CHASE

Chapter 23

Life felt more comfortable, and all the while, more strange, these days, for Chase. She was now living in Yew's den with his family, and while she still enjoyed hunting and exploring the forest, she never ventured near the meadow. Every once in a while, her paw extended toward the FoxClan border, but she had to remind herself there was nothing there for her anymore. 

In the meantime, she spent her days with Yew. They hunted and explored and chatted. Chase wondered if this was what mates normally did. She had never expected to find a mate so early in her life. She was sure when her father discussed finding mates for his kits, he certainly didn't mean for Chase. Chase felt a bit triumphant moving out of her parents' den so soon.

"How about we catch a juicy rabbit for ourselves?" Yew suggested during their morning hunt. "It'll be winter soon, and prey will be scarcer to find."

"Do foxes really go hungry in winter?" Chase wondered.

"I forgot you haven't lived through a winter yet," Yew realized as he padded through the woods with her. "They're not so bad, not when you know how to hunt intelligently. But it'll take longer to find food. I bet you'll be amazed when you see the first snow of the season."

"Snow?" Chase had only heard stories about the mythical white substance that fell through the sky.

"It does ruin our camouflage," Yew pointed out. "But it's fun to play in. And cold too."

"Sounds like fun!" Chase exclaimed. She couldn't wait to spend winter with Yew and witness the first snowfall with him. She couldn't wait for spring, when they could watch the flowers bloom together. She wasn't so sure if she was ready for kits so soon, but maybe she would be a mother once the snow melted.

It seems strange how quickly things have happened, Chase thought as she continued sniffing the air for prey.

She paused, realizing they were near the FoxClan border. Yew seemed unaware at first, continuing to track the scent of a nearby rodent. But at Chase's sudden halt, he must have realized.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring us this close," he admitted.

"It's okay," Chase murmured, trying not to stare at the bushes she would often cross to meet Moonkit around this time of day. She tried not to think about the she-cat. What that cat had done was wicked, and she shouldn't care what kind of consequences Moonkit faced because of it.

"We can stay away from this area from now on," Yew suggested.

Chase shook her head. "It's okay. I'm not so upset that I need to avoid the area entirely. I just hope I don't run into Moonkit or any other cat."

"Are...are you done with your plan?" Yew asked. He sounded saddened by this possibility, which caused Chase's heart to pound quicker. He wanted her to succeed. He always had.

"No," Chase said quickly, almost upset he had proposed this theory. "But I need a break. I would love to create peace. That has, and will always be, my goal. I don't want to speak to any cats right now though. Especially since my first and only interaction did not end well."

"That's understandable," Yew assured her. "Take as much time as you need. I want you to know, though, that not all cats are like Moonkit. I've spoken to enough to know they're not all ruthless murderers."

"Thank you. I know," Chase murmured.

Yew suddenly pricked his ears and bounded off into the bushes. She peered forward curiously, listening to a scuffle in the foliage. Yew suddenly emerged with a plump rabbit, making Chase's mouth water almost immediately.

"Let's bring it back to the den and share," Yew said as he dropped the dead rabbit at her paws.

They were too hungry to make it to the den and ended up pausing by the stream. Chase ate happily as she listened to the gurgling water in the distance. It was much more peaceful these days now that she no longer had to return home to her family. She had always felt this sense of comfort around Yew, and now it had only grown since she had joined him in his den.

"So, let's talk strategy," Yew said as he swallowed a bite.

"Strategy for what?" Chase wondered. "How quickly I can get this rabbit down my throat?"

"About the cats!" Yew exclaimed.

"I was kidding, Yew," Chase responded dryly.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "You are kind of funny, aren't you? You're usually just so serious all the time that..."

Chase giggled. "It's fine, it's fine. But what do you want to discuss about the cats?"

"Well, your goal was essentially to befriend a cat and build up cat acquaintances from there, correct?"

"Essentially."

"Then, that's a possibility. But it shouldn't be a random kitten we find moping around the woods. It should be the leader, or deputy, perhaps."

"Deputy?"

"Second in line to the leader," Yew explained. "Do we need to review the clan line-up again?"

"No. I think I remember," Chase responded. "But how do we tell the leader or deputy apart from the others?"

"We're both fluent in the language. We can ask around, and we can explain our intentions. The only advantage to speaking to a kit is that they're at our mercy and won't try to attack. A warrior will not be as merciful. That's the one drawback. It will still take trust for a clan leader to even speak to us probably. But if we go in peacefully, even stay along the border and wait for a cat to come along, I think we could start building healthy relations," Yew suggested.

"But what clan would we choose?" Chase wondered. "Moonkit was a part of FoxClan, though they think a fox killed Moonkit's mother, unless she was caught, of course, so I'm not sure if that clan is our best bet."

"There's another clan called SnowClan nearby that's a bit larger than FoxClan. Perhaps we can try there!"

Chase felt a bit uneasy, wondering if there were secretive murderous kittens in SnowClan as well. Yew seemed enthusiastic though. She had to give him benefit of the doubt.

"I guess we could try. But I'm not ready yet."

"We don't have to meet with any clan cats until you're ready. I just wanted some sort of plan for when we do," Yew stated. "Claw would be so excited to know what we're doing! We're like the peacekeeper team or something."

Chase smiled slightly, hoping Claw was looking down on her. She had kept up her training with Yew after his death, and despite her fallout with Moonkit, was still actively practicing cat tongue. If she had kits with Yew someday, they would surely keep on the tradition.

"Thank you, Yew," Chase murmured.

"For what?" he asked, tilting his head.

"For just loving me unconditionally," Chase said. She watched a smile grow upon his face before he turned away, clearly flustered. That was odd. She had never seen him act that way before.

"It-it's no problem! That's what mates are for, right?"

Chase chuckled. "I don't know about planning peace meetings between foxes and cats, but as for the love part, then yes, you're right."