CHASE

Chapter 45

"I still can't believe your parents let you wander into the woods and stare at cats all day. You and Dad would have never let me and Fennel and Heron wander off," Lily chuckled as she shared breakfast with her mother.

"Well, they weren't the best parents," Chase stated. "Besides, I knew the forest well. It wasn't like I was getting myself into danger."

"I'm just trying to picture you my age just staring at cats from a rock. No wonder Dad thought you were strange when he first met you," Lily chuckled.

Their conversation was cut short by Rock grumbling by. He took a seat beside them and began digging into his own prey.

"Cut out all that cat talk. Dunno why it's come up all again. Chase, stop filling Lily's head with stories about those predators. They're causing enough trouble these days. We don't need her getting involved," Rock grumbled.

That familiar attitude was back that Chase despised. She couldn't help but think that Rock sounded like her father when she spoke like this. 

"We were just talking," Chase murmured.

"Lily, the cats are dangerous. They steal prey from here," Rock explained.

"You're only saying that because it's winter and you're hungry," Chase told him.

"I'm telling the truth!" Rock exclaimed.

Chase stood up and huffed at him before stalking off into the woods. She never got angry much at Rock, but these days, she was becoming increasingly more upset at him. He was not the same naive young tod she had fallen in love with. She still loved him deep down. She knew he was still in there, but she knew age had made him angrier with the forest.

Chase sighed and slowly moved to the border of the cats. She had no intention of crossing it but instead paused at it and stared ahead for just a glance at a cat passing by. She remembered when she was young she used to sit and watch for hours just for a glance at some perked ears. 

Chase laid down in the snow. It was starting to melt some. The day was strangely warm, and dark clouds gathered ahead. She rested her head on her paws and glanced ahead. For a while she laid there. The scent of cat was faint, and no matter how long she waited, she could not seem to get a glance of a single feline.

Sighing, Chase rose, right as the clouds began to open up and rain began to fall. Chase grumbled to herself and slowly made herself back to the den. When she stepped inside, both Rock and Lily rose immediately to meet her.

"We didn't know where you had gone!" Lily exclaimed.

"I was just hunting. Didn't have much luck," Chase lied.

"You shouldn't wander out when a storm is coming," Rock grumbled at her.

"I'm fine," she told him, baring her teeth slightly.

Rock shrunk back, and as Lily moved back to her nest to lay down, Rock and Chase both awkwardly stood across from each other.

"I'm sorry. I know you...have a soft spot for the cats. I don't know why. I just don't want you getting hurt," Rock told her.

"I know. I'm sorry," Chase said, licking his cheek. She could not pretend she still wasn't mad at him, but she decided she'd let their argument subside for tonight. She was tired, and she didn't want go to sleep with the thought that Rock was mad at her.

Rock curled up next to her, and she slowly began to doze off as the rain softly fell below. She supposed there would be a slushy mess in the morning. Rain at this time of year was strange. It was usually only snow that fell on days this cold.

Chase remembered her mother used to say when rain fell on days that snow normally did, that the forest was out of balance, that something strange was going on. It was simply young kit lore, but Chase couldn't help but remember that story as she fell into a deep sleep.

...

It was pitch black when Chase felt Rock moving against her. She lazily opened her eyes, noticing him up and moving. Half-asleep, Chase felt moved to call out to him, ask why he was awake, but her eyes were growing droopy once more. She saw him slink out of the den before she fell back asleep.

...

It was early dawn. The sun was slowly rising. Most of the foxes were still asleep. Yet all Chase could smell was the overwhelming scent of fresh blood. She figured that scent was what had woke her. As she slowly opened her eyes to the dawn of the new day, that was all she could smell. Hot, viscous blood that reeked of death.

Chase slowly sat up. Lily was still asleep, and Rock, too. Slowly, she remembered she had woken up once earlier in the night and had seen Rock exit the den. She had thought it was merely a dream, but as she sniffed the air, she realized the stench was coming from Rock.

Slowly, Chase approached him, doing her best not to wake him. She stepped back with a glance when she noticed that his paws were stained with blood. There was still some stained blood on his claws.

Her first thought was that Rock was injured, that something must have happened to him last night, but with a glance, she realized he had no wounds. In fact, he was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling at a peaceful glance.

She then noticed the clumps of brown fur between his claws. It was a lighter fur, one that did not resemble a fox's fur at all. Once again cautiously approaching her mate, she leaned down, sniffing his paws. There was something else mixed in the scent of blood. She wanted to assume it was just a piece of prey, that he'd gone out for late night hunting, but there was no mistaking this scent.

His paws reeked of cat. 

Chase stepped out of the den, rushing into the woods before she promptly vomited. What had happened? Why did Rock's paws look like that? Why was there cat fur? He was normally a clean hunter. His paws were rarely stained. Which meant...he had fought a cat, possibly killed a cat, and he had done it violently.

Chase leaned against a tree, slowly catching her breath. But why? What had prompted Rock to do it? He'd never shown such violence before.

Maybe I'm overreacting, Chase thought. Rock wouldn't really murder a cat, would he? He wouldn't fight a cat without a good reason.

Chase felt woozy, and as the sun rose, she desperately wanted to stay in the woods. But she knew Rock and Lily would worry, especially when she had taken off the day before. So she slowly walked back, ready to confront her mate about what had exactly transpired the night before.

Upon coming back to the den, however, she found Rock and Lily enjoying a meal. The scent of blood was gone, and Rock's paws were clean. Chase paused, staring down at them in confusion. No, she had not imagined it, had she? Rock's paws were certainly stained with blood this morning.

"Chase, there you are. We thought you'd gone hunting," Rock stated. "No luck?"

"Oh, um, no," Chase said.

"Are you okay, Mom? You look sick," Lily remarked, worry on her face.

"Oh, I'm fine."

"Something bothering you?" Rock wondered.

"No."

"Then would you like to eat with us?" Rock wondered.

"I'm not hungry. I think I'll go rest for a while," Chase stated. She walked back to the den and laid down, confused and tired as ever. She was not sure what Rock had exactly gotten himself into the night before, but she had never felt more upset with him than at the moment.