Zen's Escape

Prologue "The Cats in the Wilderness"

A slender tom looked around the field. He was sitting in a tree, thankful that there were streetlights for him to see. He heard a voice. His paws tingled. My mother! Is she alright?  Without thinking, he leaped out of the tree, and landed on his paws, though he almost fell on his side. Another cat was running towards him. "Issac!" She called. She skidded to a halt, and gasped for breath.

Issac smiled. "Lu-" the cat raised one eyebrow. "Moon," she corrected. "...s-sorry...." Issac sighed. "I forgot." Moon shook her head. "I guess it's fine.. Follow me, Issac."

Issac and Moon walked to a ditch, and went into a small tunnel. In there, a beautiful fluffy queen lay, sick and twitching. Issac's sister lay beside her. "Mother, Issac's here." She meowed.

Issac's mother looked at him. "Issac," she meowed Issac froze. "Yes, mother?" His mother had a spasm of pain for a moment, then she managed to speak again. "I want you... to find the striped cat.." Issac was confused. "What striped cat, mother? I'm a striped cat myself!"

Issac's sister, Twilight, narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you crazy?" she spat. "Let mother save her breath... to... oh, I don't know... live?!" she paused. "Sorry..." she muttered.

Moon sighed. "She's gonna be alright. Twilight, go and fetch some prey for her - even if it has to be cat food." Twilight nodded. "Yes, Moon." She ran out of the tunnel.

Issac felt himself blush as he looked into Moon's brilliant dark blue eyes. He had liked her ever since she had offered to care for his mother, which was about two years ago, when he was around the "kitten age".

Moon broke him out of his trance. "What?" She snapped. Moon always had hated being stared at. Issac swallowed a lump in his throat. "Sorry," he meowed in a husky voice.

The striped cat... Whoever that was, he would find him. He didn't know what his mother had meant - or, was she just saying her thoughts out loud without realizing it? He pushed the thoughts away.