A mouse scuttled under the lush green undergrowth. Ginger crouched, her flaming orange pelt obvious among the dark, natural colors of the forest. The mouse came out of the undergrowth, settling with a seed on the thick root of a tree.
Ginger narrowed her green eyes, focusing on the mouse and getting ready to pounce. The scent of the prey washing over her senses slowly changed to the smell of the dry food she was used to eating as the scene faded in front of her.
The reddish she-cat snapped into consciousness. Ginger yawned and stretched in her soft, warm bed before stepping out onto the floor and padded over to her food dish. She took a small bite from the freshly topped off bowl and swallowed it distastefully.
Ginger turned and pushed through the cat flap. Her paws tingled as they touched the dewy grass. Excitement and wonder flared up in her belly as she raced across the yard and leaped easily up onto the fence.
The flame colored she-cat settled onto a post, wrapping her tail around her paws. A black and white tom clawed his way up the fence. "Hello, Ginger." He meowed, swiping his tongue around his jaws, removing a few specks of food from his whiskers.
"Hi, Smudge." Ginger replied, her green eyes observing the still forest that lay in front of them. "Smudge, have you ever been into the forest?" She asked, shifting her gaze to him.
"Me? No, never. Why would I want to? It's dangerous, and I have everything I need here. Henry said he went into the forest." Smudge replied.
Ginger snorted in disbelief, "Henry never went into the forest." She mewed.
"He did too. He caught a robin." Smudge replied, twitching his whiskers.
"Ever since Henry went to the cutter, he does nothing but sleep. Now he complains about the birds disturbing him." Ginger retorted.
Smudge shrugged. He began to twitch his tail nervously. "You don't want to go into the forest, do you?" He asked, his eyes as wide as moons.
Ginger looked back at the woodland. "I would like to explore." She mewed.
"It's dangerous in there, Ginger." Smudge meowed.
"I won't go too far. I'll be fine." Ginger promised.
The black and white tom hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head in disapproval. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He mewed before turning and leaping back down into his own garden.
Ginger jumped down, her paws touching the ground outside of her garden for the first time. Fear and excitement fizzed up, giving her extra energy. Ginger opened her jaws, taking in all the new, vivid scents. She slowly pushed through the undergrowth, gazing around with wide eyes.
Ginger froze. There was a mouse scuttling across the roots of a tree in search of seeds. She crouched, remembering her dream. Ginger slowly crept forward, keeping her eyes on the mouse. A moment too late, she leaped, her paws slamming into the empty space.
She growled and began to pursue the rodent. Just then, she felt a heavy weight on her back. Instinctively, she rolled. The cat kicked out with its hind legs, throwing her off. Ginger sprang to her paws and turned on her attacker, her fur fluffed out so that she looked twice her size. She found herself face to face with the bright yellow eyes of a rugged looking, thick furred, gray tom.
