Judgement Day

Chapter 1

Hazy sunlight shone down through the canopy of trees high above the forest floor. A distant bird call rang out through the woods, breaking the quiet whisper of the wind for a moment. Tiny yellow flowers dotted clearing, attracting the occasional bee, and the loud sound of a cicada buzzed nearby.

Behind a thick bramble bush, at the base of a tall oak tree, a small hole was hidden under a tangle of roots. A deep set of indigo eyes stared out curiously from the hollow, mystified by all the world's nature.

His gaze wandered from looking at the sky, to looking at a thin trail of ants lurking in front of his paws. Everything was interesting to him, and he longed to run outside to experience it all. But his eyes flickered back to a single space between two brambles across from his tree, where his mother had vanished a few hours ago.

It reminded him of their conversations every time she left the den.

"Can I come with you this time?" He had asked his mother, hard on her paws as she began to leave the den.

She turned to face him, giving him a serious look of concern. "No, Ash," She pushed him back with a paw. "You can't, and you know why."

Ash struggled to regain his balance for a moment, and tumbled after her once more. "But I'm old enough now! I could spot a clan cat if I saw one, and-"

"It's more than just avoiding them!" She snapped, stopping herself and facing him with her green, serious, frightened eyes. "If they caught you in their territory, they would hurt you, maybe even kill you. I've dealt with the clan cats before, I know how to fight them off. But you're still a kit, and to them you're no more than a mouse."

Ash lowered his gaze, still upset that he couldn't go, but he understood his mother's concern. She sighed and briskly ran her tongue over his head. Ash smiled a little for her, but he saw the worry in his mother's eyes.

"Please, just wait here for me, all right?" She whispered, love tinting her voice. Ash nodded solemnly, and she turned to leave again. Ash watched her go as she bounded out of the den, straight across the clearing, and disappeared into the undergrowth.

The sun had been high in the sky when she left. Now it was late in the evening, and the sun started to dip behind the tips of the treetops. Ash sighed and settled his chin on his paws. He imagined himself running through the grass, feeling the coolness of the green plants and stirring up bees and bugs from the flowers. One day, he told himself.

Suddenly, a rustling came from across the clearing. He perked his ears up and ducked under the roots just enough so he could still see who was coming. The brambles shook, and the light gray pelt of his mother, nearly identical to his, streaked across the grass. She swiftly leaped down into the hollow, and shook her pelt of dust and pollen.

Ash was at her side instantly, weaving himself between her legs. "I thought you were never coming back!" He mewled.

She dropped the blackbird and a piece of soaking moss she had been carrying and quickly ran her tongue back over his forehead. "Of course I came back. I couldn't leave you here forever, could I?"

When she had settled, she split the blackbird enough for them to share. Ash drank the water from the moss, and nestled himself in the curve of his mother's belly. Her heartbeat was still pounding from being outside. As the sun began to set, both of them started to fall asleep, but not before Ash could ask more questions about the outside world.

"What's it like deeper in the forest?" He asked first, resting his head on the warm fur of his mother.

She sighed, predicting a long stream of questions was coming. "It's not that different from here. Some places have different types of trees, and there's a river not too far from here."

"Really?" His eyes widened. He had no idea what a river was, but it sounded amazing. "Will...will you take me there?" He asked, knowing she would refuse.

To his surprise, his mother actually thought about it for a moment. "Maybe." She said hesitantly. "When you grow up some more, we might be able to go outside for just a little bit."

Ash was overcome with excitement. Finally! He was going to get to see the outside! He felt restless, and his tail swished back and forth. He felt his mother push down on his back, attempting to calm him.

"We won't be going yet. Not until you're almost as big as I am, got it?" Ash nodded, and calmed himself. He compared himself to his mother, and he was about a third of her size. It'll take moons for me to get that big!

Despite his worry, he felt happy. At least he knew he wouldn't be stuck in here forever. Looking up at his mother, he noticed her eyes were closed as she rested her chin on her paws. Her tail was curled around him protectively and nearly touched her own nose. Ash felt tired, but not enough to sleep.

He wanted to speak, but he was scared of annoying her or waking her if she was already asleep. A single question had burned in his mind for moons, and he felt as if he should finally ask it now.

"Mother?"

"Mhmm?" She mumbled sleepily.

"Why...do clan cats hate us?"

With that question, his mother opened her eyes. She stared blankly, almost dazed by the question. She sat up, and looked at him with her tired eyes. "I...I don't know." She mumbled at first. Her voice cleared when she continued, "The clan cats have a set of rules called a Warrior Code. One of the rules include keeping trespassers out of their territory."

Ash felt uncomfortable, at the thought of being considered a trespasser. He never even left the den, and only he and his mother ever used the hollow. They should be allowed to live peacefully, without being enemies to cats he had never even met.

His mother blinked, and looked at her paws. "They claim these woods are their land, and they will fight anyone they find in them." She sank her claws into the cold earth. "They are vicious, and have little mercy, even to the cats in other clans."

"There are more than one?" Ash said, his eyes widening. How many clan cats were there?

She nodded, "Four of them. The other three won't bother us unless we're in their territory. Right now, Thunderclan is our only problem."

"Thunderclan?" Ash repeated, whispering to himself. This was all new to him, and he realized now just how frightening the clans were. There was so much he didn't know, and there were more clan cats than he ever imagined.

His mother nodded again, looking more tired at each thought of the clans. "If I could, I would leave the den, get as far away from this place as possible; but I have you to protect, and you can't go on such a long journey as young as you are." When she had noticed Ash looked upset, she smiled softly. "But, I would much rather be here with you"

That cheered Ash up a little bit. He didn't want to be a burden to his mother. With the question out of his mind, he felt more at ease. He rested his head back down on her belly, and she put her head on her paws, watching him as her eyes started to flutter with tiredness. "Did that answer your question?" She asked, whispering.

"I suppose so." He yawned. "Just one last thing..."

His mother grumbled in response, her eyes closed again. "No more questions for tonight. Goodnight, Ash."

Ash sighed, but closed his own eyes. "Okay, fine. Goodnight, mother."