It was sunhigh the next day, and the two she-cats had already left the pond. They made sure to fill up on water and prey, even opting to take a leaf bundle with a mouse inside of it each if they couldn't find anywhere to hunt. The fresh-kill would rot soon enough, but it would be a good snack if they got hungry.
The warm leaffall sun beat down on their pelts, and Hope was grateful that she had a thin pelt to make it through greenleaf, though her short fur wouldn't be helpful for long, as it would be leafbare in a few moons.
The fact that leaffall had begun since she and Sun had set out unsettled Hope. It made it feel like they had been traveling for a lot longer than they had- only four or five sunrises.
Sun huffed loudly, obviously trying to be heard. "I wish we had that… Burn-it or whatever it was, my paws are aching sooo much!" She complained.
Hope rolled her eyes. "Stop whining," she scolded, though her paw pads were getting sore as well. She hoped they would reach their destination soon, and that they didn't have to be wandering aimlessly for the rest of their lives.
A hawk could be heard screeching above them, and Hope looked up to see it circling something a little ways off, grateful she and Sun were no longer small enough to be taken away. It could hurt them, of course, with its powerful talons, but she knew it wouldn't prey on cats as big as them- not even if it was desperate.
Sun gave a shudder, and Hope could understand why. They had both listened intently when the elder ones recounted horrifying tales of younglings or even small tenderfeet getting taken away by large birds, mainly hawks. It even creeped Hope out.
A gust of wind swept by, the cool breeze welcome. It ruffled Sun's shimmering golden fur, and Hope felt her own blue-gray pelt wave, before settling when the breeze passed. Sun was staring ahead of them, seemingly lost in thought.
"When do you think we'll get there?" Hope asked distantly, jolting Sun back to reality. She could feel Sun's gentle blue gaze seeping through her own thin blue-gray fur.
Sun looked away. "I don't know, you're the one who's said to keep going and follow the sun. There's a chance I'm not even supposed to be here, remember?"
"Yeah." Hope glanced around, spotting a lush forest nearby. She could see some strange rocky dens in the distance, and they would probably have to pass them to reach their destination. "Let's rest here."
Sun nodded, bounding over to the forest when she spotted it. They both sat down, grateful to be taking a rest.
"How will we get back home?" Sun asked quietly in a shaky voice.
Hope shook her head. "We'll find a way," she reassured her. But Hope knew she was trying to reassure herself just as much as Sun.
Sun gave a slight nod, and her gaze wandered. Hope followed it and spotted a shallow pool of water.
"Let's drink," Sun suggested. "We can eat our mice."
Hope nodded in agreement, padding over to the pond to lap up some water, admiring the sparkling blue shade. Once she was done, she moved on to the mouse she had been carrying for herself, thanking the Moons that it wasn't rotting.
"Hope, can we rest here? I want to take a nap, I'm tired and my pawpads are sore." Sun's voice sounded dry, despite just having a big drink of water.
"Sure," Hope agreed. "That's a good idea. We can move onto the stoneplace afterwards."
Sun gave her a quizzical look as she rested her head on her paws. "Stoneplace?"
"I saw a place in the distance that had lots of stone walls, maybe even dens, I called it the stoneplace. I wonder what lives there."
Sun shuddered. "Nothing hostile, I hope." Her eyes were closed, tail resting atop her muzzle.
Hope sighed, admittedly tired as well. She was going to keep watch, of course, but started getting drowsier and drowsier, finally letting herself fall asleep.
Hope was chasing a rabbit across a sparkling green moor, grinning as she pounded after it on powerful paws.
"Hey! Let me help, furball!" Sun said indignantly from behind her. Hope skidded to a halt and turned around to face her. When she looked back, the rabbit was gone.
Sun huffed. "Whatever. Now you have more time to listen to me." Hope looked at her quizzically, but Sun continued.
"Don't go by the shimmering lake. The sun will drown in scarlet and russet alike."
Hope tilted her head. Sun stared back at her. "Don't forget, okay? You should have slept earlier, though!" She cuffed her playfully over the ear, before her smile turned into a grimace.
"Please… please don't forget," Sun choked, staring at Hope with a terrified gaze before falling to the ground, jolting Hope awake.
Hope and Sun were sharing a rabbit between them, which reminded Hope of her dream. Weird dream, she thought. I wonder why my brain thought of those words. Sounds like something that star-cat would tell me.
They had decided to stay where they were for a few days, regaining strength before continuing on to the stoneplace. Hope couldn't settle a feeling of unease.
Don't forget…
"Forget what?"
Hope looked up. Sun was looking at her weirdly, seemed like she had accidentally said her thoughts out loud.
"Nothing," Hope mumbled. "Just some weird thing from a dream."
"Okay." Sun went back to eating, and soon the rabbit was gone. They buried the bones together.
Suddenly, Sun went stiff beside her, nose twitching. "Hope, do you smell that? It smells gross."
Hope was confused, sniffing the air as well. She could taste a musty scent, somewhat akin to rotting prey. Weird. "It didn't smell like this before."
"Yeah. Probably nothing." Sun looked away.
Hope suddenly became very paranoid. What in the Moons was that scent, and why could they smell it now and not before? Was something lurking in the forest?
Don't go by the shimmering lake.
Hope stared at the drinking pond nearby.
Sorry about that! I was out most of yesterday, so I ran out of time to write. Anyways, what do you think is going to happen now? I will tell you one thing, it's not something I like :(