Queen's POV

I watched my Clan as they moved around in the usual bustle of sunset. We Hopping cats. We didn't have a territory so we were always on the move, discovering new things and meeting new animals to add to our Clan. It was an odd thing for cats to do in such large groups, but what made us even more odd was that although we were called a Clan, which is a cat term, it actually consists of cats and dogs, two natural rivals. The paring of the two species ensured our safety as we travelled, as we would be less likely to be attacked when accompanied by dogs. As time went on, this teaming of species seemed to appeal to the cats and dogs we passed, and over time, through this as well as breeding, our Clan grew, making us an even more formidable opponent. We consisted now of about forty cats and twenty five dogs, not including the kittens and puppies. That made us one of the largest clans or packs on the map, although we weren't an established Clan, or recognised by the others, as we weren't stationery. We were considered as just another travelling group.

It was for this reason we often got the upper hand when dealing with what would've been a threat, as no one expects to come across anyone in such numbers.
Although there were undoubtedly vast positives about being a Hopping Clan, I wasn't the only one that found myself wishing to find a place to call home. Find my favourite place to sit, discover the best place to hunt or play. But this was my life, I was born on the road and I've never settled anywhere since.
Every time I found a favourite thing about the area, we moved on a few days later at most.

Now the cats and dogs of the Clan had just returned from hunting with nothing more than a few mice. They had been gone since we had first arrived in this area, three days. "Clearly this place isn't good for prey, we should move on tomorrow." My father, Fluffy said. My mother Dori responded with a huff. "That's what I told you when you first mentioned settling here! We hadn't seen any prey in the last day of us travelling, it was a clear sign there was scarcely any food here! They've probably been cleared out by those Ebony Vultures!" She growled in frustration. "I know but seeing and looking for prey is two different things." My dad reasoned calmly.

My parents continued to bicker, not surprising me in the slightest, as this was basically a daily thing with them.
That was another thing that I disliked about our Clan. Although any other Clan or Pack had a leader of some sort, our Clan had been founded by lone cats or cats in small groups who all had the same goal and decided to team up to find a suitable territory. Due to this they never decided on a leader, so over time when the Clan started to expand, they formed a 'government'. All the Founders of the Clan had equal say in matters and if there was a disagreement amongst them that couldn't be settled, they would put it to a vote. In this case ten Foundars, including my mum, wanted to continue on and settle elsewhere, whereas thirteen, including my dad, wanted to settle here, despite the chance of us not having much prey in this area.

Now my parents bickered about each other making irrational decisions. One of the Foundars, who was older than my parents at the age of eight and a half. She padded in my direction, her greyish white coat ruffling as she walked. She placed a grey mouse at my paws, who lay lifelessly for me to eat. "It isn't much Whiskers I know, but we haven't eaten in days, and possibly the road ahead will have equally as scarce food, if not more. You must have a little bit." She was a gentle and kind cat but when she wanted something she was persistent enough to convince anyone. "I know Martha, I just don't feel like eating right now." I said and she, Martha, sighed. "That means your thinking too much, that's never a good sign." She said with a light smirk. I huffed a small laugh and began to poke and nibble at my food reluctantly, knowing I couldn't win an argument against her. If I insisted she would only get more strict with me.

Martha shook her head and sighed, slightly amused by my kitten like behaviour I would develop when I wasn't interested in my food.

As Martha padded off and my parents bickering died down, I sighed to myself. The Clan had finished preparing to move on tomorrow, all injuries had been treated, all prey had been eaten or added safely to the travel pile, and now the cats and dogs began to settle down to sleep. Everyone seemed to love our way of life, except me. As I grew older I began to crave the life of a stationary Clan. That's why I planned to leave tomorrow, announced or unannounced.
Just before the sun rose above the horizon. My Clan, although we never stayed in one place, we always have the same routine. Rise just as the sun is above the horizon and settle when the sun in at the same point at sunset. That's why we're called, The Horizon Clan.

April Bluebird/BlueWhiskers1.
The Catnapped Queen.
Prologue; Horizon.
17/Jan/2023.
Words; 931.
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