Kettlestars Path (A Warrior Cats Manga)

Chapter 23: Rotten Stench

It had been a bit of a rough day so far for me, as at first, it took me a while to catch some prey, due to the fact that I had in fact been too afraid to try to go after a rabbit. That was not the worst part about all of it how ever, as it was also the fact that I was so tired, due to the fact that I had gotten very little sleep just the night before, as I had a lot of thoughts going on through my head at that very moment in time.
It felt even worse for me now, as it caught up to me quite a bit fast, and it took me even longer to get to the spot that I was at in the woods. It also had not rained for a few days none the less, so it took me a while to get any sort of water that might be able to rehydrate me, and make me feel a bit better, and a bit more energized at the exact same time too, as I had felt quite a bit weak for most of the day.
I thought that maybe after being able to get some thing to eat, and some thing to drink, that I would feel a little bit better all at the exact same time too, but sadly that was not the case at all, as I felt even more sick that I had felt not all too long ago, and I felt even more tired that I had been as well, as I just wanted to find a place that I could sleep at for the night, or maybe even perhaps, a few nights none the less as well.
I felt like I might have made a bit of a big mistake by leaving the barn, as I knew that it was a safe place for me to live for one thing, but also the other thing was too, was the fact that I had a brother that lived there, and I really did not want to leave him out on his own, at such a young age as a kit, as I felt a lot of guilt due to the fact that I had in fact left him to make it out on his own in that barn.
I knew that it was a safe place, so I was not worried to the fact that he might get attacked, and have no ways to defend him self, not that it mattered if he was to get attacked by coyotes, such as his father had any ways. That did not matter all too much to me how ever, as I knew that Frank had told me that it was a safe place to live at, as the coyotes did not want to get any where near it, due to the fact that there were a bunch of two legs that lived there for one thing, and also the other thing was, that there was a lot of animals that were there, that were a lot bigger than those coyotes were.
The main reason that I felt so bad for the fact that I was leaving my brother behind, was a lot to do with the fact that I still had never told him that he had in fact been my brother for one thing, and also the fact too, was that I did not want to leave the young kit to live out on his own, as I knew for a fact, that it was such a sad and depressing life style to live, as I had to live on my own in a two leg place for the most of my life.
I had never imagined the fact of having a mate with me, such as a lot of cats thoughts that I would when I told them that I wanted to leave, or when I said that I wanted to have some one by my side, as I never really had been all too worried about the fact that I would ever need a mate, due to the fact that I was always happy on my own, and I was never in the mood to fall in love with any one either.
I sighed, as I shook off all of those thoughts all at once, at the exact same time as well, as I got my focus off of all of that, and back on to what it was that I was even doing at this very moment in time, which was of course the fact that I was following the sun trail. I blinked my eyes just a few times, as I then looked up all at once, to make sure that I was in fact still following the sun, as it was quite a bit hard to see through all of these trees, and I was a bit worried that I might have got lost along the way as well.
I sighed a bit to my self how ever, as I got my focus off of all of that all at once how ever, as I then all of the sudden got my focus on the fact that I could just slightly, and barely see the sun through the trees, as it was near the half way point in the day none the less as well, as I let out quite a heavy sigh this time, as I shook my head, just wanting to get all of this over with at this point, so that I could find a good place for me to sleep for the night.
I was not sure when I would find a place to stay for the night, nor was I even too certain as to where it was that the sun trail even led me to in the first place, if I was not going to lie to my self. I really just wanted to give up on all of it, and I just wanted to go back home, as this all was really starting to feel like a massive waste of time for me, and I was starting to feel quite a bit of regret for even going out to this place that I was even looking for in the first place.
I knew that a lot of other cats would be a lot better off right now, if I had just stayed in my two leg place, and just lived out the rest of my repetitive life that I lived whilst I had been there in the first place, as most of my days just felt like it was an endless cycle on repeat of me going to sleep on that big cat tower every night, then waking up to go and get a bit of some food and water, and then just me staring through the window, thinking of what the world could be live out there.
I sighed at the same time too, as I knew that was not the life that I wanted to live how ever, as I felt no sort of regret to the decision that I had made in the end, about going out to go live in the wild, as I felt happier than ever, even if it felt like I had lost a lot so far, I still loved waking up to the feeling of fresh air, and also the fact that I woke up to see a beautiful world all around me at the exact same time too, that I knew that I would have completely missed out on if I would have just stayed in my good old two leg nest.
I shook my head, as I shook off all of those thoughts all at once, as I let out a bit of a soft sigh all at the exact same time too, as I then smiled to my self none the less, for some odd reason or another, as I then got my focus back on to just what it was that I was doing in the very first place any ways, which was of course the fact that I was following the sun trail, over to the place that led me to my new home, or what ever it was that my destiny was trying to take me to.
I nodded to my self, even as tired as I might feel at this very moment in time, I knew that I had to push through, as it felt like the world was against me right now, but at the exact same time too, I also felt like I had control of the world, but I just was not all too sure as to what it was that I should do with that power, and that control I had, as it felt like I had used it for all of the wrong reasons up to this point now.
I shook my head this time, as I then got my focus off of those thoughts all at once too, as even if I knew that I needed to follow the sun trail, I felt like at this point, I could go no further, due to the fact that it was all wearing on me at this very moment in time, as to just how tired I even was in the first place any ways, as I then got my eyes off of the sun that I saw in the sky, and I dipped my head staring down at the ground, as it felt like my eyes were a lot safer when I looked down there for some odd reason or another.
I blinked a few times, as I knew that I had to make a decision as to what it was that I was going to do at this point. A part of me was telling me that I needed to keep going, and I needed to keep on fighting, but at the same time too, I also knew that it was a terrible idea, as I knew that even if I did make in through the day, it would simply mean that I would sleep in a ton, and I would not even be able to make it all that much further none the less either.
I knew that the decision that I was about to make was in fact the right decision, as I still was not even all too sure as to how far that I needed to go in the first place, as I knew that for one thing, I needed to have some energy on this journey and for the other thing, I also knew that I also needed to not be in a rush looking for a place to stay for the night, when the night was to come any ways.
I nodded to my self, as I knew at this point, that I was in fact making the right call, as I got my focus off of all that I had my focus on before now, as I then began to look all around me, to try to find a place to stay for the night. A part of me was thinking that it might be a good idea to try to sniff for a two leg place, as I knew that the creatures would not dare go near there, but at the exact same time too, I did not want to get caught by a two leg, nor did I want to get taken in by one either.
I knew that the best option for me right now, was to go and look for a small ditch, that I had been told by Owl, was a good place for cats to stay at, if it was a last second moment, and they just felt like they needed a safe place to stay the night. The other option was to look for a strong branch, but at the same time too, it also made me feel a bit sick to even think about sleeping on a branch once again, like I had done the night that my father had died right in front of my eyes.
I knew that the place that I needed to be looking for had to be a ditch, even if it was not the most comfortable, or best smelling place to sleep at, as I had found out from Owl, as he had told me that it was where I should stay at for a last second resort. I just was not all too sure as to where else it was that I should stay at, at this very moment in time, if I was not going to lie to my self, as I then shook off all of those thoughts, as I did my best to try to search for one all at the exact same time as well.
I kept my eyes and ears open, as I decided that the best way to find one, as I had seen one not all too long ago on a big path that the scary monsters stayed on, was to just keep on walking in the direction that I was going on right now, and once I heard the loud noise of them, which it was not all too hard to hear them, as I could hear them in just about any direction that I was looking from, from quite a long ways away.
If I was to get very unlucky, and not find a place like that, than it felt like it would not be that big of a deal for me, as I felt like if that was in fact the case for me, than I could simply just look for a strong branch to stay the night on, even as much as I did not want to do so, as it was very uncomfortable for one thing, and also the other was the fact that I was scared of falling, and the thoughts of the night that I had lost my father as well, I knew that in the end it would have to be the best option for me, as I then nodded to my self, and I just kept on going.
I was not all too sure as to what it was that I should even be thinking on at this point, so my best bet it felt like, was to just clear out all of those thoughts from my mind all at once any ways, as I knew that was my best option that I had in front of me now. I sighed just a bit to my self, as I just kept on following the sun trail, not having my thoughts go any where else for the rest of the day, as that was all that was important to me at this point, as I just kept on going about my day.