Chapter 1- Shadowed Nights, Moon & Bitter Goodbyes
It was a shadowed, eerie night. Bright lights, like the stars above, hung like leaves from a large, grey trunk. There was only one leaf, with the light captured inside, on each trunk. The leaves illuminated the street, but hardly could contain the darkness that crept over the city. It was just past Moonhigh, and the moon itself hardly made a difference against the shadows.
Carried in another cat's jaws, the kitten -Filth- closed her eyes. She could feel the other cat's steps- thump, thump, thump. She listened, and focused, on that sound for a while. But soon it was joined by three other pairs of paws: thump, thump, thump. And again: thump, thump, thump. She listened until the sound lost its meaning. The other paws- where were they?
She opened her eyes, and looked to her right while swinging in the cat's jaws. She saw the three cats- all smirking and wiping blood off their claws and faces. Next to them lay a dead cat. Oh, the horror, the kit thought miserably. She recognised the face. That was her mother- the cat that was carrying her! She squirmed to look up at the cat that was carrying her, and was greeted by a moving skeleton of milky bones- the bones of her dead mother. She looked desperately at the figure, dead next to the other cats, and the face disappeared. It vanished from her memory, from the dead figure. She let out a dreadful wail; and its sound filled the night's silence.
She jumped upright, breathing heavily. It wasn't real. Was it? It was the only thing close to a memory she had of her own parentage… but, no. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't… real.
She crawled out of the rabbit den, and was met by the sound of birds and the green leaves rustling on the trees.
-There was only one leaf, with the light inside, on each trunk-
She shook each leg in turn and merrily trotted towards the barn.
As she approached it, she could hear the sound of paws-
-thump, thump, thump. And again: thump, thump, thump-
Stop it, she thought angrily. She entered the barn without greeting. She immediately froze as she saw a fat mouse raising a paw to the dirt- it was digging a new hole. It stuck its head into the small dip of earth, and she seized her cue.
She leapt, paws outstretched, and brought them together in between her forepaws. With a brief nip the spine, it was dead. She sniffed the cool air. Was there anymore mice? There were ten other cats living here- 3 being kits. Another three cats- two her age- were her friends. One taught her how to hunt for mice.
She smelt a mouse, to the right. Filth looked quickly, and saw the small animal. She took small, careful steps and leapt.
With another nip, it too was dead. She thanked the barn silently for the food they supplied for them to feed off of. And also, she thanked them for the stupidity of mice.
In another moment or two, Filth had caught three in total. She nipped its spine briskly, not wanting to wait any longer.
"Nice," a smooth voice informed her from behind. She whipped in the direction of the voice. It was Robin, that tom who had taught her to catch mice.
"Hi," she mewed through the mouse in her jaws. "Do you want this?"
She spat the mouse onto the dirt.
His muzzle was marked with his grin. "No, but Ginger might! She's expecting my kits now; I have to look after her in case the wood breaks."
She returned his expression. "That's great! Why the wood panels, it's above ground. It breaks, remember Misty?"
The old she-cat had fallen to her death when Filth was three moons. Speaking of age- she was six moons now. That meant at this age she had to leave her adopted mother, Moon, due to the rules of the Twolegplace boss- Amber.
"Yeah, I remember her. But if Amber's crew comes around- they look in below ground dens. They would never suspect a queen to be all the way up there, where it's dangerous."
She nodded. "Well, wish Ginger good luck for me. Take the mouse."
"Why? Are you going somewhere?"
Filth flicked an ear. "Yeah I am. I can't let my- adopted, but alas- mother die, just because I stayed one more night than I needed to."
"Where are you going?" Robin asked curiously.
"To join Amber's crew. Maybe kill one or two, and die in the process, eh?"
Robin just stared. "Are you crazy?"
She flicked a pale grey ear. "They killed my mother, I'm just bringing justice. Maybe, like, become leader myself and demand they bring me catmint. Then, I'll tell to all go find a nice Twoleg and live a good life."
"You try that; it will be just as ridiculous as it sounds. Good luck, Filth."
"Thanks." She replied.
With a heavy chest, she made her way back to Moon for the last time.
"What do you mean you're leaving?" Moon was horrified by the thought of living at the barn.
"I have to go, Moon; you know what they'll do to us if we stay together."
The she-cat shook her head stubbornly. "If you're leaving, I refuse to go to the barn."
"Come on- I already took all of our herbs and moss over to the barn. You'll love it there- all the mice you need. Not enough room for me, though. The other cats will protect you."
Moon's white and grey fur fluffed up. "I'm not staying in some stuffy old den until I die!"
"It's not stuffy." Filth retorted. "It's the coolest air I've ever felt. There's another she-cat there- your age, too- and other cats as well. I have to do business with Amber's crew."
"You are not!"
"I am too," Filth replied with her head held up to meet Moon's long neck. "Meanwhile, you'll catch up on some gossip in the barn. Do you want me to stay the night with you while you get used to it?"
It took half the day to get Moon into the barn. But when she did get comfy in the moss, she was already asleep. So, Filth decided to make things cosy for her mother. She put all of their herbs in a broad hole in the dirt, and told Ginger and Robin about Moon being just downstairs and if they could teach her to hunt. She brought them six mice for good luck with Ginger's kitting.
She had no reason to stay. Filth already felt like she had made her goodbyes- so she licked Moon over the head and laid out two mice for her to eat, alongside some catmint stolen from the nearby forest.
So she set out with a last glance back at her old, lovely adopted mother and set out to 'set paw' on Amber's territory.
Please review. I accept criticism as well as praise and the norm.
Alas, more to come. I don't like the beginning but as it goes on the plot gets bigger and better.
Read Divergent if you haven't already. It's great.
Weald :D