Silence was all that could be heard in the midst of the night. The wind howled in a soft, sweet tune, and the trees moved to and fro, the leaves barely making a rustle. In the dark sky, a swath of bright stars helped the moon illuminate the landscape below, where the creatures of the woodlands dozed.

Well, all except one.

There was a small shadowy figure of a cat in the distance, which steadily made its way through the foreign land, in a cautious manner. The paws of the feline were hushed, almost completely noiseless as they travelled through.

They didn't belong. Not here. No, they came from a very far place. A place where there was peace; was. All good things came to an end, whether anyone was ready for it, or not.

Now they were here, miles and miles away from where they were born and grew up. And it was terrifying. And stressful. With nowhere to go, what choice did he have? With numb paws, he was exploring, searching for a new place to call 'home.'

The tom was unsettlingly silent, not that he wanted to be, but he didn't know what dangers that lurked near, and that, too, was horrifying. He took each breath like it was his last. Like death skulked nearby, waiting for when he was helpless; when he was vulnerable.

With a pause, he listened to the peaceful wind, taking a moment to appreciate the coolness on his warm, red ears. He remembered when he was young, naive, and oblivious. The joy from his careless days as a bubbly kit were lost in the disaster.

He shook his head softly. He didn't need to worry about that at this time.

He stirred to action once more, as he carefully made his way down a sheer slope, and saw in the distance some sort of trees, and such. It was hard to tell when it was dark all over, but he could definitely make out something in the distance.

Maybe he could start over, and make a new family, or at least have a place to stay for some time, if it wasn't like the other places he had tried to settle in. He could wait another day, though. It was no rush to get there. The tom was sure the forest wouldn't walk away over night.

He made his way over to the nearest bush he could find, which was a small walk away, since he had currently been in a sloping meadow of some sort. Likely a hill.

The tom began to slowly dig underneath the leafy bush, making a hollow underneath the plant. Any roots that were in the way were pushed aside, so he could have room to sleep, for now. The tom laid in the dirt hollow, close to the entrance in case the small makeshift den collapsed.

He rested his head on his gray paws, and closed his eyes. It took a while for him to finally start to feel weary, but he embraced the feeling, and finally fell into a light sleep

The tom had woke up in the land of dreams, with his body snuggled against another cat's, and his head resting on the stranger's tail, which was wrapped around him. He didn't want to leave his place, for an odd reason. It was too familiar, but never in his life did this happen to him.

He had stood there silently for some time, wondering what the point of this dream was. Maybe it was another random, meaningless dream he was having. After all, he would have plenty of vivid dreams, like the one where he was but a small mouse, with a predator chasing him. Or his dream when he was able to breath underwater, swimming with the variety of fish that lived into the water and appreciating the beautiful reefs around him.

Soon, he sat up, and studied his surroundings carefully. It was a spacious den, and the outside was slightly lit, although it was probably just the start of sunrise.

Then the cat next to him stirred.

With a flash, he was up again, in the dirty makeshift den, and the chirping of birds in the distance. The sun was high in the sky, it seemed. He had overslept, once again. With a yawn, and a quick stretch, he was motivated to start his travels once again.

He had slipped out of the resting place with only a shake of his fur, before he remembered the sight he had seen the day before. But he didn't need to go far to see it.

In the distance, he could just make out a forest, with lively and lush leaves swaying side to side, and he felt joy where he was standing. He knew the trees there would easily dwarf the trees here, and he could just imagine the abundance of prey it could have.

With new energy replacing his sluggish paws, he began to jog in the direction. Sure, it would take a few days, but he could almost prove it would be worth it. His dream was forgotten immediately.

It was too perfect to be true, but he knew he couldn't be hallucinating. Only, unbeknownst to him, there would be others, and whether they were inviting or hostile, he couldn't have known.