STRAY: ATLAS' RETURN [ WIP VERS. ]

PROLOGUE // INTO THE WALL - 1St DRAFT

As thunder bellowed through the night sky and dark clouds hid away any evidence of the stars beyond it, the large and reddened moon peered through in short intervals -- its light seemingly replaced with each flash of lightning. Heavy rain came down in torrents onto the moss and foliage covered concrete, clanging and rattling against the rusted metal pipes that ran every which way along and between the two walls. Each flash of lightning was quickly followed by a confident roll of thunder.

In a secluded deep wall alcove, four young cats remained safe and dry in their little home.

There was a white cat with orange spots, who was focused on washing behind his ears. There was an orange cat with a white face and white paws who was hunting tiny shadows. The black cat watched the other two, purring and content. Further into alcove was an orange tabby, who rose to his feet and stretched. The cats settled in for the night on their flattened piece of cardboard, each one almost touching the other.

It was halfway to noon when the orange tabby woke, the sky was bright and birds chirped -- there was hardly any evidence of last night's storm. He gently nudged the orange and white cat awake, it was time for them to start their day.

Rain dripped off the foliage here and there, gently pattering on the rusty pipes or down the side of the concrete walls. One by one, the cats jumped down onto one of the large rusted metal pipes, travelling down to lower ground to start their hunt. They jumped on ledges, pipes, and platforms as they navigated the space between the large concrete walls that seemed to be endlessly high and just as endlessly deep.

The cats froliced, played, and scratched at the very few trees that rightfully infiltrated the structure.  They drank where they found fresh water, and continued to run and jump through the jungle gym of concrete and rusted metal. They balanced on crane suspended beams, remnants of construction stopped a long, long time ago. Each time they jumped and moved across, the beams teetered both ways like dangerous seesaws.

As the cats jumped onto solid ground once more, one of their final obstacles stood in their familiar path - just another broken rusted pipe. Just beyond was a nest of mice they'd come across a week ago. A quick jump could clear the measly gap, the same one they've cleared time and time again.

The white and orange jumped and the pipe made its usual audible complaints, just some white noise. The black cat followed and the pipe seemed to complain a bit louder than before, though it was still a murmur. The orange and white jumped and the pipe once again squeaked.

The orange tabby was next and he paused to prep his jump, calculating and planning. The pipe creaked and jutted downwards, years of its complaining wrongfully ignored. The orange tabby slid off the side of the pipe onto the sloped wall below. He cried out as he tried to crawl up the slippery slanted wall.

His claws dug into the moss and tried to find a grip on the concrete. His family watched from above, meowing and staring, unable to help. In mere seconds, the orange tabby lost his grasp and fell into the dark depths below, crying pitifully as he did.

The cat slid down the wall and plunged deep into darkness that only grew and grew. He didn't once stop pawing at the wall until he hit the large pile of trash that went up the walls. He tumbled down its large hill and landed on his side, motionless.

Several seconds later, he stirred and the sounds of faint meowing caused his eyes to flutter open. He meowed hoarsely back, but it was unlikely his family would have been able to hear him. He walked a bit towards the trash pile, trying to climb up to find his way back home, but he fell to his side again.

When he woke up hours later, the sun had gone down and everything was silent, except for faint shuffling and whirring from somewhere down the tunnel beside him.

He licked his back leg and walked off his limp and started his way down the lit tunnel of trash and went under a partially opened gate, stepping out into a desolate city.