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Cold rain hit Jemteazer’s dry fur causing her to shiver. She barely remembered running all the way back through the corroded hallways, much less climbing up the broken well, and up through the ivy covered wall. Her mind was much too full of other things to be bothered by such things. Anger. Hurt. Jealousy? She didn’t want o be jealous of Etceterina, but she couldn’t help it, the only attention she had ever gotten from any male cat, was from Old Deuteronomy or Munkustrap, and they hardly counted. She continued walking, going nowhere in particular, she just needed to sort out her thoughts. *’Ow dare she say tat about me! I am NOT a goodie-goodie, jus’ because I dun’t fool aroun wit everyting that ‘as testosterone. Why does this always ‘appen ta me? Etcety neva gets caught when she tries ta get out, but evera time I get caught. And evera time I’m with Etcety, the princes’ always have their eyes on her, neva me? What’s wrong wit me?* The calico princess’ thoughts trailed off as she looked around, and found her surroundings unfamiliar. Tall trees shot up from the ground, standing tall and proud, though they were numerous, the giant trees gave little shelter from the rain, and she now noticed how wet she was. Rain was dripping off her nose and the hair on her ears sagged with the added weight of the water. She realized that if she didn’t find shelter soon, she would chance getting very sick. Now she was faced with the choice of going farther in to the forest to try and find shelter, with the risk of never finding her way back, or trying to find her way back home in the rain and dark, risking getting even more lost and maybe not even finding shelter.
It only took her moments to decide, with the help of a few lightning bolts, that she should try and find shelter. As she headed farther into the forest, the trees became thicker, shorter and more gnarled, they reminded her of old wrinkled hand grasping for something, it gave her the chills.
She quickly passed the tree’s hoping that the farther into the forest she went, the better her surrounding would become. In reality, the deeper she got, the more perverse it got. Helplessly she trudged on, hoping that soon she would find shelter.
Jemteazer moaned and sat up, had she heard something? She flexed her ears, straining to hear if anyone, or anything, was around. She heard a soft footsteps behind her, slightly covered by the still pouring rain, she spun around as fast as she could and retracted her claws, ready to fight, only to find a soaked, tired, disheveled looking Etceterina. Even looking as she was, she still seemed to look beautiful, as always.
“Hey calm down there! It’s just me! Man, do you know where you’re going, yah think you’d be smart enough to stay where you are. Hehe, well you look rested enough, I stayed up all night trying to track you, yah know this rain makes prints vanish very easily, and…. uh…Well, I’m not to good at saying this, but…I’m sorry I blew up at you like that, its just you can be so juvenile sometimes.” Etceterina was aware of the unwelcoming look on Jemteazer’s face.
Jemteazer was aware that Etceterina was nervous because she was just rambling, but she had no sympathy for her. “Did you stay up all night tracking’ me so you could just insult me agin? Cuz if ya did, then yah can get away from me, I dun wan any thing ta do wit yah if all ya gunna do is make fun a me. Nutin at all.” She turned away from her tabby friend and sat down. The calico tone was one that Etceterina had never heard before. She wasn’t shouting, but her tone was laced with resentment and anger. Jemteazer was usually a very even-tempered cat, and would forgive Etceterina readily, when she apologized. *Did I push her to far this time?* The rain was beginning to lighten, and could be heard on the deformed tree’s leaves. “Look, I know I can be a jerk sometimes, but I really am sorry. Jemteazer look at me, I’m sorry.” Jemteazer turned around and saw that genuine remorse was in her best friends eyes. She smiled and ran to the tabby, hugging her fiercely. “Okay, okay, enough with the sentimentalness.” Etceterina looked slightly embarrassed and pushed the smaller kitten off her.
“Do ya think we’ll eva get ‘ome?” Jemteazer said quietly.
"Of course we will. I just need to rest, since I was up all night, and then we can try and figure out where we are, and I’m sure the rain will stop soon…I hope.” Etceterina laid down where, previously Jemteazer had slept, and curled into a ball. Jemteazer sat next to her, and did her best to keep her best friend warm.
The rain had lessened a bit a little before daybreak, though it still came through the trees. Jemteazer was slumped over Etceterina, and both kittens were breathing softly. A sound found its way into Jemteazers tufted ears, and caused her wake up. *O I mus’ ‘ave dozed off. ‘Ow long was I asleep? An’ w’at woke me up?* Again the sound came, but this time it was closer, and louder. Jemteazer couldn’t put her paw on the noise, but it sounded vaguely familiar. She stood up on her hind feet and stuck her nose in the air. She sniffed a few times and picked up some familiar smells and a few unfamiliar ones as well. Pine trees, wet dirt, fresh water, wet fur. She shook her head slightly and lay back down, keeping her ears up, incase she heard it again. It hadn’t been more than 10 minutes when the low moan came again. This time Jemteazer woke the sleeping kitten next to her up. “Etcety, wake up! I ‘ear something!” She whispered urgently, whatever it was, it was close and she didn’t want it to know that they were there.
Etceterina sat up and rubbed her eyes, “Wha-?” she had her eyes half closed and drowsily started to clean her face.
“I ‘eard someting. It sounded big!” Jemteazer said quietly, she looked around attentively. “But I can’t see a fing.”
“Well be quite so I can hear!” Etceterina perked her ears up and turned then in a swiveling motion. The sound came again, this time it was close enough for them to identify the sound as a bark.
Both kittens sat with their backs to each other and listened. The rain lessened enough so that they could see through the rain, which made them more at ease, that is until they saw what it was that they heard.
