Squirrelfoot's Journey

Chapter Two

Squirrel was terrified. The large ginger tom stared down expectantly at her trembling form.

"I-I'm so sorry for r-running into you," Squirrel stuttered. She heard the ferns rustling behind her as Ferny, Cinder and Hannah pushed through to stand next to her. The tom glanced at the arriving kittypets, but did not address them.

"You didn't answer my question," he growled. "Are you one of Stag's kits?"

"Y-yes," Squirrel stared wide eyed up at the tom. He clearly knew her father, which just made this whole situation worse.

Two more cats emerged from the trees behind the tom. A light orange she-cat and a mottled white tom. Squirrel recognized the she-cat. Her name was Gecko. She sometimes visited the clearing where Squirrel lived to offer help and update Maple on Stag's whereabouts. Squirrel scanned the she-cat, trying to figure out what felt so different about her. She had a sparkle in her eyes that wasn't there before, and her stomach was bulging slightly.

"Leave Squirrel alone, Slash," Gecko spoke gently to the ginger tom. Slash turned his head towards her. He touched his nose to her's, purring. Squirrel guessed they were most likely mates, noticing how they looked at each other.

"You know this kit, then?" Slash asked Gecko. The orange cat nodded.

"She's from Maple and Stag's litter," Gecko explained, padding a few steps closer. "Although I'm not sure why she's so far from her den."

"Hi, Gecko," Squirrel mewed, feeling ashamed to have been caught by her parents' friends.

"Hello, Squirrel," Gecko replied, her eyes softening as she looked at the young kit.

"What are you doing out here?" The white tom spoke up. "And with kittypets?"

"Hey!" Hannah hissed from behind Squirrel.

"I was playing with my friends," Squirrel replied, all fear and shame forgotten.

"Does Maple know that you play with Twoleg loving mousebrains?" The white tom asked resentfully.

"How dare you!" Cinder yowled.

"Be quiet, Weed," Slash raked his claws over Weed's nose. The tom hissed as blood welled on his muzzle.

"I've never understood why you resent kittypets so much," Gecko told Weed. "They're normal cats, just like us."

"You only defend them because you used to be one! You'll never fully be a forest cat if you're still tied to your kittypet roots!" Weed growled, flattening his ears. Gecko bared her teeth, clearly angered by his reckless comment.

"Weed!" Slash aimed another blow at the mottled tom. Weed yowled angrily and whipped around, stalking off into the undergrowth. Gecko and Slash turned back to Squirrel and the kittypets. Squirrel shrunk under their gazes.

"Would you like us to take you back to Maple?" Gecko asked calmly, though she was shaking from rage.

"No thank you," Squirrel squeaked. "I'll just head back with my friends."

"Alright," Slash rested his tail on Gecko's back, his eyes on the uneasy cats. Squirrel and her friends turned to leave, but before they got far, Squirrel looked back at the pair.

"Sorry again for bumping into you," She apologized to Slash.

"It's okay," The ginger tom dipped his head.

Squirrel straightened her head and followed her friends back to the Twoleg den.

•••

"That was intense," Hannah hopped down into the garden. The four cats had made the short trek back to Cinder and Ferny's den, and now they were chatting in the garden. The Twolegs that lived there had never minded when Squirrel visited.

"Yeah," Ferny agreed. He swished his tail back and forth over the evenly clipped grass.

"I can't believe that Weed was so rude!" Cinder growled, still enraged about how the disrespectful tom had acted. Squirrel had to agree with the gray she-cat. Weed had been extremely unkind.

"Be glad you don't have to deal with him anymore," Squirrel told her friend.

"True," Cinder nodded. "But let's not waste our time being angry about what's done."

You were the one who said it, Squirrel thought. She didn't point it out, though. Curling her tail over her paws, she listened quietly to what the other cats were saying.

"I caught a mouse yesterday," Ferny puffed his chest out proudly.

"Really? You're rubbish at hunting!" Hannah seemed genuinly surprised that Ferny had caught his own prey.

"Just luck, I guess," Ferny looked slightly less proud of himself.

"He caught it, didn't he?" Squirrel spoke up, trying to defend the black cat.

"I can't say that he didn't," Hannah agreed sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's okay. You didn't mean any harm," Ferny butted Hannah's shoulder.

Squirrel noticed Cinder staring at her brother and Hannah with narrowed eyes. The gray cat had a look on her face that reminded Squirrel of the looks Maple sometimes threw at Stag. But this look was slightly different.

"It's getting late." Hannah's mew broke into her thoughts. Squirrel tilted her head to look at the sky. Her creamy friend was right! The sun was sinking below the horizen and the sky was growing dark. Maple would kill her if she remained out after dark.

"I have to go!" Squirrel gasped. She said a quick goodbye to the three kittypets and hopped over the fence. She raced over the protruding tree roots and ducked under low hanging branches as fast as she could.

Hopefully I can get back before Maple, Squirrel thought.