Forbidden Shadows - Chapter One

(It's finally here! But if you haven't read the prologue yet, please read that first before you read this. If you choose not to, then most of this chapter will really confuse you. Thanks!)

Bluejay streaked through the cold, dark forest, his paws slamming down on the grass. The rain pattered down on his already-wet pelt, making the blue tom feel chilled to his very bones. The cat could hear the footsteps echoing behind him. He knew that he had to escape them. But who were they, and why did they hate him so much?

Bluejay had no idea.

Suddenly Bluejay felt himself stumble. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" he wailed as he fell into an inky pitch blackness. He felt himself falling, falling, falling for eternity. Would this endless chase be over? Would he fall to his death now, letting down all the cats he had promised to save? And Stormcloud! What would she do? She could not lead them alone.

Bluejay worriedly thought over everything he had seen in the dream Stormcloud had shared with him. Having the same dream on the same night had felt weird, but what had felt weirder was the meaning of the dream itself.

Before Bluejay could think anything else, light burst into the pitch black death hole, and it exploded into Bluejay's eyes. His eyes flashed white, then he opened them.

It had all been a dream. He lay in an alley back in the city.

In a quick instant Bluejay recognized this alleyway. It lay in between the butcher's shop and the grocery store, and was the biggest alley in the whole city. It was the Stray Corporation's headquarters. Bluejay and Stormcloud were a part of the biggest cat society ever known to live in the city. Stray cats worked together to get meals, not against one another. Most alley cats stuck to being selfish, but these cats were anything but that.

Suddenly Bluejay felt a pain raise from his claws into his paws. From his paws the pain leaked into his legs. From there the feeling spread into his body and his tail. And then it finally reached into his head and ears. The cat let out a weak cry of pain.

As soon as Bluejay let out the cry, Stormcloud was at the tom's side in seconds.

"I knew you'd wake up soon," she smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I've been mauled by 50 humans. And would you mind explaining why?"

Stormcloud sighed. "Well, I hate to say it, but a group of strays figured out about our little secret dream. They hate the idea that they need to save themselves. They hate it all. They stare at you and I with narrowed, distrusting eyes. They don't understand, they don't trust us. And some of those cats attacked you after leaving the Corporation."

"WHAT! Cats from the Corps? Leaving and attacking me?"

"Yes. They would have gotten me too, but the raccoon was too big for them to get past to attack me. And they also had intended to end your life. Thank the world that they failed as the raccoon thought that THEY had the meat and attacked them off."

"Thank the world, indeed! I would have been dead meat if it weren't for that raccoon. But listen. We need to talk. What if the others act the same way as the rebel cats? You know, what if they don't listen? What if they take it that we're joking instead?"

"Bluejay, someone's got to believe us. And when we leave to save those someones, the others will choose to stay behind. And when they do, they'll die. Then their last thoughts will be, 'I should have listened!' So don't fear. We'll take the chance with the cats that do as we need, and the others will learn their lessons."

"Can we go tell them now? We have to. It should be starting only two days away. We need time to escape," Bluejay said.

Stormcloud looked nervous, but the grey she-stray nodded. She helped up Bluejay, much adding to his pain, but he was easily able to ignore the pain now. It had become softer, even as he walked. They both padded off to a different alley, where the other cats were eating. The headquarters was only for meetings, anyway.

Both cats took a deep breath before entering the alley full of tattered cats with mangy pelts.

What would they say? Chapter 2 coming soon!