When the kitten woke up, she looked around. A couple of humans here and there, and one was coming towards her. She quickly leapt up, and hid behind a trash can. The human walked into the shop, not noticing the cat hiding behind a trash can. "Phew," the kitten whispered. "I'm safe for now."
Not wanting to be caught by humans, she hurried down the street. "Where can I go to be safe? Wait... I heard my mom talking about the forest... Can I find it?" She sniffed the air. "First things first - I need to get to the edge of the city."
She raced down the street, and opened her mouth, tasting the air. She wasn't that far from the forest! She shook her head. It might not be the forest. She saw a road. "I have to cross this...? I've never crossed a road before..." She had to. Little kitten could see the moors on the other side. And forests next to that. If she could get to the other side... She stood at the edge of the road, claws unsheathed. She waited until the cars stopped coming, and raced across the path.
"GO!" She yelped out loud. She heard a car roaring towards her. She barely made it. Her tail pressed her against flank, she started shaking. "I made it," She gasped. "I made it!" She was ready to find the cats in the forest now.
Looking around, she limped across the moors, and saw the forest on the horizon. "I finally made it."
She looked at her paws as a dull pain shot through her; her paws were rubbed raw by the road and rough cement. The grass made her paws feel a bit better, and she could already see why cats lived free and wild in the forests and moors. "Mom taught me about some herbs from when she was in one of the clans... I wonder why she left." Shaking her head, she tried to recall what her mom told her about herbs. Dock? What does dock look like? She sniffed the ground, and a scent hit her nose. Border marks. "They're really well established..." She gasped in wonder. "Could the 'clan' in the city ever be that well established?" Not while Darki was leader.
She froze. She realized that she didn't have a name. Her mother never gave her one, so she was just always 'kitten.' This reasoning was because if her mother gave her a name, Darki could find her easily. "I'll name myself." She said. She saw a puddle. It must have rained last night, and I was just too tired to hear it. She thought. She had a ring of mane around her neck; I thought that only toms had manes... but my fur is golden like a lion's... I'll name myself 'little Lion.' Little in memory of my mother, who always called me 'little kitten.' Little Lion thought. "I'll shorten it to 'Lion,' for cats, but I'm always Little Lion.
"I smell a cat!" She heard a voice come from behind her. Her pelt prickled. Wild cat! Her instincts yowled at her to run, but she wouldn't.
She turned around, and backed up into the grass. She was scared. What if they attacked her? She was just a kit!
"A rogue; smells like they're from the twoleg place." The cat sniffed the air, and landed on the patch of grass she was hiding in. "Come out, stranger, and state your business."
Little Lion forced herself to stand up, and poke her head out of the grass. A couple of gasps came from the group.
"Lionblaze, you probably scared the poor thing!" A cat with one eye, as well as an ear missing exclaimed.
Little Lion had seen worse. Like Cry. Darki destroyed his face, and ripped off half of his tail. Little Lion didn't flinch, and the cat seemed surprised.
"H-Hello," She whispered, as she slowly padded out of her hiding place. What was she supposed to do now?
"What's your name, little one?" The cat asked, smiling at me. "We won't hurt you, don't worry." How could Little Lion trust any cat? She may be able to trust she-cats... But toms? You can't tell what they're going to do. The only cat I trusted was Cry, and he disappeared after Darki nearly killed him.
"L-little Lion." She whispered, ears pressed against her head. Her tail flicked worriedly, still not trusting the short furred lion-like tom cat behind the nice she-cat.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful kitten, Little Lion." The she-cat leaned over, and licked down some fur that was sticking up on my head. "Did you come from the twoleg place, little one?" She asked. Little Lion nodded.
"M-my mom was killed there, by the leader of our g-group," Little Lion shuddered, pressing against the she-cats fur. "And she told me to stay safe. So I came here."
"That's horrible." The tom muttered, but didn't say anything else. The she-cat flicked her ears in annoyance.
"Lionblaze, if you have nothing better to do, then go tell Bramblestar that we have a kitten that needs help." She snapped. "I'm Brightheart, little one. We'll have a nice nest for you in the nursery, with Daisy. She'll take very good care of you." She said gentler, as Lionblaze stalked away.
"R-really?" I whispered, my shaking subsiding a bit.
"Really." She murmured, before grabbing me by my scruff in her jaws. "I'll carry you to camp; it's a long way away."
"T-thank you." I whisper. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep on the way to the camp. I woke up as we got there. She set me down at the entrance of camp.
"Are you ready, Little Lion?" She asked.
"Yes," I said, uncertain. My new life was just beginning.