Spirit's Journey

CHAPTER 6- Spirit: A Strange Place

I felt the soothing sensation of soft dirt underneath my pads, along with warm grass and sunlight pouring down on my pelt and heating my back. The warmth was tremendous to the point where I was hot and my pelt felt like it was burning. I wished to get out of the sun, and walked a few steps to the shade of a large tree.

My eyes grew wide as I looked around me.

The grass here was tall and yellow, like the strands that we were sleeping on in the barn.. The Great Paw was so bright that it stung my eyes to look anywhere near it, and the sky was bright blue with a few fluffy clouds that disturbed the pretty cover every now and then.

In the distance I could see mountains, but all that surrounded me now was many, many miles of this dried-up grass that grew tall from the ground. The one, tall tree was the only of it's kind for thousands of tail-lengths.

And my sisters were here, one on each side of me. How had I not noticed them before? It seemed like they had just now appeared.

I turned to examine Hannah and Fallan, who were only a few paw-lengths away from me. They looked different- Older, somehow, even though we were all full-grown as it was.

Hannah was taller than before, and Fallan a serious expression on her face (which is saying a lot).

The usual round-faced, grinning and laughing cheetahs were no longer there. Instead, they were replaced by the same cats who acted and looked much older and mature.

Now I felt concerned for them.

It was almost like they were posing- and as I realized this I saw scars appear on their fur. They had some on their backs, their necks, ears, legs, and faces all welling up like wounds without blood. Both of their gazes suddenly turned hard and stone-cold, scowls frozen in time.

Hannah had so many scars that had just erupted from her fur that it frightened me to the point where I stepped back.

Into a different setting.

There was beauty all around me; butterflies dappled the air and floated around completing the bright grassy feel that surrounded my paws. The Great Paw was at it's highest point in the sky, and at my feet appeared water running around smooth rocks in the makings of a river.

It was almost ghost-like. Everything was too perfect to be true, and I realized that I might be dreaming of Cheetah Pride, but there was no cheetahs around me.

My head bent down to drink, then I surprisingly picked up speed and started running through a barren stretch until emerging onto a grassier area.

It confused me how I could be one place in a second and then somewhere else the next just by taking a few steps. Bewildered, I felt my head reeling.

Dreams like this had never been a product of my sleep- I usually only dreamed about chasing mice or gazelle!

This was someone's territory. Mine, maybe?

I did not know, but my body stance was compfortable as if I owned the place. The scent marks were strong, though I couldn't tell whose they were.

If they were mine, wouldn't I be able to recognize my own scent, though? Everything was so confusing here, and everything scented strange and foreign.

Yet I continued to run, and as I looked back I saw that the the river was only a thin line, appearing between the hills in the distance. Tiredness began to score my limbs, while the golden grass whipped this way and that.

My chest now burned, which was unusual... I couldn't control what was happening, yet I could still feel it. While I was rapidly running a small watering hole came into view, and then a tall rock that blocked my view of the other side.