Spirit's Journey

CHAPTER 60- Spirit: Out of the Mountains

The thin layering of snow crunched under my paws and I hissed in annoyance as one was plunged into another soggy puddle. Today the sunlight had become much stronger and warmed all of our backs, making every cat forget about the chill that the wind brought.

Everyone's spirit's were at their peaks as we'd been able to catch glimpses of grass in certain places on the mountains. I hoped desperately that today would be the day where we finally left the stone hills behind.

It's been so hard... And now all that is almost to an end.

We were closer to Cheetah Pride than we ever had been before and that meant more significance now that I knew just what we had left to go through.

After the mountains (as my mother had described) came some tree-hills and then winding forests and rivers. Soon after that my mother had said we'd have to pass through a huge human-place where many were gathered with every sorts of their creations- including the huge metal, screeching cages with round black paws that traveled along the smoke-paths.

I was worried about that part of our travels but so enthusiastic about the prospect of hunting real land prey that it didn't particularly bother me at this moment.

"I can't wait!" Aspen yowled up to the Sky-cat, her blue flanks stretched across the sky. The Great Paw was midway throughout it, hovering and re-reassuringly visible through the clouds for once.

"I can't wait to have dry paws," joked Storm as he waded through a particularly large expanse of water. We were at the bottom of a mountain now, traveling up and I could smell all the wonderful scents of trees and grass stronger than ever before.

"It's going to be so great tasting forest rabbit again," I sighed dreamily as I looked to the clouds and walked beside Midnight. The soft and juicy tang of the flesh felt like a fantasy now, so different from the tough meat of the Cold-paws hairs we had been forced to settle for.

"Favorite prey, isn't it?" Storm said as he boosted me up an outcrop of rock in the way and turned back to grab Aspen and Midnight by their scruffs. I blinked in gratitude despite the fact that the jump wouldn't have been a difficult one and twitched my whiskers in surprise.

"How did you know?" I asked and wondered suddenly whether I knew what his favorite prey was.

No answer came to mind but I guessed he liked the taste of large prey as he was a natural hunter for that.

"I just do," he purred as he jumped up beside us. I looked away shyly, warmth stirring in my belly. No cat had ever paid that much attention to me.

"The first thing I'm going to do is catch as many birds as I can find," Midnight said happily as she skipped along the trail with Aspen's flank brushing hers. I looked down at her affectionately and almost cuffed her playfully with a paw.

"Only because your so good at jumping!" I accused, swatting at her with my tail.

"Only because I haven't caught a bird in forever!" She said, gracefully leaping up onto her back paws and catching my tail with a swipe of her tiny black paws. The image caused me to laugh because I hadn't seen Midnight play like a kit since... Well, since she was a kit.

With a jolt I stopped in my tracks and looked between Midnight and Aspen. Both were skinny and had slightly matted pelts with mud sticking to their paws.

All the same they had lost any traces of kit fluff and had sleek bodies with bright, inquisitive gazes.

"What?" Storm asked as soon as I opened my mouth excitedly.

"You're both grown up!"

My mouth fell open in astonishment. How had I not realized it before? Midnight was a full grown cat now, much bigger than the day we'd rescued her from her lonely life on the farm.