Warriors: Rise of the Weather [1] : The Journey Begins (OLD/DISCONTINUED)

Chapter Five

Edited ✔️
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Miley stood, waiting in her yard for any sign of the tom's presence. Her nose kept quivering as she sniffed the air, finding no trace that the black and white tom-cat had passed since the previous day. Her paws tingled with impatience, and her tail gently swished back and forth. Did he leave? She wondered, her head tipping to the sun, which rested at its highest peak. She only knew a small amount of information on rogues, some moved, and some did not. Presumably, the tom she had seen moved around instead of settling in a permanent home, which made things all more complicated for Miley's unspecified goals.

"Hello?" She meowed, her voice bouncing back to her as she tentatively stepped forward, her paw skipping back as it shifted from its comfortable position, and into untouched snow. Her fur prickled in irritation, and she brushed away the cold, continuing forward anyways. "Stray tom? Are you there?" She raised her voice steadily higher, listening for any response from the rogue cat. As expected, none came. Miley huffed, shuffling hurriedly to keep herself warm.

Finally giving in to her guttural instincts, she leaped up onto the fence in a few swiftly paced bounds, her fur a reddish brown streak. The fence swayed beneath the sudden unbalance of weight, and she sank her claws into the wood, patiently waiting for it to stop moving. When the time came, she slid down the opposite side, landing firmly on the snow as it crunched beneath her paws. She then stood straight, her brown eyes flickering and observant as her collar let out a small rattle, the leathery band that wrapped around her neck rubbing together at her intentional fall.

"Where are you?" Miley exclaimed, her voice loud enough for a cluster of birds to flock out of a tree. She flattened her ears as she watched them dissipate into the air, their calls fading into nothing as they vanished from view. She shook out her pelt and trudged forward, the snow squelching between her feet as she sniffed at every nook and cranny. A shiver rippled through her fur, the cold seeping to her skin. She felt her pelt fluff up to warm up, however it didn't do much help.

Perhaps I should head home. Unwillingly, the thought crept into her mind, her confidence dropping to her toes. However, just as she turned around to return home, she breathed in to sigh, and a familiar scent caught in her nose. The tabby breathlessly whipped around, her fur spiked in excitement as she recognized it to belong to the tom.

A glitter of excitement appeared in Miley's eyes. Perfect! She thought to herself. If I find him...I'll learn to hunt. The thought fueled her with more energy. She darted forward, tracing the scent deeper and deeper into the forest, the trees growing larger and more frequent as she went. Slowly, doubts began swarming in her mind. She shot a look behind her, a lump forming in her throat as she couldn't see the twolegplace through the trees. She swallowed, ignoring her fears with a twitch of her large tail, and she proceeded in propelling herself through the trees, her paws moving in a blur.

Miley stumbled upon an old badger's den. The scent of the creature was faded, but still reeked. The kittypet's nose wrinkled in disgust at the scent, but under it she could smell the rogue. Had he sheltered here? She wondered, her nose quivering as she tasted the air. It sure seems like it. Perhaps he's still in there? Hesitantly, she paced forward, stepping down into the badger's den. Long, vicious claw marks raked along the exposed earth walls. Shadows huddled in the back of the den, and Miley squinted to see past the darkness. She backed up to leave the den, when one of the shadows rose into the air, a loud snarl coming from the creature.

Badger! Miley scrabbled backwards, letting out a terrified screech as the black and white animal padded forward. But then the she-cat froze, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting.