"Where exactly are we going?" I ask as I catch up with Rain and walk in pace with her.

        The afternoon sky is still as gray as usual, and the green, treeless fields still flatly stretch out before us, but somehow, I can tell that we are out of our rebel group's territory. Here, the grass isn't treaded on as much, and the stench of other cats is getting fainter. In fact, by now, I only smell our presence here, no one else's.

"We're going to Silver Lake," she meows, stepping closer to me so that the sides of our bodies are almost touching. "It's where two of the major rebel groups live, and it's the only major body of water in Gardinia. They have to share the lake, so we always hear stories of their fights over it."

Rain glances behind her and halts. "North, are you coming, or are you just gonna hang around back there and be left behind?"

Everyone else stops walking and watches North as he stays in a bent-over position around fifteen tails away from us. A moment later, he straightens up and ambles back toward us. When he finally reaches us, I notice water dribbling down his chin.

Gesturing his tail toward the pond he was drinking at, North growls, "Great heavens, I was just thirsty. Don't look at me like I murdered someone."

As we begin walking again, one of the cats I don't recognize mutters, "Who's looking at you like you murdered someone?"

"All of you," North replies. He cleans his chin with his tongue.

        "Well, to be fair," another cat says, "you do kind of look like a murderer. I mean, you look like you haven't groomed yourself in days."

        Rain snorts in amusement, and as I turn my head to look at North, I nod my head in agreement to what that cat just said. He does look like a killer. His long, silver fur is knotted, partially covered in dirt, and sticking out so much that we could barely see his ears. His eyes look wild. It doesn't help that he also has that slow, purposeful gait that reminds me of a hunter stalking towards his or her prey.

         North glares at the other cat. "Shut up. Do you think I have time to wash myself these days, especially with this brat that I have to train?"

He points his tail in my direction while giving me a dirty look.

"Hey!" I hiss, staring back at him. "What do you mean? You barely teach me anything."

        It's true. He trained me a little yesterday, but most of it involved his shouting insults at me when I did something wrong.

"Yes, I do," North shoots back. "Maybe if you would listen to me once in a while, you would learn something. But I guess Earth cats don't even know how to follow directions, so maybe it's no use."

Fuming, I lash my tail as my ears flatten to my head. With my fur ruffled, I whip my head back around so that I'm facing away from him.

Then, suddenly having enough of North's presence, I bolt past Rain. I keep running until I'm at a fair distance from everyone else. My nostrils flare as I slow down and stalk ahead of everyone else.

Shortly later, Rain comes by my side again. She's alone with me; everyone else is still behind us at a distance.

"Sorry about North," she pants, slowing herself so that she's walking at my pace. "North aggravates everyone like that. He doesn't like anybody."

I stare down at the ground with my ears still flattened. "It's fine. What I don't like is how he keeps reminding me of where I came from. And my stupidity, of course."

My voice comes out dry and defeated. Rain falls silent, and we quietly pad together side-to-side. We pass by a short, crooked tree and a cluster of blue-leaf bushes. I take in the air, starting to smell a fresher stench of cat than before. It's a different type of cat stench that lingers, though; it's intertwined with a sharp tang of what I can only identify as water. Rain seems to note this, and she lightly taps my back with her long tail as we turn right.

        Rain leans her face toward my ear. "Listen," she says. "It's not your fault you ended up here with no way back. And you're not stupid either. You're smarter than you think, so don't let North get you down."

        I shake my head and gaze off into the distance. "I'm not smart. If you hadn't saved me from Ice and Mirage, then my memories would be long gone. All because I was too idiotic to stop myself from getting strikes. North was right all along. All I am is a stupid Earth cat."

        "Don't do that to yourself, Forest. You know you're better than that. Gee, I know you're better than that, and I just met you not long ago. Like I said before, North hates everyone, so try not to take his insults seriously. He messes around with every newcomer, not just you. Come on, let's wait for the others to catch up."

        Rain halts and puts her tail on my shoulder so that I stop walking, too. I feel touched that she decided to come here to try to make me feel better, but however I try, I am unable to convince myself that her words are true. North's words are repeating in my head, and I can't stop thinking about them. A part of me believes his words wholeheartedly. I don't want to tell Rain that though, so I choose to keep silent.

        "By the way," Rain meows, gazing at me with a mischievous look in her eyes, "I didn't let North have the last word. After you left, I called him a sore loser."

        "Oh." I peer over at her, uncertain of how to react, especially since we are within earshot of the others by now. After some thinking, I awkwardly add, "Thanks. . . for everything."

        Both of us turn our heads at the same time just as the others appear right behind us. Without another word from anyone, we tread onwards.

        When we arrive, I figure out how Silver Lake got its name. The water is silver. It reflects the dull gray sky; yet, as the water shifts, it appears to be shiny. There was a lake near where I used to live on Earth, and all I know is that it had blue water and was much larger than the one that I am now looking at. Silver Lake is surrounded by many colorful plants and herbs coming out of the ground, giant rocks that cats can leap on, and bushes. Interestingly, there are blue, red, and green bushes.

         A plump, brown rabbit races from a hole in the ground near one of the bushes. At that moment, I realize that my stomach is rumbling, and I become tempted to chase after the rabbit.

        I'm so distracted that I almost don't catch Ash's hushed warning to the group. "There is a cat coming."

        Ash is looking at something to the right. Everyone else follows his gaze to the small ginger cat who is walking at the edge of the lake towards us.

        "Hey," he shouts as he comes closer, "you all don't smell like you come from here!"

        Rain walks over to meet the tom. Unlike him, her posture is relaxed, and her fur isn't ruffled at all. She politely meows, "Hello! My name is Rainfall, and I am the leader of Team Gardinia. The six cats behind me are also part of Team Gardinia. May I ask which rebel group you are from? Sorry, it's kind of hard to tell by your scent whether you're from the Army or the Shadows."

"I'm from the Shadows," the ginger tabby answers. His gaze is wary, and he stares at us as if we're monsters.

Ash lets out his breath as if in relief. I give him a quick glance before listening to their conversation again.

"Oh, okay. So that means you don't have a leader, right?" Rain asks.

"Exactly, we don't believe in any kind of leadership. We believe that cats are able to govern themselves."

"What a bunch of dimwits," North mutters under his breath. "It's no use even talking to them. I told all of you this is a horrible idea."

One of the cats next to him meows in a low voice, "They're still better than the Peacemakers, though."

        After some clever persuasion from Rain, the ginger tabby finally agrees to take her to the Shadows rebel camp so that everyone can hear her proposal. As the cat swivels around to lead the way, Rain lifts her head toward us and twitches the tip of her tail in his direction. At that tail signal, we cautiously follow both of them at a distance.

After a short walk, to my surprise, we reach the second tree of the day. This one is healthy and thick with light brown bark and many thick, dark green leaves. Beyond the tree, several cats are strolling around. Some are catching fish from the lake with their paws. Others have already noticed our unfamiliar scent and are peering over at us as we enter their camp.

"Hey, everyone," the ginger tabby calls out. "This cat from Team Gardinia has something to say!"

Now, all eyes are on us. Rain is still showing no signs of nervousness or fear. Despite all of the cats staring at her, her sleek pelt is smooth and unruffled, and as she glances at us, her eyes are bright in excitement. She purrs in greeting as many start to slowly assemble around us.

Soon, the Shadows have formed a crowd, most of them appearing confused. Although there are not as many cats as there are in our rebel group, it's still a significant amount.

"Is this supposed to be some type of invasion?" one cat squeaks.

"What do you want?" another snarls.

"Hello," Rain meows in a cheerful, pleasant tone, "this is not an invasion. I am speaking for Team Gardinia as a whole. We have a proposal for you. I know you all have busy lives, so I'll try to make this quick."

Before someone tries to interrupt her, she paces back and forth and continues in a louder voice than before. "Team Gardinia has come up with a plan to restore equality of all cats. In order to be able to defeat the Superior side, we must unite all of the rebel groups. So, here is my fair proposal: if you choose to team up and live with Team Gardinia and help us defeat the Superiors, then we will treat you like allies. We will respect your values because you will be able to provide input on what to do. If you decline, then we will treat you like enemies. Just like the Superior side of the war. And if you doubt our abilities to harm you, then I'm sure the cats behind me will gladly be able to demonstrate their abilities."

        She pauses from her speech and stops pacing. At first, there is an eerie silence at her words. Then, suddenly, there is an outburst of chatter. Cats fire endless questions at Rain, and she goes into the crowd to answer them. Their talking is getting louder and louder. Some look shocked; others look angry or even enraged.

        To my left, North is lashing his tail and grumbling under his breath again, and to my right, Ash is gazing ahead with a grim expression. Neither of them look optimistic about what's going to happen next.

"Hey, guys!" I suddenly shout over the noise as I come forward and take Rain's place in front of the cats from Team Gardinia. "Rain said she wanted this to be quick, so can you be a little quieter so this can go faster?"

Only a few cats listen. The rest shout me down.

"You're not our leader!"

"You don't smell like a rebel; you smell like an Earth cat!"

"Yeah! Who do you think you are, Earth Cat?"

"Be quiet!" I yowl.

My thunderous and harsh voice astonishes me, but I try not to show it. The crowd finally hushes.

Rain exits the crowd and stands next to me. She meows, "You really didn't have to, but thanks, Forest!"

Then, she moves on. "Alright, I think I answered all of the questions anyway. Right?"

No one shoots any more questions.

"Good," she meows. "Remember, you're only going to be allies with us. You don't necessarily have to acknowledge me as your leader. Also, since you are a very individual-based group, not all of you have to agree and follow us. If you really don't want to, then you can stay behind. You can also change your mind and come to us whenever you want. Just know that if you stay behind, you will be considered our enemies unless you change your mind about the proposal."

I return to my spot between North and Ash. Immediately, I receive a snarky comment from North. "It was a miracle that they listened to you, Earth Cat."

I ignore him, staring at my paws.

"Whoever agrees with the proposal," Rain says, "follow us as we exit. Cats who do not agree with the proposal should stay behind."

        Without another word, Rain turns around and nods to us. We leave the camp, and Rain eventually starts to follow us when we are halfway back to where we were before.

        "Do any of you think this is going to work?" I ask the group as we trudge back.

        The only answer I get is from North. "No way."

~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading Chapter 29 of Forest's Fate! 😀

~Midnight