Chapter 3: Loners

The sun was setting as three cats walked aimlessly along the wooden fence. A long furred black tabby tom was leading the way, his plume of a tail making minuet adjustments to keep his balance. Close behind was a thick furred dusky brown she-cat who was glancing into the gardens warily. Dogs barked in distant gardens, spooking the she-cat further as she looked ahead to the tom.

"Shadow, we should find somewhere safer to be. Those dogs sound close." she fretted.

"Dusk, calm down, we need to tread carefully here." he scolded as he nearly lost his balance.

"But what if the dogs-"

"The dogs won't get you, but I will if you don't keep moving." snapped the dark brown tabby she-cat behind Dusk, surprising her.

"Hawk, I didn't know you were still back there!" she meowed guiltily.

"Well, I am, now keep moving. I want to be back on solid ground now and not when it's dark."

Dusk marched on, following their brother until they reached the hard black-stone. They jumped down, the sky growing dark and the fake-suns flickering on. Shadow padded confidently on the ground, his tail low as he peered around carefully. He crept along the ground, his eyes wide to catch any form of movement from the strangely colored monsters and their shiny hides. Hawk followed his gaze, keeping up the rear for their timid sister.

Soon, they pelted across the thunderpath, heading to the strange long and flat wooden structures. Shadow reached the structure first, looking back warily as Dusk and Hawk slowed until they were all hidden beneath it. Deciding they were safe, Shadow pressed on, sliding out into the grass. Flicking his tail, he lead the way into the bushes so they could be kept safe from watchful eyes.

"We'll stop here for the night." He meowed.

Dusk blinked. "Will we even be safe from those dogs?"

"Their stuck in their gardens." Hawk reminded her, making a make-shift nest for them to rest in. She flattened the grass and scraped away twigs and leaves to make it comfortable around the base of the bush. "Now, help me get this nest made."

Dusk obeyed, working her paws carefully while Shadow kept watch. As the tom and their group-leader he was keeping them united and in line. Hawk twitched her ears, finishing up the nesting area. Shadow glanced over, checking their work before nodding to them and blinking warmly.

"Alright, let's get hunting." Shadow meowed, "Who wants to head out first?"

"I'd rather stay here, I'm tired." Dusk mewed, getting among the dirt and leaves.

"I guess I'll head out first." Hawk replied, "I'll head to the bushes and trees if you head to the river."

"Fair enough. You have until twilight is over."

"I'll come back with or without prey." She dipped her head before sliding out carefully and tasting the air.

The scent of the thunderpath was strong and harsh on her tongue. Shaking her head, she padded around the bush and made her way to the other side. The green grass was cut short, unnaturally short for her liking. Feeling exposed, she trotted across it and the grayish-white slabs of stone. Feeling more at peace as she found wild ferns growing in bunches along with other plant-life.

A purr escaped her throat as she began to stalk carefully, her pale green eyes searching the undergrowth. Soon, she would have prey at her paws, at least she hoped so. When the sun is gone and it's last traces of light had vanished, she would have to head back and let Shadow take over the hunting. This was their life since they met up after spending moons away from one another. their Twolegs hadn't treated them all so well. Dusk had been chased by the family dog for nearly twelve moons of life. She only escaped when the clear-stone had been left cracked open. It was enough for her to slip free into the garden and away from the barking dog.

Ever since, she had been skittish about them, claiming they were noisy and how much their sharp teeth and strong jaws hurt. Their big clumsy paws could trample them, everything that the timid she-cat could now be even more afraid of. Meanwhile, Shadow had been left alone, his Twolegs leaving without a trace. He was a wanderer and only came home to find that the den was empty. Stale scents of his Twolegs were there, along with the sickness that often were in their scent. Shadow didn't go back to the den, knowing that the sour scent of death had come for them.

All the while Hawk, herself, had a mediocre life among them. She was treated well by the kits and older kits, but the Twoleg tom was crude and often tossed her aside if she was on his things. The things that smelled like him were always his. His side of the nest and his resting spot. All of it she was not allowed near. One time she had been in his way when she was going to get a drink of water he stomped his big hard paws at her and even attempted to kick her. The very next day, she bolted out of the door and left them all behind.

No matter the positives that outweighed the bad in the den, she felt much more at ease without the stress of if the scent wreathing around her was the correct scent for her to feel safe. By the time she was done in her thoughts, she found the sun had set. The light was still scorching the distant horizon, lighting it with it's yellowish-orange light. She pricked her ears and tasted the air. Hawk crept through the undergrowth, searching for even a trace of mouse scent.

Sadly, she found none. Twitching her whiskers, she began to head back to the make-shift den. She had to hope that Shadow was more focused than she was. Her heart heavy as she missed the easy life of a kittypet. She wondered, briefly, if she should return to her Twolegs or even visit her mother. With a sad shake of her head, she padded further and further away from her chosen hunting grounds. Once there, Shadow left to hunt in the night, leaving her to watch for danger.

Silence stretched as her sister snored, leaves rustled somewhere. An owl screeched in the distance and foxes were gekking somewhere close. She perked up, fear chilling her to the bone. Her heart raced as she scooted closer to her sister's sleeping form. Eyes wide, she waited as the rustling leaves grew louder and louder. Paw steps of a heavier animal was padding closer and closer. A soft growl and snuffling sounded as a musty scent of the creature overcame her senses.

The fox was tracking her scent and creeping closer and closer. Another rustle from the other side of the bush made her fur begin to stand on end. The other fox was helping in the hunt. She was prey and if she ran out, her sister could be left undefended. Soft snarls and growls were around her as she tried to stay strong. If she was lucky they would only chase her and leave Dusk alone. If she wasn't there was nothing she could do about it.

Taking a deep breath, she pelted out. Exploding into the open and the foxes released excited barks and squeals. She ran onto the thunderpath, paws thrumming the ground behind her. The hot breath of a fox hot on tail as it streamed behind her. Jaws snapping shut on air as she raced away. A startled yowl sounded behind her. Growing further and further away as she ran. She could only hope Dusk was alright as she raced back to the TwolegPlace with her eyes wide in horror. The snarling snap of sharp teeth being the only thing that gave her strength to leap onto the fence and into the garden.

She didn't look back out of fear that the fox was actually following her.

Author Note:

Before we get into the name of this character, how many did you think it was going to be Shadow or even Dusk?

Kittypets and Loners have different names. I assume the ones the humans give them have the same meaning as when we name them. Although, I feel Hawk would be a name she was given due to her looks. I mean, if I had a cat that looked like her I would name them that.

Now that the protagonists have been all revealed as she-cats, let's get into the why.

I could have made Lion into a tom before starting the story, heck I could have even made Shadow the protag instead of Hawk! Yet, I didn't. It's a mix of an answer.
In the Warriors series it feels like most of the protagonists are male, so I want to start mine with mostly female. I will have male protags in the future, after all it would be hard to leave this kind of world behind.

So, until we meet again. - NightSky