I have caught my first prey for my hunting patrol. It's a fat squirrel that makes me drool as I look at it. For the first time today, I realize how hungry I am. When have I last eaten? My belly rumbles, and I instinctively dart my eyes around to see if anyone is near enough to have heard it. Luckily, I'm alone other than the watcher, who was pacing around in the distance, so I sigh and carry the squirrel towards the white cat. As I walk, my mind drifts off and focuses on the atmosphere around me.

        So far, I haven't really noticed a lot of things that are different than Earth. Of course, unlike the diverse landforms on Earth, the ground here is always flat. Even all of the strands of grass are literally the same height, reaching up to the middle of my legs. I don't mind, though. Without the dips and rises in the land and the stupid trees, I don't need to trip or run into anything. However, one characteristic about Gardinia really bothers me: it's the sky. I mean, it's so dull, gray, and melancholy. It's completely cloudless, and that might be a sign of good weather on Earth, but in this case, I'm begging for a cloud to show up to lighten it up. I don't see the sun, either. From what I see at night, there are few stars and no moon.

        Those are just a few extra reasons on why I need to get out of this stupid hole. What if I can threaten Name-or-Ice to  take me back to Earth? I drop my prey in the pile next to the watcher and nod to her in greeting as I think of the possibility. Five of the cats already stand next to her, already finished with catching their two prey, and they are talking amongst themselves. I need one more piece of prey to be finished with my hunt, so I turn and sprint away to find something else.

The plot to threaten the leader of the camp is forgotten, though, when another idea pops up in my mind.

What if I escape to join the rebels?

The sudden thought, along with the excitement that came with it, made me almost trip over my own feet as I ran. I snort at myself. There's barely anything in the ground here and here am I tripping. I shake my head and continue on with the plan. It could take more work, but it could be slightly less dangerous and maybe a higher chance of working. But how do I find the rebels? Well, maybe we should start at the beginning. How do I escape the camp?

My line of thought is interrupted when a meaty scent of mouse fills my nostrils. A moment later, I vaguely see the light brown mouse, half-hidden by the long grass and chewing on a plant. Instinctively, my body lowers down to the ground, and I stalk towards the prey. However, I'm caught off-guard when I see a black paw from the corner of my eye. My eyes dart up, and I see Mirage stalking the same mouse. She glares at me, and I mouth, "Sorry," as I straighten up. I must have made some noise, because as soon as I get up, the mouse makes a panicked squeak as it glances at me with its beady eyes before darting away into the grass.

Mirage opens her mouth to yell at me, but I'm already off after the mouse. I'm not going to let this stupid mouse get away because of her! I feel myself getting closer, closer to the mouse, and I force my paws to beat forward until my front paws land on a firm, small body. A wild, high-pitched victory yowl slips out my mouth before my jaws bite down on the mouse's throat. It stops thrashing around, and I purr with satisfaction.

"That was my prey! I had it first!" A piercing shout makes me spin around to see the source of the enraged voice. Of course, Mirage is standing right next to me. My ears flatten in disappointment. She followed me.

        I shrug, backing up from her. "But you didn't catch it," I say, looking into her furious brown eye and trying not to glance at her scar. "I did."

       Mirage narrows her eyes, glaring at me as she stalks toward me with her white fur bristled. For some reason, I can't help noticing for the first time that she seemed attractive with her long legs and her deep voice. "I swear," she growls, her voice dropping so quiet and intense that I have to strain my ears to hear her, "you seem to be wanting to get on my nerves today. If you don't stop being such an idiot-"

        "Fine! Fine! Here's the mouse!" My temper finally slips from under my control, and I pick up the stupid thing with my jaws and hurl it at her. It lands by her paws. "Go give it to the watcher or whatever that's called and be done. I don't care anymore. I just want to get out of this idiotic planet, and to be honest, everything about this place is getting on my nerves!" I realize that I'm practically screaming at her, and I pause for a second to regain at least some of my sanity. Then, I mutter, "I'm sorry for hunting the mouse." With that, I spin around to pad away.

        Before I walk three steps away from her, though, I hear Mirage's voice from behind me. "Wait. Don't leave yet." Paw steps lightly pound towards me, and the next moment I know, she is next to me again. I sigh and turn towards her, and she continues.

"I understand how you want to get back to Earth. I really do." Mirage is staring at me straight in the eye even though my gaze is starting to wander out in the distance, checking for more prey to finish my hunt. "The Superiors need help to keep their control over Gardinia, though. The rebels want freedom, but it was complete chaos before we took control, and listen to me." Her last words come out so harsh and firm that my eyes automatically shift back to her. She inches closer to me, and I breathe in her scent. I realize that she smells like the wind.

Mirage is so close to me that I can see the tiny green specks in her eye and the details of her scar. Yet, something about her keeps myself from backing away. "Just hang on," she growls. "As soon as Name thinks you are a good enough fighter, he will send you to the Earth-Superior army. You will fight the rebels, and as soon as we win, we will send you back to Earth." I stare at her. So, there is a way out without breaking the rules. We will win, and they will send me back.

"We win, I go home," I murmur, more to myself than to Mirage. She nods and finally steps away to grab the mouse in her jaws. I silently stand there as she walks toward the watcher, but then something pops up in my head. "I'm sorry Name kicked you out of your position," I blurt out. "You know, the fighting trainer thingy."

Mirage freezes in place, and for a second, I think she's going to be angry again, but she's not. She drops the mouse. Without tilting her head around, she simply says, "I knew someone overheard us." Bitterness covers her voice, and I automatically feel guilty for eavesdropping.

I don't know what to say, so I just stay quiet. An awkward silence stretches between us, mainly because Mirage's back is still turned to me. My gaze shifts down to my paws as I hurriedly try to think of something to say to break the quietness.

        I don't need to say anything, though, because Mirage finally speaks again. "I will prove to him that I'm good enough." Her voice is firm and bitter. "Just because my left eye is gone doesn't mean I can't fight." My head lifts up, and I find myself looking at her back again.

        "Right." I nod, unsure if there's anything else I can say. Before either of us says another word, the meaty smell of another mouse fills my nostrils. "I'm going to hunt that mouse," I whisper to her, gesturing towards the direction of the prey with my tail. With that, I lower myself down into the lengthy grass and start to stalk towards the hidden mouse that is not that far away from me.

        I pounce on the white mouse and kill it. Although it's a little on the small side, I'm sure it's good enough for a cat to eat. When I go back to where I was before with the prey, though, I notice that Mirage has disappeared. Sighing, I run towards the watcher with the dead mouse in my jaws.

        When I arrive by the watcher, I realize that everyone else is already here. They seem like they have been waiting for a long time because at least half of the cats give me sharp, impatient glares. Lightning, the gray tom who I met earlier, gives a loud snort, his long whiskers rippling as he gives the sound. He chuckles, "Well, look who just came! You seem to be the procrastinator of our group, eh?" A few cats, like the cat who was the watcher, purr with amusement, but the rest are still giving me the evil eye and muttering complaints.

Mirage, who is in the back of the group, snaps, "Come on, you idiots! Are we still waiting for some imaginary cat? Move it!" She stalks off towards the direction of the camp, and after a moment of staring at her, everyone follows her.

It's a pretty long trek, and my paw pads are burning with pain. When we get through the final steps to the entrance of the camp, which was between two large dens, I am relieved.

But the relief washes away from my body as soon as I find out what is happening in there.

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How did you like this chapter? Did you like the length of this chapter?

Random question: What's your favorite color? (Mine is blue! 😀)