Rack growled something, but I didn't hear.

The cat was huge, taller and thicker than me and Fallan. He looked well-fed, and had striking dark green eyes.

A nasty gash showed in his side, and I lowered my eyes as he returned my stare, then looked back up as he turned to lick his wound.

I kind of wondered how he hadn't managed to escape, but then figured Slamble would be a decent match for the muscled black cat, and two extra smaller wolves could probably easily over-power him.

His legs were thick, his chest deep and head wide and broad. His paws were also huge, and looked like they came with a deadly blow.

He didn't really have much of a body of a cheetah.

So what was he? I wondered as I gazed, kind of suspicious. Seeing and studying him up close made me wary, the way he looked around as if everything were perfectly fine, a wide gash in his pelt.

Hmm. Well, Fallan had bigger paws then me and Hannah, and was shorter and more stout like him. So maybe he was a cheetah, just a weird black one.

Plus, as I peered a bit more closely, I could see his pelt had very faint dark open spots around his belly.

"Spirit," I heard someone fiercely whisper my name, and snapped out of my examination, immediantly wondering why I'd just stared at the black cheetah so long.

I'd been staring and squinting at him as if he was the most interesting thing in the world, but now my attention was drawn to my pride.

They were all looking at me, but Hannah and Fallan were the only ones with confused faces.

"What are we going to do?" Midnight asked, looking up at me, and then all but Diamond's face turned frightened and worried.

Fallan had lowered herself on the ground, her ears flattened, nervously trying to listen for any sudden movements that the wolves behind us might make. The red wolf, Russet, I believed, sat guard by the black cheetah, and Rack and Slamble beside us.

I was caught very off guard by the question, and didn't know what to say. They all stared as I shuffled my paws in embarrassment.

Well, how was I supposed to know? I was the only one who could decently fight here, really, and I couldn't take on three wolves by myself.

"She'll come up with a plan," Midnight said in my place, looking up at me with certain purple eyes.

"Yeah, you just need to think. Right Spirit?" Hannah said uncertainly, and I nodded.

If I wanted to be honest, I had no idea how to come up with a plan that involved everyone getting away. If I tried to pick a fight with any of the wolves to let my pride-mates get away, chances were one of them would see them leaving, and go for chase. That would only end up hurting someone I cared about in the process.

And with nothing to do, I laid down for a quick wash and felt my stomach growl.

Well, didn't life just suck. Chances were we'd be hungry all day, because the wolves had eaten our prey.

And what did they plan to do with us, anyways? If they'd wanted to kill us, they would of already done it. Ash's pack had been delibertly taught to be ruthless.

If anything, I knew Ash would want to save me, Hannah and Fallan for himself to finish off, because I'd scarred one of his eyes into blindness and all of us had been very lucky to escape. Ash maimed all that opposed him, but since I'd been quick and sly I was able to escape with my sisters.

"Spirit," Midnight said, as I looked up from absent-mindedly licking the soft fur of the inside of my leg.

"He's been staring at you for awhile now," she said and I didn't realize who she was talking about until my eyes ran over the cheetah on the street stump.

He was laying down now, head turned fully to the side to peer at me, his tail flicking from side to side.

Well, that is until I met his eyes. His gaze flickered away immediantly, and I didn't know what to think.

So for some reason now he wasn't confident to look at me? Well, it honestly didn't bother me. Instead of thinking of what was best for my pride, earlier I'd been squinting at the cheetah like a juicy piece of prey.

"You'd make a good meal for the boss," Rack said and I turned around to see him glowering at Midnight

He looked like he was about to snap at the kitten, his eyes hungry, when I threw myself in front of her and shot out a paw at his fithy mouth.

Rack screwed up his face and backed up quickly before my claws could reach it.

He glanced at me with an amused gleam in his yellow eyes.

"Slow cats." He bared his stained teeth, and I bared mine but kept my response to myself, sitting down in front of Midnight.

"The boss has been searching for you for ages." He licked his lips and looked up with a smirk.

"We been searching for you for a long time. Your death will not be fast."

Rack gave hints but clearly wasn't going to give away what his pack was planning, and I tried not to let his words get to me.

"You lucky she told us not to kill anyone with you," he growled and then laughed, while I turned my head. confused.

Who was he talking about? 'She'? Ash was a male wolf, and an old one at that.

Which made me think... Maybe they'd appointed a new starwolf of the pack. After all, he'd probably be run down by now, and still had poor eyesight from the time I'd scarred his vision.

"Ohh, so you're not in Ash's pack?" I purred, and he looked at me in disgust.

"Of course I am," he snapped. "We all are, stupid pitiful cheetah."

I almost rolled my eyes, because the little wolf had no room to talk.

"So who's the new starwolf?" I asked instead, looking at the ground trying not to appear very interested.

But Rack simply glared at me, then lowered his head and growled. Turning, he stalked a few tail-lengths away and snapped something at Russet, who arose from her spot beside the black cheetah and came to guard us.

I stared as he laid down and picked at his paw, an angry frown on his face. No doubt he must have been upset with himself for letting out information.

I wondered if the young red wolf would give me any more information on where the rest of Ash's massive pack was, and checked behind me to see Slamble sitting a ways away from Hannah and Fallan, guarding the other side of us.

"So when are your little friends arriving, hmm?" But the red wolf didn't reply; she was looking at the giant black cat, her back turned to me, who was cleaning his side wound.

I let my gaze travel over to him, just to see why she was peering at him.

Great Skycat, he was so huge and built. Taller then me, even, which said a lot.

He had a wider body, yet not longer, with thick, muscled legs and a large head to match his gigantic paws. Though, it was no doubt that I had longer legs.

"Hey!" Slamble crashed into my side and my paws flew from underneath me. Gasping, before I could do anything he had pinned me down. I struggled under his huge weight, more shocked than anything.

Beside me, Midnight growled at him and Hannah and Fallan gazed down at me anxiously.

"Pay attention!" He growled.

So Slamble had stopped pacing and howling to his pack that seemed far off in the mountains.

"Ash and the starwolf will be coming soon. Until then you will stay here with us. Try anything funny, and I rip your pelt off."

Ugh, what was it with wolves and threats?

"And," Slamble seemed to have noticed the slightly cooler winds.

"You will sleep out here-" Rack cut Slamble off as he slipped the last word out.

"But wouldn't it be easier if 'dey was all crammed togef-"

"QUIET!" Slamble intterupted this time.

"Okay, Spirit, I've changed my mind." He moved and turned his back to me. I also noticed my name was spat out as if too disgusting to roll off the tongue properly as I got up.

"You're ALL going to sleep in your warm nest. You, your kitty friends" he glanced around, then peered at the black cheetah. "And him. Just one more night before your death."

Behind me Fallan quivered and I couldn't help suppressing a shiver of fright.

I had done this to them, and now two more innocent cats would die alongside me.

We had to get out of here.

I sucked in a breath as I remembered those last words: "Before your death."

Slamble had snarled in my face after that, and I fluffed out my fur in a low hiss. Right now they were both sending urgent messages to their packmates, only I couldn't understand what the wolves' howls actually said.

Slamble and Rack had been sending messages for a while now, and to my terror I could hear distant howls in return, coming from the direction we had came from.

So that was that.. They had been tracking me down. Me and my sisters, for who knew how long.

I glanced back at Diamond now. The calico kit was bouncing around, chasing after a dead leaf as it got tossed about the air in the light breeze. Everyone else looked at the ground with somber faces, and I felt a tug in my heart because the kit didn't know what was going on.

She had no idea what might happen tomorrow, if we didn't escape, but I supposed that was a good thing for now. I didn't want the little kit to become down if found out she might... Well, die you might say.

In fact, it was actually kind of soothing, the way she laughed playfully, running and tumbling about without a care in the world.

But I interrupted Diamond from her play with a gentle mew.

"Hey, sweetie, come here." I laid my muzzle down on the ground so I could be eye level with her. Sure enough, she came scurrying over with wide, interested blue eyes.

"Whats?" Her words weren't quite right, but I didn't care; at least she was learning to speak.

"Have you ever heard of Cheetah Pride?"

Her face screwed up as she entered a deep thought, or tried to make sense of what my words all meant put together. "Huh?"

She put both of her tiny white front paws on my muzzle, staring me with those icy-blue eyes in wonder. Her head cocked to one side, and I smiled.

"Well, we wer-"

I coughed, pretending I hadn't made a mistake of words. Which, I kind if hadn't, but did at the same time. Because we might be able to escape, if I could come up with a way to get out of this situation without hurting any of my pridemates.

"Well, we're traveling there." I forced my cheeks to rise into a grin. "And it's wonderful. Oh, just amazing. It's a place where cheeta-"

Again, a dry cough. "Oh, It's a place where cats from all over the world come to live in peace and harmony."

The little kit still stared at me.

"Well, It's.. never being in danger. Happiness, never being disturbed, food everywhere. Oh, all the food you could imagine! And many rivers to swim, and beautiful trees and yellow grass-fields. And no wolves," I meowed, trying to sound happy.

She simply gave me a weird look, so I pointed a paw at the russet wolf across the clearing, and Diamond simply stared in wonderment.

So I rolled over on my back and stared up at the darkening sky, using a paw to gesture the word 'all.'

"There's rabbits, mice, shrews, birds, moose, elk, gazelle, oh, every kind of prey! All you could eat!"

Diamond licked her lips at this statement.

"Sounds good."

"Yes, and many cats live there, no fighting, no arguing. Just plenty of food, water, and company. And we're going to go there."

All of a sudden the kitten jumped up onto my stomach and padded up to my chest to sit down and look me in the eyes.

"Yay!" she mewed happily and jumped up and down on me.

I felt determination begin to shine in my eyes, through my pelt and soul.

"Diamond, I swear to you we're going to make it there."

And I meant it. After all, I owed it to the kit for taking her from her comfortable life in the barn to come on this journey with me.

She looked at me for a long moment, and her gaze grew distant and tired. The kit then yawned and jumped down from my chest.

"Hungry," she complained. Sitting up, I swept my tail around her and moved her closer to me to share body warmth with the fuzzy kit.

"Yes, I know. I am too. But don't worry we'll eat soon."

I then turned and observed my surroundings while Diamond curled up beside me.

Hannah and Fallan were worridly looking on at Rack and Slamble.

Midnight was close by, and looked up at me with a hard glance, then returned her glare to the wolves.

I didn't move to sit by her, but neither did she to me; it was clear she was trying to think of a plan of some sorts, and suspected that I was, too.

My eyes swept the clearing until they came to the tree stump, on him. It was the black cheetah of whom I still did not know the name of.

His eyes met mine as soon as mine settled, and I realized that he had been most likely been staring at me and Diamond and might have heard our conversation.

His face was as cold and still, no expression given whatsoever. I glared at him; for what reason I did not know-because I didn't like the fact that he was staring?

But yet, his eyes still remained locked on mine, even as Russet switched positions with Slamble.

The sky was beginning to turn a light purple at the beginnings of night, when he blinked, smiled, and looked away.