Life in the Forest

Cats of the Forest

All the cats of the forest were gathered around a rock in the center of a large clearing. On that rock was a human, sitting with her legs dangling over the edge of the rock. One cat in the gathering mewed expectantly, and the human disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by a beautiful golden tabby cat, sitting on the top, blinking her green eyes and flicking her tail. She could suddenly understand what all of the ears flicking, tails twitching, and mews meant. It was time to start the meeting.

"As every cat sadly knows," she began, "one of our numbers is now gone forever." The cats bowed their heads in a silent farewell to the kit who had been stolen in the night and never seen again. They had smelled the rank stench of canine animals and had assumed that the wolves had stolen their kit.

"We will always remember him, but we cannot afford to dwell on the fact that he is gone and neglect our hunting duties. I have noticed that several cats look thin and hungry, and we must organize hunting parties immediately to satisfy the clan's needs." the cats in the clearing yowled in agreement and started to break off into groups.

"Goldenstar!" a brown and white tabby tom called to her.

"Yes, Dustfur?" she called down.

"Who should patrol our territory's borders tonight?" he mewed.

"I'll go." she meowed back. "I will bring Mountainshade, Forestpelt, Runningwater, and Dovewing."

"Yes, Goldenstar, I'll call them now," he replied.

"Thank you." she meowed back.

The assembled cats met on the border of the camp a few minutes later and set off into the darkening forest. On their way to the edge of their territory, they picked up the scent of wolves.

"What are they doing here?" she murmured to herself, then directed the group to follow the scent trail of the wolves.

"Why are they in our territory?" Dovewing muttered in Goldenstar's ear.

"I'm not sure, but be on your guard. It wasn't long ago that the kit went missing." she mewed back.

"Gotcha." the pale gray she-cat said and broke off to the back of the group.

They continued along the scent trail, pausing in the bushes and looking behind their shoulders to make sure they weren't being followed by any hungry wolves.

A long while later, they reached their border and saw that the wolves' scent trail had faded back into their territory. The clan was safe for now, but who knows how long it would be before the wolves decided to attack their clan?

Not long after they reached the border, they heard someone approaching, leaves and twigs crunching and bushes rustling in their wake.

"Oh no," Goldenstar murmured, signaling to her cats that they should prepare for a fight. Who knows what the wolves would do if they found cats on their border?

The leaves parted and the broad gray shoulders of a wolf appeared, followed by several more. Cats and wolves bared their teeth at each other along the border, and Goldenstar tensed, ready to fight. Before she gave the signal, however, she caught sight of the main wolf's eyes and motioned for her cats to hold off, padding closer to the border. They looked confused, but sat down and waited for their leader to give them orders.

Goldenstar walked to the very edge of her territory and waited, sensing the urgency in the wolf leader's eyes.

"The forest is in danger," the wolf, who Goldenstar remembered was named Willow, said. "We need every animal in the forest to unite if we are to get rid of the dark forces gathering in our home. Meet us in the clearing that connects all of the forest borders for a meeting at sunrise tomorrow. Bring the entire Clan, everybody has to know what is going on. You won't want to miss it." Goldenstar nodded, confused and suspicious, and signaled once again for her cats to hold off on fighting and go back to camp. She heard the wolves departing into the trees on their side and exhaled, already puzzling out Willow's strange message as she walked.