June 28, 3052....

Tessa closed her eyes as the clock struck 11:30 P.M. She heard the sounds of the busy New York City streets beyond the window. The sounds had disrupted her dreams when she had first moved here, but now they lulled her to sleep.

In the tiny apartment she lived alone, except for her little white cat, Snow Ball. She could vaguely hear him softly padding toward her. She slightly raised her head from the soft pillow as he walked up to her bed. She would shut him out, like most pet owners do, but he was new to New York City and to her little apartment.

Tessa then heard the soft sound of Snow Ball jumping onto her bed as her head dropped back down to the pillow. He slept with her every night. She once again strained her neck forward to see him. He had settle down and made a little 'nest' in the crook of her bent legs.

She rose, careful not to move her legs and disturb him, and began to pet his soft head. He started to purr.

After a little while, she plopped her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes once again. She was aware of the seconds that could be used for fulfilling sleep ticking by. Finally, she slipped into sleep....

*****

"Good...morning...Tessa."

Tessa awoke to the blurry triple figure of a young lady's face hovering above hers. She gasped in surprise and scooted backward. Then, the lady's face solidified and Tessa realized that it was not a lady in front of her but a.... Cyborg?

She gasped. Who was this? And what was she, correction--it, doing in her house?

"Are...you...in...need...of...anything?" the cyborg asked Tessa in halting, robotic English.

"I...I...." Tessa stammered, still in shock.

"Chloe...surprise Tessa?" the cyborg, who was named Chloe, asked.

This time, Tessa gave no reply whatsoever.

"Chloe surprise Tessa!" Chloe cheered. Then, Chloe saw the look of confusion and fear on Tessa's face. "Mm....Chloe is.....New personal robot of Tessa's! Tessa...confused? Chloe surprise Tessa!"

"Oh?" Tessa gasped in surprise. "I get a personal cyborg?"

"Personal robot," Chloe corrected in a robotic, emotionless tone. "Word cyborg is....mm...offensive to robots."

"Oh, um, sorry." Then Tessa turned to look around her house. Her jaw dropped as she saw that everything was slightly suspended off of the floor. There were floating shelves at her bedside--literally! They weren't touching the wall or the ground by two or maybe even three inches.

Her bed was the only thing that stood on solid ground. She saw that out of the window, people and cyborgs--er, robots, were walking on the sun-warmed sidewalks just like always, except for the robot part. Cars hovered off of the ground at different levels, the lowest was three feet off of the ground!

Tessa turned away from the window, now believing her eyes. Personal robots? Floating cars? Something was wrong.

"Is there anything that I could write down on your calender?" Chloe asked, holding a calender.

"No--" Tessa cut herself off, her jaw fell. The calender read: 3052!! She had fallen asleep in 2012. Was this a dream?

"What bother Tessa?" Chloe, who seemed to be progressing in the art of speaking in English in every passing second, asked.

"Is this a dream?" Tessa wondered aloud.

"No, not dream," Chloe said with a smile. "You slept for a long time. Your parents call long-sleep...mm...Coma!"

Tessa gasped. "Coma?"

"Coma," Chloe nodded.

Still in shock, Tessa reached for the comfort of Snow Ball's soft white fur. There was an empty, cold spot where Snow Ball always slept. She looked around her room. Where was he? Realization flooded over her in a painful force. She felt her eyes burn and a knife tear her heart. Of course Snow Ball wasn't here. He wasn't in her apartment, or anywhere else where she could feel his soft fur. She had slept for over 100 years. Snow Ball wasn't with her any more.

Tears stung her cheeks. She wouldn't believe it. Snow Ball was here. Snow Ball was here. She repeated the words in her head over and over again, trying to make herself believe the lie. All of those wasted years with the sweet white kitten....

"Um, is something of the matter?" Chloe asked.

"Yes! Something is the matter! Go! Go away!" Tessa yelled, baring her face in her pillow to hide her tears.

"Okay. Chloe go away. Okay." And with that, Chloe went away.

After two hours of crying until she couldn't cry anymore, Tessa opened the door and went into her still-tiny apartment. She felt kind of bad that sweet Chloe had been the victim of her tsunami pain and rage.

"Hi, Chloe," Tessa said, eyes still red from crying.

"Tessa no yell at Chloe?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah. Tessa no yell at Chloe. Really."

"Okay!" Chloe's face instantly brightened. "Tessa's....mm...surprise is on counter!"

On the counter sat a beautiful plate with a delicious looking cake. The cake was small, like a muffin, but definitely a cake. It was frosted and topped with fresh cherries. Beside it was a glass of orange juice with a slice of fresh orange on the side.

 

"Tessa like surprise? Tessa like?" Chloe questioned.

 

"Yes, I do. I like the surprise." Tessa tried for a smile.

 

"Good! Is good! Chloe love happy Tessa much better than sad Tessa!" Chloe exclaimed happily.

"Yeah. Yeah, me to."

-KittyLover8

© 2012

The Origin of the World

"Mama?"

"Yes, Sugar?" replied the black and white she-cat.

"I was wondering, how did the world start?" the little pale brown kitten asked with a tilt of her delicate little head.

"Yeah! How did the world start?" her brother chided excitedly.

Their mother laughed. "Well, that's a very big question. It is wondered how the world started by many a cat, a dog, a bird. Almost all of them have their own ideas, or follow others ideas. But there is only one true way the world started."

"But, how did the world start?" Sugar questioned.

"Well, some of the first animals were Robin, Mouse, Fish, and Cat," Puffin meowed.

"So they were the animals from the very start?" gasped Tiger.

"Well, there were others, but yes they were some of the first. The answer to that question is one that you will have to discover for yourselves. There are many other questions that you can ask. Then, putting them together you might be able to find out what the origin of the world is."

There was a long silence as the kittens thought about questions that they could ask their mother. Their minds bubbled over with questions after some time of thinking.

"But, why is the sky blue? Why not red, or yellow?" Sugar wondered.

"When the world was still quite new, and the sky clear and colorless, Blue Jay liked to fly high up, into the sky. He flew up into the sky until he could not see the other birds beneath him. The other birds cautioned him not to fly till he could no longer see the others.

"Robin, who was older then the rest, said, 'If you fly up to high, you will never be able to come back down to Earth again. You will be trapped in the sky forever.'

"Blue Jay did not like the idea of being trapped in the sky forever. But, he still wanted to be able to feel the wind on his wings and fly high up, where no one had flown before. He, also, did not fancy being wrong. He did not want to listen to wise Robin and her talk about getting trapped in the sky.

"So, he declared, 'You're making this all up! You're just jealous that I get to have more fun then you!'

"And so he left Robin there. She shock her head. She had not been making it up.

"'I will fly higher then ever before!' cried Blue Jay as he took to the sky, wings propelling him onw--"

"Blue Jay doesn't get trapped in the sky, does he?" Sugar asked fearfully.

"No he doesn't, my dear. Do not worry," Puffin meowed reassuringly. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes! Blue Jay.

"So Blue Jay took to the sky, wings propelling him onward. Her flew up and up, higher and higher until he was so high up that he couldn't see the other birds and her couldn't see the treetops. He flew onward still.

"Soon, he stopped. He had flown very high. He could not see the Big Pond and the Great Lake was only a tiny speck in the distance. He tried to fly down, but he couldn't. He heard Robin's words echo in his head."

"But Mama! You said that Blue Jay didn't get trapped in the sky forever and ever!" Sugar cried in disbelief.

"Just listen, and you will find out what happened to Blue Jay.

"Blue Jay desperately called out to the Great Spirit. 'Help, Great Spirit! Help me!'

"The Great Spirit's flickering image appeared before Blue Jay. She sighed and said--"

"Mama?"

"Yes, Tiger?"

"What does the Great Spirit look like?" he asked.

"The Great Spirit is a translucent always-changing figure. Like, sometimes, she will take the form of a human, or a mouse and other times she will take the fore of a cat or a robin. Her top half of her gown or fur of feathers is the star-filled night. Her bottom half is the sunny days of butty."

"Okay! Thank you for telling me that, Mama!" Tiger mewed.

"Anytime. Now, back to the story.

"She sighed and said, 'Blue Jay, why did you not listen to the warnings of wise Robin? Why did fly up so high?'

"'Please help me, Great Spirit! Please get me back down to the ground!' cried Blue Jay.

"'I will get you down, but there will be consequences,' the Great Spirit warned.

"Then...POOF!! Blue Jay was back on the ground once again, but many of his pure blue feathers were left in the sky, coloring it a brilliant blue. In place of his blue feathers, his other feathers were now black and white, along with some blue feathers.

"Now, the sky is blue, and Blue Jay never flies to high into the sky because he knows that there will be consequences."

"I knew that Blue Jay wouldn't get trapped in the sky!" cried Sugar.

Puffin purred. "Time to eat, kittens. Come with me."

And the three dashed off into the shelter of their cave. The curled up into their soft beds made of feathers.

"Time for bed, my kittens," Puffin meowed in a hushed tone.

"But, Mama! Mama, why are there--" Sugar protested.

"Not now, my sweet. Tomorrow. Now it is time to sleep."

"Okay."

Tiger and Puffin soon fell asleep. Sugar stole a glance out of the cave and to the night sky. She remembered the Great Spirit and Blue Jay.

"Tomorrow..."

-KittyLover8

Tina's Biography (brief)

Tina was born into the house of a human. She loved her life. Her favorite toy was a mauve colored blue feather tail mouse.

Until one day, while she was playing in her yard as a kitten, a stray dog chased her away from her home.

After running for some time, she was finally able to take refuge in a tree. The dog howled at the foot of the massive oak. Loosing interest, the dog left her alone in the woods.

Lost in the forest, Tina wandered for a while in curious confusion. She tried to retrace her steps, but failed.

It did not take long for several cats that inhabited the forest to stumble upon the lost kitten.

The leader of the patrol of cats sneered, "Why, is that a little lost kitten? You don't belong here."

Another mocked, "Go scamper back to you humans," then he unsheathed his claws. "Before I make you."

The sneered and mocked a threatened until they chased her out of the forest, leaving her bleeding and trembling.

Months passed. Now six months old, Tina returned to the forest.

Eyes flashing she hissed, "I will have my revenge."

She crept through the woods where her soft pink pads had one treed. This time, the sour tang of revenge hung in the air lie thick fog on a summer morning. This time, her quickened paw steps were swift and speedy. This time, revenge shaded her eyes with hate and rage.

Once Tina had reached the camp of the Cats of the Tunnels of No Escape, where her enemy lay hidden. Jag was not there, at the moment. However, Tina was in no hurry. She could wait till the time was right.

Suddenly, she hear a meow of warning. It was a pale gray she-cat sounding the alarm. She had seen Tina.

Tina, instinctively, turned to face the cat. The moment her eyes rested upon the cat, a blinding green light shone brightly, Tina's eyes pale green and glowing, sole-less. Within a second or two, the light was gone, and Tina's eyes normal. The she-cat lay, unmoving, on the ground.

"No!! What have I done! Oh, what have I done!" Tina cried aloud, tears hot in her eyes.

Cat's began to gather around the she-cat and calling their healer, Raven. Tina turned away, eyes shut tight, not wanting the fate of he she-cat to fall upon any other innocent cat. She heard the cats say the the she-cat, Mist, was still alive, but may not last that way for long. Tina turned away, forgetting about coming to the camp for the taste of revenge.

(continued)

-KittyLover8
© 2012

Second Sun 2#

Bee and Jag helplessly stared after the warrior of the Blood-Flames. Finally, they heard their mother, Icy River, call them.

"Bee! Jag! Where are you?" she called.

"Coming, Mama!" Jag yowled back, taking the lead as they ran back home.

The kits ran as fast as they could, but this was no race. There was no sweet scent joy, excitement or happiness in the air as they pushed their way though the undergrowth. Just the sharp, sour tang of fear and anticipation clinging to their pelts.

"Mama!" the kittens mewed loudly the moment they burst into the hollow weeping willow tree where they and their mother lived.

"Were where you two? You've been gone for a quarter of a sun-breath*!" Icy River scolded. "And what is it you wanted to ask me?"

"We were deeper in the forest and this cat came along and he was really scary and her threatened us and then he ran away and that's when we came hear to tell you about him and he headed to the stream!" Bee and Jag gasped at the same time.

"Wait--a cat? Heading for the stream? What did this cat look like?" Ice questioned, narrowing her eyes with anticipation as she spoke.

"He was a great big tom with a black and white pelt and brown eyes," Jag meowed hurriedly.

"Hm....Do you know what his name is?" Ice asked, worry flashing in her eyes.

"Well, her called himself the warrior of the Blood-Flames," Bee mewed in a small voice, shuffling her paws nervously at the sound of his name.

"The warrior of the Blood-Flames? I don't think that I've ever heard of that. Maybe Orb will." Orb was the leader of their tribe.

The kits exchanged surprised glances. Didn't Mama know the answers to everything?

Then Ice quickly looked up. "Are either of you hurt?"

"No, just a couple of bramble scratches," Jagged Rock meowed.

Bumble Bee shook her head.

"Okay, then. You two can get our dusk meal. I'll talk with Orb about this warrior of the Blood-Flames," Ice called over her shoulder as she darted out of the hollow tree.

The four-month-old kittens crept out from the cover of the hollow tree and out into the treacherous forest.

*****

Bee pounced. Claws outstretched, she held the furry body of a mouse beneath her paws. Then, with a swift bite to the neck, she proudly held her kill tight in her jaws.

"Look, Jag! Look at what I got!" Bee meowed happily, her cry slightly muffled by the warm brown body of the mouse.

Jag purred. "Wait 'til you see my catch! I caught a hole sparrow!" All feelings of fear had vanished senses earlier.

"Well, I'm going to get a fish! Mama said that I need to work on my fish hunting skills. I bet that I'll catch a whopper!" Bee exclaimed excitedly.

"Bet ya won't!" Jag teased. "'Cause I'm going to catch the biggest fish that the tribe has ever seen!"

The two dashed through the greenery, pushing their way through the undergrowth and dogging massive trees. At last, they reached the stream, the sound of calm water lapping smooth rocks whispering in their ears, Danger. Danger is near. Danger.

For a second, an unseen sign shaped like a misshapen figure eight blazed above Jag's head in a red glow. Then it disappeared. Jag's ear flicked. "Did you hear that?" he asked his sister, who was trying to catch a minnow.

"Hear what?" she asked, tilting her head in question.

"That--that voice. It sounded like it was saying 'danger'. Didn't you hear it?" Jag meowed, confused.

"I heard nothing," Bee meowed as her minnow darted away upstream in a flash of silver. "Ugh! You distracted me!"

"Sorry," her brother mumbled, shuffling his paws. "But are you sure that you didn't hear a whisper?"

"Yes. I'm sure. Come on. Let's go farther downstream. I think that I saw a big fat salmon over there," Bee suggested, eagerly starting her way over.

Run. Run while you have the chance. Run, the voices whispered.

"No! It's not safe over there! We've got to go," Jag warned.

"Fine," Bee sighed.

Then, on hurried paws, the two headed back into the forest to collect their catches. Leaving the voices far behind.

*****

A pair of blood-thirsty eyes watched the kits leave the muddied banks of the calm stream.

"So," he whispered. "The black-and-white kit has discovered his power. The power to hear the warnings of the Earth. He has not harnessed it, or even elicited the limitless power that he can unleash."

The eyes had seen the insignia.

______________________________________________________________________

*A sun breath is an hour.

-KittyLover8

© 2012

Second Sun 1#

"Bee! Race you!"  Jagged Rock called.

"I don't know....Mama said to stay close," Bumble Bee meowed, glancing around nervously.

"You're only saying that 'cause you know I'll beat ya!" Jagged Rock peeped in a teasing tone.

"You will not!" Bumble Bee retorted.

"Wanna bet?"

"Hey!"

"Catch me if you can--Slowpoke!" Jagged Rock shot forward.

Bumble Bee followed him in hot pursuit. She was the youngest of the littler of four, and Jagged Rock was the oldest. Her sister, Fire Bird was the second oldest and her other brother was second-to-last. Bee's legs were shorter, and her muscles smaller, but she was determined.

Bee pressed forward, flanking her older brother. Finally, she took the lead. Pride swelled in her chest and burned her cheeks. She pushed herself hard, running as fast as she could. Soon, she was several yards ahead of her older brother.

But, her lungs were smaller than Jag's. She slowed bit by bit as her brother sped up to the front, leaving her lagging behind. As she puffed onward, a slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She wasn't doing this to win or to be able to brag. She was doing this for fun. She could lose and still have fun.

She picked up speed, happy and carefree. She heard the wind whistle in her ears and felt it press back her whiskers. She felt the soft soil churn beneath her paws. She was happy.

Finally, she skidded to a stop just after Jag. Bee laughed contentedly. "That was fun!" she exclaimed, still giggling.

"I won! I won! I won! I beat you, slowpoke!" Jagged Rock gloated.

Bee purred. "You won this time, but I bet that next time it'll be me in the lead!"

"Well--" Jag broke off, eyes widened. "Who...."

A large black and white tom bushed his way through the thorny branches of a bramble bush and switched his sharp, pricing gaze on the kittens standing at the roots of the Big Oak. His ear twitched, a slight smirk  spreading across his face, revealing curved, ivory-white cruel teeth.

Bee was trembling. "W--who are you?" she stammered meekly.

"I, young kit, am the warrior of the Blood-Flames. That's right. Tremble before me!" the cat hissed in  a snake-like way.

Jag, recovered from his shock, bravely stepped forward and meowed in a powerful voice, "You don't scare me! I will never tremble at your paws like a pained mouse!"

The warrior of the Blood-Flames turned his head to face the young back and white kit, unsheathing his claws and showing his teeth. Her stepped forward until he was almost touching the nose of poor Jag. "Those are strong words for such a small, powerless kit."

Jagged Rock stood wordlessly staring at the huge tom that stood threateningly close to him. Then took a single step back, jaws slightly parted in fear.

The cat laughed, "That's right! Fear me!Tremble and flee!" Then he ran into the trees, tail brushing the grass beneath him.

Still fearful, the kits stood huddled at the roots of the Big Oak.

-KittyLover8
© 2012

Shadow

Ghost-like claws of black,
Light-less, shape-shifting figure,
Stretching shade of concealed light.

Humble light surrounding,
To comfort,
To lessen your fear,
Of the darkness,
Of the nigh,

Of the shadow.

-KittyLover8
© 2012

Second Sun-Prologue

One stormy night....

Four kittens were born, welcomed into the world by the joyous words of their tribe mates. These words warmed them in spite of the cold wind greedily nipping at their tiny ears.

Little did these tiny kittens know....

....They held the fate of their tribe in their paws.

Bumble Bee

Jagged Rock

Fire Bird

Comet

The saviors of Fentë.

-KittyLover8
© 2012

Meadow

Meadow,
Tree-less, grassy plain,
Hidden life amongst the grass,
Endless sea of gold.

Mice and chickadees,
Flowers and shrubs,
Living in the shadows of the grass.

A garden with no end,
A golden heaven,
A true beauty.
A meadow.

Meadow,
Tree-less, grassy plain,
Hidden life amongst the grass,
Endless sea of gold.

-KittyLover8
© 2012

Diamond 's Day

Diamond yawned, her eyes still closed. She stood and blinked open her chocolate-brown eyes. Eyelids half-shut, Diamond looked around her room. Many of the things were marked: Diamond in beautiful lettering. She sighed happily and closed her eyes with pleasure. This was her room. She loved that.

There was a scratching post at the far right corner of the room. A clean, brown littler box sat more towards the left on a square of tile. There were two fancy-looking ceramic food bowls on another little square of tile. These food dishes were for lunch time.

Then Diamond blinked, struck by realization. It's breakfast time! It was six o'clock, the usual time Diamond and her owner ate breakfast. Diamond meowed and pushed open the door, witch was always slightly ajar.

Diamond was greeted by the warm smell of food cooking on the stove. "Good morning, my little star!"

Her delicate, pink pads pressed against the cool tiles of the kitchen as she walked towards her food bowl. Delicious-smelling cat food was piled high in a white ceramic cat food bowl with the word Diamond written on the side of it in brown print.

After Diamond and her human ate their breakfast, Diamond's owner played with her. The cat toy that the white she-cat loved best was a soft, tan cloth mouse toy. This was the toy that Diamond had played with as a kitten. Now, two years later, she played with the little tan toy.

After almost 20 minutes of play, Diamond's owner went onto the balcony of the two-bedroom apartment, the white cat not far behind. Diamond's owner was a female with dark brown hair and eyes to match of not yet 20 years of age. Diamond loved her owner and her owner loved her back. The pretty white cat had known her owner ever sense she was a palm-sized kitten.

Now, on the balcony, Diamond and her owner looked down where, not far below, people were starting to busy themselves on the streets. The sound of car's rubber tires pressing against the dark, foul-smelling road. Diamond had grown accustom to the city sounds. Her owner ran a fine-toothed comb through Diamond's silky white fur as the she-cat purred loudly.

Soon, it was time to leave the balcony. Diamond's owner had to go to her office. The young person made a living off of selling books. She went to the office to see how much she was making, receive her pay, and to go to an occasional meeting. She was always home in time for lunch.

Diamond weaved around her owner's legs, looping in fast figure eights. Her owner nabbed her laptop and black briefcase. Then, with a final loop, Diamond meowed her good-byes and back away from the door. Her human called, as always, "I'll be back before you know it, my little star!"

Diamond sat by the door, listening to the sound of her human's fading footsteps as she walked through the apartment building. Diamond sat and listened some more. She couldn't here her human. She sat there for another 10 minuets before heading for her room to check the time.

It was 8:40. Diamond's human always left at 8:30. It would be another three and a half hours before her human came back, so Diamond sprang on to the window sill. The sill had been painted brown, Diamond's favorite color, by her owner. Diamond loved to watch the birds in the tall trees of the city.

A sparrow chirped as it peeked at the ground, searching for food. A mother robin hopped in the grass for a while and took to flight, letting the wind catch her wings, a worm dangling from her beak. Several pigeons cooed and strutted on the sidewalks.

Aside from the birds, there where other interesting sights on the streets beyond the reach of the white she-cat. There were humans everywhere. A blonde-haired female walked briskly, talking into her talking device all the while. A black-haired man drove by in a speedy silver car. A young teenage group of girls and boys walked together, talking or listening to music on their--What where they called?--iPods.

There were also other animals on the streets, too. A stay tortoiseshell she-cat stalked through the shadows, watching the passing humans with eyes slitted with suspicion. A squirrel dashed across the tarmac of the stinking road and skidded up a tree. A distant dog barked in a crazed way, it's howls unheard by the insensitive human ears and drowned out almost completely by the city sounds.

Diamond blinked, taking in the sights and sounds, and turned away from the window. She jumped off of her favorite perch and walked over to her cat bed. She glanced up at the time as she close her eyes. It read 9:28.

*****

When Diamond woke up, it was near 11:30. She purred and raced up to the door to the apartment door, wondering where her human was right now. Her human said that she arrived at work at nine o'clock. Why did it take so long? Diamond had seen those car things, and she knew that they were very fast. Her owner's office must be far away. 30 minutes away. Was that right?

Diamond let her mind wander some more as she stalked across the room where the TV room was. Across from the TV room was the reading room. Diamond loved sleeping, resting and doing almost everything else. She waited for her owner to come home on the couch in the reading room.

Diamond heard the c-r-e-e-e-a-k of the old wooden door that led from the long hallway to the apartment. Diamond looked up and meowed at her owner.

"Hello, Diamond, my little star," Diamond's owner said warmly as she wiped perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Meow, meow! Purr-r-r...Meow, meow!" Diamond replied enthusiastically, making rings around her human's legs.

Then, still purring, Diamond followed her owner into the kitchen. Her owner made a sandwich and set it down on the table. Then, closely followed by Diamond, she gave the white cat a can of wet food, some cold, clear water, and three treats. Diamond purred louder.

After eating their food, Diamond and her owner headed toward the TV room. Here her owner used the television-controlling devise to change the channels until she found what she had been looking for. Her human watched quietly for some time, Diamond playing in the kitchen with a piece of ribbon, until it was 1:00. It had been a half hour program.

Diamond's human got up and put on her running shoes. Then, like every day, she left the house to take a walk. Diamond walked over to her window sill in her bedroom and jumped up onto the brown sill. Below her she saw many people, animals and plants. She sighed, searching for her human. She loved finding her human walking in the mindset of the other humans.

There she is! Diamond though with a rush of delight.

Diamond watched the streets for a few more minuets before turning and stalking toward her food and water bowls that sat in her room. She ate the rest of her treats and water. Then Diamond jumped up onto the table. She happily chewed on the leaves of the plant that was the center piece of the table.

When her owner returned, she saw Diamond in mid-chew. Diamond stared up at her with big eyes and blinked up at her innocently.

Diamond's owner sighed as she began to clean up the mess. Diamond rubbed against her human's wrist, purring. Then she licked the hand three times.

"Oh Diamond! I can't stay mad at you, my little star! I forgive you!" Diamond's owner exclaimed.

 Soon after the leaves and dirt were cleaned up, Diamond was brushed and dinner, soup for her human and cat food for her, was served.

Diamond ate with gusto, but she left some of her food in the cat bowl for later on in case she got hungry at nighttime.

After dinner, Diamond and her owner settled down on the couch in the reading room, Diamond in her owner's lap and her human sitting on the couch with a book in her hands. And there they sat for several hours. When Diamond's owner laughed at the funny bits, the white she-cat would look up at her expectantly. Then her owner would read the bits out loud to Diamond. Diamond loved listening to the laughable pages and paragraphs.

Soon, Diamond dozed off to the sweet sound of her human reading to her. She was awoken by her human gently nudging her and softly saying, "Time for bed, my little star. Time for bed."

Diamond dashed into her room. She pressed her ear to the wall and listened for the sounds of her owner getting dressed for the night and brushing her teeth and hair.

Then came the soft rustling of her human getting underneath the light covers of her bed. The flick of the light turning off. Diamond listened intently for some time. Then she purred with satisfaction. Her owner was asleep.

Then Diamond trotted over to her window sill. She leaped up onto the sill. The large tower hulking over the apartment building where she and her owner live.

Diamond gazed at the yellow glow from each of the windows, hinting light from within. Most of the squares of yellow light were peppered with silhouettes of shadowy figures. Her ear twitched with interest as the first light to be witnessed by her eyes was switch off. Two other followed not far behind.

This continued until there were only two lights still on. One flickered off. A single light stayed on. Diamond patiently waited for the light to be snuffed out. It was near 1:00 by the time the light switched off.

Diamond still watched the still and silent skyscraper. The hole building was dark now. But Diamond noticed the white light that reflected off of the cold and silvery steal. A deep indigo shone against the burnt-black windows. It seemed as though staring at the skyscraper was exactly the same as staring at the stary midnight sky. Hundreds of beautiful lights reflected off of the silvery-black building.

The white she-cat sighed. Then she turned away from the window and jumped off the sill. Then she hurried over to her brown bed. From there, she could she the red-brown rimmed clock. It read 2:00.

Then she closed her eyes, her tail over her nose, paws tucked underneath her. In the morning, she would wake early. She would pad into the kitchen, welcomed by the sweet scents of breakfast and the warm words off her owner. She would eat, play, and be brushed. She would be content.

-KittyLover8
© 2012

Fallen Stars-Horror

Sunset yawned and stretched. She turned to look towards the shadowy cavern that she and her fellow cat friends lived in. Once again, there was unease in the morning air. The feeling that she was being watched. Change.

Sunset shook her head, clearing her mind. But she couldn't help but think about the clump of cat fur on the bush and the paw print. Was she being watched?

No. It couldn't be. Why would a cat watch her? What would they want from her?

Even as Sunset reassured herself, in the deepest corner of her mind, she knew that she was lying. She stepped out of the hollow log.

Something is out there.....

*****

Sunset dragged a mouse and two blackbirds into camp. She set them down with a few other catches of the day in the pile. Then she lifted her head and sniffed the air. Everyone was in camp at the moment.

"Everyone! Time for the dusk meal!" she called, eager to fill her empty stomach.

The cats flooded towards her, each snatching u their pick from the pile with hungry jaws. In their encampment, there where only two meals a day for the cats fit to hunt for themselves.

After the scrabble to get the prey, the cats settled down to eat. There had been just enough, the prey pile empty and everyone's belly full. The contented murmuring of the cats talking among themselves calmed Sunset. It was like the peaceful hum of bees hovering above the flowers in their yellow and white striped coasts.

Once the prey was finished, the cats crowded around, Stone and Lavender still locked in conversation. Canary was playing with a large black beetle. Sunset, Crow and Blaze all curled together for warmth. Sunset looked at Ivory's usual spot, farther away from the other cats. To her surprise, he wasn't there!

"Ivory?" Sunset called warily.

No answer.

"What is it, Sunset?" Blaze questioned, tilting his head in caution.

"I can't seem to see Ivory. Do you know where he may have gone?"

Blaze shook his head. "I saw him during the dusk meal, but not after that."

"Hmm....I wonder where he has gone," Sunset wondered, slight fear sparking in her eyes. Where could he be?

Suddenly, a muffled crunch sounded from the bushes at the far side of the clearing. All of the cats turned their heads to the bushed, pricking their ears. But the sound did not come twice. Still, Canary backed away from the bushes in case it was a dangerous animal like a dog or a fox.

The cats let the fur on the backs of their necks smooth. Still, it had been a frightening sound.

Then, seven adult cats burst from the bushes, leaves scattering in their wake. Immediately, they locked in combat, claws unsheathed and teeth flashing.

Sunset leaped onto a slender grey she-cat that looked frail and thin. Before her paws even brushed the she-cat's pelt, the grey cat spun around and executed a well-aimed blow. The second the grey she-cat's claws had finished their work, Sunset thumped to the ground, both of her front pads cut open and her blood spilling to the ground. It had all happened in less then a second.

Sunset scrambled to her feet, soil singing her deep cuts. Sunset whipped around to make a back kick. Just as her hind paws left the dusty ground, she thumped to the ground again. The grey she-cat had hooked Sunset's paws with her front paw and pulled them to the side, knocking Sunset off balance.

Sunset once again stood on unstable paws. She looked once again at the she-cat. "Who are you?" she breathed.

"I am Temptress, leader of the Warriors of the Woods. This is my territory now." As the slender she-cat said this, she didn't look frail and thin anymore. She looked powerful and elegant.

Sunset blinked, having never heard about the Warriors of the Woods before. Then she spat back in reply, "You will never take this land! Not as long as I stand, in the least!"

Temptress launched forward off of her powerful hind legs. Sunset swiped at her leg, but the she-cat was so fast that the well-aimed blow only sketched a thin scratch on the top part of the paw. Temptress didn't even flinch. Instead, she twisted in mid-air and, as she landed, she clenched Sunset's scruff in her sharp fangs.

Sunset yowled in pain and tried to shake Temptress off, but the fearless she-cat clung on, merely tightening her grip. Sunset was worried, knowing that she was no match for the powerful cat, Temptress. Temptress pulled Sunset to the ground and let go of her scruff. A split second later, she executed a sharp kick to Sunset's back, claws half-extended.

Sunset had no time to react to the quick series of moves. She tumbled under a bramble bush, three yards away from Temptress. She weekly tried to get up, but the sharp branches of the bush stabbed her flank and reopened her wounds.

The bush was thick with plump, dark berries. As Sunset stepped out of the bush, she stepped on a berry, the juice entering the reopened cut on her pad. She winced at the sting of the juice in her scratch. Then she turned and racked her gaze through the battle. Temptress was locked in combat with Crow, who was on his back, his belly bleeding heavily.

Sunset leaped at Temptress as she began to advance on Crow. Although Temptress's back was turned, her instincts were strong as her eyes. She slid underneath Sunset and Sunset crash-landed into Crow, who had just gotten to his feet.

Sunset stumbled to her shaky paws. She turned her head and glared in Temptress direction. Although she tried not to show it, she was afraid of this powerful she-cat. She knew that she couldn't beat her. Probably no cat could. She knew that if she tried, she would die in the process. She knew this without doubt. Temptress knew it to. Even so, Sunset gathered her paws underneath her and sprang. Temptress ducked and swiveled around, knocking Sunset to the ground.

Sunset scrambled desperately to her paws. How could she win a battle with this cat on the other side? She couldn't.

Temptress detected self-doubt in Sunset's eyes. "Come to you scenes, pampered kit?" Temptress taunted.

Sunset was about to retort in reply, when she heard a shriek of pain. She recognized the cat that the cry of agony belonged to. Blaze!

-KittyLover8
© 2012