Beyond The Meadow

Chapter 1 - Dream On

Oak looked around again. He could see his sister Snow standing on guard outside. Oak sighed in relief. 

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep and focus on the visions he had been having but his brother, Boulder, was snoring too loudly.

It was fine for a moment but then it got worse, and worse, and worse until finally, Oak shook his brother awake.

The only response he had was a soft giggle that went to a burst of laughter. "You should have seen your face!" he meowed happily. "Sleep!" Oak hissed. Boulder immediately lay down quietly. 

In the morning, Oak woke up to see Snow sitting by a huge pile of fresh kill. Her pure white coat hardly had any blood on it.

Oak grinned at his sister who smiled back. While Boulder just lept forward and bit into the largest rabbit he could see.

"Here, you look half-starved," Snow meowed quietly, pushing a small pile of mice towards him. 

Oak felt a pang of envy when he looked at his sister and his brother

Snow was pure white with a left green eye and a right blue eye. She was an amazing hunter. However, she was pretty shy.

Boulder was a white tom with cream patches. He was a great fighter. His broad shoulders and large frame made Snow and Oak look tiny.

And Oak was a white tom dappled with brown. He was only good at knowing what leaves they could eat when they got sick or when there was no prey.

After their meal, Oak settled down on his bed of moss. The den was a burrow, dug into the roots of a large tree.

When they finished their prey, they washed off all the scent and buried the animal bones. They all lay down to rest with the sun shining on their faces.

Oak felt Snow shivering and tasting the air. "Sedge is on our trail," she meowed franticly. Boulder nodded and grabbed the rooty moss to cover the holes and entry to the den.

A small peek hole was left in the moss. Snow put her green eye up to the hole. "She's trying to cross the river," Snow whispered.

"Lemme see," Oak hissed quietly. Snow just shrugged and moved aside. "She's gone." 

Boulder moved the moss aside and walked out of the den. They all stood by the river, trying to find a way to get across.

Suddenly, the patch of grass and dirt fell into the river. After Snow and Boulder had sunk, Oak clung onto a slippery tree branch.

The branch snapped and oak tumbled into the water. Oak clawed for breath as the waves consumed him. His eyes closed as he drifted downstream. 

"Dad.........help me...."