Cats Eye 1: Seeking A Path

Chapter One The Scents

Vala blinked open her eyes for the first time. They were a brilliant blue. The sun shone brightly through the trees of the forest and it dazzled her. She had never imagined the world being so beautiful! Then she saw two faces staring down at her,their eyes dancing with happiness. " Mother, mother she's awake!" A light gray tom squealed at a pure white queen. She stared down at Vala and said, "Well,you opened your eyes." The white she-cat said. 'My mother and brother!' the little kit thought happily. "Good morning Vala!" the little gray tom peered at her with his stormy green eyes."I'm your brother Leon!" he said. "Good morning." she replied calmly. 'Do I look like them?' Vala thought. She looked into the clear puddle of water in the bush they were using as a den. She saw a beautiful cat with a blue- gray face, ears, tail and paws. The rest of her was pure white. Vala inhaled the strange scents of the forest. She could smell the damp scent of recent rain, the sour and sweet tang of herbs, the delicious smell of small a animals scurrying in the undergrowth, and the sweet smell of her mothers milk. Vala tested out her legs and stumbled. She heard Leon giggle but she stayed focused. She picked up her back legs and then her front, then she started to walk along the rough surface of the dirt. "Wonderful Vala!" her mother said proudly. Vala basked in her mothers praise and she felt a surge of confidence. "Let's go and play Vala!" Leon whined to her. "Ok! What should we play?" Vala asked him eagerly. "I know! Vala, do you know what a mouse is?" Leon questioned her. Vala shook her head. "A mouse is a delicious little animal that cats like us can catch and eat." Vala suddenly felt hot with embarrassment, cats were supposed to catch mice and she didn't even know what it looked like! "It's ok Vala," her mother said as if she was reading her thoughts. "You don't need to know what a mouse is yet. You just opened your eyes." she said soothingly. "Well, does a mouse have a wonderful scent that makes your mouth water?" Vala said, remembering the delicious smell of tiny animals. Maybe one of those smells was a mouse scent. She breathed in deeply trying to separate the scent, but they were all muddled up in her nose, and she couldn't pick out a certain one. But, she was a kit and all she needed right now was her mothers milk. Her brothers mew snapped her out of her daze. "Hey, we going to play or not?" He me owed at her irritably. "Wha? Oh yeah! So how do we play?" Vala asked him. "So, one of us is a mouse, the tiny, furry thing with the yummy smell," Leon started. "The other is of course a cat. And the cat has to catch the mouse and if they do then we switch. The mouse becomes the cat, and the cat becomes the mouse. Got it?""Yup!" Vala answered. The game intrigued her and is sounded fun. "Ok, good. You be the mouse and I will be the cat." Leon ordered her. Vala sat down on the dirt with an irritated look on her face. "But, I want to be the cat!" she whined. "Oh, fine." Leon agreed. "But, I bet you can't catch me you fat, lazy cat!" he said smugly. Vala raced after him, her paws pounding on the dirt. But, no matter how fast she pushed her new legs, she could never catch up to Leon. 'Don't give up Vala! You can do this!' She told herself. She pushed her legs as fast as they could go and when she was a tail length away from her brother, she pushed off with her back legs and leaped on him. "Ha! I caught you mouse!" Vala said triumphantly. "Well," Leon meowed sneakily. "This mouse can fight back!" Without having to struggle under Vala's weight, Leon pushed her off and jumped on top of her. "Yes! I win!" Leon mewed happily. Vala let her body go limp and as Leon relaxed his muscles, she pushed off with all her strength and he flew off her. She sprang up her long, fluffy fur sticking out in all directions. "Nope." She said teasingly.

After a while Vala yawned and her belly rumbled. She went over to her mother and started to nurse. "C'mon Vala, I want to play some more." Leon looked at her with pleading eyes. Vala simply shook her head and Leon reluctantly went to join her in nursing. Vala's hunger was finally satisfied as the sun started to sink behind the trees, casting a golden glow on everything. Even her mothers white fur turned a beautiful gold. Leon had already fallen asleep and Vala curled up in the curve of her mother's belly next to her brother. He was snoring gently and her mothers head was rested on her paws. When Vala nestled closer to her mother she lifted her head off her paws. "I'm very proud of you." she said softly. "Thank you mother." Vala replied. Her mother licked her gently between the ears and settled her head on her paws once more. Vala watched her until her breathing slowed and Vala was sure that she was asleep. She watched the Suns last rays vanish and be replace by the moons silver glow. She inhaled the last wonderful scents of the forest and as her eyes droop and she let sleep overtake her as she slipped into darkness and peace.