*takes a deep breath* YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!! I'm back!!!! XD I'm so happy to have FINALLY posted! And before I forget, I want to thank Rainpath SO MUCH for giving me the idea for this chapter, since I couldn't think of anything myself. AND! I also want to thank Leafstar of NatureClan for giving me the idea of the Lilac character in the story. Read to answer your questions. lol So here we go with chapter 3!!! XD
A Raven's Peppered Wing
Chapter 3
"Ow!" Pepper stumbled as she tripped over a rock jutting up from the ground. Glaring at it, she shook her front paw in attempt to shake off the throbbing.
"Are you okay, Pepper?" She turned to Ravenpaw, who was a couple of paces ahead of her. Pepper had agreed to be given a tour around the barn and she had not quite gotten used to the terrain just yet.
"Yeah," she mewed, limping ahead to join him. "Stupid rock." Ravenpaw laughed and Pepper suppressed a purr.
"Anyways," Ravenpaw went on. "This over here-" he gestured towards the penned up place where the huge, thundering creatures ran about. "- is the horse pasture. Those huge things are called horses."
Pepper stared up at the pasture in wonder. "Wow," she breathed, but then jumped far back with a yelp of surprise as one horse stamped by them. Ravenpaw joined her.
"Don't worry," he said. "They can't get over the fence, and you're safe as long as you keep your distance." He rested his tail-tip on her shoulder and Pepper felt shivers.
Stop it, Pepper! She told herself sharply as they went on down a narrow, worn-down path that led along the side of the pasture. You're not some silly she-kit, seduced by one smile. Pepper scrambled for her dignity and held on to it tight.
She and Ravenpaw continued all around the barn, pointing out places to go and places to stay well away from-- the dogs' home, the other big animals' pens, and so on.
The sun was starting to sink into the very tops of the trees when Ravenpaw led her to the end of the tour. Pepper had turned her back to him to survey the strange birds he called 'chickens' pecking at the ground and was absentmindedly padding backwards when he spoke again.
"And this is the Twoleg nest." Pepper froze. Twoleg nest?
"Uh, yeah." Ravenpaw meowed a bit awkwardly. Pepper realized that she had spoken aloud. He nudged her around to face it. She stared at it, stiff with terror. It looked nothing like her old human's home-- it had nicely colored walls, flowers and plants hung about it... it was pleasant-looking. There was no reason for Pepper to feel so petrified. But horrible memories of her old human and the things inside his nest came rushing back to her, flooding her veins with icy cold panic. Pepper felt her heart race far too quickly and she was aware of her chest fluttering up and down as she started to hyperventilate.
"Pepper? Pepper!" Ravenpaw was staring at her with alarm in his gold eyes, but Pepper barely heard him. She had started to shake.
Suddenly a loud noise sounded from in the Twoleg nest, and Pepper's brief panic attack exploded into her. Fear was all she knew as she bolted from the spot, her legs a skittish and frightened blur. Her chest tightened and she found it hard to breathe, making small whimpering sounds as her breath rushed in and out of her. Her cloudy brown eyes flicked this way and that, looking everywhere and nowhere, searching desperately for a place to hide until this nightmare of a shock was over.
Slam! Pepper shrieked as a huge hoof struck the ground right next to her. She had run straight into the horse pasture. Gathering up the few scraps of sense she had left, Pepper forced her paws to veer off to the side and out of the fenced-in place.
Before long, the barn was in sight. Pepper sped through the doors and behind the nearest haystack. Once in the security of the sweet yellow straws, she crouched low and shrank as far into the stack as possible, though it pricked at her skin. Her breath came in deep, ragged gasps. She tried and pathetically failed to slow her heart down.
She jumped again as a voice sounded from outside the barn but then relaxed just a bit when she recognized Ravenpaw's voice. He can't' see me like this... Her heart protested, but she was too weary to move. Besides, Ravenpaw had already followed her fear-scent and skirted the edge of the pile.
Pepper glanced at him. His eyes were troubled, and he approached her slowly. She looked away. Soon, she felt his fur brush hers. After a brief silence that seemed far too long, he spoke.
"Pepper? Are you all right?" Pepper took another shaky breath and attempted to look normal.
"I-I think so. Yeah, I think so." Looking at him hesitantly, she could see he wasn't convinced.
Ravenpaw brushed away a straw of hay poking at his ear. "What happened back there? I didn't think that you'd have known much about Twolegs, living out in that forest of yours, but..."
Guilt slammed Pepper in the stomach again, and she almost cried out. She hated lying to him. Hated it. But it was too late to go back now.
"I know. But..." Pepper trailed off. There was no way to say anything without completely contradicting herself. She couldn't say that she got scared easily-- she'd already told him that she and her sister, Pixie, spent all day fighting off scary creatures. She couldn't say that she had bad experiences with Twolegs, because then he would press her to tell him what they were. Her guilt increased as yet another lie came spilling out her mouth.
"Once, Twolegs came to our little forest and started cutting the trees in half. They'd take them home to their nests and never bring them back. One day, Pixie and I were caught by them and they kept us prisoners. We eventually escaped, and our father attacked the main Twoleg running the scene. They didn't come back after that."
Ravenpaw was gaping at her. "Wow, really? I've heard of that happening before-- you know, Twolegs capturing cats." He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what was happening. "I'm sorry, Pepper, I wouldn't have brought you there if I'd known." Pepper felt his eyes on her and looked at him. His handsome face was lined with gold from the afternoon sun spilling in the doors of the barn, and his eyes were worried and sympathetic. She flinched. He has no reason to feel sorry for me! It's not true! Her heart screamed, but Pepper blocked it out. She couldn't bear it.
"Um... hello?" Ravenpaw turned at the sound of a small, shy voice calling into the barn and rose to his paws. Pepper forced herself to a shaky standing position. Peering around the edge of the haystack, she saw the outline of cat standing hesitantly at the entryway.
"Another cat?" Pepper whispered. Ravenpaw must have not heard her, or he didn't show it. He crept around the side of the stack to greet the newcomer and, after a brief hesitation, Pepper followed. She came into full view of the cat.
It was a she-cat, tall and lanky, with a light gray pelt. Her chest fur was an even paler gray, and a bit fluffy, like a dove's. Her eyes, a pale lavender, flitted her and there in a strange kind of calm anxiety. She blinked in surprise when she saw Ravenpaw and Pepper approach her steadily but took a small step forward.
"Uh, hello," she mewed tentatively.
"Hi," Ravenpaw mewed to her.
Pepper smiled at the she-cat, trying to be friendly. She knew what it felt like to be an outsider. "What's your name?" she asked her.
The cat shifted from paw to paw briefly before answering, "I'm Lilac."
*gasp* DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!!!!!! Who is this Lilac??? =O Sorry to Leafstar if that's not what you thought she would be, but that's just how I pictured her. Besides, there's no such thing as a purple cat, right? Or is there?... T.T
But anyways, thank you all so much for not giving up on me yet! And please, if I could get a lot of reviews, then that would make me feel so good and probably make me update again sooner! lol Hoped you liked Pepper's little panic attack! KTHANXBYE XD
