new home

~~~

"THIS PLACE IS PERFECT!" Venom's voice, laced with joy, carried clearly towards her companion as she gazed upon the clearing, her tail swishing happily.

Coral nodded in agreement. "Yeah! It's certainly beautiful."

Standing before the two stood a clearing with a small slope that led down into a dip, with thorn bushes bristling on its borders. Thick trees surrounded it, and a tall boulder stood in the center, with clusters of bushes and logs scattered around. Sure, it would take some work, but Venom was certain the two could clean it up well enough to call it home.

"I think this is what we're searching for."

The two cats had been on the road for almost an entire year now, growing closer and closer to each other every day. Coral filled that gap of lack of affection in Venom, keeping her mind off of Scorpion's death and on the possibilities in the future, urging her to be a better cat that she was before.

Coral hummed in agreement. "Definitely! Shall we take a look?"

It didn't take long before the two were speeding down into the clearing.

"Race you! Whoever reaches the boulder first gets to be leader!" Venom called as they bounded down. The latter was a joke - they had no intentions in starting a Clan or group of any sort, and just wished to spend the rest of their days together in a safe and happy place.

Panting, the black she-cat reached the rock first, tapping her nose to it and pulling away proudly. "I win!"

Coral scoffed playfully. "Well of course you do," she teased. "You're the one that trained in WarClan."

A brief frown tugged on Venom's face before she wiped it away quickly. Coral often made jokes about her past in WarClan - it was almost like an inside joke for the two of them - but the black she-cat wasn't sure she appreciated it. She wanted to leave her past behind. But, she was probably overreacting. As long as Coral viewed her as the new cat she wanted to be, it didn't matter.

"Right!" Venom chirped, moving the subject along quickly. "Oh! There's a crack - let's go see if there's anything inside."

Granted, it probably wasn't the best idea - two cats venturing into a boulder that could collapse on them at any moment, but too young or too excited to care, the they stepped inside, a feeling of awe spreading through them as they were greeted with the sight of the cave.

"Woah! Check this out." Coral's voice travelled towards Venom from the back. "There's a rock wall here!"

Poking her head around the wall, Venom found a snuggly space - the perfect size for a nest. That settled it all: they were staying.

Plans were made. Venom and Coral spent the entire afternoon finding materials to make nests, and when the sun set, the two proudly dragged their findings back, forging them into their places of rest. When all that was completed, the black she-cat offered that they hunt, and the two set off once more, splitting up this time to search for prey separately.

Venom parted her jaws as she looked for prey, her stomach grumbling softly as she padded through the dark forest. Along with her search for food, she was also scenting for cats, to see if anyone had set up their own territory besides theirs, and to try and avoid future conflict in that topic.

Everything was going well - there seemed to be no sign of any cats claiming territory, and Venom had just found a large, plump rabbit. This would serve nicely as dinner.

Crouching down and licking her lips, the black she-cat inched forward, sliding out her claws, preparing to attack. Just as she was about to leap, a screech split the air, making Venom's fur stand up as she jumped, startled. Needless to say, the rabbit had escaped, but that was the least of her worries.

Who was that? Venom's pelt fluffed nervously. Coral? Her stomach flipped at even the slightest thought of her friend being in trouble. As another scream echoed towards her once more, and the black she-cat didn't hesitate to spin around and bound towards the origin of it as fast as her paws could carry her.

Panting as she reached the top of a hill, Venom scanned the valley below her, searching for Coral's cream pelt. Who she found however was not Coral, but a pale ginger she-cat, her eyes bright green with anxiety, clinging to a shaky tree branch as dogs circled below her, panting as their eyes gleamed with excitement.

Venom's pelt bristled. She hated dogs. She'd encountered a couple during her training with WarClan, and really had hoped she'd never see them again.

She could just turn away and hurry off before the dogs noticed her... but absolute guilt would consume her if she did so, knowing that she purposely left a cat in danger when she could've helped. Besides, she was a new cat now - the old her might've left, but that was where she had to improve.

Flicking her tail, Venom charged down the hill, yowling and trying to catch the dogs' attention. There was no way she'd be able to fight them off - the best hope was to run into the forest and scurry up a tree, then somehow get away that way.

The dogs turned, glancing at the new arriver, but before they had much of a chance to look, Venom jumped on one's head, scratching and biting at wherever she could. The dogs yipped and barked as they rolled over, snarling at Venom.

"Run!" The black she-cat glanced up hurriedly at the ginger one clinging to the tree branch. "Into the forest! I'll meet you there!"

The she-cat didn't hesitate; she sprinted from the tree and took off towards the woods. Unfortunately, one of the dogs took off after her as well.

"Oh, Spirits," Venom muttered under her breath, seeing as the dog closed up on the she-cat. 

Giving the dog she was fighting with a hefty kick at its eyes, she pushed off and bounded towards the ginger cat, running harder than she ever had, well aware of the now angry dog chasing behind her. Reaching the pair just as the dog was about to grab the ginger she-cat's tail, she smacked its muzzle before grabbing the cat's scruff and dragging her up a tree, panting as they reached the safety of a high yet stable branch.

The dogs yipped below, obviously angry they weren't able to catch one of the cats. The ginger she-cat was trembling, clearly terrified, as she stared wide-eyed at the dogs below her.

Venom knew she had to take even further control of the situation. Pushing herself to her paws, she twitched her tail-tip, beckoning to the ginger cat. "Come on, follow me. We'll have to get away by trees. Hopefully along the way we'll loose the dogs-"

Just then, the shrill shriek of a Twoleg pierced the air as two wandered through the field, making clicking noises and releasing more calls. The dogs' ears lifted as they turned towards them and to the cats, as if not sure whether to remain or leave. Thankfully, they were spared from such decision as one of the Twolegs spotted them, marching towards the pack with a leash in its hands and clipping it to the dogs' collars, dragging them away forcefully.

"Thank Spirits for that," Venom muttered beneath her breath. Raising her voice, she addressed the ginger she-cat, "Well, we got away just in time! I guess I'll see you around."

She received no reply, waiting an awkward three seconds of silence before ducking her head and scaling down the tree, beginning to make her way back to the newfound camp. As soon as her paws touched the ground, though, she heard a call.

"Wait!"

~~~

finally a new chapter!! after what, two months? i'm really hoping to get more chapters out soon - there's been quite a few new changes in my life, and i'm wishing that that's now settled so i can figure out more time to write!!

anyway, what did you think of this chapter? i'm happy to hear any & all opinions you may have!

have a wonderful day, and as always, thank you for reading!!

~ lily