So the second chapter. I am not happy with how fast it went but oh well, I wanted to get to the present. I promise when we get to the present I will slow down! And I apologize if I switch to third person, I always write third person, so this first person stuff is like, new. I try not to switch back and forth, promise! I also did most of this on ipad, sorry for the spelling errors.
I woke up at what I could only assume was morning, if I could even think properly. My brain was fogged up again with the need for blood. I turned my head and saw something nice and warm pressed next to my cage. MY CAGE! It had made me very territorial.
Growling I leaned over to give it a warning bite, and drink its blood. Once more though, the metal webbing stopped me and I growled in frustration.
Johnny woke to this and saw my larger than usual fangs. He obviously said something but my mind was slipping and he was becoming more like prey again. "BLOOood." Came the unearthly hiss from my mouth.
He got the point and sat in the corner farthest from me in his cage. I got up and sniffed around, drooling. From there it went fuzzy. I remember twolegs coming in, but they didn't give out food. Johnny claims they were watching how I acted, which was very territorial. They then proceeded to taunt me with a blood bag.
After that it went black. I awoke to find myself covered in blood with the sense of victory slowly being replaced by horror. No, I hadn't slept, they stuck me in the fighting pen with some poor cat that I demolished. I stood over the mangled body of a now unrecognizable she-cat. With my stomach full the twolegs took me out of the fight room and placed me back in my cage next to Johnny.
"They sent you into a frenzy." He said unhappily.
"They made me a monster." I whispered.
To this he did not reply. We just stood near each other, wondering, how our friendship would ever work if we escaped. I tried to keep hope though, maybe the twolegs can reverse what they had done to me. Finally I layed down next to him, I had been defeated.
"In a few days?" Came a somewhat familiar watery voice. "Bullies needed years, and they still haven't got you down! Spill a little blood, thats what I did back then! All cats do!"
I opened my eyes and felt the wind whoosh into them. Wind, I hadn't felt that in what seemed like years! I jumped up and looked around, I was in StarClans hunting grounds!
"So, what you gonna do about it?" The voice prodded.
I look to my side and there stood my favorite dead elder, Brambleberry. "Brambleberry!" I squeaked.
"Why in my day we wouldn't let no twoleg keep us for long!" He croaked.
He was ancient and felt the need to remind everyone so, apparently even in StarClan. "Well Brambleberry." I meowed. "It is hard to escape…"
"Hard, not impossible, now go make it possible!" He meowed, head butting me.
"Nearly impossible."
"Still possible, move those paws! And take a cat with you for goodness sake! Warriors have been trapped before, and they only survived with another cat at there side." He kept head butting me, trying to get me to stand up, so I did.
It felt glorious being there, in StarClan, knowing my ancestors were still watching over me. I was filled with a certain power you can only get from your own religion. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, the air of the forest inspiring me. Urging me. I had to go home!
I woke up with a shining feeling in my chest. Today was my day, today was my day! Okay, well not today maybe, but it was time to start planning. So warriors have escaped before huh? They must of not been in my predicament, because escaping with a friend would be hard. There wouldn't be metal webbing between us.
As I was hard in thought a twoleg came in and picked me up. He took me into a room that I could only assume was used for experimenting. he placed me on a table, and I felt something prick my leg. Blackness washed over my eyes and I went under.
When I woke up I was alone and my teeth felt… Strange. A wary twoleg walked in, he was covered in scratches. Before him he held a bottle. Quick as a snake his hand was on my neck and he was forcing my head near the bottle. He opened my mouth and forced me to bite down on the lid of the bottle. To my surprise my teeth popped out again and I felt something drip down them.
I remember quickly that I was marked for venom. The twoleg took the bottle and ran out of there before I could claw him. No wonder he had so many wounds, I certainly didn't like that. I waited for the twolegs to act and do there strange things so I could get back to plotting my escape.
They threw in another cat who just sighed. "I hate my life!"
I eyed him warily. "Another battle?"
"No, it is to see how you react with others. If I am unlucky and stupid, I am dead." He declared. "Sometimes they attack even if they don't want to. I have lived here nearly my whole life, I know this place and how cats act better than anyone else!"
I flicked my tail. "Lovely to know."
A minute later something was thrown between us. It look like food. Real regular food! We lunged forward at the same time.
"Give it to me, they never feed me!"
"It mine!" I snarled. I clawed him with an expert swipe and began to act very possessive of the meager food pile. For good measure I marked the area near it.
Then I paused. This wasn't like me, that wasn't me! The real Redheart would split the food with the starving cat. Not hog it. "I-I'm sorry." I whimpered. "They only feed me blood, and… You can have it." I meowed.
The cat eyed me. "Must of increased your hormones." He meowed and began to eat.
"It isn't polite to talk about hormones with strangers." I scolded him.
After the cat was done eating they still refused to let either one of us leave. I wanted out though, the fog was coming. "Run. They want me to feed soon." I gasped.
He got the picture, I told him I fed on blood. He scampered to the other side of the pen while I sat there as the fog settled over my brain. Things turned red, and they were my prey. It had happened quickly this time, I didn't think that was good.
When I looked at the other cat he was a moving blood holder. I hissed and my fangs popped out automatically. I needed blood! I slinked forward and my world began to turn black. No, I had to fight that! I had to be responsible, for a few seconds I stopped, fighting myself. I continued, but my body allowed me to stay conscious.
I remember the feeling of drinking his blood, but not being able to drink much of it. The twolegs stopped me as he began to claw my face to make me let go. They threw a bag near me and retreated. After I was done feeding from that they set me back in my cage.
What foolery were they up to? Johnny was there but asleep, so I let him sleep. I had to think. What was that, what I did? I fought the blacking out, I fought the need to blood. Maybe it wasn't all completely hopeless, escaping with a partner. If I could learn to control it completely though, and only if I could do that.
A day later I was brought back into the same pen, and to my surprise with the same cat. He seemed grumpy.
"I'm sorry-" I began.
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" He spat, cutting me off. "You know what they just fed me? Blood! You got venom alright, and it infects others!" He seemed furious.
"Not my fault, it's the twolegs fault!" I yelled. "If it were up to me, I would still be in the forest frolicking with my clanmates!"
"Well now you're here and infecting others with your venom!" He yelled back.
We glared at each other for a little before sitting at separate places. We just sat there, waiting for something to happen. The twolegs would probably take us soon, we weren't talking to each other, or doing anything. We weren't doing anything to make them interested, why wouldn't they let us go!
I knew why though, deep down, I knew that in a few hours the fog would set in, on both of us. We would turn into beasts, and then the fun would begin. "Ever turn into a monster?" I asked in a hollow voice.
"No, but I saw you turn into a monster." He shoot back.
I was unoffended. "Get ready." I laughed bitterly.
So there we sat for hours. Him, squirming uncomfortably, and me, just sitting there like stone. He caught on thanks to me, and now he was afraid. Afraid of me maybe, I wasn't sure. He could've been afraid of becoming what I did just as easily.
As the hours passed the sadly known fog returned. It settled into my brain, and into his for the first time. He didn't like it, and struggled. I let out a laugh. "Get ready."
The world around me changed and my throat burned. I knew this too well, but I still couldn't control myself. I hated it, but let it happen, and it happened quickly. Everything was prey now, everything!
I swung my head round and bared my teeth, one non prey. Threat? Going by mostly instinct I approached him. He was wild, to say the least. I growled and lunged into him, he swiped back. We fought for dominance, but my warrior training kicked in and I won. I jumped off and growled, now I needed blood.
He wanted to help me hunt it seemed, so I let him. We sniffed every inch of that pen, but there was no prey. I heard a clicking noise then, and turned around. A medium sized dog stood before us, but I registered it as prey. Me and the other cat circled it like lions looking at a juicy zebra.
This made the dog nervous, but it stayed strong. We were just cats, and it was a strong dog! Suddenly I lunged at the throat and clamped down, my long fangs helped me stay as the dog swung back and forth. My new buddy jumped onto the dogs back to distract his attention more. Together we quickly brought the dog down, and I continued gulping the blood.
Since I had proven the more dominate one I got more blood, and when I was done drinking my fill from the throat wound I walked off. My new buddy was still drinking blood and in his more primal state. I cleaned my pelt and looked at myself with disgust. The fog had lifted from my mind quickly when I had drank some blood.
I continued to eye the other cats while he drank noisily. He was as bad as I was, and I didn't know his name. When he started to regain control of himself I stood up.
"My name is Redheart."
"Dusty." He meowed.
I figured he was called Dusty because of his short sandy colored pelt, though you couldn't tell its color for the blood covering him.
The humans seemed pleased with us and they took me back to the cage quickly. Thing was, Dusty followed. They placed Dusty next to me then lifted the metal webbing. That didn't seem right. Our cages were connected.
"So, made a new friend?" Johnny meowed.
"She cursed me!" Dusty complained.
Johnny didn't like that. "None sense! She didn't curse you, you nut."
"I kind of did." I whispered. "My venom makes cats into something just like me. A blood sucking monster."
"Damn right you are a monster!"
"Hey no calling monsters!" Johnny protested.
Dusty frowned. "We are stuck, this sucks.
"Yes how observant of you." I snapped. "Johnny, I got a plan, and it is a long shot."
"Tell me!" He meowed.
"If I could learn to control myself long enough to attack the twoleg who feeds us I can kill it and release us!"
Johnny thought about this. "Thats risky, and you don't seem to close to control.
"I felt better in control with others like me, with Dusty when the monster came out, I felt more sensical." I pushed on. "I need to get home!"
"Even if we do escape, how can you live next to others? You are a danger, I hate to say it." Johnny meowed.
"I uh, will figure that out later. I still want away from these twolegs. Please, can we just go?" I pleaded. "Together, out of here?"
He looked at me, strait in my yellow eyes with his blue ones. "Will you attack me?"
"I- I don't know." My voice broke. "I can't do this without you though."
"Is there anyway for you not to attack me?"
I fidgited. "One that I know of." I admitted. "I remember not attacking Dusty because he didn't seem like prey. If I infect you with this monster curse I wouldn't hunt you."
"A heavy price to pay for freedom, but I think you are the only one who can free us. Would you be insulted if I wanted to think?"
"Not hurt one bit." I assured him. It was a life altering decision, he could have all the time he wanted.
Dusty snorted. "What am I, mouse meat? I want in. If mister silver tabby there wont help you escape, I will."
"Why would you?" I asked suspiciously.
"Well I want out, I have been here since I was born. The genes didn't carry to me. I want to know of the outside, before this place kills me." He meowed.
They seemed like legit reasons, and surely two would have better luck then three? I nodded, yeah he could come along. I snuggled up next to Johnnys cage and drifted off to sleep.
When I awoke Dusty seemed excited. "Come on!" He hissed. "We escape tonight!"
I blinked in a daze, tonight? What? I shook my head to clear the fog inside it, but the fog wouldn't budge. Ugh come on, I needed a clear brain to attack the twolegs tonight...
It locked inside my head and I growled hungrily. Dusty seemed to have his fog set in slower. I stumbled up, the fog was inside my head now, and my vision changed. Next to me was one non-prey. Blocked by the metal webbing was a prey. I wanted it but couldn't touch it. I yowled to the sky.
Aggresivally non-prey pushed me, I pushed back with a snarl. He might of been non-prey but I was dominant! I lashed out with my claws, dearing him to take it a step forward. He seemed to accept my rule once more, time for blood now! Blood! I rammed the metal webbing, and again and again.
Pause. Didn't I want different prey? Yeah, I wanted the tall prey. I drolled at the though of delicious blood running down my throat. A clicking sound, tall prey walks in. I want the fresh blood, non-prey can have it bagged. I growled.
The top opens just a little... Yes it's enough! I launch myself at the next of tall prey. I bite quickly, sensing I must act fast. I gulp the blood greedily like a kit drinking milk. Blood was my milk. Tall prey had been hitting me, but quickly his hits weaken.
Slowly as I drink I regain control of my mind. The twoleg falls over from the horrible wound in his neck. My fangs punctured deep, and he lost a lot of blood. Dusty had escape also and was at the wound now, drinking the last of the blood. He began to control his own body once more.
I searched the twoleg for the stick that I saw him use to unlock cages. I picked it up and jumped up to Johnny. "Come with me Johnny. I don't want to do it with Dusty, he is bitter and will leave me. I need a true friend." I pleaded.
Johnny sighed and looked at me, once more strait in the eyes. "Bite me."
I freed him and when he jumped out I opened my mouth unsheathed my fangs. They came out with a slight pop and I released the venom. I don't know how I did it exactly but I went with what my body told me to do. I bit down and jumped away. The taste of blood lingered, leaving a delicious after taste that was maddening.
"Lets go already!" Dusty yowled.