All Alone

Chapter 3

I was laying on leaves, an unusual bedding for me. A cut on my side pulsed in agony. Where was I? I lifted my head groggily and looked around at my surroundings. Tall, skinny poplars arched above my vision and prickly rose-bushes were everywhere, new pink flowers blooming. Soon I noticed I was not alone. A red cat lay nearby, at the foot of a different tree, as well as a black cat at another. They looked knocked out cold, like I had been. The black one was yowling something in its sleep, churning up the dirt with his paws.

I couldn't leave them here! I decided in my mind. They would probably be just as confused as I was and just as desperate for other cats to be with again. My stomach churned and groaned, still hungry. That stupid fox had got in the way! I would be fine right now, with a full belly and a home, but here I was, hungry and hurt, with nowhere to go.

The red cat sighed and murmured something that sounded like: "it's ok, my kits, we'll be ok."
I thought that she would go back to quietly sleeping, but sudden to she shot straight upward and opened her eyes wide, to reveal frightened blue eyes.

"My kits," she wailed, "where are they?"
When she spotted me, she narrowed her eyes and snarled.

"You. You took my kits, didn't you?"

I lifted my head and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Actually, no. I don't steal kits."

"Well then who did?"

"How should I know?"

"Because you were awake first." She shot a suspicious glance.

"I sighed. "Ok, believe whatever you want to, by I'm going to help. I can help you find the kits!"

"Ok..."

"Anyways, I'm Blaze. I've been through some tragic loss myself in the last few days. I lost my mate, Flash in that storm and I feel like the world is ending. The least you can do is cooperate."

"Oh."

"Name please?"

"I'm Venus."

"Do you know that cat," I mewed, nodding towards the black and white tomcat.

"No."

We sat in silence cool raindrops from the morning running of the green leaves into many small, muddy puddle. Suddenly, Venus spoke up. "I have to go, do you want to come with me?"

"No, I'm sorry. I want to wait for this Tom to wake, he may need help. Good luck finding your kits." I mewed.

"Good-bye." She turned tail and bounded away through the trees.

I sat, once again, in loneliness. I was in no condition to hunt, but I would starve if I didn't. I lay there for a while longer. A bumpy, green-brown creature leaped across in front of me. A toad? I leaned forward, ready to bite it's neck, and the stupid thing just sat there calmly. I bit into its neck and a strong, rancid flavour flooded my mouth. I spat the liquid onto the ground and stood up.

I heard a deep, friendly voice chuckle behind me. "You might not want to eat that. That's poison you were spitting out. Toads are no good!"
I turn to look into the yellow eyes of a creamy tomcat.

"First off, I realized that, and second, who are you?" I yowled.

"I'm Rush." He purred silkily before dashing off into the forest.
Great. Alone again, unless you count the unconscious cat a few trees away, that is. I growled in frustration and pushed my face between my front legs. Why couldn't life be fair?