{Learn the [Steps]}

[katzen22]

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

Fur bristling, claws out, Sparrow was ready for attack. She wasn't going to kill the dog, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself for that, but she'd keep it away from Onyx. She'd rather die than have him die. He had so much to live for, she didn't. She wouldn't have survived long without him anyways. She could already be dead if he hadn't helped her in the dump, and once he got his strength back he could get out of here back to Nenbrook. She'd eventually be attacked and killed. Or she's starve when she couldn't find enough food. there probably weren't that many cats in Nenbrook like Onyx. Not many of them would probably be willing to give up food for a stranger if none at all.

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

When Onyx started to get up Sparrow went to his aid. She tried to get him to stay down to no avail. She listened to him, knowing whatever he had to say was important. She tried to understand what he was saying. he was friends with that dog? All the stories about dogs she'd hear were about evil monsters that went on cat killing sprees. But was this one different. She hadn't thought there would be a cat out there that would be nice to her and there was Onyx right out of the blue. Could there be a nice dog? He looked embarrassed. Did cats shun him because of this odd friendship? "I understand." She told him, trying to catch his eyes. it was either she didn't know enough or she knew more than others. She wasn't sure which, but she had enough experience to understand.

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

The dog knew Onyx's name, but could she trust it? Onyx trusted it so that had to be enough for her. She turned when the dog whimpered and saw the pleading in his eyes. it took all her willpower to step away from Onyx. She gave the dog plenty of room since she wasn't all that comfortable around the larger animal. She sat and curled her tail around her feet. She had to keep calm. She couldn't run, not without Onyx. She rooted herself to the ground but could feel her heart fluttering in her chest with anticipation. if that dog even threatened Onyx in any way he was meat to her. She'd kill him.

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

Nothing really deserved to die since all life was precious, but if something needed to die it would die. If the dog had bad intentions for the tom she'd rip it to shreds. She's make it a bloody mess. The truth of the thoughts scared Sparrow. Would she really be that violent? But when she imagined what could happen she knew her reactions would be violent. Violence didn't help much, but it solved problems that other things couldn't. Violence only led to violence and that's what would happen in this case. If the dog was violent she'd be violent, end of story. There were no ifs ans or buts.

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

((Lyrics from "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay))

[Onyx Stargazer]

Twig couldn't even express how greatful he was when Sparrow moved back to watch. He could sense that she didn't trust him, so the collie watched his actions. Picking up his marigold, he walked up to the torbie tom, laying on his side, his breathing was fast and heavy. Gently, the dog picked up a foreleg in his front teeth to move it to the side. The fluffy black and white animal touched his wet black nose to Onyx's chest fur, feeling his heart beat beneath it. It seemed normal.

After that, the dog removed one of the stuck on leaves with his nose to check the severity of the tom cat's scratches. They had stopped bleeding, but the fur around it was matted with drying blood. The dog carefully licked it clean, as to not make it start bleeding again, and smoothed the fur until the silver and brown spotted patch was facing away from the cut.

Taking one of the marigold, Twig bit off the stem, and chewed two of the leaves, making sure that he didn't swallow any of the vital juices. Holding the pulp on his tongue, he genlty licked the chewed up mix onto the uncovered scratch, and went onto the next one, letting the juices seep into the wounds. "Hold on," the canine barked to Sparrow, and raced away into the trees.

He returned in a few seconds, a few more plants in his jaws. They were larger plants, with big soft leaves and pink, white, and purple bell shaped flowers on the ends; Comfrey. Dropping them by his friend, he raced away again, returning with a front paw swabbed in cobwebs. Twig used his mouth to strip the leaves from the comfrey stalks, licked them a little, and layed the on the scratches, sealing them down will cobwebs.

"Help me gather soft stuff for a nest. Feathers, moss, leaves, whatever you can find," the dog barked urgently to the grey and white she-cat. "Don't move him very much, and nestle the stuff under him when you find it." Twig dashed off, not bothering to see if the fea had listened to him. Gathering a mouthful of feathers, he raced back to the torbie and spat them out, pushing them gently under Onyx's back before thumping back into the trees.

[katzen22]

I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

Sparrow had to close her eyes when the dog picked up one of Onyx's limbs in his mouth. But when she peaked she almost sighed with relief. She couldn't help but wonder what the dog was doing. Would that plant help, or would it make the wound worse? She couldn't imagine Onyx in more pain. Was it her fault he had gotten hurt. Had Karma come back to haunt her? What had she done that was so bad that the tom had to get hurt? Was it possible that she had caused it or pure chance? But then different thoughts entered her head. Could this have been worse? Was it luck that there had been a bush there to break his fall? She didn't want to think of what could happen if that bush hadn't grown there.

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

When the dog spoke to her she looked at it. Soft stuff? Of course, why hadn't she thought of a nest? Maybe because she hadn't slept comfortably since she was small, and even then her mother usually pushed her out of the bed. But she still should of thought to keep Onyx as comfortable as possible in a forest. When the dog left and came back with feathers in his mouth and she remembered something she'd seen in the tree. There had been some sort of structure nestled in the branches with feathers and moss in it. Sparrow went to race up the tree she'd seen the nest in.

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
That's why I need you to hear

She tried to remember where it was and slowly made her way up the tree to the nest of twigs. She finally found it but the jump between the branch in was on and the branch she was on was pretty big. She'd have to make it though. Sparrow crouched and jumped. Her front paws made it but her back paws slipped and she was stuck trying to pull her weight onto the branch. It wasn't that hard and she eventually crawled up and found her balance. the nest wasn't very big and it was made out of twigs, feathers, and small pieces of string and moss. There were three small speckled little balls in the nest and she wondered what they were. She knew an animal had made it so maybe it was the young? She didn't know.

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You

The gray and white fae started picking out the feathers and moss from the nest being careful not to disturb the balls. After she had a good mouthful she started to hear something. it sounded like flapping but she didn't have any more time to think about it. There was a bird's cry and Sparrow felt small claws in her fur and a hard beak pecking at her eyes. She tried to get away from the attacking bird. One of her paws landed in the wrong place and since she couldn't see she didn't know where to go. Once one of her paws slipped another went and the she cat lost her grip on the branch. Once in the air Sparrow instinctively turned her body so that her paws would land first. Her body absorbed the impact as she hit the ground.

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

Crouching under the tree, fur standing on end and shivering, eyes wide with fear, the fae tried to slow her fluttering heart and calm her shaky breathing. She closed her eyes to try to get a hold on her mind but she couldn't get over the fear. She had felt death on her doorstep in those few moments she was in thin air. Still shaking she tried to move a frozen paw but found it stuck in to the ground. After retracting her claws from the earth she tried again and found it undamaged. She tried to find pain anywhere else but found only a small soreness in her paws from the landing. She took a deep breathe and held it for a few seconds to try and get a grip on herself. She felt a bit better, but her fur wouldn't lay down and she wouldn't stop shivering.

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

((Lyrics from "The Reason" by Hoobastank XD))

[Onyx Stargazer]

((I don't have enough muse to post. xP Sorry. I'll post later or tomarrow...))

[Onyx Stargazer]

ooc: DANG IT!!! I thought I posted... Sorry about that, lexl...

Twig returned to Onyx with his powerful jaws full of bedding. The spotted torbie tom let out a small moan as his friend nudged the bedding under him. Onyx's strength was returning, but his muscles still ached. Twig wondered what was taking the fea so long, so he started to sniff out her trail. He tracked her scent into the clearing, and then back towards the edge. The dog lifted his massive head, his large brown eyes sparkling with worry as he saw the young cat. "Oh no! What happened?! Are you ok?" he asked, his bark filling with worry.

[katzen22]

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come, he to justify
One man to overthrow

She tried to straighten her legs. Bad idea. Her whole world seemed to spin and she needed all her strength to keep from collapsing. Once everything was still again she tried again, this time a bit slower. She took deep breaths as her legs started to shake but they held. She closed her eyes again and the darkness calmed her. She tried to picture the best day she had ever had. She had still been a kitten, living in a cardboard box on the sidewalk. It had just rained and the air was cool. She loved the smell after it rained.

In the name of love
One more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love?

A human kitten had been walking by with it's mother. It squealed when it saw her and started to jump up and down, tugging at it's mother's brightly colored fur and pointing at her in the box. The mother quickly ushered it's kitten away, leaving the gray cat in the soggy box behind. Sparrow wasn't sure why that day but she had felt rejected. Unloved, unwanted. Like an old ripped toy thrown in the corner and forgotten about. It had been the calmest day she had ever had in that box. There was usually a river of humans and their kittens walking by, or it was raining out. Usually a thunderstorm. She had been intrigued by the sound of thunder and the sight of lightening.

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach
One man betrayed with a kiss

The bark of the dog brought her back to reality and she half jumped. The surprise distracted her from her fear for a few moments. Enough time to answer it. "Fine, fine." She half whispered. She couldn't answer the first question because she barely knew herself. It was all a blur in her memory. The call of a bird, and then she had been falling, and then she had been on the ground. It had been such a rush that she could barely handle it. it was painful even trying to remember it and the fear enveloped her every time she tried.

In the name of love
One more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love?

Sparrow finally looked at her surroundings and noticed the scattered feathers and moss that she had dropped while falling. "Oh crap." She said as she started to hurriedly pick the pieces of bedding back up. She remembered more than what was sitting in her mouth and around her. How much had she lost? Her mind started to distress but she could find more. She would stay out of the trees though. Getting hurt herself wouldn't help Onyx at all. That would only make the situation worse. The dog couldn't take care of them both.

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

Sparrow finished her search with just over half of the bedding she had started out with. She hadn't noticed the small limp in her back foot while picking up the feathers and moss since she was too preoccupied with the bedding. She forced her way through a bush to get back to Onyx. As gently as she could she pushed the bedding under the tom, being careful not to push against him too much. She hoped he wouldn't see the fear in her eyes. He didn't need any more to worry about.

In the name of love
One more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love
One more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love?

((Lyrics from "Pride (In the name of Love)" by U2))

[Onyx Stargazer]

"Good," the collie barked, letting out his held breath. As the fea started to collect the scattered bedding, he raced of into the woods once more, and collected a bundle of spongy moss, a few more feathers, and as many ferns as he could carry with the other materials. He returned to the injured tom, and nudged them under him gently after Sparrow had finished.

"That should be enough," he barked quietly, staring blankly at his friend. "We should let Onyx rest." He walked over to a nearby tree, and sat at it's base. Just then, Twig noticed the she-cat's limp. "Are you hurt?" he barked quietly, "I have some herbs that can help your limp."

[katzen22]

Head under water
And you tell me
To breathe easy for awhile
The breathing gets harder
Even I know that
Made room for me
It's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold on to

Sparrow had started to notice the soreness and sharp pain in one of her back paws every time she put pressure on it. She tried her best to ignore it but she couldn't help the limp it produced. "No thanks, I'll be fine." She told the dog when he offered her herbs. She wouldn't climb trees ever again. They had almost killed Onyx and they had hurt her. She knew how cruel the world could be but things that didn't even move on their own were hurting things. How was that possible? Sparrow didn't want to think about that now. She was too tired. She had gone through too much that day.

Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well but you make this hard on me

She limped over into the shade of a bush The sun was just coming up. It was still morning. But she had been up almost the whole night and was exhausted. She collapsed under the leaves and branches of the bush and rested her head on her paws. How could she fall asleep now? She didn't know if Onyx was going to be okay, if he was even going to survive. She wasn't even sure if the dog knew. She covered her ears with her paws shut out the small noises of the forest. There was no beauty there now. She forced her eyes shut, but even then sleep did not come.

I'm not gonna write you a love song
Cause you ask for it
Cause you need one
You see, I'm not gonna write you a long song
Cause you tell me it's make or breakin' this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leavin'
I'm gonna need a better reason
To write you a love song
Today
Today..

Sparrow looked into the darkness behind her eyelids. She wondered what death was like. To break away from this life and just let go. No more worries, no more cares. Would she join her ancestors like Onyx thought or would she float forever in darkness? Would she be able to do that? To let go and not care anymore? No. She had promised herself she would survive. She would prove her mother wrong. She had already found someone that wanted to be with her. Onyx claimed he loved her.

I learnt the hard way
That they all say
Things you wanna hear
My heavy heart sinks deep down under
You and Your twisted words
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry

Her mind wandered back to what caused this day. Was it her fault? Would he be fine and healthy if she had died like her mother had wanted her too? Sparrow got this sickening feeling in her stomach and the pain in her paw suddenly came back, stronger than before. She had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out. The tenseness in her jaw relaxed after the pain disappeared. She could handle it. She had handled worse.

Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

((Lyrics from "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles))

[Onyx Stargazer]

Twig still looked worried. He didn't think that her wound would go away that easily. He watched her go lay down, before staring back at Onyx. The torbie raised his head, his strength beginning to return. "Twig?" he murmured, his soft orange eyes reflecting the sunrise at the far horizon. "You came back." "Yes, I guess I did..." the two's voices were hushed murmurs, the collie's quiet barking, and the alley cat's gentle mews and murmurs. "I'll be right back," Twig barked to his friend.

The dog gathered the last comfrey stalk, it's leaves not yet useless, and crept silently over to the she-cat. He nuzzled her leg, checking to see if it was broken after he had wiped the natural moisture as to not startle the she-cat. He stopped as she gritted her teeth, guessing that he had found the area that had been injured in the fall. taking the cobwebs off of the comfrey, he had stored the leftovers on the leaf, and licking the leaf, he gently wrapped the comfrey around her leg, making sure that he didn't put any presure on it as he held it around it with the cobwebs.

He saw he muscles relax, and guessed that it felt better, so he disappeared from her side, and trotted over to Onyx, laying near his back and rasping his large tongue over the tom's ears. Onyx got the message, and fell gently asleep; he needed rest after the day he had been through.

[katzen22]

Looking for something I've never seen
Alone and I'm in between
The place that I'm from and the place that I'm in
A city I never been
I found a friend or should I say a foe
Said there's just a few things you should know
We don't want you to see we come and we go
Here today, gone tomorrow

She didn't hear much of the small conversation Onyx and the dog were having. the only thing she caught was "Twig" and "came back". She guessed that "Twig" was the name of the dog. She wasn't sure what Onyx had meant by "came back" and she wondered if she would ever find out. If he ever wanted to tell her, she concluded. Sparrow wouldn't make a fuss about it. If he had a friendship with a dog that was okay with her. She'd never met a dog before, except for the fluffy little white dog that had yapped one day while it was being pulled along by it's human. But then she hadn't known it had been a dog. She ahd thought it was a rat of some sort.

We're only taking turns
Holding this world
It's how it's always been
When you're older you will understand

If Onyx wanted a dog-friend then she didn't care. It was his choice, it didn't affect her in a big way. Heck, maybe she'd befriend the dog too. if she got over the fact that all the stories of dogs she'd ever heard had been about blood-thirsty monsters. Twig seemed the opposite. And without twig Onyx could have died. She wouldn't had been able to live with herself if that happened. She hadn't known what to do to help Onyx. Twig had and had come to help.

If I say who I know it just goes to show
You need me less than I need you
But take it from me we don't give sympathy
You can trust me trust nobody
But I said you and me we don't have honesty
The things we don't want to speak
I'll try to get out but I never will
This traffic is perfectly still

The pain died in her leg and she tried to get comfortable without moving her leg. She wouldn't let this injury mess with her life and the way she lived. She'd live with it, try to make a peace treaty of some sort. She'd adjust. It's not like this would kill her. If she just ignored it maybe it would go away. She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice the gentle touch of a muzzle.

We're only taking turns
Holding this world
It's how it's always been
When you're older you will understand

Sparrow eventually nodded off to the sound of birds singing in the trees. A cicada buzzed somewhere in the forest. She pushed all her worry to the back of her head and listened to the forest. She was once again enchanted by the sights, sounds and smells it produced. The sweet perfume of flowers filled the air along with the fresh scent of new grass. There were no fumes from the large metal shells on wheels. The scent of humans did not linger here.

And then again maybe you don't
And then again maybe you won't
When you're older you might understand
When you're older you might understand

((Lyrics from "Trust Me" by The Fray))

[Onyx Stargazer]

Onyx had fallen into a undisturbed sleep to Twig's gentle licking. The collie didn't know what to do next; just sit here and stare into outer space? While thinking, he noticed his jaws spread wide in a yawn, his yellow-white teeth showing. Laying down next to his friend, he made himself comfortable without moving the torbie, and fell asleep almost instantly as he layed his head on his black and white paws. The sounds of the forest died, and his vision became black as time slipped away, his deep rythymic breaths matching Onyx's as the two old pals slept together, the warmth of the sun that could strech through the trees touching their pelts.

[katzen22]

And even though the moment passed me by
I still can't turn away
Cause all the dreams you never thought you'd lose
Got tossed along the way
And letters that you never meant to send
Get lost or thrown away

Darkness. A soft sanctuary for those who can find warmth in it. And there's usually only warmth in it when there's sound. Nice sounds. Calming sounds. Happy sounds. Things like birds chirping and the wind in the leaves. It's also warm when there are scents. Scents like grass and trees and flowers. Things that are living. Something that's cold and dead isn't nice. Especially when it's dark. It creates fear. Causes the heart to speed up and the breathing to quicken. Fear causes warmth to become cold.

And now we're grown up orphans
That never knew their names
We don't belong to no one
That's a shame
But if you could hide beside me
Maybe for a while
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell em your name

Fear had entered Sparrow's dreams. She was back in her old home. She was surrounded by filth and garbage. The scents of other cats engulfed her. The metallic scent of blood wafted past her nose also. She peaked out from behind the sofa where she had been hiding a bit of food from the other cats. The first thing she saw was the red stain on the carpet. The second thing she saw was the cream and red furry lump over in the corner. She thought the worst, but then noticed the slight movement of the lump. The twitch of a tail and the rise of chest.

Scars are souvenirs you never lose
The past is never far
Did you lose yourself somewhere out there
Did you get to be a star
And don't it make you sad to know that life
Is more than who we are

Sparrow crawled from her hiding spot, keeping to the shadows as to not be noticed. Once she had a good view of the cat she recognized it as Silver, an old she cat. "Sparrow." She whispered, her voice scratchy. "I know you're there. I can smell you." Sparrow quietly crawled forward so she was in the old she cat's sight. "What do you want?" Silver asked. "I was worried." Sparrow answered. "Ha." Silver laughed and then broke off into a fit of coughing. When the coughing calmed she continued. "No need to worry about me. I'm nothing to worry about. I'm not important." Sparrow didn't believe that, but she said nothing. She just left Silver and went back to her hiding spot.

You grew up way too fast
And now there's nothing to believe
And reruns all become our history
A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell em your name

The whole night Silver's raspy breathing was heard with the occasional cough. In the morning she had been dead. Silver had been attacked by one of the males while going to get food from the bowl. The male had been merciless. Silver had escaped and dragged herself into the corner to die. When the man found her body he put her in a black plastic bag and threw her out onto the street like she was trash. Silver had been right. She was nothing.

Sparrow woke from her dream, tears at the corners of her eyes. She had liked Silver and cared for her. Silver had been almost like a mother, a real mother. She had told Sparrow stories and had even let Sparrow sleep with her when a storm came. Sparrow knew Silver wasn't nothing. And when she died Sparrow had felt alone and cold. The sun had moved in the sky. It was almost sunset. Sparrow hadn't realized how tired she had been.

I think about you all the time
But I don't need the same
It's lonely where you are come back down
And I won't tell em your name

((Lyrics from "Name" by The Goo Goo Dolls))

[Onyx Stargazer]

Onyx slowly awoke, surprised that it was already sunset. His belly rumbled, and he was afraid it would wake Twig; the dog was still sleeping. The tom felt strength flowing into his limbs, and he tryed to stand. Through he was a little wobbly at first, he was able to steady himself enough to pad slowly off of the moss and feathers, and into the clearing. Even though he had slept for the whole day, laying there doing nothing but breathing, he felt exhausted.

Onyx's jaws parted slightly, revealing his yellow-white teeth as he tasted the air for food. He began to over-salivate as the warm scent of mouse hit the roof of his mouth. Just barely making the kill, he was able to put his stiff legs to work withing his stalking and pouncing. The prey didn't even have time to squeal in terror as a silver claws slit it's throat and teeth like large steak knives snapped it's tiny neck.

The spotted tom couldn't wait to eat any longer; he tore into the kill, eating it swiftly incase Sparrow was watching him. Onyx knew she didn't like the idea of fresh-kill, which made it harder and harder to impress her. A lump in his stomach began to grow as he scraped dirt over his prey's remains. Would he be able to impress the she-cat? Was it worth trying? He looked at his white forepaws, his toes and claws dappled with his prey's blood, and he began to feel guilty. Maybe Sparrow was right; was it worth hundreds of lives to sustain one higher ranked one the food chain?

[katzen22]

All day staring at the ceiling
Making friends with shadows on my wall
All night hearing voices telling me
That I should get some sleep
Because tomorrow might be good for something

Sparrow scanned the clearing, looking for changes, something to amuse her possible. Something to drag her mind away from sad memories. She didn't notice the empty nest at first while she was trying to distract herself, but when she did realize that Onyx had left the clearing she was on her paws without even thinking. She picked up his scent, and only his scent thankfully, not some other animal's, and followed it into the forest. Then she caught the scent of mouse and her mouth started to water and she felt her hunger.

Hold on
Feeling like I'm headed for a breakdown
And I don't know why

It sickened her that she could even think of eating another living thing. It was impossible for her to even put it in the category 'food'. Other cats could eat it, go ahead. They had their own opinions and she had hers. She didn't see anything wrong with doing something you saw right and good. That didn't bother her. What bothered her was doing something you didn't see as right or good. Especially under the influence of someone else. Then she saw Onyx and anger started to bubble up inside her. This was foreign to her.

But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you cant tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be...me

"Why in the world are you up?" She hissed at him. He needed rest. If he started moving around before his injury was fully healed he could open it up again, make it worse. Get it infected. Her hazel eyes turned to slits as she glared at him and her ears went back against her skull. But she knew she wasn't angry at him. She could never be angry at him. No way, no how. It was impossible to even think of it. She wasn't sure if he could even do something to make her angry.

I'm talking to myself in public
Dodging glances on the train
And I know, I know they've all been talking about me
I can hear them whisper
And it makes me think there must be something wrong with me
Out of all the hours thinking
Somehow Ive lost my mind

((Lyrics from "Unwell" by Matchbox Twenty))

[Onyx Stargazer]

The angry snarled sent Onyx up into the sky with a yowl. Landing somewhat gracefully back onto four paws, he was facing Sparrows bright amber slitted eyes, the fire flicking inside of them scorching his fur. His claws were slid out and his fur was bristling as he crouched to the ground, his whole body trembling.

"You know, uh, just s-s-strolling ar-around..." the torbie stammered, not wanting the fea to think that he was hunting other lives for food. If he had told her the truth, she might be offended. He didn't want that. But what if he lost her trust? He didn't know what else to do except wait for her response, and maybe his punishment.

The fluffy dog sat bolt upright as a yowl disturbed his sleep. Twig rolled his eyes at the empty nest, but stopped abruptly as he remembered the yowl. God damnit, Onyx!!! What now?! he thought as he pounded across the clearing towards the sound. His black floppy ears pushed back, he slowed to a stop beside Sparrow. Glaring at the two young cats, he let out a low growl. "What's going on?"