Race

  Chickadee was right on Wisteria's tail as they ran together, laughter filling the air. Trailing behind them was Pebble and Shredder, today they were all out hunting but Wisteria didn't mind adding a little fun into it. Racing normally scared away prey, but Chickadee wasn't one to object!

  Ignoring the scoldings of Pebble and Shredder, they sped far ahead, Chickadee giving Wisteria a determined look. They weren't actually in it to win it for this race and Wisteria was naturally more skilled at running than them, they just wanted Wisteria to enjoy being competitive.

  Suddenly, Wisteria flicked her tail as a signal to stop. Chickadee came to a stop.

  "Why're we stopping?"

  Wisteria gave the out-of-breath cat a teasing look and responded, "To give you a breather."

  Chickadee giggled and shook their head, looking behind them to see if Pebble and Shredder were anywhere in sight. Nope.

  "What do you think the kids are doing back at home?" Chickadee absent-mindedly asked, glancing back at their mate.

  "I don't know. Camellia's probably telling his stories, that's one definitive answer."

  "Oh, I'm sure..." When Wisteria gave them a questioning look, they purred. They lowered their head and softly murmured. "I always worry when we're away from them. Even after all this time.”

  Wisteria snorted and continued walking. "Don’t get all gushy on me now.”

  "Mm." Chickadee sluggishly followed Wisteria, already letting the relaxation of pausing affect them. "I guess I just miss parenting them." Suddenly they were both silent and just enjoying the walk as they neared the border between them and the Web Colony.

  "Bunch of weirdos," Wisteria meowed as they looked out onto their land.

  "Don't say that!"

  Wisteria glanced back at Chickadee with amusement. "You know it's trueee~" she chimed. The pretty brown tortoiseshell continued walking along. With elegantly long legs, the molly went at such a pace that Chickadee had to slow down further. How'd someone so energetic decide to become their mate? They were lucky.

  As they walked together, Chickadee listened to the wind rustle the trees. The undergrowth at their feet was harsh yet they loved it because it made it clear they were living in the Fire Colony. Letting their muzzle touch the sky and their ears rotate, they fixated on their senses. For a few moments, everything felt serene. And right as the wind brought in the scent of Web Colony cats...

  Wisteria was tackled to the ground and in an instant, her hissing was muted by a choke. Chickadee flinched away in shock, but their feet were frozen to the ground in horror. 

  The tom who did it rose to his feet, his chest stained in the dark red blood of Wisteria. He lifted his head in triumph and stared at Chickadee. 

  "Wisteria," they choked out, stepping away slowly. "No... Please, get off of her." Chickadee pleaded with the tom even though he'd been the one to inflict the wound.

  Feeling more eyes on them, they looked to the bushes. The glints of their eyes showed fully as they stepped out. There were four cats with this tom; a brown tabby molly with a wounded eye, a fluffy white molly, a tall grayish tom, and a fuzzy dusty brown tom. But Chickadee almost didn't register any of them, their mind was racing. Were they going to die?

  "We did our job, Red! This cat didn't trespass!" the brown molly shouted at the tom.

  "Our job is to rid of them." Red's eyes were cold as he tilted his head toward the brown tabby.

  With a tremble in her voice, the white molly spoke up. "I think Lamprey's right, Red... They're not doing anything, see? We should leave before this gets worse."

  Red shook his head and got off of Wisteria, and Chickadee's gaze slowly guided itself toward their mate. Wisteria laid there, the only noticeable movement from her being the wind tugging at her fur.

  Chickadee instinctively got closer until the blood-stained tom looked back at them and growled. "What do you want? Run off already!"

  As Red threateningly padded toward them, they backed away, faster and faster until he was chasing them. "PEBBLE! SHREDDER!" their blood-curdling scream pierced the air, tears filling their eyes. They prayed for their friends to catch up already, they couldn't take these cats alone… They needed to help Wisteria immediately.

  Intercepted by two cats, Red was cut off from Chickadee. There their saviors stood, Pebble and Shredder. Though Pebble was small, he was imposing, and Shredder was intimidating even within his own colony.

  "We're not letting you get any closer. You're on our territory now," Shredder growled protectively, his claws unsheathing.

  "Looks like a party." Red smiled smugly, then called out to his fellow members.

  As the others ran forward, Chickadee contemplated what to do. If they ran, Wisteria might not recover... If they fought, they weren't sure they'd win. They watched as Pebble and Shredder were pinned and more cats poured in from the other side of the border. 

  Pebble wriggled under a Web Colony cat’s grasp, holding his breath as he was repeatedly kicked with unsheathed claws. Finally, he managed to launch his attacker off of him, only to desperately face Chickadee. "You need to run, Chickadee! Go now!"

  "No!" Chickadee sobbed among the chaotic sounds erupting around them. "I-I'm not leaving you guys or Wisteria! I can't!"

  "You can, Chickadee! You have to, please!" Pebble begged them. "We'll be okay, but you need to go get reinforcements!" His eyes were desperate.

  Shredder's blood splattered onto the ground, and Pebble was shoved back down by the cat attacking him. Wisteria was completely still except for the blood pouring from her throat. Another cat was coming for Chickadee but Shredder turned to tackle them to the ground.

  Chickadee needed to accept there was nothing they could do to help Wisteria at this point. But if they ran fast enough... would they be able to save Pebble and Shredder?

  "I'm sorry," Chickadee softly mewed, unheard throughout the yowls. They turned away and ran as fast as they could. This was a race against time.