My story so far
- Locked due to inactivity on Aug 22, '16 3:54am
Thread Topic: My story so far
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Fern smiled to herself, stepping lightly as she tiptoed out of the territory. In the territory of the Red, she was bound by their laws and the vows she had sworn, but out here, she was free. She had no boundaries. She had no rules other than her own. She had risen in the ranks fast, in the day she was the most loyal cat they had, but at night, Fern was free. At night, she lived for her trips past the border. She was at the wild border, the other borders were where other tribes lived. The Green, the White and the Brown. They had named themselves for the colors of the world they lived in at different seasons. The Green shared this wild border, and it was a Green cat she was looking for.
"Fern! Fern?" called a voice from the bushes. Fern turned to see the cat she was waiting for. "Apple!" she meowed, careful not to cross into Green territory. "You came," purred Apple. "Of course I did!" meowed Fern. "I don't break my word."
Apple nodded. "I know." For a while the two of them just sat there, in the light of the stars and moon. Then Fern got up. "If I'm going to go to the Meeting tomorrow, which I have to, I've got to go and catch some sleep." She walked towards her own territory, the Red territory, not looking behind her. Her paws hit the ground softly, making barely a noise, as she crossed the border and walked back to the home of the Red tribe, a hollow in the ground with bushes growing in it. She would talk to her sister in the morning, and check she wasn't angry about Fern's recent appointment to second in command. She wasn't sure about Rye. She slipped in through a hole in the back of the hollow, plants so crowded the entrance that you could barely see it. She had only found it by accident. -
Fern stretched, coming out of her den. Spotting her sister, Rye, she headed over. "I'm sorry I got appointed and not you," she started awkwardly, but Rye smiled. "Oh, it's okay," she meowed. "You where always going to get it. My turn will come one day." Fern didn't ask how she knew that. Rye was willing to let starry paws from the tribe of Sky sweep her future down the great River of Life. Rye had always loved the old stories about the River.
The tribe leader, Flower, approached them. "Fern, get ready for the Meeting," she meowed. Fern nodded. Rye nuzzled her sister. "Tell me what it's like?" she asked hopefully. "Of course," promised Fern. Flower was waiting, so Fern turned to her. "I' m ready," she meowed.
Every time there was a full moon at night, every cat holding power in the tribes gathered for the Meeting and exchanged news. Flower set off, with Fern, the healer, Acorn, and the trainer, Claw. Claw was a fierce tom, those who met him in battle rarely lived to tell the tale. Acorn was sweet and gentle, he had never harmed a soul in his life. But he was completely calm in the healing den he had built, filled with disgusting leaves and berries, where he forced cats to eat them and put them in the bleeding wounds of injured warriors. It was not a job Fern would like.
Flower lead them to the flat rock where the meetings were held. Shade, another leader, watched Flower's ever move intently. "Flower." His voice bore no sign of the conflict between their two tribes. It also bore no welcome. "Shade." Flower's voice was tight; she carried a few new scars from a battle. -
Fern didn't know how Shade could be so cool about it. Just a couple of days ago, Water, Flower's brother, had died of his wounds. "The Green tribe has little news to report," Shade meowed. "We have a suspected traitor. Moon, bring in the suspect." Moon, Shade's healer, nodded, went behind a bush and returned, followed by another cat. Followed by Apple. "You call that little news?" snorted Sand, leader of the White.
Apple shuffled his paws. "We suspect Apple of knowing and meeting a cat from another tribe," meowed Shade. "We think Apple has broken our sacred law and ventured beyond the territory." There was a gasp. "How could this be!" gasped Sand. Leader of the Brown tribe, Dark, nodded his agreement. "A punishment be delivered unto him!" he yowled. His healer and second in command meowed support. Fern was horrified. All Apple did was..everything they said. He had met her outside the borders. She caught his eye and saw her own terror shining in his face. If they ever found out, Fern and Apple would be killed. As they stood there, time seemed to freeze. Starry forms appeared around them, a mist settled over everything. One of the starry cats stepped forward. "Apple, you are guilty and more. Fern, the same applies to you. But we are watching you. Return, Apple. Return, they will never know." And the cats vanished, the mist rose, Apple was gone. "Green tribe has little to report," meowed Shade. "The White live in peace. Hunting is well." Sand meowed. "Brown tribe?" she turned to Dark. "We are also peaceful and well fed." Now it was Flower's turn. She gave Shade an icy stare. "The Red tribe would live in peace as you do," she meowed, "if it were not for the Green. Shade, just three days ago a brave fighter, Water, died of injuries you yourself made."
Shade shrugged. "His death was necessary." Fern was hating him more by the second. Flower waited a second, then turned around. "We are leaving."
Flower lead Fern, Acorn and Claw back. The rest of the tribe was surprised to see them there so early, but seeing the look on Flower's face, nobody was going to talk to her. Flower retreated into the green silence of her den. Fern's gaze followed her. Flower's figure was so gaunt, her pelt hung over her bones loosely, and her eyes were clouded with exhaustion. She hadn't slept or eaten since Water died. She was incredibly tough, but Fern knew she could not last for much longer with no food or sleep. Rye was at the prey pile. "Hungry?" Fern asked her. Rye shook her head. "For Flower." Fern understood. When they had been training, Flower and Rye had been best friends. Fern had had a best friend, too. Apple. Then Flower had been promoted, she was too busy for Rye. Rye felt betrayed, but Fern was pleased to see she still cared about her friend. Taking a plump mouse, Rye pushed into Flower's den. Fern couldn't see her anymore. -
The tribe had several levels of cats in training. First came the novices, then apprentices, then juniors. After a cat graduated from being a junior, they became a warrior, a healer, a hunter or a guard. Fern was a hunter. Rye was a warrior. Flower was a warrior, too. Novices learned every trade, apprentices picked a trade to work on, and a junior was a young one in that trade, one who still had things to learn. The novices had just come back from a day of hunter training. "Hey, Fern! You're a hunter!" called out Beetle. "Do you like hunting?" Fern nodded, smiling. "Yes, I do," she purred. Beetle jumped up and down. "When I'm an apprentice, I'm going to learn to be a hunter!" he meowed excitedly. Fern flicked her tail. "We'll see." she meowed. Beetle could not yet know what he was going to be.
Stem, Beetle's cousin, was an apprentice healer. "Fern, Acorn says there are starry cats who are dead. Is he right?" Fern froze. "Yes, he is right," she meowed hesitantly. Stem looked pleased. "I'm going to go there one day!" Fern nodded, "I suppose you will." There was no reason why not. -
The sky turned scarlet as the sun started to go down. Rye came out of Flower's den. She didn't speak, just curled in her own nest. Fern wasn't meeting Apple that night, so she hoped that for once, she could have a good night's sleep. Closing her eyes, she settled down for the night. The peace of sleep washed over her, silent.
She knew she had to do something. Her friends depended on her. Their creation was too close, they would all die. The sickness would kill them before the cure was found. She knew they could do it, with time. But no, there was doubt. Maybe it wouldn't work. She had to way to see if it would or not, but their lives would depend on it someday. They had chosen to put their paws in the sacred circle, and they had chosen to kill themselves. But the only problem was, it didn't work. They where still alive. She leaned forward, her friends stood with her. "Why didn't it work?" she meowed. "It should have worked. I don't know why it didn't." Her friends don't know, either. They know they are doomed. They say goodbye to her, then they leave. There is nothing more they can do, but they still hope for the best. "I wish you well," she meows. But her voice echoes in the silence, nobody but herself heard.
Fern awoke, her dream still in her head. She looked around, and saw it was still dark. She had been woken by Rye's heartbroken sobs. She left her den, and went to Rye's, next to her. Rye was huddled against the corner, crying. "What's wrong?" Fern asked. Rye just looked at her, her eyes full of sadness. "She killed herself, Fern. She's dead." Then her voice broke. Fern knew who she was talking about. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't. She went to see for herself, rushing into Flower's den. The still unmoving body lay in a cold nest. Dried blood was on the ground. There was a gaping wound in Flower's chest, and her paw was still halfway down from clawing her own heart out. Pawprints in the dust showed where Rye had come in, a scuffle showed there had been a fight. Trembling, she returned to her sister. "I tried," Rye whispered. "I told her no. I tried to stop her, tried to talk sense into her, but she wouldn't hear me. I tried to hold her paws away, but she pushed me down, Fern. Then she tore into her chest, she tore a bloody mess out of her own chest, and then she died, Fern. She killed herself, and I let her do it."
"No, you didn't." Fern meowed. "It wasn't your fault. It was her own choice." She pressed her body against her sister's, felt Rye trying not to cry and failing. I don't know what we'll tell them in the morning, she thought. But she did not speak it aloud, just telling her sister, "We'll bury her at dawn." Rye nodded, then tried to go back to sleep. Fern left her to her sad memories, knowing that Rye had to face it, not run away.
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