Chapter Text
Berry scampered through the forest, her dark ginger-colored pelt flashing in the undergrowth of the forest. She padded on carelessly, not bothering to check her surroundings. A fat, juicy mouse darted between her paws, and she easily bent down and killed it.
Before she could start to eat the warm body of the mouse, the dream faded. Berry groaned, waking in her Twoleg’s nest. She squirmed in her fluffy bed, trying to drift back to sleep. She wanted to stay in her dream!
When nothing came, Berry snorted, getting slowly to her paws. She dipped in a wonderful stretch, yawning. Berry sat down, drowsily grooming her rumpled pelt.
The wooden floor under her softly quivered as footsteps came pounding down the hallway. One of her Twolegs’ kits came bounding over to her, picking her up in a clumsy hug.
Berry nipped at the kit’s hand, thrashing frantically until she found herself back on the floor. The kit hurried away, crying in pain over the small bite. Grumbling, she padded delicately over the wooden flooring. She bent down to sniff at the dry scraps of remaining cat food.
That mouse would have tasted better than this! Berry thought. Reluctantly, she crouched down, picking at the tasteless food.
When she had finished, she hurried over to the door, pawing at it with unsheathed claws. She flicked her tail impatiently, meowing loudly until she heard one of her Twolegs coming.
The Twoleg opened the door with one of its furless paws, revealing the green yard outside. Rushing toward the morning sunlight, Berry purred as it soaked into her ginger pelt.
Berry sniffed a row of catmint, stalk by stalk, then trotted across her yard. In one large bound, she perched herself on the thin surface of the white fence surrounding the Twoleg nest.
She gazed into the forest, pricking her ears. Hearing nothing but the faint breeze, she stalked farther along the fence, using her tail to balance. There was a flash, and a black tom leapt up beside her, nearly knocking her away.
“You scared me, Crow!” She gasped, fighting to regain her balance.
The black tom rested his tail on her shoulder, steadying her. He purred, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I came to say hi.”
Berry pressed against Crow’s sleek black pelt, then stared back at the looming forest. “What do you think is out there?”
Crow blinked at her, his green eyes boring into her amber ones. “It’s dangerous out there.”
“How do you know?” she persisted. Her dream ran fresh in her mind. There had to be much, much more than just her Twolegs.
“I’ve heard some things,” he murmured.
“Like what?”
Crow flicked his tail, irritated. “It’s just dangerous, okay?”
Berry snarled. “What are you scared of?”
“I don’t want to lose you!” Crow suddenly blurted.
Understanding washed over her, and she gently licked his cheek. “I don’t want to lose you, either.”
They sat there, perched on the fence for a moment. Berry pressed closer to the black tom. She loved him, but the forest seemed to be calling her name, louder, and then louder still.
“We could go together,” she suggested quietly.
“To the forest?” Crow looked at her. “What’s wrong with our Twolegs?”
“There’s so much more to the world. Why would we want to be stuck in a Twoleg nest all our lives?”
Crow’s eyes filled with dismay. “There’s nothing to it here. We can just eat and sleep. We don’t have to hunt, or learn to fight, or...”
“But it would be an adventure!”
Berry could see how much effort it took for Crow not to yowl his sorrow. “An adventure I won’t go on,” he whispered.
“I need to go,” Berry replied. Her heart was torn in two. She had loved Crow for as long as she could remember. He had always been there for her.
“I’ll wait for you,” Crow murmured, burying his nose in her shoulder.
“I’ll always love you.” Berry let his scent wreath around her, hoping she would never forget it.
Jumping down from the fence, she streaked toward the forest. She felt Crow’s distraught gaze watching her, though he made no move to follow her. Heart aching, she cast a last glance at Crow, waving her tail in farewell.
“I love you!” He yowled after her, and his cry rang in her ears as she disappeared into the forest. She paused, her heart racing. This was it.
Amidst all the excitement bubbling up inside of her, she felt one question prodding her with each step: now what?