The Aftermath

|Chapter 1|

(Play teh song ^^)

I ran through the forest as fast as I could, zig-zagging in and out between the trees, and leaping over logs and other forest debris in neat bounds as an attempt to out-maneuver my pursuer. I felt the wind streaming through my fur as my tail lashed in the breeze. Don't get me wrong, it felt good to stretch out my legs after a while, just not because of being chased. I had no idea who had decided to chase me, but as I opened my mouth to try to get a better idea of who or what was following me, an unmistakable smell hit my scent glands. Cat scent.

At this point, you're probably wondering who I am and how I got into this situation in the first place. Well for starters, I'm a rogue she-cat named Nightbreeze. Secondly, as to why I'm being chased through the middle of a forest? I've no idea. You're probably thinking what I mean by a rogue, huh? Let me elaborate for you. I come from a fairly large group of cats called BloodClan. We were a rag-tag, makeshift "family" of cats that ruled the city. We were unstoppable... until we came across that mangy band of forest fools. Our leader, Scourge, was the fiercest of us all, he was small but mighty, and a very skilled fighter like the rest of us.

Unfortunately, he was killed during the Great Battle between the other Clans of forest fools. On top of that, our deputy, Bone, was sadly killed as well, along with many others. Our only option left was to retreat from the battle. Once we returned back to our own territory in the city, we realized that we were vulnerable without a leader, and any order we had was soon broken down to chaos. So the remaining survivors decided to become kittypets, loners, or rogues as I did.

Every time I think about the turmoil BloodClan was put through, only one cat's name comes to mind. Firestar. The leader of ThunderClan. He is the reason why countless lives were lost. He is the reason why I was forced to abandon my friends and become a rogue. HE is the reason why BloodClan is no more.

Aside from ranting about my tragic past, I can't shake off the feeling that I'm forgetting something... Oh, right... I'm being chased.

I started to panic as I heard the rapid thrumming of paws getting steadily closer, and mentally cursed myself, knowing I'd get tired soon and wouldn't be able to keep up this pace much longer. So, I made a sudden executive decision and swerved abruptly to the right through the trees, still attempting to shake off my attacker. I'm sure to escape now! I thought privately to myself as I gave a little 'mrow' of triumph. Then again, the universe has always been against me. Responded a doubtful voice at the back of my head. Sure enough, as I took a couple more strides, the small voice had been proven to be correct as I burst into a small clearing surrounded by bushes and shrubs. Great! Now I'm trapped.

It looks like I might have to fight my way out of this one. I unsheathed my thorn-sharp claws as I began to turn around and face my attacker, but I did so too slow. I gave a startled yelp as I felt two big, heavy paws slam into the side of my flank as I was hurled into the ground with a surprising amount of force. My flanks were heaving with the effort since the blow knocked out every ounce of breath that I had left. I tried to fight back and shove him off me with my hind legs, but it was no use. He was too big for me to fight off single-handedly. I gave a sigh of defeat as I stopped struggling, closed my eyes, and waited for teeth to sink into my throat, dealing the death blow.

I've lived a pretty good life, I mean... it wasn't nearly as long as I was hoping for it to be, but hey, I'm not complaining. I started reminiscing through all the memories I've had over the seasons, thinking about all the cats I'd met throughout my life. I stopped though realizing nothing had happened. I seemed to have all my limbs intact... and I was still breathing, so that's a good sign. I slowly opened my eyes in confusion wondering what was going on, when I finally saw who my attacker was. My eyes grazed over the flanks of a muscular, russet-colored tabby tom with darker stripes, and huge paws. Though I suddenly stopped when bright, amber-colored eyes met my steady, ice blue ones.