Alley Cats Runaway

#12 Stubborn

Grief, a familiar cat that often walks here at the shelter.
Silent and deadly is she.
Just as you least expect it, or no matter how well prepared you are, she strikes. Her claws are dripping with crimson.

Everyone pays their respects to Shadow since she is the one who has been leading the alleys for a while. Her sharp rough tongue and persona will be missed.

Now she's dead, the leadership is now opened again, and I know who it will be this time.

It's about time I take the responsibility as leader, no matter how scary it may seem.

I start rising early and go to meetings frequently as I can. I also make sure all the cats are comfortable and I reassure them when they are scared.
so also travel around the city, meeting the other leaders and dealing with skirmishes about food or territories. Since there are always cats causing troubles for individual cats who have their own territories within the city and there are over 100 of them.
With winter on its way, food grows scarcer by the minute.
Everyone I see is nothing but a skeleton. Their fur hangs from their thin, bony frame like clothes on a line.
It only increases my worries as I think about my siblings.
With less food getting to the food basket, Mama is not producing enough milk for three. Even though the majority of the kills go to mothers who live in the shelter.
If they don't get enough food they might not make it through winter, which is common here in the alleys.

Patches and I were not the only kittens born to our parents. We had another sister. Her name was Poppy.
Even though we were born in the summer, there was a drought. We had little water. The food you can last longer without but no water you'll surely die.
That what happened to her. Poppy lasted only 2 weeks before she was found dead the next morning.
I don't remember much about now but she was our mediator.

Luckily the kits after a month they are finally weaned and are starting to eat solid food. They don't need any more than a few bites of a mouse to live on, so there is always plenty for them to eat.
Just they don't have enough space to play.

"Get off of me Rings!" Ginger meowed.
The black and white kitten was on her back, pinning her sister down.
" You need to fight me if want me to get off. " Rings snorted as if it was the most obvious thing to do.
Ginger wiggled under her sister's weight and tried to stand, only to crumple and land on her belly, again.
" I'll help you!" Cried Scout. The black-brown kitten clambered out of his mother's grasp and the runt pounced on his sister.
He knocked her off and pinned her down just as I walked in.

"Hey, guys." I purr. The kittens rush over to me, brushing their little bodies against my legs.
"Nut! Can you play with us?" They begged me. I nudged them playfully. "You all know what my answer is gonna be."
"Yeah, but can't you? At least for a minute? Please?" Scout pleaded. Rings and Ginger huddled behind their little brother their diluted eyes and nonstop purring makes my heart melt but also makes me laugh since I used to do the same thing.
"Sorry."
They sighed disappointingly.
"Why don't you play with Raven and the others?" I suggested.
"Okay. " Scout said sadly. I watched them go off to find the older kittens.

"They need their sister Nut," Violet told me one time.
"Of course they do. I'm their sister but the alleys need me too."

In one of the meetings I decided since everyone is scared of what Frost is up too, we will be patrolling the city. each leader from the 4 corners of the city will be sending out patrols during the day and night to check up on what Frost is up to these days.

In everything we are doing drains the life out of me.
I'm no longer happy

One night sat numbly among the gathering of the court. The leader or overseer of each alley sat around in a close circle. My friends sat close beside me as comfort with Catnip and Cotton taking care of her kits, my mother sat and represent as leader of the Western cats.

Raven, leader of the northern alleys spoke grimly. "We might as well start. With Frost. He and his allies were spotted in my territory, a few winds down Cutler-street. My cats are spying out where he might be but Frost is a slimy like rotten fish Got away before we could get a lead." The black cat grumbled.

"The cats of the southern alleys overheard some strays were joining Frost." Spoke Holly. "I'm convinced that he is building an army."

"An army to act as a barrier between him and us, what a weakling he won't even show his face." I heard Jay mutter. My mother's clear voice had its turn to speak. "It is true, I have seen them. Frost is forming a gang of sorts." No one spoke a whisper. The outside racket came to me, making me dizzy but my mind had one question. "How do we know who is on our side?" I asked

"They have 3 scars on their right cheek." She informed me.

The same scars as Frost! Fear boiled in my veins, recalling those freezing words he spoke when I was a kit. 'I will not give up so easily! ' And so will I frost! A tail rested slightly on my shoulder. It was Violet. I tried to relax and let my fur fall flat. "Anyway, now that we can identify who are our targets, we'll cut them off," Raven said with satisfaction.

Holly's ears flicked. "Since that matter is done we really need to look down at the food and warmth matter." My stomach is wailing like a kit for food. "We already rationed the food supply but that food turns into crowfood or we are crowfood. Any suggestions Nutmeg?" I stiffened. Oh, how I hate talking like this, I am a young cat, I shouldn't be making huge decisions!....I wish I could run away...

The idea struck me like a lightning bolt. "Why are we making ourselves suffer? Ever since we were born we were trained to protect and defend ourselves and others. Now there is less food, more death. At any rate, we'll die out if we continue to live in the Alleys. I say why not leave? Find a better place to live, all of us.

No one spoke, only Raven's raspy laughter was heard
"Are you saying that the only way to solve our problems is to go out on the run? Frost would be on our tails girl! He won't stop you know until he has made everyone who had hurt him in the past suffer." Holly nodded in agreement. "He haunts us, playing hunter and prey Nutmeg, he somehow knows our movements. We can't simply run away."

"We can do it secretly," I argued.

Mama looked at me straight in the eye. "What are you seeing Nutmeg? You running away or are you taking us with you?" She said calmly. I fluffed up. "Are you saying that I may want to run away? Why should I?"

Jay cleared his throat nervously. "You have become a leader at a young age, a lot of responsibility is on your shoulders, it would be a good motive" A flame burned in my chest making it hard for me to breathe.

"I am offering you a chance where you can hunt more than your stomach can hold, a place where you don't have to live in fear. I'm doing this for you guys but all you want is to stay in this place of death!" I snapped. Holly opened her mouth to argue but I raise a paw. "This meeting is over, I guarantee you will come begging for my idea." With a flick of my tail, I stormed off.
Idiots. They can't see this is what they need?

................................................................

Authors Note:

Hello, my wonderful readers!

March Break is finally over.
😭😭😭😭😭

But as much as fun it was, it's time to go back to school! Tomorrow.
So this post was already written and finished on Wednesday. So I will be spending the rest of my Sunday resting and preparing for Monday's train of unpredictable situations.
You never know if it is a good day or a really dry day.
Well, we'll find out soon enough.

Anyway!
This chapter in my personal opinion is kinda like a donut filling.
And I don't like donut fillings.
Lemme explain.
This chapter was really to explain what's happening in last month or so. So basically Nutmeg is complaining.
Yeah. Well done my friend well done.
😑

It wasn't interesting. Sure things were going on, in fact, a lot of things were happening! But they were all background. You aren't interacting with them.

But remember goals!
Nutmeg's plan on running away is now forming. Really pushing the plot forward. YAY!

So that's all my readers!
I will be back next Sunday with more interactions between characters we haven't seen in awhile.