Shadow Claw: The Life Story - The Fifth Chapter

Ch. 4 - World Outside

Hawthorne would return every morning and every night to Nova's cave, and try to court her or at least get her to let him stay the night. Each time she sent him away, and each time she would leave another wound on his body somewhere that wasn't his already fractured heart. I did not try to convince her otherwise, because it was not my business and I had no such place in their own world. Besides, I had Snowy to take care of.
Snowy squeaked to remind me she was there and I laughed, "Okay, honey. Let's try again, shall we? Say daddy." I coaxed her, glancing briefly at Shade who sat opposite us, in human form. Snowy puffed out her little chest, "Dyaha!"
I lifted my head from my paws and licked her, "Perhaps we should try this from a different angle, hm? Try to say mummy, Snowy. Go on, say mummy."
Snowy waved her tail, "Mwummy." I purred lovingly and nuzzled my daughter with pride. Shade huffed, but gave her a big kiss on the head, "Good girl!" He threw her in the air and caught her again. She squealed and giggled, waving her paws at him with glittering eyes. She escaped his grip and knocked him on his back, standing tall on his chest. I laughed, padding up to them and grabbing Snowy be her scruff and settling her on a sunny patch of grass, beginning a cleaning session. She squirmed, whining loudly, "Mwummy!" She scratched my cheek and I growled menacingly at her, "Sit still." I continued cleaning her, though she did struggle so I had to get Shade to hold her still.

Snowy squeaked and sniffled, lashing her tiny tail. When I finally let her go, she took off into the trees without a second glance. I has to say, for a kitten, she was very fast. I leapt to my paws abruptly, "Snowy!" I cried, panicked, but Shade was already pelting after her with a dark growl rumbling out of his bare chest.

It wasn't long before Nova had to pin me down and get me to calm myself. I wept like a baby, "My Snowy!" I sniffled and buried my head in my friend's fur, afraid for my kitten. I felt guilty though too, for I should have been convinced that Shade would take care of her. Nova licked my ears soothingly, "Shade'll have her. Don't worry, Shadow." She smiled at me, but I couldn't find the strength to return it.

There was a high-pitched wailing suddenly and we both looked up in shock. Shade was padding along in Claw form, back out of the surroundings trees and Jenny was beside him with Snowy in her arms, squirming and crying, begging to be let go. It was a jumble of incoherent baby talk, mixed in with a few coherent ones like, "I'm sawwy!!" Or, "Dadwy!!" Or, "Mwummy!!"

I rushed forwards and took Snowy from Jenny gently, cuddling her and telling her it would be okay. I hadn't noticed the harsh, cold expression that Shade wore. He cleared his throat and I glanced up, padding up to him and running my cheek along his neck, "Oh thank you, baby. Thank you for bringing her back." I nuzzled him lovingly, but he didn't respond.

"I shouldn't have had to bring her back." He said at last, and I pulled back with wide eyes. My muzzle parted slightly, but he spoke on, "Snowy. Come here now." There was silence in the clearing as Shade's cruel stony tone pierced the atmosphere. My daughter approached slowly, trembling slightly. "Shade-" I began, but he cut me off with a snap. I lowered my ears and backed off a bit. Snowy sniffled and began crying again, "D-d-dadwy! I-I-I'm s-s-sawwy!" She wailed, hiccuping and whimpering. "You ran off, Snowy. I don't want to catch you doing that again, am I clear?" Shade scolded sternly. Snowy just kept crying. "AM I UNDERSTOOD?!" He snarled. She cried harder and nodded frantically, before scrambling up to him and cuddling into his chest, fat tears rolling down her porcelain white cheeks and onto her father's paws.

My heart accelerated. Would he hit our daughter?

His cold eyes softened slightly, and he gave her a few, loving licks, before he gave me a glance and picked Snowy up by the scruff after declaring it was bedtime. I sighed and gave a faint look at Nova, who had once again turned down Hawthorne and gone to sulk in her cave again, but I didn't follow my mate into our home. I let him put Snowy to sleep, and when he peered out the cave, I let him see me disappear on the way to the lake.

I sat at the edge of the lake silently, gazing at my reflection. I felt a warm breath at my neck, and a hand glide over my fur. "Shadow." He murmured quietly. I let out another sigh and glanced around, anywhere but my mate's face. "Look around, Shade." I uttered, listening out for Jenny's gentle sobbing. "The world has changed." I supposed I was in one of my dangerous moods, where I could hurt myself and not even remember doing that damage.

Shade sat beside me, his bare feet dipping into the cool waters of the glinting lake, the moon shimmering down upon the forest. I could hear soft whimpers too, from James somewhere, weeping over the loss of his father. I could hear a few loving murmurs too, from George and Millie in the trees, sharing their love and probably trying their hardest to remain in blissful ignorance.

"It has. We've changed with it, though, Shadow." He wrapped a hand around my body and I bowed my head to nuzzle his cheek. "I don't like change." I swallowed the painful lump in my throat. Shade nodded, "People come and go, my love. Nobody likes change, but it's something we have to get used to."

"I don't want to, Shade."

"I know, baby. I know."