CHASE

Chapter 12

Chase woke up bright and early, excited for the day ahead. Today would be her first day training with Claw, and she was excited to finally get the chance to communicate with the cats she had admired for so long.

Her parents were just stirring as she slipped out of the den. A growl came from behind her.

"Chase, where are you going?" Copper grumbled.

"To see Yew and the other group of foxes," Chase said, spinning around to face her father. She found it odd he cared about her whereabouts when he had shown little signs of paying attention to it in the past.

"Gr...fine. Stay out of trouble then," Copper said, turning back around into the den to go sleep.

Chase grinned and headed out of the meadow into the woods. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a golden glow over the entire forest. She followed the scent trail Yew had left her over the river and into his family's territory.

She was tempted to stop by the rocks for a bit and see if any cats were nearby, but Chase figured it wouldn't be polite to be late on her first day. She would have plenty of opportunities later to catch a glimpse of the luxurious felines.

Chase headed deeper into the woods until she came into the clearing that Yew had shown her earlier. She easily noticed their burrow and watched as Yew headed out of the den. He stopped, his eyes focusing on Chase.

"You're early," he said.

Chase sunk down. "I'm sorry. I was having trouble sleeping. I was just too excited."

Yew grinned. "Thankfully, Claw is a bit of an early riser too. Though you should probably come here a little later in the day."

"I guess i thought it would take me longer to get here. If it's too much of a bother, I can leave and come back later," Chase offered.

"Nonsense. Come inside," Yew said. "My parents and siblings are all out hunting, so it's just me and Claw right now. This way."

Chase followed him back into his den, finding Claw slowly stirring in the corner. He was half-asleep and nibbling on a dead rabbit. He squinted his old eyes as Chase entered.

"Is your friend back?" he asked Yew.

"Yes. Chase is here to learn from you," Yew said, scooting her forward with his tail.

Chase stumbled a bit and paused in front of Claw. "Nice to see you again. I'm sorry that I came a bit early, but I hope you'll still teach me."

"Let me finish up my meal, and we can get started right away," Claw said, continuing to take agonizingly slow bites.

Chase sat in the corner, wondering how long it would take Claw to finish a measly rabbit. She cleared her throat, wondering if it would speed Claw's meal along, but he seemed completely oblivious to her impatience.

Finally, he licked around his mouth and nodded. Chase had been half-asleep when he finally spoke up.

"Ah, what a good breakfast. Are you ready to begin, Chase?" he asked.

Chase's eyes shot open, and she nodded vigorously. 

"Yes, please! Teach me all you know," she begged.

Yew chuckled beside her. "It'll probably take a while for you to master it. You're not as young as Claw would like you to be to teach you."

"She's young enough that she can probably still pick up the accent well," Claw assured him. "Now, Chase, repeat after me."

For the entirety of the morning into early afternoon, Chase repeated odd sounds from her throat that Claw described as being innately born into cats.