knew he wasn't far from his parents. But he just couldn't go any further.
Dew collapsed onto the ground, shaking in fear and horror. Finally, he fell silent and let sleep claim him.
-o0o-
Dew woke up, trembling in horror. His fur was bushed up, and his tail was lashing. Dew felt like screaming; he was about to, but remembered that he didn't know where he was. The memories he held precious, those of his mother, had come back to haunt him. Panicked, he felt around with his tail and paws to find himself in a small, enclosed area.
Sunfeather, Hollyshade, Dovesong, Fletch! Dew yowled in his head. Please, you have to come and rescue me. Please.
AN: 2722 words, woah! One of my longest chapters so far! In case you didn't realise, that was Dew dreaming about his family. That chapter nearly made me cry, when I was writing about his mother's death. ;-;
Okay, my ultimate goal is a hundred reviews. That's pretty unlikely, I know. But I can hope, right? :D
Look forwards to the next chapter. You might get a chance to see Hollyshade FLAY those kit-stealers! O.o
-Issy