Chapter 6

I sat in my nest, wondering. Maybe I should tell Sally about how she came out of that portal Momma opened up... Although I barely even remembered what happened for myself, maybe she should know... Sally was content in her nest, Sally was content in her nest, humming quietly to herself as she swiped a paw over her ear. But I quickly reminded myself that she would probably never believe me, because 'monsters aren't real' and 'portals aren't real'.

Well--- she would probably say that. She really just believes in hardcore reality. But I know what happened. Some cats tend to think they know everything about a certain subject that they've only known about for like ten minutes, judging the cats that have known about it for about ten months. I'm getting ahead of myself, I thought. If Windy and Zach heard me telling all this to Sally, 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥, they would think I was crazier than a cat chasing its own tail!

I shouldn't. But-- I really did want to tell her... it was getting on my nerves, how annoying it was just to wander and never do anything about it... I sighed, deciding to debate on it later. My mouth was dry. I needed some water. Trotting out of the den into the pouring rain, I ran over to the stream, wanting to hurry as the rain pattered against my fur. I quickly drank some water, shivering as I lapped up the cold, fresh water. Mud squished between my two front paws, as they were standing on the coast of the stream. I didn't stay long, I hated getting my fur wet. And, the rainstorm made it even colder.

I guess I could say I'm a bit of a cat-astrophe when it comes to water, I thought, smiling at the joke I made.

*author herself smacks Oreo because his joke is that horrible*

I turned and ran back, relieved to be on dry land again. I shook my fur, flinging water droplets off me and into the air. I was still shivering from the cold but glad to be out of the rain. I began to lick myself dry, my cold tongue not helping to warm me up. I then curled up into a tight ball and closed my eyes, hoping that I would warm up soon.

I woke up feeling kind of hot as I peered out of the den entrance. Somehow, it was getting pretty late and the sun seemed to be setting. 𝘞𝘰𝘸... 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘺. I hadn't realized I fell asleep. In addition to the rain, there was hail as well. I guess it was fortunate our den was on more of an elevated surface-- like a plateau or something, otherwise, it would flood.

I yawned, about to strike up a conversation with Sally if I had missed anything while I slept, but Zach suddenly zoomed outside, his paws making a splashing sound as he ran onto the soaking grass. I had no idea what he was going to do out there. Maybe he was getting prey? It was easy to get cold and wet out there in a short amount of time, so I would surely want to hurry if I were him, too.

If I could hunt, that is...

Maybe Sally could teach me sometime, I thought. But definitely not now. There was too much rain and cold. I yawned, my ears folding to the back of my head as I stood up and stretched.

I sat back down in my bed and waited for Zach to return. After fifteen minutes of heavy rainfall that almost made Oreo fall asleep a couple of times, Zach scattered back into the den, fur completely soaked with only a single mouse in his mouth as he shivered. I was glad he had made it back safely, but I was happy I hadn't gone, either.

At least he tried. I wasn't really hungry anyway. His effort was appreciated more than the food itself. He was out there for fifteen minutes, after all. "Nice work, Zach." Sally purred from her nest, trying to cheer him up as he looked kind of annoyed. "I mean, it's just a mouse--- but thanks," he sighed, his fur dripping wet as he dropped it on the ground. "You all can have it, I'm not that hungry," Oreo meowed at the three.

"I'm not that hungry either," Windy told Sally and Zach. "Guess we'll just be eating it?" Zach asked her. "Guess so," she purred, hunkering down to take a bite of the mouse. I wanted to go outside like I did last night to just chase some fireflies, but it was still raining and the fireflies weren't out, so it was pitch black out in the forest. A shiver went down Oreo's spine, the forest now seeming eerie as he stared into the blackness. The trees swayed in the wind, and the night sky was illuminated with a thousand stars. Oreo felt a chill in the air, and a deep sense of dread seemed to creep through the shadows. The forest was spooky, and Oreo felt like he was being watched.

A loud purr from Zach broke my intense stare, and I snapped out of it, just looking at the two while they ate. I sighed, finally understanding why they were so willing to eat the mouse. It was their only option besides sleeping. I curled up in a ball and tried to get comfortable for the night, though I was sure it would be hard, as I wasn't tired because I had been sleeping all day anyway.

Once they were both done, Windy asked, "Do you all want me to push our beds closer together? We'd all stay warmer that way." 𝘠𝘦𝘴! I almost blurted it out as I wanted to get as far away from the den entrance as possible. It was warmer farther away from the entrance, too.. "Sure," Sally mewed, licking her paw. Windy got up, nudging Zach's bed closer to hers, doing the same thing with Sally's.

Oreo slowly got up, his joints aching as Windy scooted his nest next to Sally's. Sally jumped back into her bed, her fur puffing out to keep her warm. The rest of them got into their beds, huddling close together for warmth. Oreo sighed, feeling a little better already. Zach let out a content purr as he settled into his bed, feeling safe and secure. The four cats snuggled up together, content with the warmth and safety of each other.

They all drifted off to sleep, peaceful.

Well, all except me, of course.

I still couldn't stop thinking of that dream I had. I sighed and eventually drifted off to sleep, still thinking about the dream I had. I wondered what it meant, and why I had it. I was determined to find out. I'd have to figure it out sooner or later.

I'd like to continue on about how each day went, but you'd be dying for something interesting to happen. So I'll just say that while nothing particularly noteworthy happened, I got to appreciate the small moments that made each day special. I also realized how much I'd taken for granted and how important it was to take the time to appreciate the little things.

I'll skip ahead a few weeks, when I met the prettiest cat in my life. It was a sunny morning, one of the first, in fact, since all the rain. It didn't rain for the whole of the week, it was cloudy or just drizzling and we didn't have any more torrential downpours. I was so happy that it was finally a beautiful day and I could go out without worrying about getting drenched or chilled down to the bone.

Sally had ventured out for the morning to hunt, and I wanted to catch up with her and ask about hunting lessons. I was basically just sitting around all day, so why not make myself useful and learn how to catch prey? I got up from my fluffy, cattail-filled nest and trotted out of the den, sniffing the air to see which direction she had taken. Her scent led me to pad through some bushes. The leaves were getting tangled in my fur... Ugh. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴... I thought.

I sneezed as I heard rustling in the bushes. Is it just me, or another animal? I stopped, listening closely to the sounds around me. It got louder, seemingly right next to me. I took a step back, scared. Was it a squirrel? Or a rabbit? I scented the air. Definitely not a prey scent... it was a scent Oreo didn't recognize. Was Sally playing a prank on him or something? 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺! 𝘔𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥. The sound got closer as I heard a growl. I almost jumped as a peach-colored blur jumped out in front of me. It was a cat with a hairless pelt, and I stared at it in shock.

The cat stared back at me, its eyes wide and suspicious.

"Who are you?" She hissed, her needle-sharp claws unsheathed. He stepped back, his eyes wide. He had never seen a cat without fur before. I looked at the she-cat, swallowing hard. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴... 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺. She had a sleek, muscular body, a few patches of her skin a faint, midnight blue. Her eyes were a vibrant yellow, and her whiskers were long and curved. Her claws gleamed in the light, and her teeth were sharp, kinda scary.

She was a beautiful, mysterious feline.... cringe, I know, but I couldn't help but feel skittish around her. 

"Well? Who are you?!" She snarled, teeth bared as she took a step closer to me, one of her claws ready to swipe. I could feel my heart racing in my chest as I backed out of the cluster of bushes, her following me with almost every step as her tail lashed. I truly was scared, but I tried not to show it. "I... guess you don't know either."

I think it was my unconscious brain that said that. It was strange... For some reason, I liked the idea of strange stuff for the first time. Like The sentence I said, I do know my name, but the weirdness and fantasy of it. Imagine if I actually didn't know my name! Okay, now my thoughts were seeming… odd. I really didn't know why I was suddenly drawn to strange stuff. It was just a spark I suddenly felt. Weird...The cat's tail stopped lashing and her jaws closed as she tilted her head, curious, as she blinked. "I'm Oreo. C-calm down, please."

She shook herself off, baring her teeth again as she puffed out her chest with the little fur she had, but not as much as a glare this time. "Do you intend to cause harm?" She grunted. "No, of course not! I just want to know why you're jumping down my throat!" Her claws returned to normal.

The sphynx cat sat down. "Well, don't mind me, then. I'm just passing through." I watched her get up and begin to trek away. "I- wait! Where are you going?" I pleaded, trotting after her, the scent of the bushes leaving my nose. "Just to.. explore. Why do you want to know?" She asked, a bit suspicious of me again. "No reason, really. I've just never seen a hairless cat like you before. I thought it was strange that you were out here all by yourself.

You're not from here, surely? This would sort of be the same if a fluffy cat padded into a group of hairless cats, right? The hairless cats would've asked where the fluffy cat came from because they've never seen one before." She tilted her head again, wondering. "That is true, I guess. You know, I can't help but feel a bit out of place here. I feel like I'm in a whole different world, and only because I'm a sphynx. It's like I'm an alien, and I don't know the customs of this new land. I feel odd. I'm like a snowflake in a desert. But if you must know, I'm looking for a home."

Oreo thought for a moment. It would be impossible for a snowflake to even survive the journey to a desert, right? But if you think about it, anything is possible if you just imagine it. He was curious about this cat, they were so similar it was like they were meant to meet. The cat flicked her tail and began to walk off again, the soft grass not making a sound as she walked on it. I looked at her for a moment longer.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯... 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵, 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘸𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥...

What if she was one of those cats playing in the sunset? Had he had a dream about her? She was real? He hadn't known this was some message that actually meant something! It made sense now that the cats had pink skin with no fur!

I watched her as she got farther away, her sweet, earthy pine scent slowly leaving my nose. I wanted to catch up with her. I really wanted to be friends with her, she was similar to me, and... she really was a stunning cat... I had to at least know her name!

"Wait! What's your name?" I blurted out, dashing up to her yet again. The she-cat turned and looked at him, a bit annoyed that I kept interrupting her but tried to hide it. She let out half a sigh. "What's in it for you?" She inquired, with her tail straight out behind her. "Information about the she-cat walking around my territory acting like she's going to kill me," Oreo laughed nervously, hoping she would get the joke and not get mad. She blinked, seeming a bit surprised that I said this was my territory.

Did she think I was just a weirdo following her around for no reason? Her face was blank for a moment. After a while, she finally looked up at him and said, "I'm Sphynxia."

(s-f-i-n-k-s-ee-a is how it's pronounced)

What a wonderful name… I marveled, tilting my head in awe as I watched her trot away into the trees. I wanted to follow her, learn more about her, and ask her questions. But I stayed in my spot, letting her go in peace. I just hoped I would see her again... I had to admit, she was stunning. Her tail curved gracefully, like a river flowing through a forest. She was the most beautiful cat I had ever seen.