Scotch's Penitence

Chapter 1

Location: Abandoned Twoleg Complex

Scotch's eyes shot open as the wind whistled by her ears, cold air sweeping into her father's den as she curled up next to him. Initially, she couldn't see much except the bare walls of the den they lay in, but soon enough, her vision cleared enough to where she noticed little white specks piling in through the hole in the wall.

"Snow!" She yowls, bursting out of her den and jumping excitedly. Her fur felt a bit wet, and it was still freezing, but the sight of the white specs made it all okay. Her soft, green eyes darted around to look for if any had piled up, and she noticed a large pile of snow next to one of the shattered windows.

Her paws stumble across the hard cement floor and she tumbles into the pile of soft, powdered snow. She squeals with excitement at her first touch of snow. So soft, so shimmery, so... amazing! She shouts in her head, adrenaline pouring into her body.

"C'mon, Scotch, you're gonna catch a cold!" Her father yells from across the building. He now stood on a broken windowsill, his soft eyes narrowed jokingly, waving his tail at Scotch to get away from the drafts. His pelt was slim, and pitch-black, contrasting the white speckles that lined his surroundings.

Scotch groaned in annoyance. "But you promised! I won't let you say I can't!" she growled before dive-bombing right into the snow, her calico body slipping into the powder like a snake.

Her father laughed, before shouting, "You can run, but you can't hide, fur-brain!" His fast, grey legs pelted towards the snow pile when suddenly, Scotch's calico figure dashed out of the pile. Her squeals of laughter bounced off the walls, her little legs attempting to round the corner.

But before she could make it around the bend, a dark shadow passed over Scotch's head, and suddenly, her father appeared right in front of her. Uh-oh, she thought a little too late as she tried to turn away.

"Gotcha!" Her father cried as he jumped on top of her and held her down gently with one paw. "Now THAT'S why you should listen to your parents, Scotch," he laughs as he gently lifts the defeated Scotch by the scruff.

"What, because they can beat me up?" Scotch mutters with an indignant eye-roll. She let out a harsh sigh as they walked back to the den, passing by the snow pile she had longed to play in for days. Scotch turned her eyes behind her, and frowned as she saw a collection of small flakes leaving her fur onto the cracked concrete floor.

"Well, I wouldn't call it beating, just... keeping you safe," he tells her as he puts her body down in their den. "That's what parents do. They protect their kittens no matter what!" He shouts dramatically as he picks her up by the scruff, sprinting forward and dropping her back off at the den.

Scotch giggles loudly, seeming to have forgotten about losing her chance to play in the snow. "You're silly," she says thoughtlessly as she starts to groom her fur, tail swishing mindlessly.

"Yeah, well, it seems your silly father is trying to stop YOU from getting sick before we go training," he says, smiling down at his daughter. "And look at you! You're already cleaning your fur without me telling you!" He gives his daughter a noogie as he says that, letting his guard down even in such a miserable place.

"Daaaaaad!" she groans as he messes up the fur on the top of her head. She quickly bats it back down with her paw and snorts. Her soft tufts of fur have been neatly padded down and relaxed, ready for anything. "When're we gonna leave?" she asks her dad with a slight frown, only recently becoming aware of how nasty of a place she was in. Her eyes dart around anxiously, making sure that nothing is nearby, before exhaling a sigh of relief.

Her father's gaze on her falters as he sees a brief panic in his daughter's eyes, wrapping his tail around her. "You'll be safe as long as you're with me, okay? Never forget that," he whispers to her as he stands up all four of his black paws. "Now, are you ready to go outside?" He ushers his tail towards the hole in the concrete wall which had been drafting all night, trying to get his daughter excited to go.

Scotch forgets her worries immediately, her mind quickly shifting to the idea of playing with her father in the snow. Her mind races with the possibilities as she jumps next to her companion, screeching, "I'm READY!" at the top of her lungs.

"Woah, keep your fur on!" He laughs, walking over to the hole and taking a step out with a smile. His daughter happily dances forward, her knowledge of the route to Twolegplace impeccable. His smile fades as soon as she goes past him, and he sighs. How many more moons can I keep taking care of her? He thinks, looking back at the concrete structure that had protected his daughter for so long.

He trudges on, unfaithful in himself, as he knows that no matter how hard he tries, he will never always be there to protect the one light he holds most important. The snowed-painted building fades in the background as the duo head towards their training spot.

How much longer until we're found?

END OF CHAPTER 1