In the Matter of T r u s t;

Subject: In the Matter of T r u s t; Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:13 pm

In the Matter of T r u s t;

He would always tell her stories about the forest cats. He said that they were amazing, independent, everything that he had ever wanted to be. She never believed him, but she realized the truth when it was too late.
The Past, T. Tragedy and Hurt/Comfort.

It was pouring. Vendetta was sitting under her family's make-shift shelter, a cardboard box. Of course, the box didn't help at all. Water seeped through from the ceiling and fell on their head. She hated it.

Autumn sat next to her, looking out from a small hole on the cardboard. The area was too squished for his liking, he could feel every movement. The air was suffocating, it was hard to breathe. He felt bored. Too bored. But then he heard a question from his younger sibling.

"Tell me a story, Autumn."

She didn't have anything better to do, and she knew her brother had enough stories to tell. She patiently waited for his response. The patter of the rain was deafening, but her ears were sharp enough to hear him.

"Well, there are these wild cats in the forest." he began. "They all live together in a clan, helping on another to survive. Some are warriors that hunt prey and fight, some are cats who collect plants to use them as medicine... There are many out there, and everything's about loyalty in pride." he have a childish grin. "I wish I can be a clan cat, it would be amazing."

His sister rolled her eyes at his words. "I doubt it." she murmurs. She asks why he would ever bother going into the forest for something like that. He merely smiles but doesn't reply. She feels annoyance rise up inside her but keeps quiet. She knows how it is. He brother was as stubborn as a cockroach.

Everything was falling. The walls, the ceiling, the place they called home. It was being ruined. The twolegs commanded their monsters to ram into the red stone that housed them. The disgusting stench of the cold monsters were intoxicating her. Rocks were falling, falling everywhere. She was running, running as fast as she can.

She didn't want to die.

She can't die.

She could hear the yowls of agony from behind her. She took a quick moment to look behind her only to see her handsome father be crushed as a steel post fell on top of her, along with more rubble.

This wasn't happening.

This was all a dream.

A dream she couldn't wake from if she tried. She could hear a screech from her brother, Autumn. She called out his name, and he replied back. She called to him, asked for whereabout, but the deafening sound of the destruction had muted his voice. For once in her life, she let the walls fall down inside, her pride was shifted away.

She cried.

She felt alone, there was no one left for her, all her loved ones were dead. Dead and gone. This was a nightmare. She couldn't stand the sight. She ran away, leapt into the forest.

She would never come back.

It was a moon after the demolishment of her home. She had lived in the forest. Every night she had cried herself to sleep, and even in the day she had cried. She felt like she was suffocating every day, her throat tightening, her breath choking.

A growl erupted from around her. She whipped her head around and called out. Fear rose in her stomach as she heard a bark. Upon the second snarl she jumped onto her feet and dashed. Two hounds were trailing her from behind, easily keeping up with her pace.

She screeched at them. Told them to go away, but she was only met with barks that only translated to murder. A single coup was made and she felt herself being held by the tail, rapidly shaken side to side.

But then she heard yowls. Yowls from cats. She felt her body propelled in the air as she hit a tree branch, falling to the earth at an alarming rate. She hit the ground, hidden inside a bush. The yowls were louder, there were screeches and hisses.

She opened her eyes and peeked out the bush. Cats were working together and fighting the canines. She could hear them talk to each other, synchronize their movements, and help their friends. They had such odd names.

"Coldeyes! Back me up! I'm going in for a belly rake!" a tom cried out. "Got it, Cinderspirit!" the she-cat replied. "Where's the leader?!" one cat called. "Dawnstar's coming with another patrol of warriors! Don't worry!"

Vendetta's eyes widened. Warriors. Were these the cats that her brother had once told her about? They... Were brave. The fear was ebbing away as she darted out of the prickly bush she sat in. These cats had just saved her life, and now she had a debt to pay.

2 other she-cats had rushed in. Both were silve in color as one yelled at the other cat, who was considerably younger. "Dreampaw! Get back to the camp and continue your medicine cat apprentice duties! This battle is not for you!" The apprentice whined. "But Feathercloud! I can't just sit in the den and sort herbs when cats might die out here!" she called back, heading downhill to a safer place.

Vendetta rushed into the fight, ignoring the stares and glances as she hurled her body at one of the dogs. She yowls as it bit her tail, but she sunk her teeth in it's scruff. Red. Red. Red. Crimson was everywhere. Her head was pounding. The drumming of her heart fast. She was crying as she fought.

The battle ended as quickly as it begun as the dogs fled. The cats approached her, cautious. "Thank you for helping us defeat the dogs. You seem strong." a tom approached her. An air of authority with him. "Will you join my clan, Frozenclan?" There were expectant looks from all the cats around her.

The clan cats were real. Vendetta took in a shaky breath, standing up and shaking dirt off her white fur. She licked blood off her paws, her green eyes looking the tom over. She finally responded.

"No thank you."

She quietly padded away, her tail still spilling blood from the wound the dog had inflicted. She didn't care though, the feeling, the knowledge, that something her brother told her that she didn't believe was the reality had hit her like a truck.

She was still dreaming.

She had to be.