Hope ✓

Chapter Six

I kept on walking determinedly. The sun was high in the sky and we hadn't eaten since the night before. I didn't want to stop until I reached Clan territory.

I heard Bella starting to slow behind me, though. I forgot I was travelling with a former kittypet.

"Should we stop to hunt?" I asked her.

Bella nodded and sat down. "I've never traveled this much before, I've never even been outside the twolegplace."

"Do you know how to hunt?" I asked, hoping she did.

"Well, I've caught a bird once, but I let it go. I only ever ate what the twolegs have me." Bella said.

I nodded. "Okay, so I'll hunt." We had just entered the forest the day before, which meant this was territory I could hunt in. It wasn't a pine forest, but a forest was still a forest.

Bella smiled and watched me look around for any signs of prey. I know she was worried about me since I wasn't even seven moons yet, but I was worried for her because she was just a kittypet. Did she even have any fighting skills? If we got attacked, we would both be in trouble.

I kept my ears pricked and my eyes focused as I crept through the undergrowth. This forest was more for Cloudclan cats, but at least it wasn't a field or river. I'm not a very good runner and I can't fish.

I stopped when I saw a bush move. I backed up and kept still, hoping my fur would blend well with the undergrowth. Remembering my bright eyes, I narrowed them.

I watched as a mouse scampered out of the bush. It dug at the ground before going to a different spot, doing the same. Scavenging for food, I guess.

When the mouse was close enough, I lunged. I landed squarely on the mouse triumphantly before sending a quick bite to the base of its neck.

After covering the dead mouse with a few fallen leaves, I searched for more prey. I missed a raven and a vole but was able to catch a squirrel. I went back for the mouse before padding back to where Bella was waiting for me.

I dropped the mouse at her paws. "Have you ever tried freshkill?" I asked.

Bella shook her head. "Not once." She sniffed tentatively at the mouse.

"Just be careful of the bones, and you'll be fine. The mouse will have tiny bones, but they aren't hard to find." I took a bite of my squirrel and purred. It reminded me of home.

Bella took a small bite of the mouse. She made a weird face but continued to eat. I figured she was just so hungry that she'd eat anything.

Once I finished my squirrel, I licked my jaws and pushed the bones into a bush. That way no predators would come looking for the animal who ate the prey.

Bella looked confused but did the same after she finished as well. She also groomed herself. I guessed she was missing her home.

"You don't have to come on this journey with me, you know." I said. "You're meant to live among twolegs who can give you food."

Bella gave me a look. "Lavenderpaw, I'm not leaving you out here to fend for yourself. You may be used to living in the wild but your only just over six and a half moons old. You can't have been an apprentice for long, which means you don't have much training. You're crazy if you think I'll abandon you to a world full of danger to return to the twolegplace."

I sighed and then nodded. "You're right. I wish I had trained more before I left, but I didn't know I was going to get stolen by a twoleg." I shook my head and stood up. "We'd better get going before the sun disappears tonight."