-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
-::MEETINGS::-
Cobra's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright, her chest heaving and her pale blue eyes wide. The dream – but this time she'd actually seen the shape slinking among the trees, and it had spoken to her. But she hadn't been able to make out the words. She was frustrated…and disappointed. She'd heard a faint hissing, too low and soft for her to hear what it was saying.
"You're up!" Viper greeted her as he reared up and put his front paws on the side of the tire. His eyes sparkled at her, lit with humor. "I was sure I'd find you sleeping again."
"Not this time, Viper," she mewed, only half listening to him. She was thinking about her dream.
"Arsenic's given us the day to ourselves," he was saying when she finally managed to focus on him and push the dream to the back of her mind. "She was going to try to find Icefire. So…what do you want to do?"
Oh, great. More time to think. Thanks, Arsenic. Her tail flicked. Then again…the dream really won't go away on its own. I should take this chance to try and figure out where I am in it. Maybe then the answer will come to me. "Um…no offense, but…how about we split up for today?"
Viper cocked his head, looking confused. "Why?"
"W-well…" Oh, how to put it? I don't want to hurt him! Cobra looked away as she fumbled for an answer. "I just…thought this was a chance to explore a bit," she mewed. "We could find out more about where we live."
"Arsenic would never let us," he warned. "You know the rogue dogs are getting worse."
"I know. We wouldn't go too far. Just far enough to see new things," she went on. "C'mon – aren't you tired of seeing the same alleys all the time? There's got to be more out there, and if we split up, we'll see even more if it!"
The young she-cat waited for her friend's reply, hoping he wouldn't think she didn't want to hang around him anymore. But when he replied, it was only to say, "I can't stop you…but I'm not going. I'm terrified of meeting those dogs! They almost killed Rain the other day."
Cobra snorted. "That's one cat I wouldn't mind seeing torn up by dogs," she muttered. Viper didn't seem to hear exactly what she said, but his ear twitched and she knew he'd caught part of it at least.
"I know, I know, it's only Rain. But still. Think – what if that was you or me?" His amber eyes rounded. "We wouldn't stand a chance!"
Cobra met his eyes with a steady gaze. "I'll see you at sundown, then," she meowed. And with that, she leaped out of the tire and bounded down the alley, shivering with excitement. Finally…she might see what her dreams meant!
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
As Cobra raced off, Viper shuddered. It wasn't just the dogs – the vastness of the Twolegplace itself scared him. He'd once climbed to the top of a Twoleg den and just sat, dazed, staring out at the many dens and alleys and Thunderpaths. And the world didn't end there…it stretched on forever, to hills and forests and a shining expanse of water that was farther away than his paws could take him in a day.
Even though the forest that he could see around it tempted him to try and reach it, Arsenic herself couldn't have made him go. He wasn't a coward – he crossed Thunderpaths with confidence in his step. He fought other cats for what little food there was to be found and barely flinched.
But…the size of the world scared him. He knew now how small he and the other cats really were. They were like ants, tiny insects that could be crushed at any moment.
All of a sudden he was shaking. He unsheathed his claws and pressed them to the hard Twoleg path. He needed to anchor himself to something that was solid, feeling if he didn't he'd lose control of reality.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Though the seldom visited places in the Twolegplace seemed relatively still and inactive, that didn't mean there was nothing prowling the alleys. Here and there a dog sniffed hopefully at piles of Twoleg trash, or growled and snarled and snapped their sharp teeth as they fought over what little food there was to be found. The odd Twoleg kit pounded down the hard stone paths, yowling when they spotted their friends.
For Arsenic, it was just another day of not being seen. She crept along small, hidden pathways and slipped through gaps between the small Twoleg nests, her steps swift and silent. Her ears were pricked in determination, and she bounded along with a destination in mind.
Icefire…for so long we've seen neither hide nor hair of you…why come back now? Her pace quickened – she had to find Icefire. She just had to.
Arsenic paused, wondering how best to continue her search, and turned to the stone wall of the Twoleg den after a moment of thought. She slid her paws up it as far as they would reach and sank her claws into a crack, starting the painstakingly slow process of climbing. Her claws felt like they were going to be torn out every time she found a crack that would support her weight. She gritted her teeth; it wasn't like this was the first time she'd done this. She could make it.
Just as she thought as much, her hind paws slipped and lost their hold. Her heart gave a jolt and her eyes flew wide. Instinctively, she dug her front claws in even further and scrabbled frantically to find another foothold. Arsenic could feel her claws slipping. She clamped her jaws shut on a desperate yowl.
I can make it! I can't afford to fall! With every second, Icefire could be getting further away from –
"Wouldn't it be easier to just go around it?"
Angry and frightened that she could feel her claws slip even more, she turned her head to glare at the speaker. "Wouldn't it be easier to just mind your own – " Her sharp words ended in a strangled gasp as she lost her grip and started to fall.
She landed with a thump on soft fur and broad shoulders. Their owner's legs collapsed and the cat's chest hit the ground with enough force to knock the wind from it, judging by the sudden coughing exhale and a following gasp.
They were both silent, panting, recovering from the ordeal. When Arsenic finally lifted her head to get a better look at the cat she'd fallen on, she was met with warm pale green eyes and a handsome face. The ginger tabby stranger cracked a smile and let out a deep chuckle. "You know, when I told my friend it might rain today…I had no idea it was going to rain cats."
Snapping to her senses, Arsenic stood, leaped off the tom and meowed flatly, "I'd have made it if you hadn't shown up." She gave her shoulder a brisk lick, smoothing her fur and trying to retain what little dignity she had left.
"I have little doubt," the tabby purred, his tone faintly teasing. He got to his paws and she realized he was tall. Her head barely came up to his shoulder. He cocked his head, adding, "The name's Khaz, by the way."
"Arsenic," the white she-cat meowed shortly, turning away to scowl at the wall of the Twoleg nest. I need to get up there…but I've already proven that this way's too difficult…maybe… She started to pad away from Khaz, looking for an easier way.
"Well, Arsenic," Khaz meowed, falling into step beside her, much to her slowly rising indignation. "May I walk with you for a bit?"
She opened her mouth to refuse, but he added, "Just for a little while. I was headed this way anyway, and I want to be sure you're alright. You fell pretty far."
Arsenic let out a quiet sigh. "You're not going to give up, are you?" she muttered. "Alright. Just for a little while."
He smiled, eyes softening and seeming to light up. "Just a very little while."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
With a scrabble of claws on wood, the black-and-silver kitten managed to heave herself to the top of a tall fence. She crouched there, panting as she tried to regain her breath. This was the farthest she'd ever been from her home. The Twolegplace was much, much bigger than she'd ever dreamed. Her paws were already aching from padding along stony paths and her claws hurt from hauling herself over obstacles far bigger than herself. I'm too small for such big adventures!
When she lifted her head to look around and try to decide where to go from here, Cobra's eyes widened and a smile broke out on her face. "Whoa…this is incredible!" she whispered.
The forest was closer than ever, and there was so much of it. Enough trees to swallow her up completely and still have room for a lot more cats. Enough shadows to hide secrets that her heart yearned to uncover. Arsenic…have you seen so many trees before? Have you been in that forest and discovered things I can't even imagine? Suddenly it all seemed worth the hard work of getting here.
I want to be there! I want to hunt, and climb trees, and see what all that water is! She braced her small shoulders and lifted her chin, feeling bold and brave and full of confident energy. I can do it! I know I can!
"First time seeing the forest, kitten?" a lazy, almost careless voice asked. "Trust me. It's all of what you're thinking it is…and more." Cobra turned her head, half scared and half curious, to look at the speaker. The cat was sitting on the fence a short distance from her. Why didn't I scent her before now? Cobra wondered.
It was a pale gray she-cat, so pale she was almost white. The black tips of her ears stood in sharp contrast to her main fur color. Her eyes were dark amber in color, narrowed slightly in a faintly mocking expression. When she lifted one forepaw to lick it, Cobra could see that one of the toes on it was pitch black, and the end of the she-cat's tail, darker gray than the rest of her pelt, flicked back and forth in a casual way.
The younger she-cat felt her eyes grow round with realization. "You…you're Icefire," she mewled, unconsciously flattening herself even closer to the fence, as if in an attempt to hide.
Icefire's ears twitched and her eyes met Cobra's, burning with new interest. "Ah, so you've heard of me. What, pray tell, have you heard?"
"J-just that you've been here before," the silver-and-black kit stammered.
"Indeed I have, little one." The fur on Icefire's shoulders rippled as she leaned closer to Cobra. "I'll tell you a secret, kit – the forest is much better than Twolegplace." Her lips curved in a secretive, knowing smile. "All the mice and voles you can eat, and more birds than you've seen in your life. But some cats think they can have it all for themselves…they think the forest belongs to them. And they don't take kindly to strangers." Icefire got to her paws and stretched lazily. "It's no place for a kit like you. You'd be better off staying here."
"One day I'll be bigger, and stronger!" Cobra hissed, arching her back and puffing out her fur. "Then I will go to the forest and no cat will tell me I can't! Not even Arsenic, or Viper, or you!"
"Brave words, kit," the older cat purred. "Maybe…you could make it. But I warn you…cats who make it into those trees rarely come back out. No one knows what happens to them. Maybe they're alive and well…maybe they're not. I wish you luck."
Even after Icefire had gone and Cobra had watched her until she was out of sight, the adult cat's words rang in the kitten's ears. Is she telling the truth? Do cats really disappear once they get into the woods? She shivered, and for some reason the memory of her dreams came to mind.
Is there something really bad in those trees? Something that kills cats from around here?
