Chapter 20

Rain poured from the sky, soaking Viper to her skin.

It had been a week since she left her Clan, and so far things had been running smoothly. Shadow had taught her how to scavenge for food in the Twolegsplace, so that they could avoid hunting in the forest. Truth be told, Viper hated the Twoleg food that they had to dig from the garbage, but it was better than nothing and it was certainly better than being found by the Clans!

She had often wondered what they would think if they had found her. They would probably call me disloyal, Viper thought as she shook water droplets from her whiskers. Either that, or they would force me to return home.

Sighing, the black she-cat headed in the direction of the abandoned nest she was living in. Once she was there, she crawled through the small gap in the wall and settled down to clean her pelt. A few moments later, Shadow padded in after her.

"Did you find anything?" he questioned as he began to shake his pelt out like a dog.

Viper shook her head. "I couldn't stand the rain, so I came back."

Shadow sighed. "Oh. Well, perhaps we could go out later tonight?"

"Maybe," she replied softly. Suddenly, a flicker of movement over in the corner caught her attention. Squinting, she saw that a small mouse was scurrying around. Fast as lightning, Viper leaped at the mouse, hooking it up in her claws. She tossed it up in the air, before it landed with a squeal. Too stunned to move, the mouse lay there, allowing for Viper to make the killing bite

"Good job!" Shadow praised as he padded up to her.

Viper purred and pushed the mouse towards him. "Take a bite," she said.

Shadow licked his lips, before taking a bite out of the mouse. He then pushed it back towards her and meowed, "You caught it, so you can have the rest."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded. "You haven't eaten today anyways."

Viper purred, before finishing up the rest of the prey. "What a stupid mouse," she commented once she was done. "You'd think it would know better than to wander in here! After all, this place smells of cat."

Shadow let out a chuckle, before frowning. "D-do you ever feel sorry for the prey you catch?" he whispered.

Viper blinked at him. "No really. Why?"

"Sometimes I get to thinking, and what if the prey we catch have families of their own? Like what if that mouse was scavenging food for her babies, and we killed her? Now her babies are without a mother and food..." Shadow meowed.

Viper frowned. "I don't like to think that way. It's too depressing."

"I'm sorry I brought it up," Shadow sighed. The dark tabby tom rose to his paws, before padding over to his nest on the floor. "I'm going to take a quick nap," he said as he rested his head on his forepaws.

"All right," she replied, before gazing outside. The rain was still falling from the sky, causing her to sigh. The rain reminded her of the day the earthquake changed her life forever. Viper then looked up at the sky, or in the direction of the sky. The wood paneling that stretched across the top of the nest blocked the sky from her view.

Mother, why did you have to go? Viper thought, flattening her ears to her head. Father needs you more than ever, and you just abandoned him.

Your father needed you more than ever, and you abandoned him as well! A voice growled in her head.

Viper looked down at her paws, ashamed at herself. I'm still not going back, she thought looking up at the sky once more. I don't want to be a Clan cat anymore, so don't guilt trip me into going back!

Glancing back at Shadow, she decided to join him. Slowly, she padded over to his nest and gently settled down next to him. Shadow didn't move or wake up, which made Viper sigh with relief.

As she lay there, she could feel Shadow's chest as it rose and fell beside her. Viper was glad to have Shadow. He was a good cat, and a good friend. However, she couldn't help but think of Pantherpaw as she stared at him.

Why am I thinking of him? she thought, shaking clear her head. Pantherpaw was apart of her old life! She couldn't be thinking of him.

Viper pushed the thoughts away the best she could, before squeezing her eyes shut. She tried to fall asleep, but she just couldn't. Standing up, she decided to go on a quick walk.

Once outside the den, she headed in a random direction. Twolegs and monsters swarmed everywhere, causing her to grow slightly nervous. I guess they're trying to rebuild, she thought as she paused beside a large scene of rubble and debris. A bright yellow monster was scooping at the debris, moving it away. Twolegs stood around, shouting and pointing at one another.

Just then, a Twoleg looked at her, causing her to panic. To Viper's relief, it turned and walked away, leaving her alone. That was too close for my liking! She thought, before racing away down the street.

Viper roamed the Twolegsplace for a couple of hours, before returning home. Once she arrived, she saw that Shadow was sitting up grooming himself.

"Where did you go?" he wondered.

"I went for a walk to clear my head," Viper meowed.

"I see." Shadow smiled slightly, before narrowing his eyes. "Are you okay? You seem upset."

She shook her head. "No, I'm completely fine!" Viper insisted. As she headed towards her own nest, her paws suddenly began to tingle. She wasn't sure what was wrong, but she felt the urge to run for miles, or to fight a hundred badgers.

"Are you sure?" Shadow asked as he padded up beside her. His fur brushed up against hers, making her uncomfortable.

Viper gulped, before nodding her head. "I've never been better," she assured him, before curling up in her nest. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some shut eye." Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed that sleep would come quick.

What's wrong with me? she thought.

You're growing bored, a voice whispered in her head. Sooner or later you're going to regret leaving the Clans. Take my word for it.

"No!" she screamed, leaping to her paws.

Shadow's eyes widened. "I think you're coming down with something," he meowed as he walked over to her. Placing a paw on her forehead he said, "You're burning up, Viper."

Viper blinked at him, clearly embarrassed. "I am?"

He nodded. "Do you know any herbs that could take your fever away?"

She was silent for a few minutes. "Feverfew?" she guessed, not really knowing whether or not it would cure her sickness.

Shadow nodded, before heading out. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised.

Viper watched him go with a sad look on her face. Am I going mad? she wondered as she looked around the den. Nonsense. It's probably just stuffy in here is all! As she sat there, her eyes began to droop. Yawning, she laid her head down and shut her eyes.

The next thing she knew, Shadow was shaking her awake. "I'm back," he meowed.

Viper slowly opened her eyes, before glancing down at a bundle of leaves. "Where did you find these?" she asked.

"I borrowed them from a friend," Shadow said. "You should eat them right away."

Viper nodded, and bent down her head to eat the leaves. Their sour taste made her gag, but she finished most of them.

"I'm going to save the rest for later," he meowed, tucking the leaves away in a safe spot. Turning back to her he asked, "Why did you scream earlier?"

"It's nothing," she meowed, flicking her tail.

"It didn't seem like nothing," Shadow pressed.

"Really, it was nothing. I was just slipping into a bad dream is all," Viper replied.

Shadow flicked his ear. "Okay then," he meowed. "Well, you should probably go back to sleep. I'll be right here if you need me for anything, okay?"

She nodded, before getting settled in her nest once more.

This chapter was a slight filler, but it still held some important hints for future chapters. The next chapter will be from Pantherpaw's point of view, and we will see how the Clans have reacted to Viper's sudden disappearance.

Thanks for reading!