Chapter 5

It was a sunny morning, and I slowly woke up, the bright sun shining in my face. I winced, slowly opening my eyes to see my brother fooling around outside. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨... I thought drowsily, looking away from the bright sun. I really didn't want to get up... These little bed thingies he made out of fluffy plants were too comfortable, and I stayed up way too late the previous night hunting.

It was like my body somehow got heavier, and the skin beneath my fur was getting sort of sweaty... I groaned as heat and itchiness washed over me. Not another hot day! And it's only just morning... Sometimes I wish I could just be a human and not have any fur! I took a deep breath, stretching in my lying position as I prepared to yawn, and I flexed my claws, digging them into the soft bed while my mouth gaped open as I yawned.

I sighed as I forced myself to get up, standing there for a few moments as I fought to gather the strength to go outside and see what Oreo was doing. My eyes were watery from the sun beaming in them, and I stared at the ground for a few moments, the heat radiating off of me. I could feel it in the air... It was so humid outside.

I turned to look at my brother outside and was surprised to see that there was a bluish-grayish cat, accompanied by a brown tabby tom speaking with him outside. 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺...? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳? I glanced at the ground outside. The sun was already baking the grass, and it had a very strong scent, almost covering the scent of everything else. 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯...

I looked closer at the blue cat and the tabby cat. 𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵... 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺! 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵'𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮! 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘵? 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰? I quickly looked around the area but didn't spot the pregnant cat or her kittens.

I could see my brother and the cats meowing to each other. And, how far away was Zach when he was lost? And what happened to him?

Just to listen to what they're saying! Think less, listen more, Sally! I told myself off. "We've been looking for a place to live - like a den. Are there any abandoned dens around here? Or a hollowed-out tree?" The gray cat asked Oreo. Ooh, that was what they were here for! I didn't think there were any more dens around - Actually, I know there aren't any more dens around, because I went exploring a while ago looking for wolves, and there weren't any rabbit dens, fox dens, or hollowed-out trees...

I'd hate to send them away without a home, I think Oreo would hate it too..! Wait... what if they lived with us? The den was big enough, and I could use some company other than my annoying brother... They seemed trustworthy, right? And besides. What could be the worst of happenings if they weren't? I can fight!

Before my brother spoke, I walked out of the den, yawning as I felt another wave of heat wash over me as the sun beamed on my fur.

"No," I quickly stretched, my long front legs straight out in front of me. "But you could share a den with us until you find one. We wouldn't mind, right, Oreo?" He blinked, his eyes lighting up. "No, yeah, good idea!" He declared. I smiled.

We would have other cats to live with now! We- I could teach them how to hunt, Oreo could teach them how to make those bed things, and we could all look out for each other! And I would finally have another she-cat to live with... the last time I had another she-cat friend, she was living in the alley with us, and her name was Lex. She had thick, pale ginger and gray fur, long canine teeth, and bright blue eyes. She was fun... until her father found out she had escaped from the human houses, as they were pets, and came to get her.

I didn't get the chance to ask which house she lived in, so I never saw her again... Anyway, I get to live with another she-cat! Wait - uh... if they said yes. Yipe, quit gettin' ahead of yourself, Sally!

"Well, Zach, how would you feel about it?" The blue cat asked Zach, looking at him with genuine curiosity. The tom hesitated for a moment, thinking hard. He glanced up at me, looking at me with admiration, a hint of shyness in his thin yellow eyes. His gaze lingered on me for a moment, before he quickly looked away seeing that I noticed, embarrassed. I wis confused. Fit did he mean? Was he agreeing to the idea, or was he just admiring me? I didny know whit to say, and I was too embarrassed t' ask. Keich - I'm doing it again!

I always used to talk with a weird 'accent' as Jen would call it... She said nobody would care so I shouldn't be worried about it, but I just started copying how Oreo spoke, because all the other cats in the alley looked at me weirdly whenever I talked... And after that, nobody looked at me with a strange face, so I figured it was just that, and I never spoke like that again... but sometimes I still found myself almost speakin' - Bleh-

Speaking like I did when I was tiny. Now I had started thinking in the accent... Nae! I mean - who cares, as long as I didn't say it like that on the outside...

I could feel my cheeks burning in the silence, and I slowly looked away, unsure and still waiting for Zach's answer.

"Sure, why not? I just hope we're not intruding or anything..." Zach looked down, and I noticed his tail swaying from side to side. Was he okay? "No, it's fine!" My brother trilled, "There's plenty of prey and den space to go around!" "Thank you," the gray cat excited to him. Aye! They were joining! I dae get a she-friend! I wonder how many toms have gone after her for that pretty blue pelt... A'll have to ask her, she probably gets plenty of compliments! It's only fair that I too compliment her.

Wait a minute..

What should I call her? I still don't know her name! "So, what's your name? I never got it," I asked her, sitting down, as I wanted to save my energy for later because I might go hunting later for food. "My name's Windy," she said, smiling warmly. That was a pretty name. It matched her fur, blue, like the wind in the sky, or her skinny body structure, it would be easy for her to run at incredible speeds, leaving the wind wooshing behind her. "It's nice to meet you, Windy," I smiled at her back, beginning to purr. I should introduce myself now, they don't know I and Oreo's names either.

"I'm Sally, and this is my brother, Oreo." Zach jumped in, "Great to nice to meet you, Oreo and Sally," he purred, turning and smiling at me. I glanced at Zach, wondering why he was so drawn to me. He kept glancing at me... was it because of my unusual pelt? Some cats told me it was rare for a cat like me to have just orange and black fur with no white, and my green eyes were rare too... I yawned, the heat itchiness raving through my fur again as the sun beamed hot on it. I should go hunting now... in the shady spot, where there are a whole bunch of trees, there must be lots of birds there, too!

I don't wanna keep standin' in is' heat!

"You two go on into the den, I'm going to catch us all some prey," I said, getting up and cantering away from the den, sniffing the air for prey as I walked to the shady spot. It was a few tree lengths away, it wouldn't take long to get there at the pace I was going. I arrived at the spot and saw that it was quite a grassy area too. Many trees and bushes provided ample shade and cover for the prey that I was looking for. The area was also quite large... I knew 'at 'eid have plenty o' room tae successfully hunt.

I silently laughed at myself, realizing how silly I would sound if I did that accent out loud. I crouched down, focusing my eyes and making myself more alert. I was quiet as a mouse as I silently crouched through the grass, my eyes focused on a blob I saw in the distance. Focus. I focused my vision even more, opening my mouth to scent whatever it was. 𝘙𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵. I then, like a ghost, as if I wasn't there, swiftly crawled up to it, my heart racing at how close I was without being seen. Almost close enough!

I lunged towards the rabbit, my claws outstretched, my legs propelling me forward. The rabbit tried to dodge off of me, but I was too fast for it. I trapped it, cutting off its ability to move with my claws, and quickly sunk my teeth into its scruff, killing it instantly. I felt a rush of satisfaction as I landed on the fresh grass and held the limp body in my claws, as I dropped it into them. I had done it! I mean - another successful hunt... I hev tae find more than 'is, though! I got three other cats to feed now, no' joos ma dependant bothersome brother!

I left the rabbit on the grass as I got up, shaking the dirt off myself. 𝘕𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳'𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦... I continued to silently search the area, my eyes alert and my ears perked up. I felt so swift - I felt like I was a cloud. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘖𝘳𝘦𝘰... 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘬! I could hear the chirp of a bird, and I looked up, my eyes locking on a sparrow. It was high in a tree, chirping away, not aware at all that there could be predators that could hear it... 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵.

I trotted up to the tree silently and began slowly climbing up the tree, making sure not to make any noise whatsoever. It didn't seem so hard to carry myself up a tree each time I did it, either just to hang out in the tree or catch a bird or a squirrel. It didn't really make my muscles hurt anymore, or almost tear my claws out from the bark... that probably meant my claws were getting stronger and soon I would be able to race up a tree at the speed of a cheetah! I leaped to the tall branch the bird sat on, almost making a noise, and I flinched, freezing, my heart racing as I watched the bird attentively. It didn't seem to hear me... thank goodness!

I then carefully prowled towards it, my head and tail low, my paw pads not scraping the bark and making a noise like last time. I was almost close enough... what? I jumped, feeling a raindrop on my nose. Huh? I thought today was supposed to be scorching! I looked up at the sky - sure enough, it was cloudy, all of the clouds covering up the beaming sun. Don't tell me it's gonna rain... I shook the raindrop off, but I watched in horror as the sparrow turned its head and spotted me, chirping in alarm and beginning to fly away. I, without even thinking about it enough for the thought to reach my brain, leaped off the tree branch after the sparrow.

It felt like I was flying... 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺! I outstretched my front legs, wrapping my claws around it just in time before gravity began to pull me to the ground. As I fell, I quickly bit its neck, killing it easily. I let go of it, holding the bird in my mouth to make my paws available for landing. I swiftly landed on all four paws, the bird hanging from my jaws.

Before I could feel that rush of excitement and pride wash through me, I felt another raindrop fall on my head, soaking the fur that it dropped upon. 𝘐𝘵'𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯... 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦... 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐'𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸. I trotted to the rabbit, picking it up as well and throwing it on my back, as I couldn't carry it in my mouth with the sparrow, there wasn't enough room. I trudged back to the den, the sparrow in my mouth and the rabbit on my back, a sense of accomplishment swifting through me.

This'll feed our guests, right? As I almost got close enough, I saw Oreo running towards me, asking, "Can I help carry anything?" "Yeah, carry this rabbit if you could," I meowed to my brother, showing him the limp rabbit on my back. Oreo grabbed the rabbit from my back, nodding in agreement. "You sure are talented at that, aren't you?" He purred. I smiled, nodding as I swished my tail.

We both started trotting back to the den, the rain slowly pattering on my coat, but it didn't seem to be on his coat... or he just didn't notice. When we reached the den, I quickly dropped the sparrow onto the ground, giving the order for him to give the rabbit to Windy and Zach while I worked on getting the fluff out of the cattails Oreo had collected while I was hunting. He nodded in agreement, crawling off to a different section of the den. I turned to the cattails, beginning to rub them against a rock in the den to get the fluff to come off, but all I could think was, 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘵...

I finished the first cattail, the fluff in a neat pile, and as I was padding back to the pile, I accidentally flung one of the cattails onto the wall, as one of my walking paws hit it. My eyes widened as a tiny explosion of fluff erupted from it. Woae... I pawed another cattail, and swiped at it, fluff exploding out of that one too. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯! I swiped at another one, more fluff getting everywhere, and I eventually... got cattail fluff all over the den... I didn't care, it was fun, okay..? I swiped one of the last ones, fluff poofing out from where my claws had struck it.

"That's.. not... how you do it..." I heard Oreo groan from behind me. I whipped around, not able to wipe the guilty look off my face. 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩... 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢... "Oh - uh... sorry… I knew that, I just... kinda got carried away..?" I meowed, a 'I hope he won't get mad' guilty smile on my face. My brother murmured, glancing at all the fluff flying everywhere. I could feel the tension in the room, as thin as a blade of grass. Finally, after I thought he was gonna get mad at me, he laughed, a wave of relief flooding into my chest. "It's okay, I'll help you clean it up." "Oh, thank God!" I sighed loudly, and we began to clean up all the fluff. After what seemed like hours, we had all of the fluff in a neat pile in the corner of the room.

As I was gathering the last of it up, Oreo suddenly stopped and meowed, "I'm going to go eat. When I'm done I'll get some bush vines outside for the base of the beds." Great! We needed to finish the beds for our new denmates, or they wouldn't have a place to sleep... "Ok! I'll be there to eat with you in a minute, just let me finish this," I purred, trying to gather the rest of the fluff as swiftly as I could. I finally finished, turning around to share the sparrow with my brother, my head tilting as Oreo's face had a disgusted look on his face.

He stood up, dazed, meowing, "No way, I'm done here. I'mma get those vines now..." He spat out the bit of sparrow he took as he began to trot towards the den entrance. I thought Oreo liked sparrow..? What changed? Whatever - he's going to get drookid out there. "If you want to get vines in the rain, be my guest," I laughed, padding up the sparrow to take a bite for myself, and I crouched down, about to dig in, when he turned around and asked, "Wait, It's raining?" Hold up... ugh, this grit in my beans is despicable!!

I nipped at my paw pad, trying to get all the dirt and rocks out. "You betcha," I meowed back to Oreo, not paying much mind. I heard his paws gently glide across the den floor, walking to his bed. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘱... 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 '𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥! I picked a rock out of between my paw pads, annoyed at how often I had to do that, now we lived in a forest...

"Wha-" I heard my brother moan before I heard a loud thud. 𝘏𝘶𝘩? My head and ears perked up, gluffed. Was he being clumsy again and fell? Cats are supposed to have amazing balance, he's a scotch! My thoughts were nothing like what I saw. He was limp on the floor, his eyes slightly open and staring off into space. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥?! 𝘕𝘰 - 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵??! I got up and raced over to him, yowling, "Oreo, are you okay?" I skidded to his side, wondering if this was all a sick joke. "This isn't the time for jokes!" I growled, shaking my brother's shoulder.

He was fine.. r-right? My ears flattened as I felt the pace at my heart was thrumming. Agh - This can't be happening..

I looked at him in silent horror as a moment passed and nothing happened.

"Oreo!" I screamed, a sense of dread jabbing me in the soul that left me feeling like I was going to die.