Moon Quest

Chapter 1 - Capture

As Flash pushed through the underbrush of the forest, he thought about Moon.  He had been sent out by Pain to hunt for the mother of three new kits, but as he was going to his favorite hunting spot he had to think of her.  How could he bring her back?  Why could no one else remember her?  He wondered these things often.  He had never spoken any of this aloud though, as he knew he would be seen as crazy if he talked about a cat that no one else remembered.

His thoughts were interrupted by a rustling behind him, and he spun around, his gaze searching the bushes for any movement.  He didn't see any, so he guessed it was just the wind, turning back on his way.  He was quite wrong about the wind, as a cat jumped out from behind a tree in front of him, hissing, and he heard another crash behind him, telling him there was a cat back there as well.  Flash froze, staring wide-eyed at the cat.

"Well well well!  What do we have here?"

A much larger cat strolled out of the bushes, with a younger cat on his back.

"It looks like this kitten is in the way!  What do you think we should do?"

The big cat looks into the bushes, and a ginger tabby cat walked out, hopping onto a stump and settling there.

"Well, Bates, I think we should deal with him like the others."

The tabby flicked her tail and looked at Bates, a dark glimmer in her eyes.  Bates seemed to contemplate what she said, and then looked at the cat behind Flash.

"Well Crimson?  Do you agree with Bella?"

Behind him, Flash heard a quiet meow.

"He is all skin and bones, he wouldn't do.  We should keep him prisoner and have him take us to the cats around here."

Bates nods, walking in a circle around Flash, the cat on his back watching intently.  When Bates gets back to Bella, he stops and the cat on his back slides off.

"Silver, Noire, Crimson, bring him."

Another cat slips out of the bushes, this one pure black.  He follows Silver to Flash, and they get on either side of him.  The group starts walking, Silver and Noir pressing very hard on either side of Flash and Crimson following behind, swiping at Flash if he tries to break free.

When the procession stopped, Bates looked at Flash.

"Silver, Noire, back off.  He has to take us to the cats now.  Crimson, stay behind him.  He cant be running away."

Silver and Noire stepped away from Flash, glaring at him and shoving him up to the front.  They then fell back to where Crimson was and Crimson walked close behind Flash again.

"Kitten, take us to the cats!"

Crimson shoved Flash, and Flash started hurrying, he didn't know what these cats wanted to do, but his Tribe was large!  There were only five of these strange cats, his Tribe could take them in a fight.  Flash lead them along the quickest path to his tribe, tumbling through the ferns around their camp when Crimson shoves him down a hill.

"CATS!"

Bates calls from the top of the hill, slowly walking down with Silver, Noir, and Bella following him.

"You will surrender to us, or we will kill you all!"

Bates stands tall next to the cowering Flash, staring at the few cats dotted around staring back at Bates.  Flash starts shaking, he realized most cats were out hunting at this time of day and there were only the young cats and old cats left in camp.

"Silver, Noir, go round them all up."

Bates sits down and shoves Flash.

"You too!"

Silver, Noir, and Flash hurry out and get all the cats out from their dens and then round the cats up into a group in front of Bates, where he orders them into a line and shoves Flash in at the end.

"Well, Bella.  What do you think?"

Bella has been sitting next to Bates the whole time, and now she stands up and walks along the row of cats a few times, inspecting each one.

"There are some.  We should get rid of the old and let the kittens live."

The row of cats get very scared when Bella says this, and the two mothers hurry to their kittens and huddle them up, trying to protect them.

"Owl!  Get down here, take the mothers and their young back to where they stay.  Crimson, take their old away."

Another cat pads down the hill, and starts pushing the kittens and mothers to the nursery, they tried to protest but Noir came and hit any that tried to fight back.  They soon had all of them in the nursery, and went to help Crimson shepherd the old cats out into the forest.

"Well then.  Bella, What about these?"

Bates stands up and takes Bella in a walk around the cats left.  There were ten of them, including Flash.  Bella poked a few, and so did Bates.

"YOU!"

There was a shout from up the hill, and everyone looked up.  It was the cats!  The cats had been coming back from their hunt when they found Crimson, Silver, and Noir leaving their elders in the woods.  The three were now entrapped in a circle of young strong cats, shaking.  The old cats were behind the hunters and were looking down at the camp.

"What do you think you are doing!"

A large strong white and black cat leaped down the hill and stops in front of Bates and Bella, growling.

"W-we- nothing!"

Bella stared up at the cat, pressing against Bates leg and trying to hide.  Bates stared this new cat down, glaring.

"We came here peacefully to greet your cats, and you come here yelling at us?"

One of the cats still standing in the line piped up, a rather young blueish-grey tom piped up.

"Pain, he wants to kill us!"

Bates whipped around, swiping at the cat.

"QUIET!  WE ARE TALKING!"

Pain glares at Bates, "So, you came peacefully hmm?  River here seems to think otherwise.  And from your actions, it does not seem peaceful.  How about you explain yourself for real?"

Bates growls, backing up slowly, he then turns tail and runs, sprinting out of their camp and away from the new group of fighting cats.  Bella tries to run after him, but Pain stomps his foot down on her tail.

"River, Stone, Splash, take this cat to the cage.  Fire!  Jay!  Take those three to the cage as well!"

The five cats escort the four cats to their cage, which was simply a thorn bush interwoven with sticks and more thorns.  The prisoners were pushed into the bush, where there was a clear spot.  Fire and Jay sat down on either side of the hole and River, Stone, and Splash reported back to their leader.

"The cats are in the cage sir!"

Pain nods to the three young cats, and flicks his tail towards their family den.

"Go and rest you three," Pain turns to the rest of the cats. "All of you!  Go rest, it has been a long day.  We will speak to the prisoners in the morning."

Pain and his three commanders went to their den next to the cage, and the rest of the cats dispersed to their respective places.  Flash yawned, and padded into the den he shared with the other untrained younger cats, curling up and quickly falling asleep.