Moonlight Meetings

Chapter 4

"So, first you have to learn how to stalk your prey," Aster mewed. "You do it like this," She swiftly but silently padded towards a nearby rabbit. Then, with a flying leap, she pounced on it and killed the rabbit with one bite. "Let's eat it!" Aster continued, taking a few bites out of the rabbit. She scooted it over to Ollie, who was sitting a short distance away from her.

Ollie took a bite, enjoying the delicious flavor. Within a few moments, she had finished the entire rabbit. "Do I have to stalk my prey now?" she asked, burying the rabbit.

"Yes!" Aster replied. Ollie could detect the faint scent of another rabbit nearby. She slowly padded toward the scent, and leaped into the air, hoping to land on the rabbit. Only she didn't. She heard a terrified squeal from somewhere nearby, and felt a little shape crashing into her. Without thinking, Ollie bit down on the animal, killing it with one bite.

Ollie sat down and lookied at the animal. It was the rabbit that she had been looking for! She pushed the rabbit over to Aster. "You eat it first," she mewed, feeling hot embarassment wash over her fur.

"No, you eat it," Aster replied, "you're the one who caught the rabbit!" Aster pushed the rabbit back to Ollie.

Ollie hoped that Aster couldn't see her embarassement, and gulped down the large rabbit. Aster nodded suddenly. "I think we can have more moments like this in the future!" she yowled excitedly, "maybe you can even live with me!"

Ollie was shocked. She lived with humans, and would never even consider being a wild cat. However, the prey was delicious...

Ollie suddenly remember that she could pay Luna a visit if she hurried back home soon enough, before nighttime settled down. Luna might even consider being Ollie's friend again! Ollie mewed a quick goodbye to Aster, and bounded away, looking forward to the bright future that loomed ahead.

⚜

"Luna! Luna!" Ollie called from the garden fence. "Where are you?" She was at Luna's house, looking for her friend. 

Ollie leapt nimbly down onto the crisp lawn, staring at the neatly groomed plants and shiny windows. Then she noticed a tortoiseshell sitting with a yellow cat in the corner of the lawn. 

Was that Luna? Ollie wondered. What would Luna be doing with a yellow cat? I'm her only friend here, after all. Ollie felt her stomach plummet. Or I used to be...

Luna turned her head to stare at Ollie. A flicker of emotion blazed in her eyes, and then disappeared. 

"Why, Ollie," she purred, "how nice it is to see you again!"

Ollie purred happily. "Luna! And who is this dear cat sitting next to you?"

The yellow cat blinked at Ollie with large amber eyes and swiped its tongue neatly over a paw. "I'm Butter,"

Ollie noticed Luna shifting her paws nervously. "Butter is a friend..." she started, "but you are no longer one,"

The simple sentence felt like a swift blow to Ollie's chest. "Luna! What did I do to deserve this?" Desperation clawed in her throat.

Luna let out a menacing growl, her fur rising on all ends. "What did you do?" she snarled. "Don't try to trick me, your scent trail was off the other day, and of course I noticed!" Luna struck hard at Ollie's muzzle. "Why, you've been in the forest!"

Ollie stared at Luna, the once sweet cat she spent her time with, now the one who hated her. Her next words stung even more.

"I don't ever want to see you again, forest cat!" Luna snarled. She and Butter quickly bounded away into the house.

Betrayal. It was a word Ollie had never understood before. But now that she knew its meaning, she hoped that she would never stumble upon it again.