- Oct 17, 2024
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The storm had come suddenly, the sky darkening as rain batters against the windows of Snapper's twoleg nest. He watches it from the safety of a warm windowsill, golden eyes wide with both awe and unease. Storms have always been exciting to imagine - roaring winds and flashing skies - but to witness one so close and so loud leaves his fur bristling. Still, the curiosity tugs at him, stronger than the timid voice in his head urging him to retreat to his comfy bed. On tentative paws, the dark-furred kitten hops down from his perch and pads to the door, where a draft of cold air makes him shiver. To his surprise, he finds it open - a mistake his twolegs must have made in their haste inside. He peers out into the garden, the rain soaking the grass and dripping from the fence posts. The world beyond is dark and loud, but it calls to him all the same.
This is what adventure feels like, He thinks, with a pounding heart . This is what you've dreamed of.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this, though.
The moment Snapper steps outside, the cold, wet ground beneath his paws sends a chill racing up his spine. He'd only meant to explore the yard - just a little, just to see what's beyond the hedge. But the wind howls, and the door slams shut behind him, leaving him stranded. Panic claws at his chest, and without thinking, he bolts, black and white paws splashing through puddles as he runs blindly into the night.
He'd wandered all night and into the next day, the storm seeming to follow him all the while. Hunger gnaws at his belly, and his once sleek sepia fur clings to his frame, plastered down by relentless, freezing rain. Snapper had tried to find his way back, he really did, but the garden fences and cobblestone paths he'd passed in his escape are long gone, replaced by towering trees and endless shadows.
He has no idea where he is. Every rustle of leaves makes him jump, every distant growl of thunder makes him squeak in alarm. He is skittish by nature, and now fear rules his every step. But there is no turning back now.
The scent of something…delicious…had drawn him deeper into the wilderness, even though he has no idea how to find food for himself. He's never hunted in his life, unless silver jingly balls counted. His clumsy attempts at catching a mouse leave him with little more than scratches on his nose and an empty stomach. He continues forward.
Night has fallen, and the young kittypet crouches inside a hollow log, his small body trembling as the rain pours outside. He presses himself against the damp wood, golden eyes wide and darting as he tries to block out the sound of the storm. He is drenched to the bone, his ivory paws and blaze barely visible under the mud. "Twolegs…twolegs will find me soon…" He whispers to himself, but his voice wavers with doubt. How would they even know where to look for him? If only he'd stayed put like a good cat…
A crack of thunder makes him yelp, his small mewling cry swallowed by the wind. Shivering, he curls his tail tightly around himself. The unfamiliar scents of the marsh he's found himself in are overwhelming - sharp, earthy, and wild. Somewhere in the distance, he thinks he hears pawsteps, but he finds he's too frightened to investigate.
Instead, Snapper tucks himself deeper into the log, his pudgy body quivering with both fear and the cold. He's too scared to move, too hungry to rest, and too lost to hope. For now, all he can do is wait and pray that someone will find him before the wild animals do.
