Shining of the Four

Chapter 19

            Sunrise lazily opened her eyes, finding yet another cold winter day. Life in her home had been boring, not too exciting. Her owners would let her go out regularly now, and the boy who cared for her was kind as usual, but she had a craving for adventure. She wanted to learn more about these clan cats, who they were, how they lived their life.
            She had not heard anything from Cracker since she asked him about them, but she would sometimes sit on the fence and see the woods in the distance, wondering if there were cats nearby.
            How would you summon a clan cat? Would you yowl? Shout?
            Going into the forest was not an option. Though it would be the easiest way to meet a clan cat, she still believed it would be safer to remain in her house. She still wanted to learn their ways...
            Holly and Polly ignored her most of the time, whispering about her secret craving to be a clan cat. She would argue with them, telling them it wasn't true and a kittypet was her life, but oh, all she wanted to be was a clan cat, racing through those woods, leaping from tree to tree.
            Sunrise stretched her legs, padding out of the boy's room into the kitchen. Holly and Polly sat on the girls' laps as they watched morning television, leaving Sunrise to eat breakfast in peace.
            She came to her silver bowl, munching on the cat food. Outside the sun glinted on the fresh snow, and she purred, deciding she'd take a trip out there later in the day after her breakfast.
            Finishing off her meal with some water, Sunrise padded near Holly and Polly, leaping onto the blue couch the others sat on.
            "Ew," one of the girls, Holly's owner, said. She called the boy's name, though it was hard to hear as she shrieked. "Get your cat away!"
            Polly laughed at Sunrise. "Freak," she whispered. "Even the owners don't like you."
            Sunrise growled, leaping at Polly. Polly immediately began to yowl and whimper as Sunrise hissed at her, pawing at her pelt.
            One of the girls screamed, and Sunrise felt hands wrap around her body. They pried her off of Polly, when suddenly, Sunrise felt the familiar gentle hands of the boy.
            "What's going on?!" he exclaimed.
            The girl glared at him. "Your cat attacked Polly! Get that thing away!"
            "Attacked? Sunrise wouldn't hurt a fly," he argued.
            "I watched her do it," the girl argued.
            The boy walked away, taking Sunrise to his room. He sat her down on his bed and sighed. The look of disapproval made Sunrise want to curl up into a ball and hide.
            "I don't know if what they said is true, but, you're a good girl, Sunrise. You wouldn't hurt your sisters or anyone," he said, scratching her behind the ear.
            Sunrise purred, laying down on his soft bed. He laughed, stroking his fingers through her pelt.
            "It's best you stay here the rest of the day. Don't want any more accidents happening," he said.
            He quietly got off of the bed and shut the door, trapping Sunrise inside of his room. Sunrise groaned, sitting up. She didn't want to stay inside forever. She wanted to explore the backyard and play in the snow!
            Sunrise leapt down from the bed and sat on the boy's windowsill, watching as cars zoomed by on the road.
            "I can't be in here forever," she complained, dropping down onto the tile floor. She had never tried opening a door, but she supposed she'd have enough time to experiment before the boy came back in.
            She padded towards the white door, taking a deep breath in. She imagined herself as a clan cat, leaping up to catch a bird in the air.
            She leapt up, swiping the golden doorknob with her paw. It turned a little, but did nothing significant.
            She sighed, continuing to try. After a few more tries, she tried hitting the door with more force, and she was surprised to hear the creak of the door. It had opened!
            Grinning, she slowly opened the door, slipping through. Holly and Polly were most likely tucked away in their rooms, though it was never a bad idea to be careful. She crawled underneath the sofa, hearing nothing but the quiet sound of the heater blasting.
            Seeing no feet, she darted across the room, hiding in the blinds of the sliding glass door. The room was empty, leaving her to easily slip out the cat door into the backyard.
            The backyard was empty, like it normally was. Snow coated the entire backyard, including the table and chairs. She made her way farther into the backyard, wondering if she should practice more fighting moves or maybe hunting skills.
            Did clan cats practice in the snow? She was sure they did.
            Sunrise sunk her claws into the tree, beginning to climb up it. By now, she was able to climb a slippery tree in less than a minute. That meant when the snow melted and spring came, she'd be able to climb that tree in about ten seconds! Just the thought made her smile.
            Clumps of snow fell from the tree as she climbed higher up the tree. Once she reached the top, she smiled, overlooking the neighborhood. She could see the other backyards, also covered in snow. A few children played in their backyard while most were vacant.
            Sunrise leaned against the trunk, watching the trees blow in the wind. The forest stood beyond the neighborhood, as if it were going to swallow all civilization up. It was large, looking as if it went on for miles and miles.
            "Maybe I'll live there one day," Sunrise whispered.
            She sat there awhile longer, watching the woods sway back and forth in the wind. Suddenly, something caught her attention. Walking along the fence was a light brown tabby she-cat, around Sunrise's age. It was a cat Sunrise had never seem before, though still, she wondered if perhaps it were a clan cat.
            The she-cat slipped into the backyard to the right of Sunrise's house. Pricking her ears, Sunrise leapt down from the tall tree, padding to the other side of her frozen fence. She leapt onto it, noticing the she-cat sitting on the porch of her home, licking her paws.
            "Hello!" Sunrise called.
            The she-cat jumped about five inches as she heard Sunrise's voice. She turned, looking at Sunrise, wide-eyed. She slowly calmed down.
            "Oh, I didn't notice you there," the she-cat explained.
            "I'm pretty silent on my feet," Sunrise admitted. "Mind if I come into your backyard?"
            "Oh, not at all," the she-cat said, watching as Sunrise leapt down from her fence into the she-cat's backyard.
            "I don't recognize you. Are you new here?" Sunrise asked.
            "My owners moved here only a few days ago," the she-cat explained. "I guess I should properly introduce myself. I'm Fawn."
            "Sunrise," she said, smiling. "How old are you?"
            "Almost six moons," Fawn told her.
            "Same as me!" Sunrise purred. "I've been living her for awhile. My sisters live with me too."
            "How nice!"
            Sunrise laughed. "I'm sorry. I should've kept explaining. My sisters are pests. I never liked them, and now I have to spend the rest of my life with them."
            "Oh, well, be thankful your family is staying with you," Fawn sighed. "I had to leave my family when I was younger, and now, I'm so confused."
            "I understand. I miss my old siblings."
            Fawn didn't respond, only looked down at her paws.
            Trying to break the tension, Sunrise began to speak again. "I thought you were some forest cat when I saw you walking along the fence. Have you heard about forest cats? Or clan cats I should say?"
            Fawn's eyes widened. "Clan cats?"
            "You know, cats that live in the forest."
            Fawn nodded slowly. "Y-Yes, I've heard of them. Not that I want to."
            "Has Cracker been telling you stories too?"
            "Who?"
            "Some annoying tom," Sunrise explained. "Told me how vicious clan cats were. But I'm curious about them. Maybe they're really sweet."
            "Perhaps," Fawn said, staring off into the distance. "If-If I told you something, would you think I was crazy?"
            "Tell me anything!" Sunrise exclaimed. "I'm sure I can handle it."
            "I-I've been having dreams lately, and I'm not sure what they mean. There's this mention of a place called StarClan, and clan cats, and I'm not sure why. They visit me in my dreams, Sunrise, the clan cats."
            "What?"
            "I knew you wouldn't believe me," Fawn sighed.
            "No, I do!" Sunrise assured her. "I've heard of StarClan. It's where the dead clan cats go, or so I've heard, but I never thought they were real. Why would they visit you?"
            Fawn shrugged. "I'm no clan cat, just a simple kittypet."
            "Who visits you?"
            "I don't know that either. Cats come and go, smile at me. I hear about things going on in the clans. It's all confusing."
            "Interesting. What do you see? What are clan cats like?"
            "I can't tell you. I mean, I could, but I don't know what they're doing. I don't understand any of it!" Fawn cried out. Sunrise stepped back as she began to sob. "I'm a wreck! I wonder if I'm crazy!"
            "No, no, you're sane," Sunrise told her. "Maybe you need to visit the clan cats, ask them about these dreams."
            "Oh, no. No," Fawn told her. "They are vicious. I've seen visions of cats in battle, their paws drenched in blood. No, I'm fine here."
            "But you'll never figure this out!"
            "No offense, but I've only just met you, Sunrise. You're a very sweet she-cat, but you're no clan cat."
            "But you don't understand, Fawn! I want to know everything about clan cats! There's so much to know!"
            "If only the cats came to you and not me. I don't know what they're asking me or what they want."
            "When did the dreams start?"
            "When I was a young kit. I don't remember them too well, but they've grown over time. When I was younger, I would see unknown cats, nothing big. But now they speak to me, I see battles, I see kits playing in their homes. I don't understand it!"
            Sunrise frowned. "I wish I could help. But my advice still stands. It won't hurt to visit the clan cats."
            Fawn sighed. "Maybe one day. But right now, I'm not brave enough to venture into those woods."
            Sunrise sighed. "Well, I've got to go, but I hope you figure everything out, Fawn. Maybe we could meet tomorrow? Just play, like kits."
            Fawn smiled a little at this. "Sure, we can play."
            "Great," Sunrise purred, leaping over the fence. Had she just met a cat who could contact StarClan?