Under the tree

Chapter 4

Raven awoke to rays of sunshine shining into the burrow. She sat up and stretched. None of the others were up. She tiptoed out of the burrow and out into the forest. Raven decided to go hunting. By the time she returned, the others were awake. She had caught a rabbit, a squirrel, and a robin. The other cats gathered around, thanked Raven, and dug in. After breakfast, the group walked from the clearing and deeper into the forest. After ten minutes, Snow started to whine and complain that her paws were hurting. The other four endured her yowling for half an hour. That was when Sun snapped. He whirled around and hissed at Snow.

"Will you shut up!!! I'm am so tired of your complaining. Do you see the rest of us complaining? My feet hurt! I want to go home! The last thing that I want to do on a bright Saturday is help a bunch of lost cats. So if your feet are hurting, you can stop., but the rest of us are going to keep going."

Sun turned around and kept walking. Ash and Tiger stared, dumbfounded, after him. Snow started to sniffle; then she started to cry. Raven padded over to comfort her.

"We should never have stopped," she said through her tears. "We should never have trusted him!"

Raven took a step back.

"Fine! I guess you can just go off by yourself. You can sleep, hunt, and find Star by yourself. Good luck."

Raven stormed off with Ash and Tiger following. Snow sat and waited for her to return. When Raven didn't show, Sow called out.

"Raven? Where are you guys?!"

Snow scampered after them. She reached the group after several minutes of frantic searching. Raven kept her distance but the others coddled her like a newborn kitten. Sun rolled his eyes and trudged ahead. Snow seemed appalled that Sun had rolled his eyes. As the group pushed onward, the day got hotter. Eventually, even Sun became tired. The group Stopped for lunch and a short nap, then they were on their way. It got dark very quickly. When the sun finally set, the five found themselves at the mouth of a cave. With a quick glance at each other, they walked inside. The cats' eyes adjusted very soon and they quickly found a large cavern. In the far back corner, there were three boulders pressed together so tightly you couldn't see through them.

"Star?!" Raven called.

A small, scared voice replied, "Raven is that you?! Oh! I'm so scared. She told me no one would come and look for me!"

"Who's She?" Sun asked.

"The evil cat who locked me up. She'll be back any moment! You have to hurry!"

Raven pounced up onto a boulder and started to climb. Her claws found little crevices and holes to hold on to. When Raven reached the top, she jumped into the small enclosure and scooped up Star with her jaw. Then, using the same method as before, Raven climbed back out. Star's claws would have been too small and undeveloped to climb out. Once safely back outside the cage, Raven set Star down. Star rubbed against Raven's legs and started to cry.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"I missed you so much! I'm so glad you found me!"

"I am as well." A voice said from the darkness.

The group whirled around to find their entrance blocked by a white cat with a gray spot around her eye. The she-cat laughed.

"Oh, Star. This is exactly what I wanted. The chief's daughter, the best tracker, the clan brainiac, and you, Raven."

"What, do I not get a title? Talk about favoritism."

Star laughed at Raven's sarcasm, but her smile faded quickly.

"Wh-who are y-you?" Ash stuttered. "Y-you clearly know o-our n-names."

"Oh, child. I am Lavonha, the leader of the Stars. Back to Ravens question. I need you in a different way. You will close the circle. You will help us take over the chief!"

Raven laughed. "If you really think I'm going to do that, you're even crazier than I thought. There is no way I'm going to help you do any of that crazy mumbo-jumbo."

Ash and Tiger looked uncertainly at Lavonha. Her claws looked sharp and she was twice as big as any of them. Snow looked around for Sun. After all, he was the servant of this freak. Sun was standing next to Lavonha. His shoulders were back and he was looking very proud of himself. Lavonha glanced at him and whispered something in his ear. Sun smiled and scampered off deeper into the cave.

"Now. If you would all follow me."

Lavonha walked toward them, forcing the group to back up. They parted and let her through. Then, four big tabby cats appeared from the shadows and forced them to follow. Lavonha showed them around the cave. From cells to eateries to just plain living chambers, she showed them all. Finally, she stopped in front of an unmarked door. Lavonha turned to Tiger.

"This is your room."

One of the big tabby cats shoved Tiger into the room. Then they closed and locked the door. Lavonha walked a little ways down the corridor.

"This is your room, Ash."

Ash walked in on her own accord, but the tabby still locked the door behind her. The rest of the cats received their own room until only Raven was left. Lavonha led her down a different corridor and stopped at a wooden door. It might have once been engraved with gold, but the gold was long gone.

"This, Raven, is your room."

Raven entered the chamber and heard the lock click behind her. Raven assessed her surroundings. In the back corner of the room, a small nest of pillows and blankets was arrayed. This place must have once been used by humans. Raven thought. In the opposite corner, a steady trickle of water fell into a huge basin. Other than that, the room was unfurnished. Raven lay down on the nest of pillows and thought about the day. Everything had started out fine. Then, once they'd met Sun, everything went down-hill. She had been a fool to trust him. Raven had just thought about finding Star, when the door opened.