“C’mon Orchid! The waters so nice” A cheery voice echoed through the gentle spring air. Orchid followed her sister hesitantly, her ears flattened nervously. The grey she-kit watched her happily and she scurried around in the small shallow pool. Orchid sighed and swallowed her fear as she bounded into the water. It was cold of course but it was much better than the hot sun that bared its fangs upon their backs. “I have to agree with you Rain, the water is nice" Orchid said. As she stared down at her reflection in the water she was suddenly hit by a splash of water soaking her front half. She gasped and glared at Rain who was laughing and Swiped a pawful of water at her as well. Soon the Two she-kits were tossing water at each other in a fun game.

Orchid halted as she heard the gentle paw-steps and scent of her favorite Calico cat and turned and bounded out of the pool and to her mother, purring happily as she touched noses with the she-cat as her sister bounded to her side . The she-cat looked at them with tender, loving dark blue eyes and dropped the small rabbit she had been carrying. The kits immediately dug into the prey as the mother groomed her slightly messy pelt. She had eaten earlier , Orchid knew buy the small pieces of prey that still lingered on her whiskers. Once the two kits had eaten they and their mother began to head back to their den. Orchid trotted by her mother’s legs while Rain stayed at the back, obviously full and tired from the meal. The day seemed perfect as the birds sung their merry tunes as they flew through the morning air and the bees buzzed quietly as they collected their pollen. Orchid thought nothing could go wrong.

But she was wrong.

Orchid only heard the rustling above them when it was too late and jumped back in surprise as large black paws fell down right where she had been. She heard her mother gasp in pain and Rain's surprised yowl. She herself was terrified as the grey cat stalked towards the two kits, his eyes narrowed hungrily and his claws unsheathed. He wouldn’t attack us, right? We’re just kits! But her hopes were shattered as the tom leaped towards them. She and Rain darted separate ways , both darting into the bushes that surrounded the small clearing. The cat growled as the two kits seemingly disappeared and looked around before trudging over to some bushes and sniffing them closely. Orchid held her breath as he stopped right where Rain had run and shove his paw into the bush. Orchid flattened her ears in horror as her heard her sister cry out in pain and saw the grey kit pulled out of the bush. She trembled uncontrollably as she saw the three claw marks on her sisters back and blood drip onto the dry ground.

Orchid growled and unsheathed her tiny claws, not thinking straight and leaped for the much larger cat. The cat easily knocked her away with a heavy blow, sending her crashing into the ground painfully. Orchid withered in pain, sure she had been bruised somehow. She opened her eyes to see her mother pinned underneath a black tabby, her beautiful calico pelt covered in wounds of all kinds and blood. Her mother was gasping for breath as blood poured out of her wounds. “ I’m sorry, we didn’t know this was your territory, we’ll leave” The she-cat's once soft voice was twisted with pain. Orchid expected the tabby to release her mother but he just laughed harshly. “ Oh You’ve got it all wrong. See this isnt our territory. But you and your little family were wandering close to it. And besides, you’re rogues, you don’t deserve to live in my forest.” He growled.

Orchid’s eyes widened in alarm as she somehow knew what was going to happen. “Please let her go! We’ll leave here and never come back, I’m begging you!” She cried. He muzzle was shoved roughly into the ground and she whimpered as she bit her tongue. “Shut it kit” A voice growled above her. She stared in horror as the black tabby moved his claws to her mother’s throat and shut her eyes as her mother let out a ear splitting screech but her eyes were yanked open by claws that threatened to pierce the skin. She watched frozen in unimaginable horror as her mother struggled underneath the unmerciful tabby that stood above her, her struggles becoming slower and slower until she lay limp. Her eyes were cloudy with pain as the cat’s claws slowly dug into her throat.

Then it happened. The claws were shoved roughly into her mother’s throat and blood gushed out of the wound that was sure to cause death. The was a snap as loud as a thunder clap in a storm. All Orchid could do was watch as her mother’s face grew shocked and frozen in pain. Then her eyes slowly began to roll to the back of her head but before that they met the horrified purple eyes. Her mother gave her a weak smile as the life faded from her eyes. “Run Orchid, run with Rain, Don’t either of you look back, just run!” Her mother’s voice was almost a whisper but it hit Orchid’s ears like the cry of the eagle. Then her mother fell limp, her face frozen in calm relief as if she seemed happy to be released from this world, but it didn’t convince Orchid that she hadn’t suffered unimaginable pains.

Orchid’s mind was stuck in a state of shock as she stared at her mother’s motionless body. Then the strong, painful scent of death hit her .They killed her. They killed her for no reason except their own self pleasure. Suddenly the kit, incapable of having such emotions of hatred, became enraged. The grey cat above her retracted his paw in surprise at the thrashing kit under his paws and that, was his grave mistake. In a blur Orchid was gone and on his face, clawing and biting furiously at his surprised and stunned face. He shook his head violently, trying to shake her off but she held on tightly, her claws clinging onto his ears. He froze and Orchid took those few heartbeats to latch her teeth onto one of his ears and yanked on it and hard as she could, feeling it snap as she was sent flying off his head, most of his ear in her jaw. She tumbled on the ground for a second before jumping back in her paws and spitting out the torn piece of flesh.

Orchid glared at the tom who was sitting down and groaning in pain, a paw held over his where his ear had been as he tried to stop the bleeding that flowed like a small stream down his face. Suddenly Orchid felt sharp teeth on her scruff as she was yanked off her paws, then she was dropped on her side and a paw was placed on her small neck, choking her. As she gasped for breath, she looked up and saw those eyes, that were colder than ice, glittering in cruel amusement, and that unnerving grin that made her blood boil. Suddenly her forearms exploded in pain and she could feel warm blood ooze out of them. But the pain suddenly faded and became energy, along with blood-lust and a hatred that would never be settled with words but the liquid that painted her paws red.

Orchid swung her head up and sunk her fangs into the leg that held her down, she could feel the blood gush out and knew she hit a artery. It would cause critical damage. The black tabby released his grip with a yowl of pain. “You little maggot!” he hissed as he held his bleeding leg off the ground. She didn’t waste any time and darted for his other leg, hooking her claws into his paws and dragging them up to his shoulder that had been lowered a but due to the disturbed balance. She also got a bite in his ankle before he fell over onto the ground. There she leaped upon him, her tiny claws somehow causing major damage as she clawed his side continuously until his side was splattered in blood. She wasn’t sure what happened, other than the pain in side and the pain in her back that came soon after. She found herself on the ground near a tree, her head ringing and back numb from pain. She tasted the salty metallic taste in her mouth and spat out the blood that clung stubbornly to her chin.

Her ears rung as she tried to bring back the rage that had consumed her just seconds before but all she felt was fear as she stared at the two furious cats. As the grey tom pounced, she remembered her mother’s final words. “Run" The voice in her head echoed sharply. She spun her head around and saw rain, her sisters eyes were glazed with pain and sorrow but she nodded. In those few seconds, unspeakable understanding was shared between the two. At that moment, Orchid darted away from the tree and heard a thump behind her and guessed the tom has hit the tree. She caught up with Rain who had already began to run, Thankful that their small sizes made them nearly invisible in the large bushes. Sticks and leaves hit Orchids fur as if they were tendrils that had been soaked by the rain. Her chest burned as she followed her panting sister until she could no longer smell the scents or hear the paw steps of the highly aggressive cats behind them.

The two exploded into a clearing, collapsing as soon as they hit the open air. Orchid’s paws trembled as she sat up, catching her breath, but the pain in her heart didn’t cease.They had just lost their mother, the cat who cared for them more than anything in the world. She had been killed as if it were nothing while the two had been forced to watch. Orchid wanted to cry. She wanted to Cry and Scream until she no longer had the strength to do either, but she knew it wouldn’t fix anything. She glanced at Rain who lay next to her, her head in her paws as she shoulders shook in silent sobs. She could barely keep herself together as she watched her sister be crushed by grief as she let out a low wail, full of pain and grief that Orchid felt just as well as she did. She padded over to her sister and laid next to her, the two crying silently as the sun began to set behind them, the usually vibrant colors seemingly dull as if the universe itself were sad.

End of Chapter