• I padded through the forest, fog clinging to my whiskers and fur. I saw my best friend, Batz. "Hi," I mewed. "Oh, Pebbles, you made a mistake to come to me when I'm gray muzzled," she purred, stepping towards me. She snarled and pounced...
    I jolted awake in my wicker basket. I was on my back, and the edge was digging into my neck. Al shifted in his basket. His actually had a cushion. I sat up and scratched at my frayed, itchy collar. The bell tinkled. I snorted, "Stupid bell." Moonlight streamed into the kitchen. Our owner came out and poured pellets into our metal bowl. She filled our other bowl with nasty, metallic tasting tap water. Al sat up and shook his fur flat. Why is he treated better? He gets better food, a better basket, and he doesn't have to wear a collar that alerts mice, I thought, He has a microwave... No a micro... Chip? Yeah, a microchip instead of a collar. He padded over to the food bowl and gulped in mouthful of the dry, tasteless pellets that could've passed off as rabbit droppings. I sauntered over and lapped up some of the metallic water. I'd prefer the puddle outside, but I was thristy and I didn't want to get yelled at by my owner. Al snarled at me when I tried to eat a mouthful of the pellets. I hissed and Al pounced on me. I ripped out a tuft of fur and he slashed at my face in return. Our owner picked us up and flung us to the ground. I snarled, and recieved a smack that almost knocked me over. I glanced at Al, dazed on the floor. Then I glanced over at the pet door. I darted in between our owner's legs and grabbed my brother by his scruff. I hauled him out the pet door and over the fence. "Put me down!" He snarled, twisting around. I dropped him. "Why'd you take me? I don't want to leave!" Al spat. "Trust me, yes you do," I mewed calmly, padding across the road and into the forest where my best friend lived. Al trotted up to me. We continued deeper into the forest and emerged into a clearing. There was a rustling, and we crouched low, glaring at the shadows. A ginger cat padded into the clearing. His ears and paws were white, but the tip of his tail was black. A group of cats fanned out behind him. He sniffed us. "You're a long way from your Longlegs, aren't you, housepet?" He meowed. "I'm not a housepet," I hissed. "Yeah? Then what's that around your neck?" The cat asked, using his claw to flick my bell. I looked at my paws. "Thought so," the mysterious cat growled. "Now go back where you came from." I snarled, "Why don't you go ahead and make us!" A yowl rang about the moonlit clearing. A black cat with jade green eyes emerged out of the shadows. "Flame! Leave the cat be, you pathetic excuse for a-," Flame interrupted the black cat, "Batz, don't even start with me. You left the rest of your Clan back at your camp, and I didn't!" Batz lashed her tail and her Clan of cats fanned out behind her. Flame hissed; he was outnumbered because Batz's Clan was bigger and stronger than his. "Now leave them be!" Batz snarled. Flame and his Clan backed away, dissapearing into the undergrowth. "Pebbles, you must have bees in your brain! Messing with a cat like Flame on his territory. Especially when it's only the two of you! What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Batz meowed. "We ran away," I explained. "Actually she did, and dragged me with. I'd rather be roadkill than live in the wild," Al snapped. "That can be arranged," I growled. "Anyway..." "Yes you can live with me. Just, uh," Batz slashed off my collar and turned to Al. "Where's yours?" "I have a microchip permanantley implanted in me," Al mewed. "Al! No!" I hissed. Batz's eyes flared up. "What? Well, Pebbles, I think you know the punishment for him," she growled. "Batz, no!" I cried as Batz leapt at Al. She bit into his throat and ripped it out. The light faded from Al's eyes, his face frozen in a look of pure terror. His blue eyes were still, and glazed with fear. "Holy hell, Batz, you killed him!" I mewed in horror. "Well, you shouldn't have brought him!" Batz growled. "But... I ... I had no choice!" I sputtered, tears streaming down my snout. Batz's face softened. "I'm sorry, Pebbles. I had to, otherwise I would have broken the code," she mewed. She put her tail around my shoulders. "Let's go." I nodded, trembling. We padded into the forest. "So, why did you leave?" Batz asked me. "Well... Al was being treated better than me," I meowed quietly. "So you were jealous?" Batz half asked, half concluded. "No... A little!" I added once I got a stern look from Batz. "That's what I thought. I hope you don't mind living in my Clan, because Flame doesn't accept housepets," Batz hissed. "That's because he's a dumbass. Here in the wild, we need all the cats we can get." As we neared the gorge, Batz froze.
    TO BE CONTINUED.......... AGAIN.........................