Spirit's Journey

CHAPTER 29- Spirit: Betrayed

I snapped at Fallan's ear, dangerously close this time.

Why was she complaining so much? All I'd done was kept my promise of traveling. It was late night, dawn only a couple of hours away, but Fallan wasn't the only one who was tired. Fallon's biggest flaw to me was this; she was always the one you could count on to whine about something, even when nobody else did.

Ugh. I lifted my paws and trotted faster, hoping I was setting an example for the others. They were aching and felt dry and scratchy from the rough ground.

Midnight and Storm were close behind, on my heels as soon as I increased pace. I then pulled back and fell in step beside Midnight, hoping to lift the boring, tired and slightly irritated mood.

Just needed to think of a question... but Midnight, the mind-reader, saved me.

"I've never told you about my past, have I?" And I perked my ears, looking down at her in interest.

I'd never wondered about how Midnight grew up, just that her mother had gone at some point when she was very young. With a shock I realized she'd suffered through the same thing I had, but in what way?

"Tell me," I meowed, sounding more sympathetic than I'd meant to be-but that was because I knew what it felt like, to have a yearning for the closeness of a mother-cat. Every one of us must have missed being that safe once.

Midnight's eyes glanced up at me, pain hidden behind them.

"What did she look like?"

"I'm not exactly sure," she began, glancing at her paws then up at me again. Her muzzle softened as she began to build confidence in her next words.

"But I know that she had a very soft pelt, with a kind voice and loving nature. She was mostly white, I believe, with gentle green eyes."

I flicked my ears in remorse- she'd lost her mother so young she couldn't remember exactly what the she-cat looked like. Personally, I could remember my mother being very pretty, like Hannah, but she'd had sky blue eyes similar to mine. On the contrary, Hannah's pelt has always been much lighter than mine and my mother-cat's.

"Midnight," I began slowly, looking down at her briskly walking, eyes and ears pointed straight ahead. "I'm sorry."

Then she looked away.

"It's not your fault." She shrugged. "Everything happens for a reason- it was part of my destiny, and to be honest I don't think I would have had it any other way. After all, I met you."

She smiled.

I beamed.

Midnight was showing wisdom beyond her years, and it made me feel happy that she didn't regret losing her mother. If the kit wasn't scared of the past, why should I be?

"When did you become so wise?" I joked, almost in a giggle I didn't know could possibly escape my muzzle right now.

But it did, and she growled playfully and leapt on me, battering me with tiny black sheathed paws.

I rolled over in delight and batted at her with my hind paws, all of my weariness suddenly gone.

"Since when did you become so playful?" I pretended to ignore that- Midnight's comment had been in good nature-and pushed her away, jumping to my paws.

"Can't catch me!" The black kit meowed and raced away.

I hesitated for only a second, then lept after her-This was wasting time and energy, but a little fun with my friend couldn't hurt.

She zigzagged around Hannah, Diamond and Fallan, then raced over Storm, jumping on and then off of his back.

I turned around and realized Hannah and Fallan were playing with me- they were chasing Midnight, too!