What Lurks in the Forest?
A short introduction to the territory of The Moonlight River Cats, as seen from the perspective of an outsider who was courted by a young tom in their midst.
"Forests are supposed to be full of deer and rabbits and foxes and badgers, not cats!" The young kit exclaimed to her mother as they lay in the sun that spilt through the window and bathed the sill where they were. "Cats belong in Stone-dens!" She added in disbelief.
The mother cat smiled gently and grazed her tongue between her kit's ears. "But the forest is full of cats." She said gently, looking back out at the trees that began just beyond their garden fence. "Cats like your dad." She added, almost sounding dreamy.
The kit frowned and looked up at her mother. "Dad is a forest cat?" She asked in amazement, eyes wide with awe at the thought of her dad surviving out there without SoftHides to care for him.
"Oh yes." The mother cat mewed eagerly. "He is a fine forest cat." She agreed.
"Have you ever been to the forest?" The kit asked, desperate to know more.
"A few times." She paused, "I only needed to go a few times to be able to picture it in my head forever." The mother cost added wistfully. She closed her eyes and quickly drifted into some sort of trance. "Beyond the fence is trees. So many trees. They stretch for many cat-lengths high into the sky. They are big, giant versions of the trees SoftHides bring into the Stone-Den in the bare months. They smell different though. They smell alive! Every where is full of the smell of life. There are many colours and shapes and sounds and smells and tastes. The floor is soft with the tiny little leaf things that fall from the strange trees. They are soft like the fur on the floor in Stone-Dens." The mother cat paused, relishing in the moment, letting her senses take over. "It is always dark down on the floor because the trees are dense and evergreen, blocking all but the tiniest slither of light through that tickles your back with warmth. Deep in the forest there is the dead body of an old tree that has fallen many seasons ago. That is where your father lives. He lives with many other cats, all hiding among the roots of trees around the dead one. Each night they gather on the dead tree and they sing. They wouldn't explain why..." Another pause. A gentle silence. "Just beyond the dead tree is a river. It is a strange river and runs underground. You must go beneath the rocks and trees to get to the river. The water is cold and shines like it is full of stars. It tastes like the best drink you could ever have, and filled my belly better than any food, and filled my lungs better than any breath, and filled my heart better than any cat. They meet there every time the moon is missing from the sky, letting the odd waters be their light as they discuss things we could never understand." The mother cat concluded, opening her eyes. She hastily licked her kit again, glancing back out to the forest. "The forest is very secretive, it must hold so many mysteries." She mumbled, but the kit had already drifted to sleep between her paws.