CHAPTER ONE

The sound of the wind whispering in the trees at night never unsettled William as much as it did the other cats on the street. He found it strangely comforting. Maybe it was because his mother had always told him that it was simply the trees murmuring sweet words to eachother and singing themselves to sleep. That was one of the many things a mother was useful for; even if nothing she said made any sense, it would still comfort her child if she said it in the right way. No youngster should be without a mother, the black and white tomcat decided.

“They’re growing up fast, aren’t they?” he called up to a tortoiseshell queen who lay splayed out on a garage roof, four kittens snuggled up beside her.

“Too fast,” she replied darkly. “The little nightmares have already started wandering off on their own. The sooner they learn how to defend themselves, the better.”

“I could teach them a few basic skills, if you’d like,” he offered, twitching his whiskers.

“Oh, yes please,” she sighed with relief. “Anything to give me some peace.”

“Tomorrow at dawn,” he said with a nod, then bounded away into the shadows.

As he walked absentmindedly along the pavement, a single drop of rain fell from the dark sky and splatted onto his nose. Then another, and another. He made a dash for the abandoned cottage where he frequently took shelter. The windows of what was once a well-loved home were gaping holes, only boarded up on the first floor, making it fairly easy for him to climb up and slip inside.

Tonight, however, something stopped him. He froze halfway up the building, ears pricked alertly. It took him a moment to realise what he’d heard – the faintest, most desperate cry, from deep in the bushes of the front garden. He slid gracefully down the wall and approached the overgrown clump of weeds and gorse, checking the air for the scent of another cat. He recognised the smell immediately and it sent a wave of confusing emotions crashing over him the moment it hit him. He let out an answering meow and a second later a ragged, skinny silver and white queen emerged, shaking leaves from her once-beautiful fur. Three kittens clung to her back, all seemingly asleep.

“Lucia,” he greeted her softly. He hoped she couldn’t hear the sadness in his voice.

(Cont.)

“William, my dear,” she replied, gazing at him longingly. They just looked into eachother’s eyes for a moment, then Lucia sighed quietly and laid her head on William’s shoulder, closing her eyes. “I’ve been a fool.”

“Tell me what happened,” he said, wrapping his tail around her. As he did so, he found himself longing for the days when they would laze around in the sun together on long summer nights, chasing bumblebees just for the fun of it, knowing they’d never catch them. They had such innocence. Such freedom.

“It’s- it’s Test,” she said, her voice shaking. “He’s after me, I… I don’t know what to do, William, he’s g-going to take my babies…”

“Hush…” he whispered, stroking the queen’s back with his tailtip. “Come inside with me. That night you met him, I promised I’d keep you safe,” he reminded her, his voice filling with pain. “Because I didn’t trust him. I’m going to keep that promise.”

“I’m so sorry,” she choked out, her ears pressed flat against her head. “I was blinded by love, I never… I never saw his true intentions until it was too late…”

“Oh, Lucia…” he soothingly licked the top of her head. “Everything is all right now.”

She took a deep breath, then lifted her head, stepping back a little to look at him in the eyes. “I want you to keep the little ones safe.”

“Why, of course I will,” he said. “I’ll keep all of you-“

“Not me. Just the kittens.”

He stared at her, bewildered. “Don’t be absurd, my dear. Why would you leave them with me and keep running? You’re fighting a battle you can never win!”

“I know. But Test knows my scent too well. He could follow me anywhere. But the children… he hasn’t met them yet, and I’m hoping he never does. There’s no use in me trying to hide. But they can.”

William desperately tried to think of a way he could save her, but his mind was blank. “…Lucia, I…” he began, then he sighed. “Yes. I’ll take them. But please, don’t give up.”

(Cont.)

She nodded silently and crouched, letting the kittens slide off her back. When she stood back up she glanced anxiously over her shoulder, her eyes wide with fear. “He’s coming,” she said quietly. She gave William one last appreciative smile and then dashed off into the torrential rain. He stared after her, his childhood lover, his only sunshine, and he didn’t even look at the bundle of kittens laying at his paws.

“Run!” he yowled after her. “Never stop running! For my sake!”

There was no response.

He stood unmoving by the bushes for a moment, then slowly scooped the three children onto his back. He felt ashamed that he could barely remember their names. He’d been so emotional at the time she’d introduced them to him that he wasn’t really listening. I think she said the silver queen was named Trixie, he recalled. The black and white tom is Rogue, and the white tom… must be Jack.

He carried the trio through the window and into the safety of the old cottage. He laid them down under the dusty, decaying remains of a couch, licking each one in turn to try to keep them warm. He then curled himself around them and after a while he drifted into a troubled sleep.

His dreams were filled with the sounds of many voices calling to him, many paws lashing at him from the shadows, as if everyone was begging for his attention, but he only had one cat on his mind. Lucia, his dear sweet Lucia, her fur shining in the moonlight and the little tinkle tinkle of the bell on her pink collar. He knew she had to be there, but he could never see her. He was suffocating in crowds and crowds of unrecognisable screeching cats, fighting desperately to find his love, but with no luck. The crying became louder and louder, filling his senses, until finally he jolted awake, his heart pounding.

But the screaming continued.

(Cont.)

He lay frozen to the spot as he listened to the anguished sounds, a horrible feeling of dread washing over him. As soon as they stopped he leapt up and bounded out the window and onto the cottage roof. Where was she? He was sure it was her. He could feel it. She was in danger. Test had caught her. He needed to save her, he had to go after her-

But then he stopped. He looked back at the pile of pathetic little bundles under the couch. Her last wish was for him to protect them. He couldn’t just leave them here; anything could get them while he was away, chasing someone who he knew, deep down, was already gone.

He lifted his head toward the moon and gave a long, loud, grief-stricken howl. He hoped that if she was still out there somewhere, she would hear and know he still cared. Another call came from somewhere below in response, then another, and soon the street was filled with the sounds of dozens of feline voices sharing his pain, united for one moment as they all mourned the loss of one of their kind.

William closed his eyes and let out a long, shaky breath. The cries slowly faded into the night air and Redwood Close fell deathly silent once again. He dropped down from the roof and headed back into the window and saw that one of the kittens had awoken and was staring curiously at him.

“Hello, Jack,” William tiredly said, flopping down beside the little ones. “Go back to sleep, son. You’re all right now.”

Jack blinked at him, then lay his head back down on his paws to sleep. William watched him. Youngsters without a mother, he thought bitterly. But I can at least let them have a father. Maybe I’ll give them hope. Maybe I’ll give /myself/ hope.

(Done)

summer evenings. Not nights. I meant evenings

heck i love
your writing has improved since i last read something you wrote--

also
cUTE KITTENSSSS
...cute kittens whose mum is dead but still
CUTE KITTENS

I will never ever leave sensible comments on anything

This is amazinggggggggggg
You wrote this story so well with great details and perfect dialogue! I love it!!
I can't wait to read more of your stories :D

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I like just woke up but I'm gonna come back later and read all this fantastic goodness