I know that last few chapters have been short, since I first started writing it on another site. I'm going to start making the next chapter longer. Enjoy!


Chapter 7-

I stumbled over a tree root and felt myself fall and didn't have time to meow before my face plowed into the moist brown soil. I got back my footing and grumbled in frustration as bit of mud dripped off my whiskers. All I could see was my normally white muzzle, which was now dyed a muddy brown, along with my whiskers. I could only imageine what the rest of my face looked like, but judging at Bone's expression, I knew he was tring deperatly not to laugh.

I could've smacked him. And I did.

My muddy paw slamed right into his face. He stumbled to the ground and had a priceless look of shock plastered on his face, now with a muddy brown paw shape stambed on his forehead. He meowed pitifully and instantly my heart melted like frost on a warm summer day. I rubbed his pelt and purred reassuringly in an attempt to confort him and apologize. Looking quiet crestfallen, he followed me, mud dripping down his face.

At about sunhigh we made it to a rather large river. The ground turned sandy and I took the oppertunity to rinse myself in the creek. I walked forward, and gazed into the water. A leaf suddenly floated by before dissapearing out of sight as quickly as it had came. I hesitated, holding one paw just above the water level.

What if I got washed away like the leaf?

I made a face, feeling the now dried mud crack and crunch every time I blinked or moved my mouth. Being washed away or not, I was going to go insane if I had to sit around with the mud plastered to my face. I plunged the first paw into the water and took it out quickly, shook it furiously before placing it back on the sandy shore. I looked at the water again. It was so clear, I could see the bottom. If I focused on the water's surface I could see myself. My eyes looked tired, and even though the mud was masking me, I could still tell that I've grown a lot. My entire face now resembled my mothers and I immediatly jerked away, shocked at the realization.

I returned to the water's side and gazed at it again. Immediatly I didn't see my face, but Mother's gazing back at me, her white and black spotted fur speckled with mud and her expression, shocked. I sighed, and my mind was flooded by memories of how she had cradled me when I was little, how she cleaned me and purred me to sleep in the mornings. How she hid me when the human's came. I felt like a hole was being drilled through my heart. I felt like crying and mewing like a lost kit, but I new it wouldn't help. It wouldn't bring Mother back. All it would do was bring back memories that would make me wounder home and look for her, but I knew the answer long before I asked it. We wouldn't find her. No one would.

I sighed and once again placed a paw into the water. I flinched, causing the water to ripple, making Mother fade away. I placed the other paw into the water.

It wasn't that bad....

I meowed for Bone who obediently came and micked my actions, managing the third time to keep his paws planted firmly on the river's bottom. I dove in, splashing him with water, and covering my entire body with cold wet water. I pulled myself out and shook my pelt, feeling the droplets sprinkled the shore and Bone. I yawned and stretched and could feel that I had gotten the mud off with my little swim. Bone wiped the mud off his face with a wet paw and started to lick me clean, starting at my shoulder the moving up to my ear. I slowly drifted off into thought.

Did I really look that much like my Mother?

I thought about the reflection and let my mind linger on the thought. I suddenly pulled away from Bone's licking and returned to the water's edge. Once again I focused on the surface and saw the face that I missed so much appear before me. Bone apparently knew what I was doing for he deicded to leave and go hunting.

I stayed lost in thought for a while and was abruptly pulled from my thoughts and memories by a rustle in a nearby bush. I spun around and fluffed my white and black pelt up. The rustling continued, so I flattened my ears and hissed before charging into the brush. I opened my eyes, but couldn't see anything but leaves, so I lashed out at every possible direction. After a split second I hit something soft and dug my claws into it. It yowled and threw itself into the clearing. I was thrown free and landed hard on my back. The breath had been knocked out of me and I took a second to breath again before I looked for my attacker. I saw the familiar white pelt of Bone standing before me, fur fuffled, panting heavily. I immediatly felt guilty and started the task of licking him and purring affectionatly. When he returned the pur and gental licking I knew I had been forgiven.